Have Anxiety and Depression??
 

I wanted to make a thread for those have mental health issues. Perhaps some tips-and-tricks for how to deal with these things.

• If you have something positive to say here, please contribute.
• If you DO NOT have encouraging words, i'll just nuke the thread.

Point being, we are a community... let's support one and other as such. :tup:
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I've been battling depression and migraine headaches since the age of 8 years old.

Migraines have mostly subsided, thank god.

But now i am left with the inability to function as one would consider a "normal" day-to-day schedule.

How do you other sufferers deal with this?

Depression and anxiety since I was 17. Suicidal for most of those years. On medication for years (I've probably been on every anti-depressant under the sun. Now on some brand new ********) and now take weekly therapy which seems to be helping (for now)

High functioning Autistic, social anxiety, depression, PTSD, among about 10 others. Struggled all my life, got diagnosed at 35 years old, almost 40 now. Is a life changing experience, but without answers I may not have been able to gain a college degree at 39 and be a proud owner of my Z. And yes, meds help but also take things away.

Just looking for a little self-boost in the mood department.

Today is exceptionally :barf:

How do you all make it thru a day when all you want to do is hide?

Subbed. To my knowledge, I do not have any mental health issues - but my fiance's parents, brother, and nephew are all on the autism spectrum and her sister battles with anxiety and depression so I am always trying to learn more about these conditions.

I've seen depression and anxiety in my wife and it's been somewhat hard for me to understand as I've not had to deal with any of these issues before I was married. It's very easy for me just to tell her to chill and accept things, but unless you are the one with symptoms, it's just talk.

She's tried various "flavors of the month" meds with limited success, so now she doesn't take anything. I am very proud and humbled that I have had a mostly positive influence on her condition and have to say that it was hard on me "taking some abuse" from her on the bad days. But I love her to death and know that it is her condition talking and not her heart and soul.

All I can say is that with support, love and understanding, she has now gotten a whole lot better over the 31 years we've been married and I actually heard her say yesterday, "oh f**k it, it's not important!!" One step-at-a-time, one step-at-a-time...

Good topic; even if you are not directly affected it almost 100% likely a family member or friend is. Then you have the grey areas. For example, I dislike social gathers like family events, church, public speaker, etc. If I'm force to speak before a group my heart will race, similar to anxiety. Many will state that's normal and perhaps for some it is, but it toes the line. Many in my family can public speak like a walk in the park. Fwiw exercise, especially outdoors seems to stabilize me when I'm on edge.

It makes it hard but look forward to something positive for when your day is done. Maybe a favorite food or hobby or friend/relative/spouse to spend time with. It's what I do. Just do what you can to shift the focus away from the anxiety.

I am in the same boat with my wife and she has come a million miles from where she was when we first got married and she works hard every day to fight off the demons. I am an advocate of getting help, it doesn't mean you are broken it just a means of getting more tools to help you cope and provide a compass for finding true north again. As my counselor told me years ago when I was going through my divorce..."so you are depressed, that's normal just don't stay there to long. Don't do stupid...by a car, drink to much and stay away from drugs." Yeah, no hookers and blow lol.

Seriously, don't isolate yourself get outside and reach out to those that love you and let them help. I no that not easy for most guys, believe me I know as I am alfa male and I used to think I needed no one. Well my relationship are stronger and more meaningful because I can let others help me and it did get me out of my funk just knowing they cared and past no judgment on me.

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This thread really resonates with me because I unfortunately suffer from OCD and social anxiety. OCD is a type of anxiety and many people misuse the term - “you’re so OCD”, etc. OCD is a much more serious condition than needing things placed in a certain way, for example. I have OCD particularly about the longevity of my things - I take good care of my things because I want them to outlive me. Sounds weird right? And if something is “off” with any of my possessions I get anxiety and need it fixed ASAP.

