How Anxiety Rules My Life

I recently read an article that dealt with the personal experience of anxiety and panic attacks. The article I am referring to can be found here, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/68963/panic_and_anxiety_disorder_a_personal.html.

When I read the article I could have been reading about myself .I have dealt with anxiety attacks for the last several years. I always thought people were exaggerating how bad an anxiety attack could be until I had my first one .I remember thinking maybe I was having a heart attack when my chest got really tight and my arm felt numb. I was finding it hard to breathe but then after going outside for some fresh air it settled down and I felt better.

I talked with my doctor and he said that what I experienced was most likely an anxiety attack and that I wasn't alone there are millions of people dealing with the same problem. He also said most likely mine was related to the hormonal problems I have with the Polycystic ovarian syndrome (pcos).He recommended some medications that I could have taken ,but being as my husband and I were trying to have another baby I didn't want to be taking any medications that could cause any harm Instead I have learned how to control these anxiety attacks before they start. Granted that doesn't always work but I have gotten much better in the last year or so. I can sense when an anxiety attack is beginning ,I get a really anxious, antsy feeling like I cant sit still. So I just try to distract myself and go and do something around the house, anything to keep busy.

Sometimes just going outside and getting some fresh air can do wonders to stop the anxiety from turning into a full blown attack. There are still times it doesn't work and I find myself not wanting to leave the house. I try not to make plans to go somewhere to far ahead of time in case I cant go that day because I am to anxious. I have a hard time being in a car some days, it makes me far to nervous. Sometimes I will even get to a store and then I wont go in I will wait in the car. Or I will want to go to a restaurant to eat dinner and cant go in because its to crowded. If I do go in the whole time I am there I worry about people staring at me and what they are thinking .Stupid things like that can ruin a great family day sometimes. I have anxiety over several things including dying, I am not afraid of death itself ,I am afraid of leaving my family. I have major social anxiety, I hate to have to meet new people.

Sometimes I don't like to see people I have known for years. I worry about bad things happening all the time like a fire, or a car accident. I drive my husband crazy when we are in the car sometimes by telling him to slow down or watch out for other cars. From talking with others on message boards and chat rooms it is amazing to see how many different people suffer from the same anxiety problems. It also helps being able to relate to people who don't think I am crazy and understand how it feels to have a day when you don't want to leave the house. My advice to others dealing with anxiety disorders is to first talk to your Dr. He can give you medication to make the problems a whole lot easier to deal with. Next you have to be able to find away to cope with the anxiety either by removing yourself from the situation that is making you anxious or by keeping busy focusing on other things. What ever you find to help just remember there are plenty of other people experiencing the same issues you are ,and some times it just takes finding one and talking to them to make you feel better. If you can find a person to talk with when you feel an anxiety attack approaching it can be a big help in making the attack go away. There are often local support groups you can find through your Dr.'s office or your church. Search on the Internet and you can find plenty of great message boards and chat rooms devoted to anxiety disorders.