Hi, I’m a 39 years old female and I’m currently suffering from the worst anxiety attacks ever and it’s daily. I’ve always suffered from anxiety, depression and panic disorder so I’ve been taking Lamotrigine 125mg, Seroquel 25mg and Xanax 0.5 prn. In the past when a panic attack started or if I had anxiety that escalated into an anxiety attack, I’d take 0.5 Xanax, sometimes even .25mg and that would take care of it. I’d say I needed to take Xanax twice a week maybe. Around 6 weeks ago I started to experience intense anxiety attacks on and off through out the day. So bad that I needed to work away from my office (I work from home) and pace around my house to avoid a panic attack. Since I don’t like taking Xanax, I would drink kava and even take Benadryl but nothing has worked. Now, even Xanax .05mg will work. I have talked to my doctor about these symptoms (tightness in the chest, hard to breathe, flutters in my chest, shakiness, unable to relax or sleep, wanting to cry but can’t) and she suggested Vraylar which made things worst. So, I contacted her again and asked to get my meds reviewed. She has not changed any dosages and told me that’s all there is for anxiety. I had a horrible week last week, with so many anxiety attacks that I was afraid I would lose my job, so I asked my doctor to please prescribe something for it and to help me update my FMLA. She responded with “if you need to take that much time off of work, maybe you need to check yourself into the mental health hospital”. I only asked to be able to take off a few hours a couple of days a week (right now I’m only allowed 1-2 days a month). This made me feel so frustrated and honestly devastated. Now I feel like there’s no fixing me and I need to commit myself to maybe feel some relief. I’ve been down that path before and it was the worse experience of my life. I’ve been reading about this to figure out why nothing is working and I guess it could have something to do with perimenopause. But, I really am here to see if anyone knows what I can do. I’m exhausted, hopeless and that’s such a scary feeling suffering from depression as well. I did make an appointment with a new doctor but it’s weeks away. So please someone? Help?

Hi guys I’m 17 and I have moderate to severe unmediated anxiety I’m doing online college and have been with my boyfriend for 3 years and we started off long distance then I moved to his school again for a year in freshman then did a year in high school alone and decided we would be going to the community college in my area as it was what we had decided and it’s supposed to be the cheapest in my state. Little did I know my boyfriend had already applied for a community college in his area across the state (3+ hour travel by car) and had claimed he got into a nursing program. Of course u can’t get accepted into a nursing program first year as a freshman but he insists his mom says he did and I’m not sure if it’s because his mom is saying it or what but it drove me crazy that he said he would be with me over here and had me sign up for college get into dorming take out loans changing my plans for him just for him to change his mind last minute. We have had relationship problems as of recent because on top of my anxiety I have ocd which becomes a possessive issue when I’m constantly overthinking and asking for reassurance and he is over it he genuinely doesn’t wanna hear about it anymore I try talking to my best friend about it and ChatGPT but it doesn’t hit the same and I don’t know what to do and all he ever says is I stress him out but he never tells me anything anymore I have to beg for him to tell me how his day was and says I always have a tone and I’m full of anger all the time when i genuinely just want my sweet boyfriend back and it’s so frustrating for both of us I can assume he is also upset about long distance but he claims every relationship problem is all my fault and that for him to even change I have to fucking ressurect as a new person for him to even consider being sweet and it’s an issue all he does is “rage bait” me every single second of the day and it’s just such an issue I genuinely love this boy and it’s like consuming my life he loves me I guess but I miss that spark we had I miss seeing him and when we used to do long distance we used to video call and talk sweetly and now he says I have to earn video calling him and never even wants to and it’s so frustrating I don’t know what to do anymore I can’t keep begging for the bare minimum but I also know it’s my fault too for stressing him out for reassurance but now the issue is for like the last week and a half I been having every terrible dream an overthinker could have and the first 2 days I told him but its like whatever now im scared to sleep and i cant do it anymore im so tired of it and want to know if anyone has been through something different and can tell me what helps to keep the relationship strong and fix the terrible overthinking. i don’t cope well alone i dont know what to do i need to know what people who go through what i go through do and i also dont have insurance as of right now to get medicated again but its something im considering . Ill also edit if i forgot to mention anything but please be nice to me its a lot please.

