New To The Anxiety Support Community? Introduce Yourself Here!

i go by cranberry or cran. i'm 30, married, a mom, and i deal with anxiety [among other things] every day. most days i can get to a place where i can deal with it on some level, but when there's something going on... i'm a mess.

currently, my life got turned upside down and we may lose our house. we have an insanely small amount of time to get help or find the money to save it. my anxiety level has been through the roof since two days ago when we found out to the point that i'm sick. right now, i'm not okay and my anxiety is getting the better of me. right now i'm just counting down the minutes [by obsessively looking at the clock] until my husband gets home and we can go try to get help. thankfully, i've had a couple really amazing chats with listeners who have helped me calm down, and even smile a little during this really trying time.

anxiety eats me alive some days, especially right now when i can't talk to my family and friends about what's happening in my life, but it's been a big relief finding a way to even just talk to people on 7cups. everyone is truly amazing on here

@PhilosophicalCranberry Hey there! I'm sorry to hear about the struggles you're facing with your house. It's hard to go through something like that. But I'm glad that you've found some great listeners here at 7 cups! If you ever need another listening ear, don't hesitate to message me :)

@TranquilSkye30

thank you so much for the support! it's an amazing feeling to know that there's people who care enough to share their time with others like people on here do ;; u ;;

@PhilosophicalCranberry you are amazing too , you can do anything when you put your mind too it i know that isnt easy with the anxiety but i have faith in you and with the help of this amazing site you can do this :D

thanks for sharing and we are always here for you no matter how small or big the issue you need to vent about

Hello, everyone. I've lurked about on the forums, and desperately wanted to post, but I just couldn't do it. I'm forcing myself to now, because I'm at the end of my rope. I feel like I can't do anything right anymore. I'm extremely nervous about a college audition that I have coming up soon, and I feel like I'm going to bomb it. Not to mention the idea of going away to college terrifies me. I have trouble functioning by myself in a town I've grown up in, and I know I rely too heavily on my immediate family. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't even have my license because I just haven't been able to stomach the thought of going and driving with a judgy official in the car. I have trouble driving as is (I do have my permit), and I freeze up when there's a lot of traffic, or if I have to drive far. I hate that I can't get past it. Everyone makes fun of me for being afraid, and if i say I have driving anxiety, they laugh, and say I'm just being a baby. But it's like I'm physically unable to handle driving. I get so shaky, and my movements become jerky, and I zone out. I can't help but think of all the wrecks and things that could go wrong if I do something wrong. I apologize for rambling about my stupid driving problem. But it really bothers me, and is preventing me from functioning in society, and usually I'm in tears by the time we reach our destination. I have panic attacks at school at least twice a week, but I've learned to hide them better. During break I usually hide in the band room and try to breathe. Socializing terrifies me, and I have trouble speaking in class. My throat tightens and I feel dizzy and start shaking. I feel like I'm falling apart. I'm sorry I wrote so much, I just needed to get it off my chest.

@nonchalantpepperoni3097 thats ok to vent and its ok with how you are feeling im sorry you feel that way though it isnt easy we are here for you if you ever feel you need to speak to a listener message me or any of your choosing under browse listeners

you were very brave in posting you must feel proud i know how it is trying to talk about problems scared of being judged we dont judge here

@nonchalantpepperoni3097 I'm so sorry! Dealing with anxiety is extremely hard, so please don't blame yourself for your limits and what you can't do. Anyone who says you're being a baby for not doing things that trigger your anxiety obviously don't know what you're experiencing. Society's timelines can be really unfair for a lot of people.

As a side note, I'm also in college, almost 19 years old, and I haven't gotten around to driving, either. I don't even have my perment, so please don't feel bad! I took the perment test a few years ago after studying for the wrong questions and ended up failing the test by one question. I've been too horrified of failing it again to attempt it again. My medical issues, part-time school, and emotional problems have also stressed me out so much that even thinking about trying the test again is overwhelming. Almost no one--not even my family--seems to understand this, and yes, people are extremely judgemental.

So sorry that you have to go through this, and I wish you the best of luck!

Hello community, I finally got up the nerve to come into a forum, wow.

I've been battling severe anxiety for approximately 30 yrs., yes I know

quite a bit about it. Still manages to get the best of me though, so here

I am, and I hope to do some good.

@panthergirl7 thats great to have you here great victory :) 30 years woah and as for it getting the better of you i know how that is not easy thanks for sharing we are here for you :)

Hi I'm Nikia

I have just recently been in a behavior health center. I am here for support and a listening eat

I'm having a difficult time navigating this site, help? Where do I see responses?

