Hi everyone. I was diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder about 10 years ago. I find it somewhat interesting, as the diagnosis was only made after the death of a family member, but when I consider symptoms now, they were prevalent for years prior to the diagnosis. Has anyone else had that experience? I'm on medication for anxiety now, and had my meds increased last year after slipping into a brief clinical depression. Most days I'm ok. There are some days where I wake up knowing I have something out of the ordinary happening that day, that will make me nervous. I'll spend a couple of hours dry reaching or coughing (what I call my nervous cough), and people will assume I am getting a cold or something. Whereas it's my body feeling like it wants to be sick because I have in my mind that something bad is going to happen.
I also have issues with trying to make everything around me perfect, or solve issues etc because I get anxious that if I don't, and something bad happens, it will be my fault, even if it has no connection to my actions at all. My mind just thinks I should be able to do something about it. I also get anxious when something does or does not happen that is out of the ordinary for me. Not what I would consider good things, but if things don't happen that I think should,, I get anxious and wonder what I have done to make x not happen. Same thing, I worry if I don't do something, x will happen, even if it's a menial task (like making sure I get x done by x otherwise xxx will happen), something (I hope) that is completely irrational. OCD runs through my paternal side of the family, so am not sure if some of these issues are to do with that. I've never been diagnosed with it, however, I am sure that a lot of my thinking something bad is going to happen is a lot to do with my anxiety and the OCD genes I may have. I've been to a psychologist about the negative thinking process side of things, and that is when she recommended I go onto anti depressants. The anti depressants helped, I no longer have to be somewhere an hour earlier in fear of being late etc, but I still struggle with the issue of some things in my life not going the way I want them to. How do others deal with any of this stuff?
03 Jan 2012, 1:13 am
