question for people with anxiety

[shimazu]

I could never understand for the life of me how people get such anxiety they need pills to calm them down. Granted im a near-emotionless person by birth, but ive never been so nervous I felt I couldnt breathe or got hysterical. I see people all the time saying they HAVE to take their benzos or they cant function, like is it really worth trading some nervousness for being a zombie 24/7? Im not a life coach and dont care what anyone puts in their bodies, I just have a hard time buying that anyone truly needs medication for anxiety.

 

[Dirtyven]

I have social (panic) anxiety, but i don't pop benzos for it, i do take benzos though, but once your tolerance is up, you don't become a zombie unless you take faaar too much, i try and keep my dose as low as possible to get the feeling i like, i've only gotten zombie-ish once and i can't remember shit from it, but i recorded myself smacking my forehead, like 5-7 videos of myself face palming, that wasn't from that day though, slurred speech and everything

but back to the question, i'd say if they need them to function, they're addicted, i have a hard time believing people have anxiety/panic attacks that lasts all day.
If they need it FOR anxiety i understand, but like i said, if you need it to function, you're addicted, that's why you get anxiety when you're not on them.

i've had one real bad panic anxiety attack once, it was so fucking scary, my heart was pumping real fast, i was panicking and moving around like a motherfucker, breathing fucked up, pulling my hair (i have short hair so not literally pulling it) and shit, but i just talked to my best friend, drank a lot of water and that did wonders, really calmed me down
i did take some antihistamines though, not very common, but the active substance is alimemazine, took 10mg of that (very low dose, i take 60-80mg for sleep)
so it relaxed me a bit and i tried to think of other stuff, stuff i enjoy, it was hard but you just gotta really try and think of something else, or it'll get worse

EDIT:
If i was unclear at any point, tell me and i'll explain it better.
Did i repeat things too much? then i apologise, no sarcasm.
i'm actually on pills and weed now so i was just basically just typing and thinking of stuff as i was typing so yeah, i'm sorry if i fucked up

 

[shimazu]

Thats what I dont understand though, like what is causing the anxiety? How do you just feel anxious socially for no reason? Its one thing to be nervous around people but to have panic attacks is just odd to me. Im not trying to say its not a real problem for some people but I think a lot of people also fake panic attacks for attention. Im asking this because Ive been around people who were having a panic attack for no reason, called them out on it, and now all of a sudden Im an asshole who doesnt understand their problem. Pardon me for not understanding your stupid excuse for a health problem, but your mind is what works yourself up and your mind is what can calm you down. People cant harness the power of their own mind and body it seems.

 

[Dirtyven]

Anxiety can come out of nowhere like you said, you can be with your friends having the best time of your life then the next second you're panicking nad get anxious.
I have no idea why this happens, it might be something subconsciously.

Sometimes you can feel it building up and what i do then is i try to talk a lot, get my mind off it, drink water, do whatever techniques you know, that's what works for me when i feel it start building up, if i ain't got anyone to talk to, sometimes i call someone, my mother works near me, just across the street so i could always go to her if it's that bad.

 

[fakeplastictrees4]

Panic attacks are our nervous system going into fight or flee mode. You're hypersensitive to your environment at that moment and I guess in a way you're being very vigilant. Animals have this naturally when they're hunting. Because we don't hunt it comes out in other times. It's just a natural biological reaction in people...especially humans seeing as we're supposed to be the ultimate predator. Its an increase in adrenaline and cortisol, ect. You know that feeling you get when something really shocking just happened to you and you feel more awake? And your heart might even be pounding. It's like that but combined with social anxiety.

I had a panic attack when I abused stimulants and took a few hits from a bong. Suddenly my heart started beating furiously and my thoughts were racing. I thought all my friends were laughing at me, I had intense thoughts about how horrible stimulants are and how I need to stop using, my palms were sweating, I just wanted to go home and be alone.

Saying people can't harness the power of their mind is a bit much...that's like saying why can't you act soberly when drunk off ur tits...or at the peak of an acid trip, ect...Anxiety can be controlled to an extent by calming yourself down and understanding that you're only having a panic attack but there's always a chance that you let your brain take over.
Anxiety DOES lead to many health problems....consider yourself lucky for being ignorant to it.

