MagiStream

Oh yes.

I'm 37 and have been diagnosed with a condition since I was a teenager.

I have what they now call "rapid-cycling bipolar disorder", which means I can have changes in moods that are all in a single day. I can go from an ultimate high to a low many times and I usually have so many panic attacks it's ridiculous.

I am not on medication, although doctors have said I should be all my life. I have been (when I was a teen) and it actually BURNED OUT parts of my brain and I can't remember things from my past now. I can't work outside the home, I have problems with answering the phone or even typing online some days. The illness also affects me physically, and it doesn't help that I have low blood pressure disease. Combined, I have been known to faint up to 20 times a day in my youth - not that much anymore, thank god, but I still do.

*hugs ragdoll*

You said so many things I get!

I can't make "real life" friends, because I'm too open & honest. No one believes that when I say something, I'm not doing it to hurt them, or even saying anything that I consider "bad". This happens to cause trouble online, too, and has directly on this site when people took something I said completely the wrong way. They didn't understand even when I tried to explain,although it was crystal clear to me.

It never stops. My brain never rests.

THIS.

Things like bad incidents like that cause me pain my whole life. As a bipolar person, I can't "let go" of "bad" incidents (though I know I should) and my brain causes me to relive them over and over and over again. I'm not hurt by the person, just the fact that humanity is so screwed up that I keep asking myself 'why? why is everyone so damned mean?'

These thoughts cause panic attacks, and the thoughts that never leave me also make me unable to think coherently if in a "stressful" situation, which is as simple as being outside in public. Going to Wal-Mart is sometimes an ultimate act of courage!

[eggs]

I have social anxiety. I'm much better now, in that I can go to work in a small team and not get freaked out resulting in spending several weeks locked in my room avoiding even the internet because the prospect of social interaction was too much for my brain to handle, but outside of work I'm a wreck. I can't respond to text messages, answer my phone, respond to e-mails, interact with anyone in a one-to-one direct fashion on the internet, or even interact in a social manner with the people I share the house with. At work I have a mask, and that mask allows me to get by even if I get incredibly flustered and blushy. Outside of work... I can't really function.

I get heart palpitations, dizzy spells, and sometimes have to sneak into the staff room/toilet and spend several minutes trying to calm down. In my room I always lock the door, and freeze if I hear someone on the landing/knocking on the door. I pay my rent with a cheque in an envelope I leave on the kitchen table in the early hours to avoid any sort of discussion, I can't even buy people presents because the anxiety of not only selecting a present (because I over think whether or not they'll actually like it to the point that they get nothing at all) but the prospect of wrapping it (what if they hate the paper?) and then sending/giving it to them (what if they hate it, what if they didn't want ME to get them anything) sends me into a complete tizz.

Basically I over think everything in my life, and it leaves me in an anxious, dizzy puddle on the floor who'd rather be a complete hermit out of work than the panic attacks dealing with the world as the real me causes. Which is why I respond to threads, but not to people in threads, because that's one step too far in terms of social interaction .

Yeah, I have social anxiety. I'm currently on some medication for it that certainly helps, though it's still pretty debilitating even on it. I just constantly worry about what people are thinking of me, whether they think I'm stupid or weird, and as a result I tend to avoid social interaction or even just doing things in public altogether. I'm working on it, though, or at least trying to. I'm lucky enough to have friends that I met in elementary/middle school, before my anxiety really started to kick in, but the concept of making new friends is a complete enigma to me. Idk--like I said, I'm trying here.

Yes. I take Zoloft as my anxiety can get really bad if I don't have it. sorry i didn't go further on lol. What I think caused most of my anxiety is after my sister was born my mom was in and out of the hospital. I was only 5 and my anxiety started in 4th grade...seems it just decided to show it's face then. I remember the day it happened too, not fun. But anyway mom had been diagnosed with heart failure and a few other heart issues. And so now I can stand being in hospitals for more than 15 min. nor can i stand most medical shows and when someone starts talking about the heart i have to like try and tone it out or put headphones in.

Raises hand for social anxiety and over-thinking everything. I'm not as bad as I used to be, but I still avoid social interactions whenever I can, and I completely understand the putting on a mask to make it through the work day. It feels like someone is always going to judge me negatively about everything I do or say, it's much more comfortable just to ...not. I'm also prone to remembering every mistake and bad decision I've ever made, It's like a black miasma that hangs about me and never leaves. Ever. That and a crippling sense of self doubt makes me feel very stagnate in my life and like I'm unable to move forward, which, you know, starts a downward spiral of negativity and guilt.. and I think I'll just post this before I lose my nerve and delete the whole thing in order not to bother anyone. Someone should stop me when I start rambling.

