Is your anxiety lifelong, or something new?

[DDNatureLover]

I mentioned before that I have had anxiety all of my life, but I wasn't really aware of what it was back then, nor was I aware that not everyone suffered from it. I think that is probably part of the reason why I've always striven to help make others at ease when I've noticed signs of anxiety in them, because I know how horrible the feeling can be. I can recall from a young age, admiring those who seemed very comfortable in their own skin, because I've rarely experienced that, and always wanted to achieve that calm feeling. it's taken me many years to learn that everyone feels anxious at times, but that it's not normal to feel anxious all of the time. I'm glad that I've learned some techniques to manage my anxiety, but it's an ongoing process.


Have you always had anxiety? If not, are you aware of what triggered the change?

 

[pwarbi]

My anxiety only started a few years ago when i was around 34 or 35. I wen't through a few personal problems and it led to a bout of depression that I had to seek help for, and my anxiety started around the same time. the depression is dealt with and has been for a while now but the anxiety is still here. Some days are worse than others and while medication has helped, I'm not sure if I'll ever get back to the way I was or if it's just going to take a long time.


i was the most confident and outgoing person and never let anything get to me, so maybe the fact I've lost all confidence in myself makes it worse, either way, I'm not giving up and one day I can put this all behind me.

 

[morgoodie]

My anxiety has been lifelong and I can remember being a very young child experiencing anxiety. I did not want to go to school because I was bullied. I was the "fat" kid even though I was not that much overweight. These types of things last a lifetime and it is not easy to overcome these feelings. I experienced severe anxiety after the birth of my children and it was a very difficult time in my life. I was fortunate to have a very understanding sister who helped me as much as she could. I like to be vocal about my experience now and try to help others recognize the signs of anxiety and depression especially after child birth. I have always been envious of those who could enjoy the time after giving birth and to feel comfortable with their baby. I often feel that anxiety stole those precious moments from me and I will never have them back. It is nice to know that I am not alone in my bout with anxiety and it helps to let others know they are not alone also.

 

[lexinonomous]

My anxiety is very, very new. I had my first anxiety attack about a month ago and have been having them ever since. I have only a small sense of control over them. My anxiety stems from my breathing patterns. I have a small obsession with the timing of my breathing, which enables me to hyperventilate at times. I only do this when I'm consciously breathing. It is one of the most terrible things I have ever experienced and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I am hoping that the anxiety will pass, but by the looks of it, this will probably turn into a life long experience. My mother suffers from severe anxiety, so it was only a matter of time for me.

 

[amonda]

Anxiety really only became an issue when I entered my years of puberty. Like the person who started this thread, I didn't know what it was until I went to my gynecologist actually and she revealed to me after an ultrasound and a blood test that I have PCOS. That condition is greatly linked to depression which I have been battling from those years and I think that my anxiety issues started around the same time.

 

[amy88]

It's something that's been a part of me for as long as I can remember - even as a child - but I can't say I recall if it had a beginning. I can't remember anything that was trauma-inducing or anything, but I do know that anxiety does seem to run in my family so perhaps there is a genetic link to my particular case.


I'm sure it's different from person to person!

 

[redpanda]

I've had a high level of anxiety since I was a kid. The panic attacks didn't start until my early teens, though. I had no idea what was going on and I ended up going to a bunch of different doctors. I tried to just deal with the issues without help. I had a breakdown during my last semester of college, though, and it prompted me to get treatment. I figure I'll always have anxiety but at least now I'm learning to manage it.

 

[gracer]

My anxiety isn't lifelong but it has been here for quiet a long time now. It has been almost 20 years since I felt that things will never be the same as they used to. I have had a major revelation in life that I'm still running away from until now. it didn't stop there until more heartaches and anxiety provoking events added up to my already broken spirit. I am depressed and I also feel anxious every now and then that these anxieties haunt me in my dreams. I couldn't speak to anyone around me about it because I know no one would understand and I don't want to worry them either.

 

[beautifullybree]

I've only had anxiety problems since last year. My mother also has it. I sure do miss being anxiety free. Now that i know what it is I do see a few signs I had before I was diagnosed.

 

[cecejailer]

I think my anxiety is lifelong but I've only come to terms with it about 4 years ago, when I was dealing with anorexia nervosa and depression. And even though I consider myself 100% recovered from my eating disorder and getting better when it comes to my depression, my anxiety is still the same as it was since I was a kid and my mom first took me to a therapist. She always said I was really anxious and agitated, specially when I was dealing with new situations. I used to be really scared of statues, for example, and it was totally irrational, so I guess my mom figured out I had a problem before I did.