 

[Dirtyven]

Panic attacks are our nervous system going into fight or flee mode. You're hypersensitive to your environment at that moment and I guess in a way you're being very vigilant. Animals have this naturally when they're hunting. Because we don't hunt it comes out in other times. It's just a natural biological reaction in people...especially humans seeing as we're supposed to be the ultimate predator. Its an increase in adrenaline and cortisol, ect. You know that feeling you get when something really shocking just happened to you and you feel more awake? And your heart might even be pounding. It's like that but combined with social anxiety.

I had a panic attack when I abused stimulants and took a few hits from a bong. Suddenly my heart started beating furiously and my thoughts were racing. I thought all my friends were laughing at me, I had intense thoughts about how horrible stimulants are and how I need to stop using, my palms were sweating, I just wanted to go home and be alone.

Saying people can't harness the power of their mind is a bit much...that's like saying why can't you act soberly when drunk off ur tits...or at the peak of an acid trip, ect...Anxiety can be controlled to an extent by calming yourself down and understanding that you're only having a panic attack but there's always a chance that you let your brain take over.
Anxiety DOES lead to many health problems....consider yourself lucky for being ignorant to it.

You know a whole load about this type of stuff huh? that was really interesting

My social panic anxiety is genetic, almost everyone on mum's side of our relatives have it, like the 'older' women so to say, not dead old but y'know
It's really uncomfortable, do you too get that light headedness? that's the worst part 'cause it feels like you're gonna pass out or throw up, and i have a phobia of throwing up and feeling like you're going to, so if i get an anxiety attack, i HAVE to think about something else 'cause otherwise i'm gonna make it soooo much worse

 

[tokenname]

Thats what I dont understand though, like what is causing the anxiety? How do you just feel anxious socially for no reason? Its one thing to be nervous around people but to have panic attacks is just odd to me. Im not trying to say its not a real problem for some people but I think a lot of people also fake panic attacks for attention. Im asking this because Ive been around people who were having a panic attack for no reason, called them out on it, and now all of a sudden Im an asshole who doesnt understand their problem. Pardon me for not understanding your stupid excuse for a health problem, but your mind is what works yourself up and your mind is what can calm you down. People cant harness the power of their own mind and body it seems.

I would like to answer your question with a question..

Who the f*** would choose to go through life w/panic attacks?

I absolutely agree that there are ppl who do fake anxiety disorders.
Why? I really don't know. Benzos are easy enough to get w/o having to fake anything.
But if you've been in a situation where you've experienced panic...i.e..
you think you hear someone breaking into your house...
you're in a crowded store..turn around...and your kid is gone..
something to that effect.
that shot of adrenaline causes all sorts of unpleasant/horrible physical side effects.
stomach issues, chest pain, and real legitimate fear.
If you had some kind of very real disorder which would cause that same reaction for no
apparent reason...and never knew when it would happen, then yes, you would probably require medication
to live a half-way normal life.
I think a big part of anxiety disorder is the fear of having a panic attack.
Regardless, it's a very real physical disorder/disease..no different from cancer, diabetes..etc.
And you saying to a legitimate patient w/anxiety disorder that they should harness the power of their mind/body to cure it..
would be like telling a diabetic..that they don't need insulin...it's all in their head.
And arguing about it..doesn't make it any less true.
Just because you can't understand it or you deny it..doesn't mean it's not real.


Get over yourself.

token

 

[shimazu]

Comparing a mental problem to diabetes isnt really a good argument.

 

[fakeplastictrees4]

You know a whole load about this type of stuff huh? that was really interesting

My social panic anxiety is genetic, almost everyone on mum's side of our relatives have it, like the 'older' women so to say, not dead old but y'know
It's really uncomfortable, do you too get that light headedness? that's the worst part 'cause it feels like you're gonna pass out or throw up, and i have a phobia of throwing up and feeling like you're going to, so if i get an anxiety attack, i HAVE to think about something else 'cause otherwise i'm gonna make it soooo much worse

Yes I get light headed when I drink coffee. In caffeine sensitive individuals (like myself) caffeine can really inscsrease a persons anxiety throughout the day. I am pretty good at keeping myself calm when I have am anxiety attack.