@Nikiamae when you get any responses on your posts you will get a notification to say you have it should pop up in a yellow bell

welcome to 7 cups

if you need someone you can either browse here : https://www.7cups.com/BrowseListeners/

or enter the General requests list and wait for someone to pick up your chat i would offer to listen but currently unable too

Hey my names Brit , im 22 and i suffer with quite a few things Anxiety Depression some social anxiety mainly around new people it makes me feel edgy and panicky , i get alot of panick attacks too.

i have sleep Aponea also so that doesnt help .

I joined 7 cups to help others as that i found helps me providing my state of mind is ok too , i find by helping you members and guests it lifts my spirits even find myself saying stuff that i wouldnt have thought about and i try it myself and its like woah this works

just wanted to introduce myself to you all here im one of the many amazing listeners on this site and without this site i wouldnt know where i would have been i was happy to have come across it at the very moment i needed it and when i saw i could be a listener i took that difficult step i was anxious bad but when i got my first review i smiled and felt amazing

@CaringBrit Hi, I also have a sleep disorder (narcolepsy), and wow, being sleepy all the time definitely makes the depression worse! Good luck to you.

@huggerofcats im not familiar with that sleep disorder what does it do and luckily i have a CPAP mask now i wear everynight when sleeping

Hi there :) I'm John. I've always found myself to be a little more introverted and self-aware than others seem to be, and somewhere along the way I developed social anxiety, and general anxiety/depression as a result of low self-esteem. Over the last year or so I've slowly started to gain strength and challenge all the stuff in my head and I'm much happier than I used to be, but the memories of awful days are still there and I fully empathise with others that struggle too. So I guess this is just me saying hi and reaching out to anyone that needs someone to talk to :)

@igruaminion Hi, John :) welcome! I can relate to everything you said. I have had terrible self esteem in the past, but it's slowly getting better. If you need to talk, feel free to reach out to me!

"We stopped checking for monsters under our beds, when we realised ed they were inside of us." - The Joker. Well I wanted to introduce myself to seven cups for a long time, but I needed to wait till things were in its crucial point. I've suffered from anxiety since I was very young, and according to my school records apart from it I daydreamed a lot, and even today. Well I just suffer to much for the future, from opinions and I know that the biggest critic is oneself. Throughout my life I have worried just to much. I suffered for getting good grades, and making people around me feel comfortable, so I needed to reach very high expectations. I liked science, I wanted to study biology and I liked the idea of cellular regeneration, but when thought started to cross my mind I said oh wait stop it, so I started to doubt about it. I discovered I lived in a bubble were we just are too indifferent and hurt everybody too much. We use masks all the time to disguise, we always put our necessity y before anybody, we kill for pleasure, we punish for fun, we impose our idea, our culture or our religion and decide what's right, we are considered numbers in schools and universities, we are considered an average, and we are very cruel with us, with others. That's why this world is rotting, thinking of this made me hate myself even more and increased anxiety to giant levels, I've talked with two psychologists and one psychiatrist, and I felt misunderstood, yesh this world is very cold sometimes, and nice people are either momentarily or just faking something. I believed "Smile because it confuses people, smile because it's easier than explaining what's killing you inside." - the joker But well now I try to express thought it is difficult sometimes, and we need to please many, we worry about our decisions and that is horrible. I feel how I need a friend that I can really trust because it is really important in moments like these, depression sometimes gives you a lesson or just makes you sad that's nasty too! But I liked thinking things can change, though I never know how to start. And motivation is like a roller coaster. It can be up or down it depends if the early is willing to declare you war or just be a meanie! thank you.

I've just been diagnosed with anxiety. Specifically, I have Panic Disorder, which cause panic attacks and a fear of panic attacks happening. I've been having panic attacks for the past two years, and they've been gradually getting worse. With the support of my boyfriend and my soul sister, I'm gradually learning more about the disorder and how I can live with I in a way that is safe and healthy.
Because of my anxiety, I have also been cutting for a couple of years, and am currently working on breaking my self-harm habit. I am slowly making progress, and getting better at resisting the compulsive urges.
The past two years have been rough for me; I've been depressed, suicidal, and anxious, and couldn't tell anyone close to me how I felt. But now I'm learning to be more open about me feelings, and to be honest to both myself and the ones I love. I look forward to the day that I can say I've successfully overcome my self-harm habit, and don't have to be as fearful of my panic attacks.

