Total Anxiety Breakdown

Certate · Feb 6, 2020

I've been there a few times in my life, stress does not help the situation at all.

When I get in a anxiety cycle it can takes me months to fully pull myself out, last summer I was in one for 3 months.

What I did was push myself to do things even if I felt my anxiety, most the time it took me the whole day to accomplish simple things
like getting on a elevator, one day I spent the a couple hours riding the elevators in a local hospital while wondering what the security
camera people was thinking LOL.

I would write a lot and listen to calming music, it takes a damn lot of work to pull out of a cycle.
I also could not have done it without medication, it has helped take the edge off.

The book called "At last a life" by David Paul, that is the only book that I have ever found that has helped with my anxiety
and I recommend it to all that have anxiety.

Certate · Feb 6, 2020

Try the book, it might really help.

Izthewiz · Feb 7, 2020

Sorry about your wife .
I hope she is doing well.
Getting out of the cycle is sometimes harder then we can deal with .
One thing that seemed to help is telling myself that I can beat this and if anxiety was a person gloves are off and its go time.
One of the hardest things to realise with anxiety is there is no one there its all in our mind.

Lanchparty7 · Feb 7, 2020

Oh I can sympathize, I, too am in one of those cycles right now. I am not currently on meds but am seeing a therapist. My therapist and I have discussed meds but I am just not comfortable with the idea yet but I am rapidly reaching the point of no return...i.e. I can barely function most days..so I might have to break down and try meds. Prozac is the one recommended that was recommended for me by my doctor.

Joe diesel 09 · Feb 9, 2020

I've been in a bad cycle most of the winter. Well, since a week or 2 before Christmas. Prolly one of the worst cycles I've had in yeard. I'm a self employed diesel mechanic. Trust me, my job is super stressful But my home life isn't compared to what it used to be. But I have an amazing wife, great kids, we are doing ok money wise, but we do have a lot of bills and have had a lot of health issues with several family members. I have gotten reasonably fit the last few yrs. I went from 330 lbs to 205 and did it all through hard work and persistence at a local 24 hr gym. The gym also helps me mentally. I go 5-6 nites a week after work and sometimes all 7 days of the week but never less than 5. My anxiety is always worse if I miss the gym. I worry a lot about my health. Always have, with heart worries or stroke 2 of my biggest fears. Over the last 20 yrs my anxiety has evolved into a monster of immense proportions. New symptoms are always popping up and typically lands me in the er for tests, which always come back as anxiety. Im 45 and for many years really abused myself. 70-80 hr work weeks, smoking, drinking beer and eating very poorly. One of my new symptoms, which surfaced several months back is dizziness. It drives me insane and has me worried about a stroke. And at the first sign of dizziness, chest titeness or rapid heartbeat or pvcs, a full blown anxiety attack will ensue. Sometimes I can breathe and distract my way through it with the help of 1/2 a 1mg xanax, and sometimes I can't. It is slowly ruining my life and im afraid could possibly ruin my marriage or relationships with my family. Often when I'm in panic mode, im withdrawn and confused and just downright suffering. I don't mistreat anyone or anything but I get quiet and withdrawn and it worries my family and I'm sure it gets old. My wife suffers with it too but not to the extent that I do. She has a heart arrythmia and we have to be careful to keep her panic/anxiety down or she could possibly become very I'll. For a yr, I had no anxiety at all. I loved my life. I felt so normal. I had went through a divorce from my first wife that really put me through hell the last couple yrs and believe it or not, when we split up, my anxiety was gone! Vanished. I met an amazing woman and after dating for about 13 mons I remarried. We have been married about 9 months now. The last several months my anxiety is unreal and it really shouldn't be. I don't deal with anything as stressful as I used to with my 1st wife. Well, minor stuff with step kids and my own children but nothing big. Sonetimes it takes a bit of time for family's to blend. And my wife's youngest child has a few issues due to his biological father that we work on together And he has came a long way. I just can't seem to break the cycle this time. And as I grow older I'm afraid it may cause some health issues. Also I've taken paxil for about 17-18 yrs. I just take 10mg but it never helped much when I was on larger doses and weaning yourself off some ssri meds is pure hell. Literally! Took me 2 yrs to drop from 40mg to 10mg. Would like to kick this last 10mg and get on something else and see if anything else works.