And yes I have done a lot of reading on the nervous system because mine seems to be particularly sensitive. It helps me control my levels of anxiety (meditation, chamomile tea, breathing techniques, music, ect)

Anxiety definitely does not have to be treated by benzos as much as it is today. Benzos are just an instant way to cure it. People don't realize it can be caused by the simplest of things in their daily life (even an irregular sleep cycle)

 

[Dirtyven]

yeah i feel you
too bad the government fucks us over, making all these addictive pills to get their fucking money.
I'm broke myself, i'm living with my mother, she's a smoker and she doesn't have a job, so if her parents were poor too, i'd be living on the streets now, or dead, dad never paid child support, he told me he did, but according to mum, he didn't, 'cause then we wouldn't be in this situation, sorry i went off topic

it's a shame how close minded and thick in the head people can be, so many things can be cured by something as 'simple' as meditation and your lifestyle and surroundings, we don't need all these pills

but then again, who am i to say that, i'm an abuser myself but i'm going off them soon
haven't been abusing them everyday for a long period of time, like a month tops but i'd say 2 weeks maybe
gonna go to some self control management or rehab centre, i don't wanna ruin my life, i'm only 18

off topic again, i'm sorry, i'm not gonna say anyhting else in this message or it's just gonna turn into a book haha

 

[RobotRipping]

the government didn't make benzos to get people addicted to get their money, that's fucked.

if you don't understand anxiety it's because you don't have it. It is a physical response and when you have a real panic attack it's very difficult to control.

like is it really worth trading some nervousness for being a zombie 24/7?

it's not just nervousness, your understanding of anxiety is extremely limited. You have no idea what you are talking about and are ignorant. Either way, if you can't figure it out imagine taking far too much of a stimulant, heart races, you get sweaty and you think oh fuck i'm going to have a heart attack. That is a panic attack, unless of course you are actually having a heart attack but there's no way to tell in that circumstance which also further drives the anxiety.

 

[shimazu]

the point im trying to make is what causes that feeling? I just have a hard time believing it happens out of thin air. Its one thing to get flustered and nervous when something unexpected happens, but to not be able to move and start panicing is a sign of a weak mind IMO. Obviously people who get panic attacks will say otherwise, but unless theres some concrete science behind it Ill keep that opinion.

 

[Pjkt2501]

Anxiety...

It's that invisible force keeping me inside on a beautiful day, keeping me from hobbies, keeping me from properly enjoying what life has to offer...

 

[Renz Envy]

Anxiety...

It's that invisible force keeping me inside on a beautiful day, keeping me from hobbies, keeping me from properly enjoying what life has to offer...

This.

But one shouldn't write anxiety off as an utterly bad thing. Individuals with anxiety typically over-analyze, however I believe this can keep them from making bad mistakes. Especially in the drug world.

 

[tokenname]

"I could never understand for the life of me how people get such anxiety they need pills to calm them down."
^^^^^
Exactly.
You could never understand..and you don't want to.

Which makes this thread pointless.


"Anxiety...

It's that invisible force keeping me inside on a beautiful day, keeping me from hobbies, keeping me from properly enjoying what life has to offer..."

PJ!--that's just all in your silly little weak brain!
Just toughen up and go build a harness or something.

token

 

[Allein]

Anxiety disorders come in many guises, I've never had a panic attack in my life, however I have suffered from quite severe derealisation which is a form of anxiety. Anxiety often sits side by side with depression. Having suffered for many years with the ebbing and flowing of these conditions without seeking medical help I almost took my own life in 2010 as there seemed no other option open to me and this was after seeking medical assistance. I had also been an alcoholic for 2-3 years as a form of self medication.

I'm sure you haven't meant to come across the way you have but your original post feels like you are suggesting people should just "pull themselves together" TBH this is the most ignorant view of a recognised medical issue which many people suffer from. I believe the overall statistics in the UK is 1 in 4 people suffer from mental illness and 1 in 6 suffer from depression I'm not sure how many of the people with depression suffer from anxiety issues but from my experience it would be well over 50% is this is often the root cause.

I'm not really sure how to answer your question, in fact it's more of a statement "I could never understand for the life of me how people get such anxiety they need pills to calm them down" no you don't understand, I think we can all tell that, but you seem to have jumped from that to the belief that the issue is purely a false one.

