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anxiety everyday

i have been housebound for about 8 to 9 months now, cause of my anxiety and i suffer from depression.in the past months i have lost alot of weight due to smoking. i couldn't see a psychiatrist cause i didn't have insurance, but now that i do have insurance, i can't seem to go see a psychiatrist cause i keep thinking that my anxiety might go off in public. i just want to live my life u'know, without always having an anxiety attack 24/7. i don't even know how i got this damn anxiety in the first place. i know it runs in my moms family so does that mean i got it from her please reply back to this post if u ever want through this kinda of thing. well basically ur own story on  how u got ur anxiety and how did u deal with urs thx and please reply.
9 Responses
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1492418 tn?1289149263
I too deal with this, my counselor actually comes here to my house until i can make that move. I have started getting out more but can't stand feeling trapped so am doing slower exposure to that. Ironic isn't it, I am trapped in my home but don't like feeling trapped. I have alot of windows and no closed curtains during the day.

Actually today went to a civil war football party today at a neighbors, crowded and loud, did my AWARE arrive wait assess relax end. I actually had more time not anxious than anxious :) when i noticed i was focusing on myself and how i was feeling, i tried to redirect my attention but let the feelings and thoughts be. One truth i have learned is to let fears be and notice them not fight them.

Earlier I went to a little shop downtown, had my husband drop me off and leave me, everything in me just wanted him to turn around and take me home. I just didn't say it out loud for a change and got out and let him go. I stayed and had a few minutes of the Oh my God I'm going to pass out and these people will call an ambulance and i will be so embarassed and i can't stand it,,,,,,,,, Just kept walking and doing what i needed to do and guess what? Didn't go crazy didn't pass out, didn't do anything weird,

I still hate hate hate that feeling more than anything, worried i'll go to a bad place and never come out but that never seems to happen. The meds I take are 50mg zoloft and xanax as needed. I don't like how sleepy the xanax makes me so maybe take a total of 3 a month as I can take 1/4 and it works for me.

We can friend up if you like and support each other thru our baby steps. My thought is even baby steps start adding up, maybe someday we to can be support to people telling them :how i used to have bad anxiety"
Helpful - 0
1448936 tn?1363206346
I agree with the other posters. Exposure therapy can really help when you do it slowly. Like start by just getting to the car and sitting in the car without going anywhere and once you feel comfortable doing that drive around the block and once you're ok with that drive to your destination but stay in the car until you're comfortable enough out of the house to make it into therapy. its a long process but it helps.

I had really bad agoraphobia in high school and had to be homeschooled the end of my senior year because I had gotten so bad. It was devastating...all my friends were enjoying their last times in school and I was stuck at home. I still get anxious sometimes to leave the house almost 10 years later but I don't let myself get back into that cycle of fear. I force myself to fight through the anxiety when it gets bad.

Its a hard road but it can be done. Good luck!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thanks for the support ppl. yesterday i tried to take a big step by going to sign up for a therapy and right before i had to leave i was having a really bad anxiety and sweating really bad u'know, cause i haven't left my house in a while, so i'm gonna try to take small steps carefully this time, so i can get used to the outside again without getting scared.
Helpful - 0
1402011 tn?1291411782
Hang in there. I strongly believe genetics play a huge role in panic disorder and anxiety, also the learned behavior from watching your mom, dad, cousin etc having one doesn't help. Agoraphobia *****, so eventually you are going to have to take small steps and get yourself out of the house. Even if you make a slight move each day, like to your mailbox, your are building confidence to adapt outside. The longer you stay in doors the tougher this will be. Its almost like our brains make us confront our worst fears, because once they are confronted and accepted, it seems to lessen. Ask anyone who suffered panic and then decided it was not going to kill them, it is still unbelievably uncomfortable, but not mortally so.