Izthewiz · Feb 9, 2020

Joe diesel 09 said:
I've been in a bad cycle most of the winter. Well, since a week or 2 before Christmas. Prolly one of the worst cycles I've had in yeard. I'm a self employed diesel mechanic. Trust me, my job is super stressful But my home life isn't compared to what it used to be. But I have an amazing wife, great kids, we are doing ok money wise, but we do have a lot of bills and have had a lot of health issues with several family members. I have gotten reasonably fit the last few yrs. I went from 330 lbs to 205 and did it all through hard work and persistence at a local 24 hr gym. The gym also helps me mentally. I go 5-6 nites a week after work and sometimes all 7 days of the week but never less than 5. My anxiety is always worse if I miss the gym. I worry a lot about my health. Always have, with heart worries or stroke 2 of my biggest fears. Over the last 20 yrs my anxiety has evolved into a monster of immense proportions. New symptoms are always popping up and typically lands me in the er for tests, which always come back as anxiety. Im 45 and for many years really abused myself. 70-80 hr work weeks, smoking, drinking beer and eating very poorly. One of my new symptoms, which surfaced several months back is dizziness. It drives me insane and has me worried about a stroke. And at the first sign of dizziness, chest titeness or rapid heartbeat or pvcs, a full blown anxiety attack will ensue. Sometimes I can breathe and distract my way through it with the help of 1/2 a 1mg xanax, and sometimes I can't. It is slowly ruining my life and im afraid could possibly ruin my marriage or relationships with my family. Often when I'm in panic mode, im withdrawn and confused and just downright suffering. I don't mistreat anyone or anything but I get quiet and withdrawn and it worries my family and I'm sure it gets old. My wife suffers with it too but not to the extent that I do. She has a heart arrythmia and we have to be careful to keep her panic/anxiety down or she could possibly become very I'll. For a yr, I had no anxiety at all. I loved my life. I felt so normal. I had went through a divorce from my first wife that really put me through hell the last couple yrs and believe it or not, when we split up, my anxiety was gone! Vanished. I met an amazing woman and after dating for about 13 mons I remarried. We have been married about 9 months now. The last several months my anxiety is unreal and it really shouldn't be. I don't deal with anything as stressful as I used to with my 1st wife. Well, minor stuff with step kids and my own children but nothing big. Sonetimes it takes a bit of time for family's to blend. And my wife's youngest child has a few issues due to his biological father that we work on together And he has came a long way. I just can't seem to break the cycle this time. And as I grow older I'm afraid it may cause some health issues. Also I've taken paxil for about 17-18 yrs. I just take 10mg but it never helped much when I was on larger doses and weaning yourself off some ssri meds is pure hell. Literally! Took me 2 yrs to drop from 40mg to 10mg. Would like to kick this last 10mg and get on something else and see if anything else works.

If you're in the states get your hormones checked at a local TRT clinic.
Mine was low and when I'm on my symptoms of anxiety and depression disappeared for almost 5 years then I went off do to thinking I'm big and strong don't need it anymore.
That didn't end well.
My wife had to see me cry many nights to bed because I was having severe anxiety, overactive bladder symptoms and depression from hell.
If you like to lift weights it will help with recovery also.

Hurt&Hopeful · Feb 9, 2020

Rikr said:
After two years of dealing with my wife's late stage cancer and many other stresses I went into a total breakdown 5 month ago. Out of my mind with tension and agitation and about 50 other hideous symptoms - all I do is cope 24/7.

Wont do anxiety drugs - did that years ago and took me years to get through the withdrawals.

Listening to Claire Weeks stuff but my symptoms are so constant and severe I dont know how I could not fear them ...anyone else been in extreme sensitization and anxiety hell...I just want to die but cant do that to my family

Hey there - I am so, so sorry you're going through this. I have been there - different stressors, but similar phase. What you have been through, regardless of the outcome, is incredibly stressful and traumatic, and what you are going through is an understandable reaction to it - all of that stress has to go ssomewhere. I had a complete breakdown a few years back, and went through a time where I also just wished I could die (thank GOD I didn't act on it). It gets better. I don't know if this will help, but this is how I came out of that hole:

Talking to people about it. You are already doing that, so check that one off the list. You're not alone.
SAFE medication. I also hate the anxiety meds. I do okay on an antidepressant, though, which is safer as far as dependence and withdrawal. If you're open to non-addictive options, maybe try an SSRI.
Trauma-focused therapy. Talk therapy is helpful for many things, but working with a trauma therapist was a game changer for me. She helped me start to heal my body's stress response. Brainspotting has been particularly helpful. It's safe to Google it. EMDR is similar. What you are describing sounds like PTSD symptoms to me, which are more common for someone who already struggled with anxiety before a major stressor like you've had.
Yoga. I also can't do the 'listen to music' or other common calming things. My stress and anxiety isn't coming from bad thoughts - it's just THERE, and I can't think it away. Yoga helps by processing the trauma and anxiety in your nervous system. I should mention that I'm 41 and obese, so I'm not talking headstands here. Just targeted sitting. LOL If you look for 'Yoga for PTSD' or 'Yoga for panic attacks' on YouTube, you'll find good stuff. I skip any parts I'm not able to do and just deep breathe on the floor. Or with my legs up the wall,which automatically calms your body.
Give yourself grace. Give yourself permission to feel how you feel right now, because it's just where you are (not WHO you are).

You can get through this, and eventually look back and see your own strength. You're not alone!

Total Anxiety Breakdown

Rikr

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Certate

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Rikr

Member

Certate

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Izthewiz

Well-Known Member

Lanchparty7

Active Member

Joe diesel 09

Active Member

Izthewiz

Well-Known Member

Hurt&Hopeful

Well-Known Member