I have OCD particularly around my health so you can call me a hypochondriac. I grew up watching MS take away my older brother’s livelihood and always feared it would hit me next. So I would fixate on every single neurological occurance I felt, whether it was tingling, numbness, etc. I was googling symptoms all the time and used it as a way of reassurance. Eventually I caved and went to the neurologist SEVERAL times, even after my cleared me several times.

It got so bad that on New Year’s Eve I was going though a bout of self testing and reassurance seeking that at 11:50pm when everyone was in the living room counting down and having a good time laughing, I was in the bathroom doing self testing for something called the Lhermitte’s sign . Google it if you want, but basically a positive Lhermittes Sign is not normal and could mean MS. I did this maybe 100 times because each time I did it and felt nothing I just could not stop. I only stopped when it felt “just right” - whatever that means.

I’m past this stage now but have OCD about other things. It’s like I always need to fixate and worrying about something and I hate it. Two years ago I had terrible OCD about my Nismo 370z where I thought I felt a grind in 5th gear. It never happened again but that one time stuck with me and I feared it would happen again so I went to the dealer and told them that the car is grinding in 5th gear ALL the time. It’s likely that what I felt was notchiness and is normal with this car, but you can’t reason with an OCD mind. Dealer couldn’t replicate it and said it was fine. After repeated attempts and me going back several times they finally gave in and put a new transmission in just to make me happy. Now that I look back, the first one was probably just fine and I feel terrible for having them go through the trouble of putting a new transmission in.

OCD aside, I have pretty bad social anxiety. Always wondering what people are thinking of me and if they’re judging me. When I get anxious in speaking I usually stutter, which brings on more anxiety and then my voice gets low. I’m in a new job in corporate America that requires engaging different stakeholders, being on conference calls and speaking up at large meetings. I’ve already gotten constructive feedback from my peers that I don’t seem confident when I’m delivering content or engaging an audience, and that’s the truth. I want the speaking part to be over ASAP. So I decided to enroll in Toastmasters because I heard such great things about it. I hope this does the trick. I’m willing to change and try new things and I hear that’s half the battle.

I did see a psychologist for two years straight who was great and made of aware of things I never knew and recommmemded Exposure and Response therapy, which I gradually am implementing everyday. I was also on Paxil for two months but that did nothing.

It took a lot for me to comment here because it’s such a personal thing that I hate talking about but this is a supportive group :tup: and I’m curious if anyone else is my shoes too

I've never been officially diagnosed with anxiety, but I'm pretty sure I have it along with self esteem issues. Whenever I'm in a slightly uncomfortable situation I feel like I shut down.

For example when I went to the job interview for the company I'm at now I felt like I couldn't even walk through the parking garage. All I could feel was this giant weight on my body and all I wanted to do was sit down in the corner. The thing was I was perfectly qualified for the job and had the exact experience they were looking for, and I new that, but I still felt like I couldn't move.

I started going back to college last year and so far I've been doing great Last semester I had a 3.5 GPA and so far this semester I have a 4.0. However I'm terrified of public speaking, and not just like a little uncomfortable, but like I feel like I can't function. So the only class I'm worried about taking is public speaking. And the thing is I know it's not a big deal. I genuinely don't really care what other people think, but something in my mind says otherwise.

I also have this thing where no matter what I accomplish I never feel like it's any thing special. In my mind I think that since other people have done this then of course I should be able to do it. It really sucks, because things that other people get excited about doing I just feel ho hum about.

So, yeah, I don't really know what to do about it.

Sorry if it doesn't make sense, but I don't really talk about my struggles much. I usually just try to cover them up with jokes.

was diagnosed being bi-polar & could be depressed or at times have anxiety...(over 20yrs ago)... they prescribed me Xanax for the anxiety to take at night-but had jet lag in the mornings,,,so caffeine'd up to get going.
Tried anything from Prozac,Zoloft,Lexapro,Depakote,etc.....but all seemed to make me tired.
After i had a knee replacement 3+ years ago,,,found myself really low on energy & even nodding off driving home from work.
My doc tried me on Vyvanse & what a huge difference that made,,,,boosted energy & focous afer about 2 hours & last all day w/no side effects,,,,i had to cut caffeine intake some to keep from being over-charged....but it works for me.
morning 30mg.Vyvanse & 3mg Xanax in evening......kinda sounds like doping/but i function well during the day & rest well at night.
As to some-this may sound extreme,
Both meds come in lower & higher doses...& at 6'5"+ 255+lbs. this is currently working for me.