 

[Laneorexorcist]

Hmm... I think that it's always have been this way, but when I was younger, I didn't know what it was, or even if there were people like me or coping mechanisms, so I think that I used to confuse it a lot with being just nervous and awkward. But still, I was assaulted in January of this year and I can say that it has gotten worse since then, I barely can be out without thinking about it and feeling unsafe and watched all the time... that was a really important trigger for me.

 

[justsayyes]

I've been dealing with anxiety for as long as i can remember. I've always been different from other kids, always more serious, but i guess back i didn't know this is what it's called. I've accepted the fact that this will most likely be part of my life for as long as i shall live, i'll just have to deal, it's easier to accept than deny that i have a problem, it will only make matters worse.

 

[Robilas]

I've been dealing with anxiety since I was kid. I don't remember if it started because of certain events or not, but I'm sure that it is lifelong. However growing up and getting older I learnt how to cope with it and my condition improved.


I think that my worst phase was during adolescence: I was an anxious, lonely teenager and I considered medications. However I accepted my problem and understood how to deal with it.

 

[John Snort]

There always has to be something that triggers anxiety. For me it was being moving from State to State because my parents work demanded that. Losing old friends and trying to start from scratch making new friends every two or so year is what broke me. I got into drug abuse soon after and that's how I got an anxiety disorder.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I think Anxiety can become a habit, and one we fall into when faced with unfamiliar and perhaps scary situations. Any habit can be difficult to break. I'm not sure I'll ever break my 'habit' of Anxiety, but I do at least try to mitigate its influence on my life whenever possible. Deep breathing helps me to relax, but although I've been doing it for years, it's never become an automatic habit my body or mind uses when faced with stress. It's something I have to consciously enact, to counteract the stress, once I slow down enough to realize what is happening.

 

[kgord]

I think my anxiety has been lifelong, but I am not someone who is a "bundle of nerves" so to speak. However, I do get stressed out pretty easily, and have had trouble sleeping due to anxiety. I think it has affected my life in different ways. My anxiety goes beyond the norm I think, although I have only taken medication for it once or twice. I found it to be helpful. SO it is something that I might do again,

 

[ineedmystrength]

I've had some underlying form of anxiety my whole life, for a variety of reasons. It was only 4 years ago when my diagnosis was put on paper and I was given medication to start treating it, though. I had dissociative episode while I was at a horse show, and when I told my mom (who's a physician) my ride had felt like I wasn't even in my own body, she began having suspicions that I had some form of an anxiety disorder. 3 days later, someone t-boned my car while I was driving home from school; although I was physically fine (aside from a sore neck), I couldn't get out of bed for a week because of fear and stress. So, I went in to my doctor, said I wasn't feeling like myself, and he diagnosed me with anxiety/depression. I've been on treatment ever since, and I actually feel like a human being now.

 

[aimeepoo]

I have had some form of anxiety my entire life but did not realize what it was until I was 13 and had my first known anxiety attack. It was terrifying as all of them are. When I was a baby I would pass out all the time according to my mother and my grandma. The doctors told them that it was psychological. This was very upsetting to my mom and grandma because they felt that a baby couldn't have psychological issues. I have no idea what caused the fainting but now that I'm grown and I know I have all these issues along with the anxiety, I do feel the doctor could have been right. So I'm going to say the anxiety has been lifelong for me.

 

[BreeBrock6]

My anxiety manifested itself over a period of a couple of years. I was never really anxious as a child nor as a teenager, but around 19 or 20 I had some personal health related issues that triggered my anxiety and depression. It's interesting to me that some people suffer from anxiety all their lives and then for other people it develops more slowly over time. I now battle my anxiety every day, but thanks to medication and some alternative methods of control I've started using, it's gotten much better.

 

[imosher]

For me it has come in a big life wave, I was fine (well fine for me) in grade school, I mean it was there just not something that would interrupt my life. toward the end of high school when social situations start to have more pressure, it got worse. My father died (suicide) when I was 18, this really sent me into a spiral. I am 33 now and starting to see the light, I would say it was worst when I was 21-25, so imagine a large bell curve starting when I was maybe 5 and peaking when I was 25 coming back down to where I am now. Man I hope that it is over and I not just starting over.