Good Luck
Helpful - 0
1522652 tn?1291238354
sorry to hear of your debilitating anxiety~know that you are not alone in your battle.  I am sharing with you what helped me, but suggest you read my post in anxiety forum just posted today "Have Your Vitamins Checked, they not only helped me, they Cured me"~ as it's rather long.   A brief synopsis is, I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress in 06, due to a traumatic event in my life. So I've dealt with depression/anxiety since that time, and before, but with counseling and medication have had it under control.  Until June 2010, I began to experience extreme fatigue, numbness/burning in hands and feet became more severe~(Diagnosed with carpel tunnel in 05), eye sensitivity, mental fog, balance problems, sweating, heart palpatations, insomnia~and oh yea, breathlessness, SEVERE!!  Many doctor vists, er visits, pulmonologist, all with same diagnosis, Stress/Anxiety!  I knew this wasn't so...I did my research and requested my vitamins be checked~  though the doc said i was borderline on my b12 and he didn't feel i needed the injections, I insisted and my symptoms began diminishing on the 3rd injection.  My vitamin D was also low. Both of these vitamins are water soluble vitamins and our body excretes them out through urine and sweat.  For some of us we become malabsorbent, *this is just learned can also be hereditary, genetics~"  but it can also be caused by age, diet, ibs, taking sulfer meds, taking antacids and a number of other medical problems.  However, I do know that vitamins are essential for the body to function properly and your B's are essential for nerve function.  Panic/anxiety issues are nerve related problems~believe me, I know! I've not taken zanaz or cymbalta in nearly 2 mos.   I know I sound like a vitamin pill pusher here, but I know how anxious I was and especially not knowing why I was feeling the way I was. I thought I was going to die, never knowing what was wrong with me.   Okay, hope this helps, please do some research on vitamin deficiency and read my earlier post.  You may be amazed at what you find if you research "symptoms of vitamin b12, b1, b6, and d deficiency"  xo, mel
Helpful - 0
1491613 tn?1337630788
im  sorry you feel this disorder so heavely on your heart..it is a strong feeling of fear and i know exactly where your coming from..id say i was out every other weekend and everyday just doing active things..having fun loving life..ive never been a drinker..never done drugs or even cigarrettes..im a very straight edge person...but i have 4 kids..two pre teens and two elemetary..i run a small business...and im a single mother...on top of the stress my mother also suffers from GAD...which i guess increased my chance..just lovely i guess..so i guess its my destiny to have this thing..and all i can say is that you have to stop careing about who thinks what..its your life and you need to get out there and take control of it..dont let anxiety control you..see your doctor ..try the meds and youll see a rainbow at the end of the storm eventually with the right help..i know it gets better and i know it gets worse just as well..we have to except that..but we hope for the better! you need also an outlet..like music or art..or even excersize ..try a self defense class..i think the empowerment is really good for helping over come this nasty thing..im looking into krav maga =) good luck and remember you nee to be around POSITIVE supportive people too..people that understand..this forum has done above and beyond for me. GodBless!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi.  I hope you know you're not alone in this, we certainly understand and care.  Most of us have no idea where our anxiety comes from, but often it is caused by something traumatic that happened in our past which we never truly dealt with.  We may have even forgotten about it, and it comes back demanding to be dealt with in the form of anxiety and/or depression.  With it being in your family, there was a likelihood of you developing it.  You have to see a psychiatrist for an evaluation and so that the two of you can decide what course of treatment will be best for you.  Is there someone who can go with you for support?  Depression and anxiety robs us of everything.....as you know too well.  But you need to take the next step and somehow get in to see a psychiatrist.  Anxiety and depression is just like any other medical condition that requires medical attention, we can't always do this on our own.  Most of us remain on medication in order to have a happy and fulfilling life......and that's okay.  I have been exactly where you are now, and without therapy and medication....I don't know where I'd be!  I learned a lot about myself with therapy, but it didn't resolve my anxiety or depression, so I am one who remains on medication and always will.  There is so much help for you, that you don't have to live like this!  Decide today to fight back and make an appt. with a psychiatrist and find someone to go with you.  So what if you panic in public, you'll never see those people again, and getting yourself well is more important than what anyone thinks!  Once you get to the psych's office they are used to this and can help you if you should panic, you can feel safe there.  I understand your fear, I truly do, but you have to get help, you cannot do this alone!  There are many excellent medications out there, you need to take advantage of the help that's available to you.  Stay with us for support, you're talking to people who understand and care!  I know the thought of going out is scary, but continuing to live like this is scarier.  You can do this.  I wish you all the best and take care.
Helpful - 0
560272 tn?1311350293
I have been homebound for about as long as you. But even before I didn't live normal. In fact I never have. I've only tried Prozac, which didn't help. So I gave up, and have spiraled downwards. I've dealt with anxiety/depression for 13 years. I am so sorry you are having to deal with it.
Helpful - 0
1516364 tn?1291050924
Hi there.  I can tell you that there is hope!  I started having anxiety because of too much stress on my life.  Not knowing what was happening made things worse.  I got to know what was making me feel bad and it mostly from being so tense that I was not breathing right and would hyperventilate.  So I learned how to do breathing exercises that I posted under advice.  The best thing that worked has been going outside and getting sun on my face.  It calms me down in 5 minutes.  When I saw that worked, I started going to parks and taking pictures of nature and walking and that almost completely took away my anxiety.  I still have relapses when I'm inside too much or when I'm on the pc or watching tv for too long but I'm alot more in control now than before knowing that the symptoms pass after a few.  I am doing it without meds because I had bad side effects to them and I learned that my symptoms were mostly from hyperventilation and learned to deal with that.  Another thing you can do is go to the place you want to go to for a few minutes and then leave before you feel bad.  Then you keep going back until you can stay later so that your mind can see that there is no danger there and then you will be able to go there with no more problems.  You are desensitizing yourself to those places.  Going to parks helped me so much that I didn't even have to do that anymore and I was able to go shopping without any problems.  Also as I have posted before I prayed alot and read my bible and that helped me not feel alone, and gave me peace.  I will pray for you if you would like.  I've been going through this for the last 6 years off and on but much better in the last 3 years.  In time you will get better, just make sure you get a full medical check up first to rule out any medical problems like thyroid, etc.  God bless you friend!
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