If you told me four years ago that I was in college, away from home, and thriving, I would not have believed you. My freshman year of high school, I was having a rough time coping with my anxiety. My anxiety became so out of control I refused to go to school, I stopped eating, I could no longer sleep. I was a zombie, I did not laugh, smile, or hang out with my friends anymore. I tried to smile and be content, but nothing worked. I was convinced I was going to be afflicted forever, thankfully there were others who knew the real me was still there. With the help of my mother, getting professional help, and a change of perspective I was able to conquer my anxiety. My family was always there for me, and once I realized this my anxiety finally became manageable. In the past, I had always tried to hide my anxiety from my parents. I alienated everyone who cared about me because I was embarrassed to talk about my anxiety. My anxiety was always over small things that most people would view as unimportant, but these were very real issues to me. When I was having an anxiety attack my …show more content…
The medicine took the edge off of my anxiety, but that just made me able to function, I was not happy. I needed to change my thinking, I began to convince my mind that I was happy and slowly I realized I was getting my spirit back. I began to force myself to go out with my friends, even when I was feeling distressed. I just tried to push the anxiety out of my mind, and distract myself with positive things. I had to stop allowing myself to mope around and become the master of my own thoughts. My anxiety began to dramatically improve once I stopped seeing myself as a victim. When I began to feel anxious I just began to list all the positives in my life. When I started to focus on the positives in my life that is when I saw the most
Anti-anxiety drugs are another way of reducing stress levels. They counter hormones in the body that make you anxious. Barbiturates are another form of anti-anxiety drugs. They are depressants of the central nervous system and can be effective in reducing anxiety. However there are side effects with barbiturates these include lack of concentration or lack of coordination. Also anxious patients who stop taking barbiturates report numerous symptoms such as delirium, irritability and increased sweating.
Anxiety disorders are very common and the causes vary. Symptoms of anxiety disorders can be disabling for some but in most cases people who suffer with it can still carry on social relationships and job functions. There are medical outlets a patient can seek to help cope and treat anxiety through biological treatment and psychotherapy. The authors of “Anxiety Reactivity and Anxiety Perseveration Represent Dissociable Dimensions of Trait Anxiety” focused on anxiety vulnerability by testing and measuring reactivity and preservation in regard to anxiety. (Rudaizky, page, MacLeod 2012).
According to Sharp (2012), “anxiety disorders are the most widespread causes of distress among individuals seeking treatment from mental health services in the United States” (p359).
It is never pleasant to feel anxious or distressed for any reason. However, there are several people who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders as they are very prevalent today. Mental health professionals are helping people overcome hurdles such as panic attacks, severe worry, social anxiety and other specific phobias. I think that anxiety is an emotion that everyone experiences at one time or another in their life. Anxiety can have a negative effect on an individual if it interferes with one’s daily routine and keeps them from doing what they normally do.
Those whom are living with anxiety often are fighting it alone and have no one by their side. Often times those people will put a wall up so that others can't tell that they are suffering, they act like everything is fine and they are indestructible. In reality their anxiety is eating away at them.
I was ten years old when I was told I had some sort of social anxiety. I had no idea why I didn’t like to be in the public eye, I just didn’t. My parents were aware of this and they were told I should be introduced with other kids in a sporting activity or something of general interest. I had no idea what I was into really, TV and video games like any other kid, but obviously, they lacked social interaction. I just didn’t want to talk to anyone else; I just didn’t care for any attention. I was told to make my mind up and decide what kind of club I wanted to join. My parents suggested judo, a tough and disciplined sport that I always respected, I agreed but instantly regretted my decision…
Social anxiety is debilitating. While struggling with it, stepping onto a school campus felt like death. My body would become masked in sweat and my heart felt like it would burst at any second. My classes exhausted me and I couldn’t make any friends. Everyone told me that high school was supposed to be the greatest four years of my life, but it felt like hell. Like most lonely, troubled teenagers, I resorted to escapism using the internet.