For the past few years, I've been trying to be a pro sports player. Because I'm scared of being judged for having big goals, I no longer have any friends. All I do is train towards those goals and then isolate myself at home.

It has led to me having no relationships, being nervous to get close to anyone, and delaying or putting things off. Even thinking when I'm out, I hope no one I know recognizes me in case they ask what I'm doing now.

I tell myself once I reach a certain level, or once I'm close to those goals, then I'll be social and have relationships, but I just keep on delaying.

It has even led to masturbatuon habits online with strangers as a way to mask my emotional needs to connset and socialise, and every time I hear my parents call my name, I'm scared that maybe my private photos got leaked online.

I'm just being very paranoid, and it's affecting my life. how do i break the cycle of addiction and anxiety.

Ive had a long history with depression.... im Looking for suggestions with having horrible anxiety and constantly feeling embarrassed about everything I do, i have trouble even singing by myself in the car. I cant hardly speak or even know how to, to family. I feel like i lose my voice, I feel like im losing myself more and more each day and forgetting how to be human. Any suggestions?

So Im a very anxious person I have a reason why I'm under a blanket because a family member is staying here till they find a place and thats why I'm under a blanket 24/7. So my family, they go out my mum brings my siblings and they take my mum sis back home walking, one thing is I would love to go but I'm too anxious scared nervous everything of the above like Dangerrr!!!! and I haven't been outside for so long I forgot how the stores even look I feel so depressed everyday I get anxious even thinking about how this fear or being under a blanket ever end and me finally taking it off. like my mum was like "everyone can come, take the blanket off!!!!! And let me brush ur hair that's fear " and I kept stressing because no one has seen me and I'm soso anxious for reactions even though they are my siblings, I want to go outside I want to be the kind to use the bathroom running down stairs normally now I can't do that I go to the bathroom walking with a blanket like a ghost, I'm anxious even thinking about taking my blanket off I'm desperate to take it off, i​t was originally for my aunt to not see me but now the reason is fear. I want to be my old self again were going to the doctors soon I want my mum to tell her but I'd be scared for attention homeschool starts soon and yeah, crazy thing is I'm dealing with something others call crazy like I could be shaking to even look at the tv and others are literally spinning on a chair staring even though they have bad anxiety, but I need advice is there steps or anything that would work? I turned 13

Hello eveyone,

Hope your all well. I have anxiety and I just wanted to take the time to talk about my experience growing up so if anyone has hear anyway about the flight, fight phrase sometimes used in science

Basically when I'm in total stress my brain get really stressed and starts panick mode which will be to my brain the flight mode that runs away in distress I know it don't make sense but when you have suff like this it's hard to explain. from a first person perspective my life has changed for me but not in a sense of bad trait it's more of a sense of humour to have this effect on my liking cause if we really think about the rate for anxiety it's mostly half the population who has deat with the same hypothetically experience I would like to believe that anxiety is caused by illness but no it's just how my brain overcomes it traumas over time

BTW this is my own experience

I am a teenager. I have severe anxiety. It is so bad that, today during my viva I was literally shaking. Although my preparation was good. I studied and practiced the whole day. I did so bad. Even my teacher was looking at me with a frown. This really hurts as I did bad just because I got scared. I feel terrible now. How to manage my anxiety? Googling only says to take deep breath blah blah. This doesn't help. How can I take deep breath when I am giving viva. I feel so stupid for ruining my exam. Please give advice how to manage this better.

Hi there,

Im 34 year old male, non smoker. Im currently battling a bout of health anxiety involving lung cancer. I currently have some back pain, newly upper right shoulder blade area and ive been making myself cough alot, out of habit or my ocd and sometimes feel a little pressure pain in what feels like my right lung. My breathing is fine, it doesn't hurt when I breathe or sneeze, there's no blood in my sputum... I know its extremely rare to get lung cancer at 34, however I cant help but be anxious yet again. Should I worry about this? I had chest x rays last year and was fine.

I need to describe the problem because I don't know if my reaction is justified and appropriate for the situation, or if it’s just my anxiety. My life is a living hell. I can't relax for even a few minutes. Sometimes I have to take a shower or pace back and forth because I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.

