When did you find out?

[lexinonomous]

I am very new to the world of anxiety, but I am assuming that everyone found out at some point in their lives. Whether it was an anxiety attack or simply feeling a bit on edge for a regular amount of time- we all had to find out in some way, shape, or form. It may not have been an easy experience or it could have been fairly mild.


In my case, my anxiety sprung out of no where and lead me to believe that I was dying. What started as a bit of anxiety, turned into a complete panic attack. It was easily one of the most scariest moments of my life. Sadly, this is now a regular experience, though I know that I'm not dying at this point.


How did you discover your anxiety?


Was it something that came out of nowhere, or was it always with you?

 

[Eva]

Honestly, I feel like I might have been born with the chemical imbalance because I remember even as a child, always feeling anxious and scared. I was officially diagnosed at the age of 13. Been trying different medications since, but none of them seem to help. I will not give up though and I still have hope that I will find something that helps someday in the future. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

 

[John Snort]

I actually did all I could to convince myself that I didn't have an anxiety disorder although all the symptoms were there. However when I started fighting my drug addiction, I realized that what I'd been trying to cope with all that time was anxiety. Even after finding out that I had anxiety I'm still battling it.

 

[fuzyon]

As a kid/teenager I've always been shy, I think it comes from my mother's side but I didn't think too much about it. Up until high school I was comfortable with myself and I didn't really think about what other people thought about me, but in high school things changed and I started to keep to myself more and more. I wasn't able to hang out with a lot of my classmates because we had other interests and I didn't like their attitude, so for the most part I was a friendless, shy guy that mostly kept to himself. That's when I realized that I'm suffering from anxiety, especially the social kind.

 

[cecejailer]

I think everyone around me knew I had anxiety except me. My mother took me to a therapist when I was younger for this exact reason, but it took me a while to actually see what was going on. I think I started to realize there was something wrong with me when I had an eating disorder a few years ago, along with depression and anxiety, but I wasn't sure until last year when I had a terrible experience living with my boyfriend. But under it all, I think I always knew. I spent a lot of time having trouble with my friends and other people close to me because I was always on the edge of everything. I think this might have to do with my borderline personality disorder as well.

 

[kelden]

When I was a teenager and visited a Pediatric Psychologist. Diagnosed with some degree of anxiety disorder and suspictions of autism although the doctor said was nothing relevant because I am just slightly into the borders of Autism spectrum, and my anxiety was my only really crippling issue.

 

[Bea]

I honestly didn't realize I had various mental illnesses until I saw a school psychologist a good number of years back after struggling with a few things. We talked for a fair bit and then she told me that it's highly likely that I have anxiety and depression issues, and she also suggested family therapy to me.

 

[NormaD]

My anxiety sort of crept up on me and I have no idea when it actually started. I just realized that there were times when I would get depressed and back then I just shrugged it off as part of the mood swings associated with being a woman. It's only now that I've learned all about anxiety disorders that I realize what I was experiencing.

 

[Sue]

My anxiety sort of crept up on me and I have no idea when it actually started. I just realized that there were times when I would get depressed and back then I just shrugged it off as part of the mood swings associated with being a woman. It's only now that I've learned all about anxiety disorders that I realize what I was experiencing.

This is exactly how it was for me too. It sort of just crept up on me probably around my teenage years. I shrugged it off at first but it only kept getting worse and happening more often. It became really bad after I got married. My marriage was not good at all. I was constantly walking on eggshells. I began to struggle with depression and anxiety on a regular basis. I sought help and learned what was really going on.

 

[djordjem87]

I had my doubts all of my childhood but my problem was not very prominent. However, last summer I was hurt as I have never been hurt before and it was then when I realized I have all these fears and problems. I started to drink and to feel very depressive. I was anxious and panicking frequently and I was afraid that I may loose it. My heart was pumping like crazy and I couldn't sleep. That is why I drank and honestly I was taking some pills as well. It was like a domino effect and things were just falling and falling and in one moment I felt so helpless that I started to cry. I was shaking and crying and then I would change my mood. Not until then did I realize how serious my problem was. I have to say I am okay now but only a glimpse on that period gives me chills. I still have a nervous heart from time to time though and of course chronic insomnia.