New To The Anxiety Support Community? Introduce Yourself Here!

Hello, I am Nicolette...new to 7 cups and the anxiety forum.

I have GAD, health anxiety, and panic disorder. As well as some other cross-issues (seasonal depression or anxiety-induced depression, low self-esteem...the list goes on...)

I don't have insurance and can't afford therapy right now but I have self-help books...and am trying online resources like 7 cups.

I'm a spiritual agnostic and I love my two cats, all sorts of music, art; I was once an English major and Psych minor but my mental illness and byproducts of it halted my degree. Now I sort of wander in an aimless sea. Well, I am here. Looking forward to checking it out. Best to all.

My name is Rachael

i have no idea why I have anxiety, all I know is it sucks...

its very hard for me to talked people ABOIT things I'm passionate about, as well as social situations, fear of death and serious illness etc.

in other news, I love twenty one pilots and they have got me through some pretty hard times.

stay strong x

Hi New to 7 cups

Suffer from health anxiety and panic attacks.

Started to be more in-depth before Christmas which has lead me to leave my job and struggle to get the kids to school and do normal everyday mother things.

Really hoping this will help me as awaiting cbt but could take time to get an appointment.

Anxiety has been control of my mind and body for at least 10 years. It can be overwhelming and not much but distraction helps.

Hi! I'm Willow, and I am pretty new to this whole thing.

First of all, I'm not actual diagnosed with anything, so you know. Also, I have only been having really bad anxiety for the last two or three months, so I'm new to pretty much everything here. Back in November, a close family friend of ours got killed when he was on duty as a Paramedic. He was struck with a car, and survived a week before they pulled the plug, due to extensive brain damage. When that happened, a lot of things went down hill very fast. My mom's temper got worse. The fighting got worse. My grades plummeted. Just everything. In the past two months, my anxiety has gotten really bad, where I'm always anxious about something, and I have panic/anxiety attacks daily. This has in turn destroyed any shred of self esteem I previously had, and led to some close calls on other fronts. I just wanted to introduce myself, and tell you guys a little about myself. Thanks!

Hey, my name is J

Anxiety became a massive part of my life over the last 3 years and has had a really strong hold on me. It was a doctor I am seeing for something else that brought me here, so I am not only new to this app but also this whole idea.

I am here hoping to find support with people who are suffering like I am and also if I can help others.

Hi everyone, I don't really know how to start this but it's my story.

When I was 11 my parents sent me to a phsychologist and I found out that I had selective mutism and generalised anxiety disorder. It basically means that I get so anxious in social situations that I'm mute, I read somewhere that the anxiety paralyses your vocal cords or something but I don't know how true that it. I can't speak at school, I can barely speak at church but I can speak just fine to total strangers, a lot of people are confused by that but it's just how it is.

I went to the phsychologist every week for about a year, then I 'graduated', meaning I was at a point where I could get better by myself (I wasn't). Since then my disorder has gotten much worse, I used to be able to say hi to people and answer questions in class, there's no way in hell I'd be able to do that now. I'm too scared to talk to my parents about going back because they thought I was better, they'd be disappointed.

I don't really know where to go from here but that's some of my story, if I shared the whole thing it's be way too long, thanks for reading if you have. I hope you're having/ will have a wonderful day

Hello all,

I'm 29 years old for the past 10 years or so I've struggled but didn't know why with strong emotional reactions to things and feelings of being scared. Two years ago, I moved to Washington state and am on my own now. I don't really know anyone here and have become isolated which has made these feelings worse.

Almost a month ago due to a series of circumstances that wore me down and made things look bleak I tried to kill myself and luckily was rescued by a friend who was visiting and sent to the county mental hospital for a few days. I was diagnosed with a anxiety disorder and severe depression. Since then I've had frequent and strong anxiety attacks / feelings of anxiety that my friends will get tired of being in my life and leave and thus I cling to them and get upset when they're too close to other people.

I've known for a long time that I'm a very emotionally dependent person and don't do well on my own. But It's been almost a month and I don't feel I'm balancing out and friends are actually starting to leave me.

Hello all.

I'm Matt. I've struggled with anxiety on and off for over 7 years but also experienced it as a child.

It has come back with a vengeance this time and I feel really lost.

I visited the GP and they wanted to prescribe me medication but I don't feel this is the answer.

I have read numerous books in a bid to alleviate the anxiety over the years.

This time is seems like it is more health based. I'm always worried I'm ill as many seem to. I am scared I'm going to collapse/faint/get a serious illness or have one etc.

