[dazzapb]

Just a flying reply.

Its not a weakness, but I understand it's not something you want to broadcast but you should! people are so helpful. I was never brave enough to mention to friends/family (only a select few). I had a few bad episodes (mostly triggered by immense hangovers) 10+ years ago so bad I had to take SSRI's.
Later in life I think mine was a combo of SAD and alcohol triggered. I do recall feeling like this as child and it was nearly always in winter. Seeing how booze (years of abuse!) was a trigger later in life I have since always been very cautious to respect it! Panic attacks can be utterly terrifying, then you learn they aren't harmful.
Not suggesting this is a magic bullet, but by accident - exercise has really really helped me, without cycling I am sure I would be in more of a predicament! Possibly something to do with all those helpful endorphins.
I rarely if ever have panic attacks etc seems like quitting smokes/enjoying booze at normal levels/exercise/getting outside worked for me. I do still have issues that come and go however. Especially public speaking etc! Edit - as above i also take omega 3 now and again (minami nutrition)

Good luck mate

edit2 - defo sleep important its something i need to respect with a 2 year old. I tend to stay up late and only get 5-6 hours not enough!

[AndyMD]

Read this - Yes it's old but it helps
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Self-Help-Y...+claire+weekes

Remember anxiety is just a passing thought that cannot physically hurt you. As long as your feet are on the ground, today is like yesterday and you survived that.

Call your fears when they come by a name, like a dog, Rex for example and when they come back, it's just Rex that has come to visit and he won't hurt you. Rex goes away too and you can tell Rex to piss off.

Doctor's really are your friend too. 1 in 8 they see are just like you with no physical illness, that's more than they see with Cancer or urine infections. Don't be scared of Meds either, you may just have an unbalance of chemicals in your brain that can be easily fixed

Good luck and as you can tell from this thread, no-one thinks badly of you and if we could, we would all help and support you. The world is full of people like us

All the best

[MarkG_M5Comp]

Oh my!

The recounts of 'feeling of losing control', Omega 3 and hypos is SPOT ON!!

I still have Omega 3 next to my bed and used to carry a sugary snack I called 'break glass for emergency' situations.

This is just why people talk about their heads spinning and feeling dizzy - it's physiological.

OP - just look at how many have experienced the same. DON'T WAIT until the New Year, make the phone call TOMORROW and book an appointment - no excuses.

[HighlandPete]

I see sleep has come up in the comments.

I can’t emphasis enough how important sleep hygiene is, in dealing with such issues as anxiety and depression.

It’s an area where you may have to plan and be very disciplined with yourself to get into a better place.

Sleep is something I have to get right, or I’m in serious trouble, even now.

[MojoRider]

It can get better. Some good advice offered here. Please take it. Not easy but remind yourself that the vast amount of things we humans worry about never actually occurs.

Aside, this post may have restored my faith in humanity. Some good, caring people weighing in. Best.

[AlanYoro35i]

You aren’t along bro. I have been told by many of my GP that maybe the dizziness i’m feeling since April is aniexty and also a few panic attack( i could’t feel my breathing one night when i woke at midway, i knew i was breathing and my mind was manually breathing but i couldn’t feel the lungs get full). Anyway i’ve been refer to neurology for some reason( the nurse did told me that if it was something serious with my head, my symptom would worsen now)

i gotten better since October when my brother came back and i have some to chat with everyday when i go home and i sorted out my finacne for the new car thats coming soon (waited a year) i think what triggered my aniexty was my wedding, spending so much money for a day , it was something very hard to swollow IMO

I also think it’s all the worrying thoughts and external factors that i couldn’t control and predict( this whole year everything has been out of hands for me) and i aslo worried about my health( im 30 but got married , i have thoughts like what if something happens to me what will happen to my wife etc etc )

[Soul_Glo]

Senior CBT Therapist in the house.
What is your anxiety saying if you could give it a voice? Aside from the feeling of dread.

There are different types of anxiety under the umbrella term. Social anxiety. As the name suggests when meeting people. General anxiety. General is about worry over anything and everything. Health anxiety... the list goes on.

If you want to try self help for generalised anxiety then this is a good start:

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/reso...cfm?Info_ID=46

Wider range of anxiety self help in one of many books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/184...2ML&ref=plSrch

The overcoming stress one was suggested here. Old book but great knowledge and guidance.