@TheLPSoldier your story hits so close to home as I've been going through much of what you mentioned. Remember your not a lone in your struggles though the isolation can make it feel so terribly that way. Blessed be

I've just acutely become aware that this "anti-social behavior" isn't just that. If I talk to anyone who knows me personally, they just say it'll get better, it's nothing to worry about, you just need to be more social. I've tried, I'm still trying. Though today (and yesterday), at a point in class I felt completely overwhelmed and thought I was going to have a panic attack due to all the chatter and activity that was happening around me. I had to leave for about 15-20 minutes and fell behind on my work tremendously. I wanted to come on here and see if anyone could help out, even if just a bit.

@NariIsNapping I get the sensory overload problem, although it's usually when I'm already having anxiety issues. It can definitely turn anxiety into a panic attack if the sensory stimuli just don't calm down. Sadly, a lot of people don't seem to understand and can be judgemental about it. Good luck!

I've dealt with panic, anxiety, depression, in being a cutter on and off for the majority of my life. In November of 2014 I had a massive mental breakdown there was even discussion of hospitalizing me. I was so terrified of being hospitalized that I started to hide my symptoms only making things worse I was so scared to tell anyone how bad things are getting because I didn't want to be quote locked away. When I finally reached out for help I was diagnosed what panic and anxiety disorder, depression, and mild agoraphobia. This is the worst it's ever been for me and I've been going through a lot in life that has made it harder to work through things. I'm currently going to therapy but I'm happy to have found this group and I hope you find support and help you too

I'm not usually anxious, but lately, every little thing has been making me feel as if the entire world is collapsing on me. I just can't breath sometimes; it's too intense. It's a bit silly, because I know a lot of people probably have worse anxiety problems, but I'm at a last resort on reaching out to actual people here.

@willerock don't worry about feeling silly, there is always someone here to help.

I I used to think I didn't have anxiety and I was just nervous, but every little thing makes me upset. It's actually driving me crazy. I feel like I have no control. Like even when I want to be calm I can't. I start shaking and can't stop. It's awful I just want to run away and hide from anything and everything .

Have had the app for a while- just too shy to use it. I have GAD, Panic Disorder, and OCD. Other things too, like depression, but that's a story for a different group. Haha.

not much to say. I like sleep and dogs.

Hello everyone I have social anxiety and struggling a lot to overcome it.Going out in public has become really difficult for me these days but since my workplace is far away I have to travel 1 - 1.30 hrs in train.This really cause me stress and sometimes it really becomes difficult for me to concentrate on work.Looking at this site gives me hope though. Listeners are helping me to overcome this anxiety hoping to get over it fast..

Hello! I am a mother of two and wife for 25 years. I am new to 7 cups and I really am enjoying it. It is so nice not to feel alone. I am 45 and was diagnosed with manic depression when I was 17. I used to be a cutter and still have the urge but I am able to control it. I am looking forward to interacting with all of you.

Hi everyone,

I'm 21, a junior in college, and i had my first panic attack last August. It was a horrible experience as you guys could guess and every since then I've been trying to recover myself, and my confidence and security. My twin sister told me about this website and I think it's a wonderful forum for healing and a sense of belonging. So hello from me to you guys... have a great day!

Hi, Im Adam, I have had Anxiety for around 9 years now, I have a fear of my food/drink being spiked, its been getting much worse over the past few months, hopefully talking about it will take the load off my mind a little.

hello everyone! my name is kaitlin, and i'm new to 7 cups of tea.

i've seen lots of people sharing their stories on here, so i thought that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to share mine.

around 6 months ago, i was diagnosed with anxiety and panic disorder. all of this anxiety started happening right after i expierenced a pretty horrifying trip on mushrooms. yes, i know. "why would you do that?" "that's crazy!" "well, it's your own fault" it was my 17th birthday and i wanted to celebrate. was that the best way to celebrate my birthday? hm, it probably wasn't. however, i can't change the past. i can only change where i go from here on out. long story short, i ended up taking way too much and i had to be wheeled into the hospital by a wheelchair. ever since that incident, i haven't felt quite the same. these past few months have been the farthest thing from easy. i've been in and out of the hospital so many times that i know the place like the back of my hand, i've had severe panic attacks for weeks on end, and i haven't left my house in months. well, unless it was to go to the hospital of course. my very last panic attack was my absolute worst. i was hyperventalating so fast that my hands, fingers, legs, and toes all started to cramp up and tingle. i couldn't bend or move my fingers or toes for what seemed like hours. that day i was to the hospital by ambulance and i had to be put on a stretcher because i was unable to get up and walk. however, i haven't had a full blown panic attack in over 2 months. which is awesome, and i'm really proud of myself, but i still have everyday generalized anxiety. i think that a lot of my anxiety is fueld by my own thoughts. such as thinking i'm "crazy", not feeling "normal", thinking that i'll never be the same since my mushroom trip, and having a very intense fear of death.

i've been prescribed ativian, but i've only took it 3 times for ABSOLUTE emergencies only. i've been trying to stray away from medication as much as possible because i want to try and handle this on my own. i'm ready to fully overcome anxiety. i hope i'll have some people to help me along the way.

