I'm new here (Tyler, 45, Generalized anxiety disorder, in therapy recent years)
Hi there!
I found this site by searching the place where I can share my experience and read other people stories. I learned that it helps me to better understand myself :)
I've been anxious whole my life without even properly realising it. I though I'm just scared of stuff, so I should put myself together face it (whatever it is) and just do. Most of my life I've been living like this, and it was not getting easier but quite on the contrary.
When the anxiety is really bad it feels on the physiological level: racing heat, sweating, being cold, choked breathing, chest pains.
Sometimes I wake up super-anxious, but it subsides during the day and is almost always gone in the evenings/nights. It's almost like "we only come out at night, the days are much too bright" song.
My main trigger is travel - especially holiday trip or business trip, but in the worst periods of my life it was stressful even to drive to breakfast place or a cafe in the mornings.
I'm in therapy for many years, and having sessions almost weekly last 3 years and it helps me to better understand where it comes from (childhood, parents characters and their life experiences which they unknowingly passed on etc).
I'll write more about how it think it works for me, where it comes from and what helps me a bit. Feel free to ask your questions or comment.
Take care!
Hi @tyler7878 ☺️
It's such a lucky break that you stumbled upon this site. It's pretty amazing how digging into other people's stories can help us understand ourselves better. It sounds like you've been dealing with anxiety for a big chunk of your life, even if you didn't really get it until recently. Props to you for facing your fears head-on and finding the courage to tackle them. But I totally get that it's not always a walk in the park. Anxiety can mess with you mentally and physically, and it seems like you've felt the full force of it. It's awesome that you've sought therapy to deal with these challenges, spending years working through the roots of your anxiety and how your upbringing and family experiences might have played into it. I'd love to hear more about how this process has worked for you, where you think your anxiety comes from, and any coping strategies that have helped you out. Feel free to ask any questions or share any other thoughts. Good luck on your journey of self-discovery! 😁
@tyler7878
Hello, Tyler. Welcome to 7 Cups. I hope you're able to find support and community here.
I, too, experience quite a bit of anxiety, about everything, really. I wish it had an off-switch.