As suggested by MarkG_M3CP ieso is worth considering. I do some private work for them now and again but it's not for everyone. It involves typing and some prefer a face to face meeting. However, it is just as effective as face to face therapy and perhaps more flexible! IESO runs international so we have therapists in New Zealand for example, able to offer an appointment at an ungodly hour.

Ieso use an approach called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. CBT has a great evidence base for problems such as anxiety.

Sometimes issues run deep in terms where the anxiety or other problems can be traced to. So in some cases where there has been childhood sexual abuse for example, CBT has helped a little but not a lot. A good therapist will help you to identify if this is something they cannot work on and suggest a different approach if theirs is not felt appropriate.

Your local NHS should offer it for free. Search for your local IAPT service, ask your GP or go private as mentioned.

It is important to eventually understand the process of the anxiety rather than the content. You could talk about the anxiety all day... but when you understand it's function and, how it works or doesn't work then you can take control.

Headspace was mentioned and depending on how severe your anxiety is you might not be able to get your head into it. If you cannot then come back to it later.

It's so common. I work with hundreds of people a year who experience anxiety. 1 in 4 clients I meet. From high profile clients to people you see walking past you on the street. It doesn't discriminate but it can be managed and reduced.

Good luck

R.

F20MAW73

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by F20MAW73

Thank you all for the the very thoughtful responses. It really does help and is much appreciated.

I have a private medical through work. So will explore this option following a visit to the doctors in the new year. Although I do want to make sure no private correspondance via the insurers comes back into the workplace which others might innocently open. I really do not want the addeded pressure of my employees knowing of my anxiety issues at this stage..

i don't know how your work private medical works. But our firm pay the excess in all cases. This keep the yearly premium down. The result is staff have to pass the invoice onto the company secretary who settles it with BUPA directly. The invoice will come to your home address and has no information as to who or why on it. Hope this helps.

[mcoops]

This thread restores your faith in human nature a little. It's become a truism that people indulge their worst impulses when interacting with others online. We see it on here when the banter crosses the line and people say things in a way they would never do in person. But issues like this illustrate that we have more in common than we have differences. A lot of empathy and decency on show here. Nice one chaps, and good luck to the OP.

[F20MAW73]

Thanks again for all the responses.

This has taught me the importance of sharing and opening up about my anxiety issues. I genuinely welled up this morning reading all these wonderful and insightful responses. However, they were tears of joy and relief rather than sadness.

Martin

[Tom Tallon]

Martin

Sorry to be late but like everyone else you have my very best wishes for Christmas and beyond. You have a large group of faceless friends and colleagues on here who would help if they could.

Coming from the old school, I can only try to imagine what its like but hope by counting your blessings this moderates the difficulties.

Best wishes TT

[Zippeh]

Best thing about reading this thread is realising just how usual feeling like this is! You're never the only one

[F20MAW73]

Originally Posted by AlanYoro35i

You aren’t along bro. I have been told by many of my GP that maybe the dizziness i’m feeling since April is aniexty and also a few panic attack( i could’t feel my breathing one night when i woke at midway, i knew i was breathing and my mind was manually breathing but i couldn’t feel the lungs get full). Anyway i’ve been refer to neurology for some reason( the nurse did told me that if it was something serious with my head, my symptom would worsen now)

i gotten better since October when my brother came back and i have some to chat with everyday when i go home and i sorted out my finacne for the new car thats coming soon (waited a year) i think what triggered my aniexty was my wedding, spending so much money for a day , it was something very hard to swollow IMO

I also think it’s all the worrying thoughts and external factors that i couldn’t control and predict( this whole year everything has been out of hands for me) and i aslo worried about my health( im 30 but got married , i have thoughts like what if something happens to me what will happen to my wife etc etc )

Funnily enough ( or not so funny ) my anxiety issues started at this time also, i.e. just turned 30 years old and getting married in 2004.

On my honeymoon in the Seychelles I was sitting in this amazing Thai restaurant at the hotel. As the waitress came over to take are food order I suddenly felt very light headed. I must have not looked right as the waitress asked me if I was o.k. This set me off in to spiral of panic and I felt embarrassed as if everyone was looking at me and that I was going to pass out.

Now common sense would probably say, tiredness, jet lag, maybe a drop in bloody sugar levels, hangover etc etc all just all accumulated at this point and that was all it was. I wish I could have just brushed it off and rationalised it like this at the time. However, I spent the next two weeks of my honeymoon worried there was something seriously wrong with my health. That was the first episode of anxiety I ever had and its stayed with me on and off all these years since.