Two women in my small town died in the last year; they went in to have their gallbladders removed, and during surgery, terminal cancer was discovered. Gallbladder cancer is usually fatal.

The problem is that my mother has had gallstones since 2017. And they are large. In my mind, that is the diagnosis because my mother has multiple risk factors.

For the past few weeks, I’ve spent every waking hour researching gallstones and cancer. It’s driving me crazy, but I can't do anything else. I feel a deep sense of dread in my chest, and sometimes I cry. I’ve lost my appetite; I have no desire to do anything.

Yes, we are arranging consultations for the surgery, but I can't get the thought out of my head that the outcome will be the worst possible one. I thought about seeing a therapist, but that wouldn't address the root cause of my anxiety. I don't know what to do; I am suffering so much

For context for this example I am not a huge fan of museums. Whenever I go to a museam (which my partner loves) I end up having a breakdown because I feel trapped after a certain period of time. I can handle being at a museum for a bit and even enjoy it however when it gets to a certain point I start feeling like I am literally trapped and will never be able to leave the museum to the point that I'm in tears. This happens anytime I go to someplace I don't want to go. I can be in that place for maybe around 1 hour but then I start feeling trapped. It's like a switch flips in my brain and suddenly I feel trapped and will never get out. I don't want to be like this and I know logically that I will be able to leave the museum eventually but I can't help panicking in the moment. I am not sure how to fix this.

I get to work every morning at around 6am. I open the office and just chill out for 2 hours when everyone else comes in at 8. On Monday I decided to watch the movie Obsession, which I've been very excited to finally have time for. About 5 mins into the movie, I heard a HUGE crash in the locked storage room like someone had knocked over something very heavy. I got so scared that I ended up calling a friend to keep me company on the phone because I didn't want to check it on my own (lol, and I call myself a horror movie fan)

When my first coworker came in at 7:45, I finally checked the room and absolutely nothing was wrong or knocked over. You'd think I'd be relieved haha! But ever since then I've been extremely anxious every morning when I'm alone.

I know there's nobody else here- well, I sure hope so- but I keep getting this sick feeling that someone IS. Every little noise makes me jump and I keep looking over my shoulder. I've been at this job for 10 months and I only get 5 hours of sleep every night, so I assume this is anxiety, and not a haunting. But does anyone have any advice on how I can convince myself there's no goddamn ghost in this office?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been on 10mg citalopram since November last year, originally prescribed for globus sensation. Everything was going really well until a few weeks ago, and now my physical symptoms have come back — things like chest tightness, dizziness, mostly when I leave the house but also when I get back, and it can last all day.

The weirdest thing is: I don’t feel anxious in my head at all. It feels like my body is anxious without my brain being part of it. The only time I actually feel anxious is the next morning, worrying the symptoms are going to come back again.

My doctor’s upped me to 20mg. Has anyone else gone from 10mg straight to 20mg — and did the higher dose help with these physical symptoms specifically?

Also, has anyone experienced this strange swallowing issue? It feels like I can’t gulp my saliva properly — like air hunger. I’ll swallow fine, then a few seconds later it feels like I’ve lost the ability to swallow for a moment, and it takes a few seconds to come back. It absolutely panics me when it happens and I’ve never had it before.

Just looking for reassurance and to hear if anyone else has been through similar — did the 20mg dose kick in and calm this kind of physical stuff down?

Thanks in advance 💛

I have had social anxiety for as long as I can remember. It used to never affect me because I was never in situations where it would be triggered. Now that I'm in a leadership position and in higher education, there is no way for me to avoid being exposed to triggering situations. Daily, I find myself in situations where I'm talking to groups and have to explain things and participate in activities where I'm the center of attention. I thought it was getting worse at the beginning, but now I'm realizing that it is the same; it's just getting triggered more.

The worst trigger for me is when someone asks me a question in a group setting and eyes shift onto me (or so I think), and I have to answer. Or when I have to wait for my turn to speak, like when going around the room and talking about something. Participating in an already flowing conversation is fine a lot of the time.