Thank you for sharing, i've got most of those meds under my belt at one point or another. lol. Oh we have to laugh...

What else have we got sometimes?!

OMG dude you have no idea how much this makes sense to me. I don't get excited about anything, i don't give myself "credit" for accomplishments, just the same. :rolleyes:

I'm glad i could do something that resonates with people. Whether it be good / bad, this is a FORUM after all!!

There's someone worse off than you
There's someone better off than you

Either way, we're supportive (minus a few a-holes), but that's just humanity.

I think everyone at some point in their lives have had anxiety/depression symptoms. While it may become chronic in certain, predisposed people, there are those who experience it as a temporary condition. I've had my share of symptoms during my 63 years of existence, but it was probably something that was innate in me that allowed it not to consume my entire life.

Others (like my wife) were raised in a different environment than me which allowed the symptoms to become a more normal way of life. I could never understand why she was the way she was until I learned more about her parents, and in particular, her upbringing and family dynamics. They were never nurturing, hardly ever showed affection for one another; and this was a 180° departure from the way I grew up.

Now that I've seen these "environmental" issues that shes had to contend with (as a child and young adult), I often wonder how she became as "normal" as she is today. It's not always your fault when you become anxious or depressed, it has a lot to do what you've endured/had to overcome that plays an important role in how you learn to deal with this thing called "life".

Being surrounded by loved ones, family, friends and co-workers who understand what one is going through can be life-altering. It's hard to stay positive 100% of the time, but it's how you handle the lows that makes it so rewarding when you hit the highs. Just remember, you are not alone in your struggles...

Spot on don't lose your sense of humor! Also for those that fear public speaking...you are in the norm. The only thing people fear more than public speaking is death lol!

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True, but then there’s an unhealthy fear of public speaking which is what I have. I’ll get nervous days before I have to speak and the anxiety gets very heavy. Most of the time I know what I want to say but I come across these mental blocks and cannot articulate what I want to say properly. I’m really hoping a Toasmasters changes me for good and instills a sense of confidence that I see so many people effortlessly do.

A lot folks which struggle with anxiety don't really have or chemical imbalance or anything cognitive going as it can be a learned trait do to how one was raised. This my wife's struggle as well her three sisters that all act like there mom. My wife is the only one that has taken steps to cope through counseling and medication. She was raised in a legalistic tea totalling southern Baptist family and they don't want to admit they have issues even though they know it's true. You know God will heal you and you will be okay. I say God has given us each other and the means to heal our selves. There is no healing if we aren't willing to make an effort. I like the way my aunt explained it to me...hope in one hand and chit in the other and see which one fills up the fastest!

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I think toast master will help a lot. The thing that toast master does is give you a lot of practice in a safe environment that will translate into success. I worked with a lady that was skittish as a cat on a hot tin roof when it came to public speaking. She always seemed anxious even speaking to her peers. She went to toast masters and became a very good and impressive speaker. I help her confidence in so many ways. So go for it and good luck!

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What is toastmasters?


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And see that's exactly where i'm at. I talked to my doctor and i'd like to do something to curve my anxiety/depression but i don't want to be so drugged that i lose my personality. I'm typically a happy guy, but there those every other day occurrences where i just hate life and don't want to be social at all. I feel like it's gotten worse as I've gotten older. I'm now 33... and i can remember suffering anxiety since i was a teenager and it's slowly developed into a slight depression. Exercising helps for sure, running has been a good high for me and it totally melts away frustrations. But i definitely found solace when i was hanging with my car crew. Right now though i'm out of the car game so it's definitely made an impact. The car game has been my own true hobby.