[Moleeuk]

Get some help fella. Bottled mine up for 5 years and ended up with mild depression too. Not great. I saw the Doctor who was way more understanding than I thought he would be. I didn't want pills either but I tell you what, I tried some and there is no way I am going back!!

My biggest mistake looking back was not telling my wife.

[jnismith]

Why not go and find a counsellor and just talk it through, you won’t find an easy solution, but it is very comforting to have someone to talk to. You can open up about insecurities in an unpressured environment and without feeling judged.

[....,,,,..,,..]

Originally Posted by jnismith

Why not go and find a counsellor and just talk it through, you won’t find an easy solution, but it is very comforting to have someone to talk to. You can open up about insecurities in an unpressured environment and without feeling judged.

As above it's immeasurable just how beneficial those first few sessions can be.

I used to work as a volunteer (about 10 yrs) at Centre 33 in Cambridge, we dealt with young adults (12 - 26), proving Job information, homeless assistance (winter comfort, deposits, food etc), young carers, sexual health testing and advice, however one of the big areas was Counselling.

Just sitting down with someone for that Initial Appointment would invariably open the flood gates.

You could really see the changes over a period of sessions, admittedly each case had its own challenges and complexities.

So please get an appointment sorted (via GP referral).

[F20MAW73]

Originally Posted by Lobb

F20MAW73 just wondering how you are?

Feeling pretty ok at the moment thanks Lobb. Been taking it easy over Christmas as far as I can. The wife has bad flu though since boxing day and then are 9 year old son got Tonsillitis. So been doing a fair bit of running around to look after them. Not the Christmas I was hoping but just one of them things.

Going to hit the gym more regularly and give up the booze for Jan and cut right down beyond. I'm not a massive drinker anyway so this shouldn't be an issue. What I would like is less social events this year. The wife seems to book us in for all sorts evening outs with friends which does tire me out especially as I am the one working. Sometimes I just need to relax weekends, get a bit of me time and enjoy family life at home.

[IanW555]

Originally Posted by F20MAW73

Feeling pretty ok at the moment thanks Lobb. Been taking it easy over Christmas as far as I can. The wife has bad flu though since boxing day and then are 9 year old son got Tonsillitis. So been doing a fair bit of running around to look after them. Not the Christmas I was hoping but just one of them things.

Going to hit the gym more regularly and give up the booze for Jan and cut right down beyond. I'm not a massive drinker anyway so this shouldn't be an issue. What I would like is less social events this year. The wife seems to book us in for all sorts evening outs with friends which does tire me out especially as I am the one working. Sometimes I just need to relax weekends, get a bit of me time and enjoy family life at home.

I would highly recommend “headspace” a mindfulness app.

Wishing you and your family all the best in the new year.

Ian.

[F20MAW73]

Update. Well I have to admitt I haven't taken the much valued advice on here in regard to seeing the doctors.

Howerver, since hitting the gym and getting better sleep I do feel much better. I still feel anxious about certain situations but it feels much more controllable at the moment and I feel like I am getting on top of it.

I would also like to say that talking on here helped and I am very thankful for that.

I would also like to share this post from skysports presenter Simon Thomas. Not only has he recently tragically lost his wife but he has also been fighting, depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

https://agriefshared.com/2018/02/09/...mpression=true

[willjames]

As others have said, you've made the first step and opened up...to a load of strangers! How good is that!

Get professional help brother, all the best

[jnismith]

Originally Posted by F20MAW73

Update. Well I have to admitt I haven't taken the much valued advice on here in regard to seeing the doctors.

Howerver, since hitting the gym and getting better sleep I do feel much better. I still feel anxious about certain situations but it feels much more controllable at the moment and I feel like I am getting on top of it.

I would also like to say that talking on here helped and I am very thankful for that.

I would also like to share this post from skysports presenter Simon Thomas. Not only has he recently tragically lost his wife but he has also been fighting, depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

https://agriefshared.com/2018/02/09/...mpression=true

And keep talking. Even if it is to a bunch of strangers or, as I suggested earlier, to a counsellor. You can find someone easily on the internet and just have an exploratory session. It really does work if you get the right person.

[JneneJ]

Gym, better eating, mindfulness and quitting alcohol helped me out a lot. Also if you have time try to squeeze in a healthy fun hobby. Glad you feeling better.