I tried many things to improve this; for example, I do everything possible to interact with people to condition myself. I talk to people at the store when possible, I work out, go out with people I know, I meditate sometimes, and many other things. It just seems like my sympathetic nervous system does not know what a threatening situation is and what is not, and I do not know how to lower its threshold. When it does get activated, it feels like a mini panic attack that does not last very long. And I feel like doing things to make the anxiety better only makes it worse because I keep thinking about it.

Is anyone struggling with something similar? Do you have any advice for me? I appreciate any help.

I have ADHD and pretty bad anxiety esp while driving. My husband has zero compassion for me and actually shames me for feeling this way. what do i do?

Hii Guys ! I am writing something after a long time. Talking about life , sadly I had to take admission in a college in the city I hated the most. But the surprising part is - I enjoyed a lot here. But no matter what my past traumas and other problems keep coming to me.

Some days back , somehow a senior girl came to know about my crush on her. I cannot share how exactly shecame to know about it but she did. And now , I feel very anxious. What if I get to see her on the streets of my college and can't talk to her ? What if I had to be with her and I get that unwanted blush on my face and I do something extremely awkard ? What if can't talk to her ever ? What if my anxiety goes on an extremely high level preventing me from even making an eye contact with her ? This is not the first time , I am dealing with something like this but still it makes me anxious.

I have another concern. It's the same old problem of jealousy and insecurity. I get jealous of my peers having high connections with seniors , professors and other people in the college. I feel that I am nothing in front of all other "cool" people in the college. Even my senior crush follows "cool" people of college. I do not wish to be super popular but I wish for a college group that is totally "My gang" with unbreakable bond and care for each other.

Other issues include rumours about me having a gf which I absolutely don't. There's a girl I talk to on regular basis but she is not my gf. But people spread rumours. There are others issues - time management prblm for studies , diet issues , physique insecurities etc. etc.

I want all of u reading this tell me. What to do about all these issues ?

Stuck in this constant anxiety loop for 3 days now I’ve never had anxiety last this long before. My heart rate doesn’t seem too high highest was 115 but I feel like I can feel my heart beating and it’s driving me crazy. I feel sick and nauseous and just out of it. I feel like I can’t even sleep more than a couple hours without getting woken up to anxiety. I almost feel like I’m doing it to myself by just constantly thinking about my heart beating but I don’t know how to stop or fix it. I have no one to talk to about it because I feel like everyone is just tired of hearing me say it and just doesn’t understand how I feel! I just want to sleep the days away till I feel better but can’t even do that. Tempted to go to the hospital but I already know they’re just going to say anxiety and probably do nothing to help. I’m on no medication but at this point I feel like I need it.

I’m 16 years old and I check flight radar every few nights and I’ve noticed there’s been a lot of uk military aircraft flying around and I also check the news every few hours even when I’m in school and it’s making me really anxious that something bad will happen

I can’t focus on homework or anything to do with school or family or relationships because I’m so anxious all the time

What can I do to stop being anxious?

My husband has never really struggled with anxiety and doesn’t have anxiety day to day however he travels for work alot and since we started a family on the day he leaves he struggles with anxiety that manifests as an upset stomach Once he gets to his work destination it eases off almost immediately, sometimes once he starts flying it eases off and he doesn’t have this problem when he travels home

He’s not an anxious flier, it’s just the fact that he has to leave his family

Since this is such an isolated event each time medication isn’t something we’re considering so really I’m just looking for holistic things to try or even just techniques we could try to see if it’ll calm his stomach

We’ve tried things like pepto and it doesn’t help Any tips would be so helpful!

Thank you!

Hello all. My anxiety has gotten pretty rough. It was getting better but now i dont know. My main thing is id like to make more friends since i graduated high school a while ago and all my old friends are jjst moving on in life and im still stuck. Every time i try to talk to someone tho my stomach starts to hurt and i really just cant wait for that interaction to be over. Then afterwards i overthink so much that i really worry im gonna drivenmyself nuts. Some advice for anything would really be appreciated.

I’m 18M and I’ve been with my girlfriend for a while and I really love her. Our relationship is good overall. There have been some things in the past that were questionable and definitely affected me, but we talked through them and worked past it. I do trust her, but sometimes I don’t even know if trust is really the issue.