Mind and body are not separate both are intrinsically linked, in the UK they rarely prescribe Benzos for anything so its not a question of drug seeking. I've been through 7 different types of Anti-Depressants with side effect that would make your hair curl as well as a course of CBT (I'll leave you to look that up) and have now taken up Tai Chi in order to try and bring some balance back into the body and mind. Physically the stress has caused my upper body to almost lock up completely and I get regular tears in in shoulder muscles due to the tension.

Are you trying to suggest that all people who have anxiety disorders, are either faking it or just need to be told to go aways and sort themselves out without any support ??

If not what exactly are you trying to say, your statement to me seems more of an admission of ignorance than anything else and that's not supposed to be insulting it's just fact.

 

[Foreigner]

I was treated for acute anxiety attacks as a teenager. The most important skill you can ever learn is how to ground. Think root chakra. When you feel intense fear, your energy will detach from the root and all go up. It feels rushy, disorienting, and out of control. Breathing is the best grounding tool, learning how to close your eyes and focus only on your breath and nothing else. Let the thoughts melt away. During an anxiety attack, breathing becomes short and quick - bringing it back to long, deep, and slow inhales will help to ground you.

Plants, like trees, are also grounding. The stones black tourmaline, hematite, and obsydian are grounding to hold. Rescue Remedy is a good homeopathic help for anxiety, but you need to get it freshly made and not get the pre-bought stuff because it's weak. Foods that are dense and substantial, like meats (in moderation), dense grains like barley, spelt, and lentils, and any food that major substance to the body can be grounding. A lot of people with intense anxiety tend to be thin and lanky - they have less physical substance to ground them there. Meditations involving the feet and planting yourself firmly on the earth - like growing roots out of your feet or being anchored in earth - are good visuals.

I know some of my ideas are esoteric but they work. I did research across ALL areas of study to deal with this. The key is rooting yourself and then practice that grounding in any situation.

 

[Renz Envy]

Having legitimate panic disorder or anxiety is not being able to control your own thoughts. One can "pull theirselves together" by avoiding drugs, eating well and exercising. However during the period when anxiety or panic is taking place, a temporary solution like a benzo or beta-blocker is necessary.

One does not simply stop a panic attack with wishful thinking. Imagine if a rush of the worst feelings and fear of your life hit your brain all at once.

It seems like girls have the disorder more often than guys, however I have a strong genetic predisposition for anxiety, that on top of my GABA drug use and stimulant use.

All I know is, when I do die, I do not want to go out while having a panic attack.

 

[shimazu]

Im trying to point out that you dont need benzos to be able to control anxiety. Thats only pacifying it. To truly control it you need to keep your mind strong, calm yourself if you feel anxious, and remember its all in your head. And if thats considered "telling people to get it together" than maybe some people need to get it together. Ignorant or not, if youre never called out on anything you never would change ways. Or just keep living as nervous wrecks blaming it on anxiety, no skin off my back

 

[effie]

I could never understand for the life of me how people get such anxiety they need pills to calm them down. Granted im a near-emotionless person by birth, but ive never been so nervous I felt I couldnt breathe or got hysterical. I see people all the time saying they HAVE to take their benzos or they cant function, like is it really worth trading some nervousness for being a zombie 24/7? Im not a life coach and dont care what anyone puts in their bodies, I just have a hard time buying that anyone truly needs medication for anxiety.

You haven't experienced anxiety then.

I know people who can't go more than 100m from their front door without experiencing a panic attack, or who have been unable to maintain any relationships/friendships due to their severe long term anxiety. It's like saying you don't understand how people can be so depressed they need antidepressants. If you've not experienced it, it's impossible to comprehend - it's nothing like being a bit nervous/worried, or a bit sad. People would not choose to live that way.

I am a big believer in CBT which gives people the tools to help their own anxiety, but it is hard and does not work for everyone.

I do agree that medication is not always the best answer, even if it relieves symptoms, as tolerance/addiction/cognitive effects do need to be considered and it just treats the symptoms not the cause - but equally it can be a lifesaver for some people, quite literally.

Have a read of this - it explains anxiety well I think, and have a read through the anxiety megathread in TDS if you want to learn more about it and how debilitating it can be.

I'm going to close this as it doesn't really fit into BDD and I can't see it going anywhere productive, but PM me if you have any queries