Mushrooms r very intense I used to take them for fun myself.lucky I was around people who new a lot about tripping and guided me to good trips.....although I do not take them these days,I stop as I seen someone get stuck on a trip.it wasn't nice at al,very disturbing .make sure you keep following up with a good doctor and do regular blood tests and things like that to see if you have any chemical inblances in your system ....l..sorry to here about the bad trip.....all day just remember it was down to that choice u made that night , wich just Go's to show that u are very much in control of your future and what Go's on for you .you can over come this as you sirvived it in the 1st place.let go of you fear of death as your clearly way to strong to die anytime soon,if mushrooms couldn't take you down what will....bigger all I say.

if you are close to the beach try this exercise.....

remove shoes,go down to the water stand on beach were the waves are breaking ,so your feet are just in the water watch as the waves wash in and nicely break onto the sore line and the water floods around your ankles and as it gets sucked back out to sea watch/feel your inner stress get pulled out of you as your toes slowly but surely sink into the sand......look out take a deep breath and tell your self that you can get through anything and overcome anything because you are pure and you are awesome.

think positive as their is nothing you cannot achieve ...

@caringfairy

@caringfairy

hey there

Let me preface this by saying I believe in psychedelics for spiritual use......I've never had a bad mushroom trip (I've always taken small quantities, in nature, we'll hydrated etc) they always seem to help me laugh and learn to open myself to myself.

But I have had severe panic attacks where I got tingling hyperventilation and cramping up hands and toes.

Don't fear the mushrooms were the evil start of it all. They weren't. Don't judge yourself based on your past attacks.

I fear death too...you are strong and brave and making it through this. Light and love <3

@caringfairy I read an article somewhere that small residual effects from drugs can trigger every now and then. They get stored in the fat or something. It might help if you exercise a lot, drink lots of water and healthy foods to help flush them out

Hi everyone,

My story is pretty cliche, stupid asshole ex boyfriend starting manipulating me into sexual things until I really didn't know if I wanted it or not. The consent line got blurred. Needless to say I broke it off but then he stalked me, he is a psychopath so feels no emotion. Anyway that was three years ago and I've been in a new relationship for almost a year, we fight a lot. He has PTSD and I'm starting to realise now that I have unresolved issues from my last relationship. Not a good mix but we love each other and he is one of the best people I've ever met, when we don't fight it's like a movie, he's a good man. I've joined here to see if this can work for me before I try going to the doctors.

How is everyone? :)

I hope you found the support you were lookng for, and I'm happy for you that you're in a better relationship.

Hi all, my name is Orsi, and recently came upon this website and really do like it.

My long story short: I come from a very dysfunctional family and have always been determined to make a better home for myself on my own. However, I've been battling issues with anxiety for a long time now, at work and especially in my relationship. I became more and more hooked onto others' opinion and approval of pretty much everything I did, until it came to a point where I had to do something about it. I started yoga and meditation, which helped a lot, but I still didn't know why others' wellbeing mattered so much for my own. In my marriage, I tended to put every need of mine in front of my wife's, I was always watching her slightest shift in mood, if she was ok, solving all problems for her, matching everything I did to her expectations. My anxiety rose like a rocket, it started to affect my work, and I felt like I was loosing myself somewhere.

So I started doing yoga and meditation and it really did help, I made some significant improvements, but still had no idea what my problem was. And then, about a moth ago, she told me she had had bulimia for over a year. She is now battling it, going to psychotherapy, but this threw me back on my journey, and I had to reach out for help.

This is how I found out my condition had a name: codependency, comes from my family history, and reading the symptoms was like looking in a mirror. I immediately started searching for treatment and this is how I came upon this site. I have already talked to listeners, started my path and am doing my best to apply techniques to reduce my anxiety in my everyday life. I'm learning more about myself, about the responsibility I'm taking for things I shouldn't, about valuing myself without the need of approval, and of building my confidence to be independent of others' mood.

I hope you are all seeing things positive, too, the support I get here means everything right now.

Love,

O.

@Savellion

Hello I am new here and just wanted to say I've dealt with codependency issues too and I also do yoga and meditation as help. Best on your journey.