There are several types of anxiety disorders. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) involves excessive worrying, nervousness and tension. With this disorder, there is a constant feeling of dread that shapes your entire life. This type of anxiety doesn’t have the intensity of a panic attack, however lasts longer and makes daily life and relaxing impossible. People with GAD worry that a friendship is in jeopardy if a missed phone call to a friend isn’t returned to them. The thought of getting through the day can cause anxiety. GAD makes people worry excessively and the worrying is constant. These people feel as though their mind is on a nonstop running marathon and there is nothing they can do about it. To help treat GAD there are several self-help tips to follow. One can look at their worries in a new way and understand that worries are triggered and the blame cannot be put on anyone else. Another helpful tip is to relax. “As you strengthen your ability to relax, your nervous system will become less reactive and you’ll be less vulnerable to anxiety and stress. Over time, the relaxation response will come easier and easier, until it feels natural,” (Smith, Segal, and Segal). Meditation, ...
Anxiety is defined as a diffuse, internal, loose floating tension that doesn’t have a real danger or an external object. There is also a significant difference from the notion of fear. Fear usually has an outer object (a real fear of a snake, height or an unreal fear, when the danger is just imagined). Anxiety does not have an external object or external danger but has an internal danger. Internal danger can be some intrapsychic conflict, impulse unacceptable to the ego, suppressed thoughts, etc.
...nd withdrawal. SSRIs will usually be used to prevent a dependency and withdrawals but may take 2-4 weeks to reach a therapeutic level of effectiveness (Butcher 206). Other then with meds, there are some other cognitive and behavioral treatments for anxiety. Training to relieve anxiety includes muscle relaxation techniques, cognitive restructuring, and reducing the minor events that will cause anxiety.
Do you know what it feels like to have your palms sweat, throat close up, and your fingers tremble? This is the everyday life of someone who lives with anxiety. As soon as I wake up in the morning, I hear my brain freaking out about the day ahead of me. What do I eat for breakfast? What do I do first when I get home from school? What happens if I get in a car crash on my way to school? A million thoughts at one time racing through my head. I never have the time to process all of them. Most mornings, I lay in my bed and have to take a few deep breaths to begin my hectic but not so hectic day. That’s just the beginning. It’s safe to say that I feel that I 'm an anxious person and that I have an anxiety disorder.
In school there’s cliques, there’s bullies, there’s always going to be people that hate you and people that love you, but sometimes it’s hard to find who’s who, and on top of that, there’s additional stress around deadlines and assignments and balancing social stress and stress from assignments, on top of having anxiety is my own personal hell. It sometimes weighs me down so much that it’s hard for me to merely raise my hand in class to ask or answer a question, introduce myself to someone, give a presentation, whatever situation you can think of, my anxiety makes it worse by tenfold. It took me about four and a half weeks into sixth grade to find one of my best friends, which was a record time for me, and I was ecstatic. We had the same interests, we got along well, and she was in my social studies class and we sat together at lunch. Like all friendships, it was awkward at first, and I told her about my anxiety and it was like a door had opened up for me, she was understanding and really patient with me and learned about what works best for me really quickly, which is something I couldn’t be more grateful for. No one has been that supportive of me. I met so many people through her also, and I’ve become a little more easygoing than I was a year ago. My friend group is larger, however not by much, and I’m 100 percent okay with that now. I have a wonderful support system and I love all of them dearly. I still am absolutely terrible with
Almost every day throughout high school I experienced something that I could not identify. It was over a year since I had graduated until could put words to emotion. I discovered that I was not free in my own mind. I was in a prison. One that I couldn't touch and for many years I could not see. After several visits to counselors and therapists I finally had the words to describe what my experience was.
I used to have a lot of trouble with Anxiety and Depression, these troubles caused me to feel handicapped through life and felt like many things I did were just too hard to deal with, even the most simple of things. In the past year I learned that you cannot let Anxiety and Depression control your life. These things can only control your life, if you allow them to control your life; and after being on anxiety and depression medication for years, I am finally coming off of the anxiety medication.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. Every person experiences some form of anxiety in his or her lifetime. Anxiety helps us deal with tense situations like using our flight or fight reaction, study harder for an exam, or keep focus on important deadlines. Anxiety can be useful until it gets to the point of interfering with everyday life. Some people explain it as not being able to shut the anxiety off. When anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it becomes a disabling disorder (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). Each year, anxiety disorders affect about 40 million American adults age 18 years and older (National Institute of Mental Health, 2009). There are five major Anxiety Disorders they include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Phobias.