my symptoms are pretty much "textbook"

television talking about me, hearing people's dreams, thought broadcasting to other people, thought insertion, everybody on the streets is against me

all of it has no "empirical" basis

might I also add self-psychoanalysis is pretty pointless and will get your into more serious trouble?

your own fabric of reality starts disintegrating

brace yourselves

Although honestly I have for the past four months been obsessed with the concept of death. Not that I'm suicidal or want to die, I just cannot comprehend my own mortality and often it makes me numb for days on end and I just flip out about it. I think I may be having a manic episode or one is starting, but I honestly don't care as it will mean I'm free of that bull****. It's ****ing horrifying. I can't live everyday thinking about death, everything reminds me of death and it's horrid

When he mentioned December (for me) it was this song that came to mind. That's Courtney Cox being all down and out in the video.


Sorry to hear that, you have my sympathies.

Doesn't everyone think about that? I think about death everyday but I'm no longer afraid of it anymore. I just hope it's not a slow, terrible death.

Does anyone have any pointers to shake off anxiety? I can't seem to get passed mine.

Of course its not necessary but I would never take anything that I didn't understand any better than "my doctor told me to take it"
I like to know what I'm putting in my body, not just why.

Yes, but I still like pointing out when crazy people are being crazy.

Don't listen to your family. They may not be wrong but there's a huge likelihood that they are. Same goes for self diagnosis. You can do it and you may be right but at least go to a doctor for a "second opinion" - anyway, even if people can self-diagnose successfully, what then? Do you go to a doctor and say "I need some schizo meds because I've determined that I am paranoid schizophrenic"?

Benzodiazepines work. Of course, talk to a doctor before you go to the black market.
If you can't or won't do that then exercise vigorously and meditate and eat healthy foods and such.

We fear the unknown, stuff we don't have control over. So, try and take control of the things that scare you. If you were scared of swimming, I'd say go take a swim. Stop playing the victim of your anxiety. If your anxiety would keep you from doing something, tell yourself **** that **** and do it anyways. Do it even if you know it will scare you. That way, you'll learn that anxiety is just a feeling. It can't keep you from doing stuff if you choose to do it. Ultimately, you're the one in control of your life, not your fears. You need to fight it in your head. Exactly how to do that, what works for you, I don't know but you'll feel it when you find out. If you can't just go and take a swim, consider writing an anxiety journal. Explore the aspects of your fears. Familiarize yourself with it so that you may better battle it. Getting to know your fears and figuring them out will make them more familiar which means less unknown, less uncontrollable and less scary.

And fear thrives on irrational thought. If you notice yourself having a negative sort of dialogue in your head where you are talking yourself into fear, you need to stop your train of thought, think "wait a minute" and then force yourself to think otherwise. Force yourself to think positive and rationally. Learn to mentally talk yourself out of fear.

I think by far most people can deal with anxiety just fine without medication if they just figure out how to do so in their own heads.

If you don't feel like you're quite ready to mentally fight it, then just talking with someone else will help. First family and friends, but also consider seeing a psychologist. They can give you more advice to help you fight this thing. Many people have struggled with anxiety at some point in their life and many if not most get past it.

Yea I do exercise and eat healthy, haven't tried meditating though. Doctor won't prescribe benzos.

Oh I know I'm the cause and take responsibility. I don't blame anything I'm doing on anxiety. It doesn't really stop me from doing anything. Telling yourself "there is nothing to fear" helps me act, I guess I don't seem to believe in it much to really change the feeling.

Yea it is just a feeling, I've gone through learning about that with my psych. Most dominating part of my anxiety is social. Pretty much why I threw myself into bar work to challenge it, and am still sticking to it now since before it only seems to make it worse. I know there are issues behind, and I'm pretty sure it started as a child with family... But it's more of a mess thing than a situation. I over think to get to the bottom of it. Figured a lot of it out, and I can sort of sense a change in direction of my anxiety. I think for now it's something I need to let be at least to get some idea of what to do next. You're right though, I've spent a lot of time denying it because "I thought it was pathetic" when I should of taken a
look at it seriously.

Oh I've been fighting it a long time, and well aware that it's yet another illusion of the mind. I guess there is something missing, and if it comes across it'll probably all fit and not be such a problem. Hard and sad to admit but maybe the victim thing may be behind all these thoughts. Also I need to stop calling all these issues "stupid".

Thanks for the advice dude really appreciate it.

Yeah I think about death a lot. I think I may always have. It used to freak me out, but not anymore. My thoughts about suicide have changed as well. I don't know if it's good or bad, but back in the day when I was more depressed, I saw suicide as a big deal. If I did it, people would be mortified and sad and upset, etc. Nowadays I'm weirdly comforted by the thought of it.