I really need to find some way through the fog as I don't go out at all. I no longer socialise. It's on my mind constantly.

I have started to become slightly dizzy and this scares me as I think I will collapse etc.

I have started to try to eat less in an attempt to lose weight in order to try and feel better about myself but it seems unrelenting at times.

I don't know what to do for the best.

It feels like I've had my life stolen away from me and I'm not the person I once was and I'm scared I'll be never be that person again.

Hello everyone.

Guess Im kinda new here, so I thought I should start with writing something about myself. First, I need to warn you, whoever is reading this: Im really not good at this. At talking, at… everything. I dont know how to interact with people, neither on the internet nor in person, so Im sorry if I screw up anything or if Im way too weird to exist, I dont know. Guess I should start with my name, huh? Im Shan. You might realize thats not my real name, but if you want to call me by name, please use this one. Thank you.

Well, I really have no idea where to start, but… Ill just… start somewhere, is that okay?

Actually, my story is quite cliché. Divorced parents, being bullied at school, and now having trouble finding a job and all of these. Yeah, lets start with the divorced parents, I think. Ive been living with my mum for sixteen years now and, well, I really love her, I do, and I also love my step-father and appreciate all they have done for me and - well theyre not the basic problem, but so is my, lets say, biological father. The first years when I visited him every second weekend, were… great, in comparison. But then, I dont know how old I was, probably eight or something, it all started. He forced my mother to consent to an eye surgery to me which was actually more a beauty-surgery than anything, he started telling me I was too fat, too this, too that… and so it went on for years and the older I got, the worse it became. Around age 12, I had kind of a list of accusations, I could check up every time I visited him. 1. Youre too fat you really need to lose weight 2. You need to know what you will do with your life, what job you will have and these are just some points on the list. To conclude: I wasnt enough to be his daughter, far from it. In these eighteen years Ive been living my life up to now, I cant remember him smiling to me, or telling me that hes proud of me, telling me that he loves me… no, nothing. All I remember when I think of him is a list of accusations my head is playing like a mantra every day. The only time Ive seen him smiling was one a picture, taken when I was about half a year old. Kinda sad, isnt it? A father, who should be a symbol of… of hope, the rock to hold you when a storm is coming, your role model…

Well and then I entered elementary school. In the first form, you get teached reading and writing and all of those. But however, I somehow was able of all of this in the kindergarten so my teachers decided that I could skip the first form and get straight to the second. And thats where the classic bullying begin that I wish nobody to experience. It went on until high school and now I find myself here. Just finished high school and now looking for the job, you want to do for the next fourty-something years. And I have no idea what to do. Everyone tells me I should look for something Im good at, but I am not good at ANYTHING. I cant do anything right. And I mean it like that. Every time I read about a possible job I hear my fathers voice in my head screaming that Im not good enough, that everyone is better than me. And it kinda is like that. I dont know if I just started to believe the voice in my head or if it is really like that in reality… but actually, it doesnt make any difference to me right now. In the end, it turns out to me, sitting here right now. Scared from the smallest things, like talking to anybody, asking for help, up to the constant feeling of not being good enough that has built a wall in front of me, between me and my possible future. And I cant break through.

I think I dont need to voice my lack of social life - hell, what about a lack, I dont even have a social life. I dont know what love is. Im serious. You know this romantic love-stuff, maybe Im even not capable of it. I love my mother, my stepfather. I care about them. I love my fathers dog, I love the invention of Netflix - but I have no idea what romantic love is. I did want to know, though and did the biggest of biggest mistake when you are craving for love: I forced it. I kind of threw myself at boys and would have done anything to make them love me, to make me feel loved, to feel desired, cared about… And the inevitable happened, of course. I never regretted anything in my life more than this. And now, its all just miserable. Maybe Im not capable of love or being loved in return or anything. Is there an actual scientific word for that? Incapability of love, something like that? I dont know.

I dont even know it thats a mental illness, I dont know what the borders like, when you kinda cross the line from „Having kind of a bad time right now to suffering a clinic mental illness. I have no idea and actually… it doesnt change anything.

Really pathetic, I know. I do. I dont really expect any help, hell, I dont know if anybody could help me. But indeed I feel better now, just after typing the whole thing down.

If any of you read up to here, thank you. I mean it. Thank you for reading, for caring. I truly appreciate that.

If any of you need someone to talk or anything or just - feel free to contact me.

Thank you again,

Shan