HintHRO said: Good that you realize your problems and are able to share it. This is the first step towards something better. I just hope you're not like that guy here with the dolphin picture and be like ''I'm miserable and my problems cannot be solved''.

I'm not sure if my problems can be solved (I don't think anxiety just goes away if you try really hard), but there's no point in just complaining and not trying to do anything to improve. I'm trying and am slowly but surely getting better.

Ljink96 said: Damn, I feel the same way about half of these things. Maybe I have anxiety...at least to some degree. But yeah, I'm glad you find that taking criticism with your film studies is helping you with confrontation. The best way to tackle fears is head on, you seem to have made some great success so far. Keep going in that direction.

There isn't a single human being alive who does not feel anxious at times, be it about a test, a job interview, romance, w/e it's a human emotion which prevents us from going into important things without questioning ourselves and seeing if we are prepared to face them.

Anxiety disorders are something else though, where someone obsesses over mundane events to the point where they can't function as though every event in their life is something which requires great thought, planning and worry.... like creating this thread must have been a nightmare for the OP.

I used to be a fairly heavy victim to anxiety with a few things, but honestly.... there was a point when I said fuck it, and stopped worrying about what others think and just enjoy life, I think I've gone to the other end of the scale now though where it might not be healthy but I'll find out if that catches up to me or not, one of my recent trips involved traveling to an area where terrorism had just happened and I would be going directly through it, honestly I just looked at the population of the area, the numbers killed and done the math, my chances of dying even if I was there at the worst of it were low, so I went and yeah.... I'm writing this post!

I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you're going into a situation where you're terrified by what might happen, think to yourself "what is the absolute worst thing that can happen" for me and that trip it was a tiny fraction of a % chance of getting terroristed, if the worst thing that can happen in a situation is, "that barista will tell you she won't give you her number" or w/e just think.... well if I ask her and she says no, I'll at least have asked, but if you don't ask then your chances of getting the number are 0% if you do ask your chances are infinitely higher than the latter.

 

@LuccaCardoso1

edit - I feel as though I've given this advice a lot of times in threads like this on Vgchartz, but honestly guys if you have zero confidence in talking to others and such, I would highly recommend going into an online type environment where you can choose how much you want to share with others and how much you want to fabricate to hide yourself, something like World of Warcraft is a great way to create a character and run about talking with others, you'll find over time that you'll gain some confidence in talking to people and even if it's just basic stuff like doing groups together you'll probably find others enjoy your company and lament when it isn't present. Might help come outta the shell a little when you log off the game as well.

I deal with depression and anxiety. And as much as depression sucks it's a million times better than dealing with anxiety. I think my depression is actually a coping mechanism to defend against anxiety. Giving up and feeling that trying anything is pointless is much more tolerable than that feeling of "I have to do something or I'll explode but I don't know what".

I'm not going to give any advice, because there's no magic cure. But, if you haven't seen a professional with a good reputation, that should be the first thing. Of course, be wary of professionals with bad reputations. That's how I wound up on a medication that wasn't right for me and wound up having my first panic attack. And they don't sound that bad till you've had one..

At any rate, good luck.  You're not alone.  

Regrettably I used to be one of them ignorant fools who didn't understand anxiety and thought it could be cured by "lol just don't be anxious!" My understanding was so bad that I didn't even realize I have anxiety to some degree, but now I am learned. Sadly that doesn't mean I have any sort of solution, but if talking about it helps ya then that's something. I made a similar thread for similar reasons.

Do you have any idea what the cause of your anxiety could be? It didn't really begin for me until junior year of highschool, when the weight and pressure of having to get a job/live on my own/etc. despite not being ready for any of that at all started to set in.

HintHRO said: I just hope you're not like that guy here with the dolphin picture and be like ''I'm miserable and my problems cannot be solved''.

Better than being a jerk for no reason, but I am flattered I affected you enough that you'd call me out on an different thread weeks later.

Lonely_Dolphin said: Regrettably I used to be one of them ignorant fools who didn't understand anxiety and thought it could be cured by "lol just don't be anxious!" My understanding was so bad that I didn't even realize I have anxiety to some degree, but now I am learned. Sadly that doesn't mean I have any sort of solution, but if talking about it helps ya then that's something. I made a similar thread for similar reasons.

I'm glad you can at least understand anxiety! Understanding it and recognizing it are the first steps to getting better. Neglecting it is just furthering the pain.

Lonely_Dolphin said: Do you have any idea what the cause of your anxiety could be? It didn't really begin for me until junior year of highschool, when the weight and pressure of having to get a job/live on my own/etc. despite not being ready for any of that at all started to set in.

