Quote:
Originally Posted by Freebase Dali
But in all seriousness, I have a bit of an anxiety disorder, but it's not overbearing. When I get used to situations, it's totally non-existent... but in new situations I'm not accustomed to or place importance on, especially where there are large groups of people involved, I'm overly anxious to the point of showing it physically.
I never noticed it until I had joined the military, so I'm not sure if that had something to do with it, but it's one of those things I worry about now because simple things like job interviews feel like they're going to be insurmountable because I want to be as relaxed as possible, which is when I'm my clearest and most articulate.
I think the more I worry about it, the worse the anxiety becomes... like a feedback loop... making things worse.
I don't want to go on meds, and I don't think I need them because I'm not debilitated in any way apart from just being self-critical in particular circumstances due to the anxiety, and I don't want the negative side effects of those types of drugs, but I don't really have any other options than to overcome the irrational fear which is A LOT harder than it sounds.
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I also have an anxiety disorder. I remember my mom took me to see a shrink when I was about 10 or 11 and I was diagnosed with
Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Fits my symptoms almost to a T.
My symptoms are more pronounced during the school year because of essays, deadlines, practice schedules, rehearsals, etc. I stress over things that most people would just shake off. I don't have a problem in social situations though. In fact, I'll admit that I like to be the centre of attention.
For me, it's more of an internal thing. I'm not on any meds and I really don't want to be. Psychiatric medications just mask the problem and make you feel good about yourself when you're really not. They do not cure anything. However, there are very few side effects with these drugs. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) like fluoxetine (Prozac) or sertraline (Zoloft) can slow down your body's ability to metabolize alcohol and caffeine (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selecti...take_inhibitor). Buspirone (Bu-Spar) is a similar drug that is prescribed specifically for generalized anxiety disorder (
Buspirone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
I've been keeping my anxiety symptoms under control during the school year by limiting my caffeine intake (stimulants just enhance the symptoms), and by keeping a daily agenda and breaking down my big goals and projects into smaller ones. For me, playing flute and guitar really help me to channel my frustrations and stress out of my body. Regular exercise also helps, and a healthy balanced diet. Well, fairly balanced for me since I don't eat red meat and I can't eat pork
It's hard to get sympathy from people (I'm not actively looking for it, this is just something that I've noticed over the years). Perhaps it's because this is such a complex thing to understand and only people who have it can fully understand what you're going through. I sometimes think that others are being judgemental towards people with anxiety, again probably because they don't understand it.