Anxiety for me, is a constant and violent cycle. I don't tell any of my family members about it, though I can often have panic attacks. People i'm close to have been known to cause me to fall into an attack, either from things they say that I can't let go, or from how I can't be pressured into doing things quickly, and all at once. The stress of it often eats away at me, and I begin to feel cornered, panicked, and angry.
What's worse is, because of this, I feel like I'm less than I should be. It becomes a nightmare attempting to talk with members of my family, simply out of blind fear. Coupled with depression, I've had weeks where I simply don't move from bed, passing from panic attack to panic attack. Hardly eating. Barely drinking.

Though I cope by just doing little things. I divide things up and I realize I've had a victory each time. Getting out of bed, or calming my heart rate down, is a victory. It's one more battle I've won.
The only time this doesn't work is when I'm around people. I tend to feel worse. On rare occasion where I think I can't handle what I'm going through without help, I'll inflict bruising across my hands, typically from a bite, that helps clear the irrational emotions from making me panic.

.. Anyway. My advice for everybody is..
You got up today. That's a win. You kicked some serious butt, and you've been through worse. Take a moment. Sit down and think about what great things have happened today.
Can't think of any? Listen to your favorite song. Find somebody who you know has no standing in your life, a stranger, and talk to them. Have a long conversation. Count your fingers and toes. Count them again.
Breathe, and remember that nothing is wrong. That this is temporary.

Oh god I'm really happy to see so many people who are like me; it makes me realize that I'm not the only one like this haha.
I have a severe anxiety disorder, and it's quite crippling right now because of recent events (the death of a very close friend and my college's final exams and projects.) Even though I have medication, I pretty much feel anxious all the time, to more or less severe degrees - though it does help; if I didn't have medication I would be hysterical all the time and unable to function.
I also have social anxiety, though my Asperger's Syndrome might not help with that haha. It's very hard for me to talk with others, though I realized recently that if those people have the same interests as me, or that we share common traits, then it's much easier to talk with them. However I never make the first step or start a conversation, unless I'm very comfortable with the person - or that I know them well.
Anxiety sometimes creates migraines for me, but most of the time it's mostly palpitations and feeling like I'm choking. Not pleasant :'C
Sadly, breathing doesn't do anything for me (I do have the technique and everything, it just doesn't calm me down) so instead I read, draw, or listen to music to calm myself. I also try not to be alone; having no one with you while feeling like you're dying doesn't help, so I stay with a parent or a friend most of the time - though I know some people would rather stay alone when panicking. Individuals preferences, I would say.
Now I don't know what else to say... I kinda rambled a little, I guess.
aaaaahh even just posting this makes me anxious hahaha

I have a bit of anxiety, mostly social and thinking about things in my future. I believe most of it was the result of being in public school for several years, or possibly hereditary. Having such a tight schedule and people picking on me wasn't helping. Sometimes I would have a tight feeling in my chest and become very shaky (thankfully no panic attacks). But since I started homeschooling, things have gotten much better. I also have an awesome psychiatrist/therapist to help me now. I've gone from being very quiet and shy to being able to talk with pretty much anyone!

I have long dealt with anxiety. Back in middle school it showed via stuttering and shakes. In high school I lost an unhealthy amount of weight because I couldn't make myself face eating in the cafeteria. My doctor(s) have labeled me with social anxiety, generalized anxiety and having a chemical imbalance in the brain that makes it difficult to maintain my moods.

I have gone through at least seven different medications to find something that will work to keep me mentally balanced and generally content. Oddly, that means I am on anti-seizure medication. The particulars of modern medicine baffle me, honestly.

All I can say is...really...you just have to face it. Be it in little steps till you inch your way to being comfortable. I started with online gaming. Which was a bit traumatic to start with even though the social interactions were not in person. In these types of games/social sites... they are even necessarily in real time...

For sudden spikes of anxiety I would chew on a magnesium capsule. It's really bitter but it took the edge off of the stress (especially going into a language class - but nothing could help if I had to speak in front of the class).

I have anxiety over a lot of things, but thankfully it isn't so sever that I need medications for it. I over think a lot of things. Driving makes me nervous, the bad weather makes me nervous, school makes me nervous.
I have some social anxiety, but I'm also lucky that I don't really like having friends. I prefer to be alone, so it's not such a big problem for me.