I most likely have a genetic predisposition for anxiety, since my mother's side of the family has always severely suffered from anxiety and depression. I couldn't tell you when it started, but I think it was during my early school years. I started to consult with a psychologist every week to help with that when I was, like, 7 or 8.

LuccaCardoso1 said: Lonely_Dolphin said: Regrettably I used to be one of them ignorant fools who didn't understand anxiety and thought it could be cured by "lol just don't be anxious!" My understanding was so bad that I didn't even realize I have anxiety to some degree, but now I am learned. Sadly that doesn't mean I have any sort of solution, but if talking about it helps ya then that's something. I made a similar thread for similar reasons. I'm glad you can at least understand anxiety! Understanding it and recognizing it are the first steps to getting better. Neglecting it is just furthering the pain. Lonely_Dolphin said: Do you have any idea what the cause of your anxiety could be? It didn't really begin for me until junior year of highschool, when the weight and pressure of having to get a job/live on my own/etc. despite not being ready for any of that at all started to set in. I most likely have a genetic predisposition for anxiety, since my mother's side of the family has always severely suffered from anxiety and depression. I couldn't tell you when it started, but I think it was during my early school years. I started to consult with a psychologist every week to help with that when I was, like, 7 or 8.

Man that's just the worst, being born with a disadvantage right from the get go. I'm normally against it, but with the cause possibly not being a natural one perhaps medications could help?

Lonely_Dolphin said: LuccaCardoso1 said: I'm glad you can at least understand anxiety! Understanding it and recognizing it are the first steps to getting better. Neglecting it is just furthering the pain. I most likely have a genetic predisposition for anxiety, since my mother's side of the family has always severely suffered from anxiety and depression. I couldn't tell you when it started, but I think it was during my early school years. I started to consult with a psychologist every week to help with that when I was, like, 7 or 8. Man that's just the worst, being born with a disadvantage right from the get go. I'm normally against it, but with the cause possibly not being a natural one perhaps medications could help?

My parents avoided giving me medication when I was a child, so I went to a psychologist, but even today I try to avoid ingesting drugs unless 100% necessary. Since I have had anxiety for such a long time (attending a psychologist for several years also helped with that), I kinda learned how it works and what to do and what not to do in order to maintain a sustainable level. Yeah, it gets stronger or weaker depending on what's happening in my life, but I fortunately haven't hit a point where I desperately need medication to live yet (and I hope that never happens).

LuccaCardoso1 said: HintHRO said: Good that you realize your problems and are able to share it. This is the first step towards something better. I just hope you're not like that guy here with the dolphin picture and be like ''I'm miserable and my problems cannot be solved''. I'm not sure if my problems can be solved (I don't think anxiety just goes away if you try really hard), but there's no point in just complaining and not trying to do anything to improve. I'm trying and am slowly but surely getting better.

You're right, anxiety doesn't go away in an instant. But you know what so beautiful about our brain is? Neuroplasticity. Our brain is able to change throughout an entire lifetime to adjust to different situations. So right now your brain has neural connections that cause these negative experiences, but you can actually train your brain to get rid of these connections by exposing yourself to scary situations (which in reality are not scary at all) over and over again. For example, now you're obsessed with holding a bottle of water anywhere you go. We both know this is BS, but your brain sees it as an tool for survival. Reduce the amount of water you're taking with you until at one point you don't need any water at all. I'm not a specialist or something, but this might be a way to train yourself just like I trained myself.

LuccaCardoso1 said: Lonely_Dolphin said: Man that's just the worst, being born with a disadvantage right from the get go. I'm normally against it, but with the cause possibly not being a natural one perhaps medications could help? My parents avoided giving me medication when I was a child, so I went to a psychologist, but even today I try to avoid ingesting drugs unless 100% necessary. Since I have had anxiety for such a long time (attending a psychologist for several years also helped with that), I kinda learned how it works and what to do and what not to do in order to maintain a sustainable level. Yeah, it gets stronger or weaker depending on what's happening in my life, but I fortunately haven't hit a point where I desperately need medication to live yet (and I hope that never happens).

So you're fine with having to cope with it? The OP gave me the impression it made every day hell. Well eitherway meds could maybe make it easier to deal with, but I definitely approve of staying clean where possible. I suppose I'm kind of a hypocrite suggesting meds when I don't take any for my arthritis, but that's because I firgured out symptoms only occur when I'm stressed.

Anywho, got any interesting life stories for us? I'm curious as to how you react upon seeing a spider hehe.

Damn, I'm sorry man. I've had a bit of anxiety issues in my past (and still do today), and it absolutely fucking sucks having to deal with it. Wishing you the best man.