[flockpride]

...so I'm finally understanding that a byproduct of childhood trauma and abuse is chronic anxiety. I didn't really get it until this latest round of therapy. It's just been a condition of my life and I have not known otherwise. Anyway, I'm wondering about people's experience with medication, because I am considering that for relief.

I'm tired of feeling like this and living with this extra layer of challenge.

[CANDC]

I agree with you that anxiety seems to chase me every day. The more I take care of myself though the less the anxiety. For me that is yoga, exercise, good diet, and healthy living.

A friend with bipolar has reached a more stable sense of self with meds. Best thing to do is talk to the psychiatrist and see what they think.

Yes, I've struggled with life-long anxiety, as well as depression & other stuff. It took me many decades to understand what was going on & to acknowledge this. I was on Cymbalta for the past 2+ years. I just recently went off due to cost considerations. I've noticed I'm considerably "sharper" now... also quicker to anger & more sarcastic. I don't plan to go back on med's though. I think I was more depressed on Cymbalta than I am off. So in sum, for me at this point, the decrease in anxiety I experienced while on this med was not really worth the dulling effect the med had on me...

[Simohayha]

I relate. Did you happen to clog the crack in the wall and leave a sea at the ready to geyser out horizontally? In my experience, masking that ever present childhood anxiety with other substance caused a nuclear explosion of neurons misfiring. But sobering up, exercising a ton, and finding a cocktail made me find some peace. Anxiety is a cousin of depression. Getting to the core of your issue might help. Childhood trauma; whatever it may be... No one is anxious there whole life for no reason in my philosophy.

Same here, I have had severe anxieties and depressions when I was younger, now only the anxieties are left.

Try counselling sessions and reading books about it. Try to find the root to your problem. Are you afraid of something that relates to the trauma? Do you feel misunderstood, lonely? It will cost you an immense power to face it but it is the only thing that could help. After 7 years with this I only started 2 years ago to actually do something about it. And I dont mean medication, I mean therapy.

Stay strong dear, everything will turn out the way YOU want it. You have the power to chose what kind of life you want to live. Never forget that.