My name is Natalie and I am 22years old. I have anxiety and have had for a number of years. I would say sine I was 15 when it started. I didn't know what it was but i buried it. i stuffed it down ignoring it and pressing on. In the past 2 years it has gotten progressivly worse, to panic attacks and GAD as well as social anxiety. Interactions are tough and I always have the sense that people can see my anxiety so I tend to look away and when I do interact try to "look" ok. I try especially hard to "look" ok when I have a "panic attck". I put quotations because I have just been aware within the past 8 mo. that what I was experiencing is in fact anxiety, and I am guessing that what i experience at certain times is a panic attack. yesterday I had one, my head hurt, I had massive anxiety, worry, wanted to run away from the situation, un able to focus, blurred vision. Then on top of that I am hanging out with my boyfriend so i don't want to look like I am having one so I try really really hard to look OK. Which hurts me more. I do nothing to calm myself down, just try to look ok and ignore because it is embarrassing. I know that it is happening and inside I just really want to feel ok within instead of trying so hard to LOOk ok. Any suggestions on what to do when massive anxiety occurs to get it to subside quicker??
please I need legit help!
p.s.
I am taking medication (buspar) 7.5 mg in the morning and 7.5 mg at night. It has lessened the symptoms but at the same time I still have it and need tips on how to cope with this.
Dear Natalie,
Buspar is only one medication in the arsenal of choices to combat anxiety. Further it can take a few weeks of taking it to feel the full effect and/or you may need a higher dosage or another medication to combine with it. For many with social anxiety disorder as well generalized anxiety disorder, combining an anti-anxiety with an antidepressant can also make a big difference. I do not know how long you have been taking the Buspar and if it was prescribed by a psychiatrist or not. If not prescribed by a psychiatrist, I would encourage you to seek council from that type of doctor and tell the doctor that the medication you are taking is not enough (although it has lessened the symptoms) and/or you need a higher dosage and/or a another medication to try.
On a personal note, the first ant-anxiety med I was put on was Buspar as well. This med had absolutely no effect on my anxiety at all. What I mean here is that sometimes a person may need to try a few different medications before they find the one that works best.
That said, trying to "look" okay is exhausting. A few tips that support me... (and others on this site may have more thoughts to share as everyone responds differently to different coping skills).
When it comes to your boyfriend, have you discussed this diagnosis with him? (Have you received accurate diagnosis yet?). Sharing with your significant other what is occurring for you will be a support to you and there will be less of a need for you to try to hide your symptoms. Social anxiety disorder is a real and serious illness and it affects 15 million Americans. Same goes for panic disorder (6 million) and generalized anxiety disorder (6.8 million). At this point, my close friends are fully aware of my mental health concerns, the symptoms, etc. and are extremely supportive. This felt like a risk to me to tell them (as I thought they may want to not be a friend after I told them the truth) but it actually strengthened our friendships and there are no longer huge misunderstandings if I should experience a panic attack or get triggered with the PTSD.
For many, cognitive-behavioral therapy can be a real help as well to help you better understand what triggers off the anxiety and apply coping skills that relate specifically to you. I am not diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (although I do experience several symptoms) but I am diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and through this and the PTSD I experience panic attacks. My experience with this type of therapy is I learned how to take a few moments before entering into an environment that may cause an anxious reaction. If I should begin to feel the symptoms of a panic attack coming on, I step out of the room and into somewhere private (even outside if I need to) so that I may breathe deeply, re-orient myself to the present moment, and then go back inside.
I realize, however, that with social anxiety disorder, this is not so simple. This is why proper medication and therapy are so important. A lot of people also share that exercise, getting a good night's sleep, eating well, having structure in your daily routine, meditation and yoga also help. There are other things like cutting down on caffeine, drinking herbal tea (chamomile, mint), and adding Omega-3's have an effect as well.
Rather than trying to hard to "look" okay, I now actually feel okay most of the time about my illnesses and symptoms. Just this aspect of not trying to "hide" my symptoms has brought the symptoms themselves way down.
Further, doing the things mentioned above has helped me to understand anxiety and learn how to practice self care; this in turn lowers my stress levels considerably. I also needed to relieve myself of the pressure I put myself to think I needed to "take care of this" on my own through self-control.
Please let us know how it goes and what you find works best for you.
Best,
Kimberly Tyler