Has anyone here overcome anxiety??

If so, for how long and how??

[LauralenaCPhT]

I have had it subside Ten-Fold since I started on Effexor XR. I still have "moments" but I feel my feelings are much more in check now. I have also done alot of reading. I highly recommend the book "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" by Edmound Bourne. I picked it up at my library, and it was easy to read and had tips on how to "ride out" your anxiety. I really feel like knowledge is power, and the more I read that I am not "crazy" the less scary my anxiety becomes.

[jess990]

I have read that book plus just about every one out there, I also have been in cognitive therapy for almost a year now, still dealing with the same issues. What am I doing wrong?

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

your not doing anything wrong , we are all different and it might take you longer than others. i had real bad anxiety but pulled myself out of it where as my mom is still having it after two years shes taking the same med i took, i guess it depends on weather your strong and can face that its not going kill you and that its your body doing it, and not to think every thing that happens to you is going kill you if its health anxiety. i know once i go to the dr and i have every test ran that can be and he finds nothing than its just me doing it to my self, so i deal with it, and not lay around and whine because that gets me no where , so i pick myself up as bad as some times i dont want to and i live every day normal, shopping/ doing what ever i need to do with the anxiety and before i know it ,its gone. so try and do your normal days and dont think about it when it happens keep going as if its not, thats what i do and i can beat it.

[toejam_muncher]

i hate to say yes because i haven't overcome anxiety...but i've put it into remission for now. when i was about 8-13 i had extreme anxiety/ocd. i got on meds and from about age 13 to age 23 it was pretty much non-existant. i only took meds for it until i was about 14 or 15...so for 8 years i wasn't on meds and i was fine. this past year has been extremely stressful and in august it came back...the anxiety worse than i remember it...but i knew the symptoms and i knew exactly what i had to do. so in that sense, knowledge WAS power for me and the spell only lasted about 3-4 weeks after getting on meds to help. now i still have rounds of anxiety but they are very very short in comarpison to that month of hell. i know that i won't ever take a pill that will keep me from experiencing anxiety ever again...but i do know that there are great times and terrible times....so what it's really about is appreciating the great times and knowing as much as you can about the problem so that during terrible times, you know what you need to do and you do it.

[cj29]

Overcoming anxiety can be a long and arduous process sometimes, but the important thing is you are confronting it.  Many people just want it to go away, won't accept, and are unwilling to work at it.  It looks like you are none of that and are seeking help which is half of the battle; and that is a big half.

Patience is the second half, in my opinion.  I know that is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but it will get better.  I don't know if you are doing anything wrong, but you seem to be doing a lot of 'right.'  Please keep working at it and keep us posted!

[jess990]

Thank you all for your posts. I just feel like - - - - !! I am pretty much sick every morning, with a little relief in the afternoon, then okay at night. But it's not just anxiety, it's body aches, heavy head, feel like your getting the flu or a cold but your night, do you understand that? I have weeks of releif then I am back down again. I am so frustrated!