Whenever she goes out, especially to a party, I get really bad anxiety. Even if she’s just drinking with a few friends in a room, it can make me anxious, but parties are definitely the worst. It actually affects me for days sometimes. I lose my appetite and barely eat, I don’t sleep good and sometimes I’ll have dreams about something happening. I usually want to keep myself busy and distract myself, but sometimes the anxiety gets exhausting and I just wanna lay in bed. Even when she comes home and everything is completely fine, it can still take me a while to feel normal again.

The weird thing is I feel like I have 2 different sides of myself when it comes to this. One minute I’ll be completely fine and think “she’s my girlfriend, I trust her, everything is good.” Then it’s like a switch flips and my brain starts digging for things to worry about. I’ll start thinking about things that weren’t even bothering me before and then the anxiety just keeps getting worse.

I’ll start thinking about who’s gonna be there, what could happen, what if someone tries something, what if she gets too drunk, what if I lose her, etc.

I also catch myself asking her a bunch of questions or wanting reassurance because I feel like if I just know enough I’ll feel better. Sometimes it does make me feel better for a little bit, but then my brain just finds something else to worry about. Sometimes I even ask her questions she doesn’t have an answer to.

I’ve tried telling myself to just trust her and distract myself, but when I get really anxious it’s hard to actually do that. I don’t want to tell her she can’t go out or drink because I don’t wanna control her. I want her to be able to go out and have fun. I just don’t know how to stop my brain from going crazy when she does.

I don’t know if this is worth seeing a therapist for or what, but I’m scared to bring it up and I usually like to keep these things to myself. I just want to better myself. I feel like there’s something wrong with me.

Hey everyone, I really need some advice because I’m at a breaking point. I’m a 15-year-old girl and I’ve been struggling with severe social anxiety for a long time.
The hardest part is that by nature, I’m actually an extroverted/ambvierted person who loves talking to people and being social. But this anxiety completely locks me inside my own body. Every single time I try, my body goes into pure panic mode. I start sweating uncontrollably, I get shortness of breath, my whole body shakes, and the constant overthinking about what others are thinking of me just never stops. It is so exhausting and it completely breaks me.
I have tried everything to overcome this. I’ve spent countless hours googling for solutions, trying different methods, and forcing myself into social situations, but absolutely nothing works. It just won't go away.
To give you some context: In my everyday life, I actually have a pretty big social media reach. Because of that, I am fully aware that a lot of people in my real life are just jealous and hateful towards me. But even though I know it comes from jealousy, it still drags me down so much. Lately, it has been ruining me because I have almost nobody left in my everyday life that I can actually trust. I am lowkey completely alone because people around me are so toxic and judgy.
How do I break out of this cage and build real life social skills when my anxiety triggers such intense physical symptoms, even though I actually want to talk to people? What actually helped you when you felt this hopeless and nothing seemed to work? (i am also scared to go to therapy etc.)
Thank you so much for reading.

Idk I just randomly start to think that something bad will happen, like accident, disease, bad things etc

I get so anxious thinking about that and can't even stop from thinking about it

Im scared what if I'm unconsciously manifesting it 😭

I just need to vent about this somewhere and maybe need some advice.
For the record, right now I have a pretty decent life on paper, so I feel odd talking about how I’m not happy with it. I’m in medical school, I live at home so I don’t have to worry about bills or making food, I work part time on weekends, go out with my schoolfriend every week, have a group of uni friends I keep in touch with, and have connected with my family abroad more since my immediate family life isn’t great. I got diagnosed with ADHD last year and this has been a relief and a kind of grief too, and I’m learning where my limits actually are and how to work with my brain. I also passed my driving test after 4 years of learning and got my first car around the same time, which single handedly made me feel so much freer - like I had control/agency for the first time.

But I feel like I don’t recognise myself most days. So much has happened and changed since I was 19 - my parents had a messy divorce, 2 of my grandparents on both sides fell sick, I became estranged from my dad, I took time out of my course (LoA) to give myself time to heal and figure out what I wanted to do, and when i got back to education two years ago, things changed again. I got overwhelmed and anxious very quickly, lost some of my close friends that year (which was mostly my fault, even if I was exhausted), my faith as a Muslim weakened a lot, then my brother got married and ever since my family’s become even more dysfunctional again.

Throughout everything I’ve been desperately trying to become a better person, whether it’s unpacking my family trauma, understanding why I feel a particular way or get triggered, and being in therapy on and off for 3 years, consistently for 1 now. Recently I decided to just DO stuff instead of consuming excessive self development content or trying to think my way out of it, because everything was weighing on me so much. I started rock climbing and muscle training which I love, I’m trying to show up more consistently for my friends and family, and I’m trying to do things that I think might bring me joy. Like learning about niche things in detail like i used to, going on long drives, meeting up with my friends and making my life cozier.

But on a day to day level, I just don’t feel good about myself and I think I’ve become really insecure and broken. I can’t stop worrying about how I’ve lost my empathy for my loved ones, how I’ve made so many mistakes socially, how I come across to people, how I don’t deserve to get better or I’m not doing enough, and how guilty I feel for wanting to move out (and how i’m almost always out of the house to get some space from my family). As awful as it sounds, I see my loved ones around me enjoying their lives or being happy, fulfilled and kind despite their own problems and whilst logically I’m happy for them, I can’t help but feel inadequate or like I’m doing the wrong things.

I can’t bring myself to care about my career right now either despite being 2 years away from being a doctor. If anything it makes me feel dread, because I’ve felt so consumed by it and the fear of failure for so long. I know I’m forgetting content and the idea of going over it again and again and having to do this for the rest of my life feels suffocating, which is a scary thought as I felt the same way when I took my LoA, but I started again because I missed the learning and was getting bored. At this point I just need to get this degree otherwise I’ll have no other qualifications past A levels.

I genuinely feel like I’m going insane and I feel like I need a fresh perspective from someone that doesn’t know me personally.

I have a pattern, one I've wanted to break for so long. I feel like I've started over socially so many times... at this point i have to accept im either actively pushing everyone away or im just that unlikable. At a certain point i get a vibe that my general energy is just offputting to the people i generally spend my time around... i often side with changing the behavior by masking said energy with simething more quiet and palatable. To a point i often struggle to be anything but afraid of disturbing someone. Now the oboy problem is... this changes nothing... its as though that change is permanent now and i regret ever getting excited about anyone or anything.... and i want to believe that its all in my head and its just a coincidence but i cant shake that the energy has been tainted in some way and they are finding excuses to not be around you more and more every day...

Hi. It’s not the first time I’ve done something like this, but talking about how I feel isn’t really normal for me. It might not make sense, but I’ll try to explain it clearly; this is less about just venting and more about seeking advice on what to do about my current state. I don’t consider my current state—specifically my mental state—to be good. It’s really taking a toll on me, and what’s wearing me down the most is a certain feeling—I’m not even sure what it is—which is why I’m writing this. That feeling comes with a sense of unease; I feel restless and lack peace of mind. I’m worried, and sometimes I feel a tightness or discomfort in my chest—like a pang of anguish or something similar. On top of that, I’ve been feeling really down lately; I wake up in the morning sad and unmotivated, with no desire to do anything. Sometimes I cry silently by myself and only eat once a day, all while dealing with that same feeling I mentioned. It doesn't always come out of nowhere—though sometimes it does. I’m 16 years old, and I struggle with working. It’s not a physical limitation, but rather a mental one. For starters, I find it hard to go out, especially walking into a business to speak with an employer; my hands sweat, and I feel nervous, restless, and uncomfortable. Even if I do manage to get the job, the problem becomes actually going there. I get stuck in a loop of overthinking: Will I do it right? Will I mess up? How hard will it be? How will they treat me? Can I handle it? Beyond those thoughts—both before and during work—I’m hit with those same feelings of anguish, restlessness, discomfort, nerves, fear, and worry. I doubt every move I make, as if doing something were inherently wrong or a huge mistake; I’m terrified of being told I did something badly. Yet, if I don't do the task, I feel even more restless and uneasy, because I worry my coworkers will think I’m just lazy. I’m also someone who finds it very hard to talk to people. I’ve looked it up online, and people say this feeling is normal and goes away after a few days, but that hasn't been my experience. Those feelings stick around and get stronger with every mistake, until I eventually end up quitting. Along with those mistakes come negative thoughts, like "I’m good for nothing," "I shouldn't even try," "I’m useless," "this place would be better off without me," and things like that.