daily struggle

hi, i am an 18 year old male who over the past few months have experienced anxiety issues..it started with just feeling antsy and uncomfortable when i went out with friends and such, then it progressed to panic attacks with that strange feeling in my chest and trouble breathing, lightheadedness, feeling flushed, and all that. but recently it has progressed to where i am constantly having the worrying in the back of my mind. it leaves me feeling distracted and have trouble functioning through my day. even when i am not experiencing physical symptoms, i am constantly fretting over my mental health, scared im going to lose it or turn into some psycho killer or something..this fearful thinking then causes it to get worse and i feel like im trapped in a vicious cycle and it is taking over my day to day life.. i have scheduled a psychiatrist appt. but it is not for 3 weeks, does anyone with more experience have any advice as to how i can free myself of the constant freaking out and just be able to live my life? i am commited to beating this and am just about willing to try anything

Welcome to Psych Central catdog!

Anxiety/fear can be very distressing.

You can try -

Distractions like playing computer games, reading a book etc to take your mind off the worry.

Relaxation, buy a tape and practice relaxing the body which will also help to slow the thoughts down.

Positive self talk, I am safe, I can do this, I will get through this.........

Slowing the breathing down, cup your hands over your mouth and breath steadily for at least ten minutes.

Go outside and notice everything around you, the trees, plants etc.

These are just a few things you can try to help carm your system down.

I am glad you are seeing a psychiatrist soon, there are meds that can help too if things get out of control.

Therapy is also very good for anxiety, so maybe you can think about finding a therapist.

Hope this helps. Take care.

Hi there I have been exactly where you were only 4 months ago I had a severe panic attack ( all panic attacks are severe) they the scare the begeezus outa you because you think your going to die or lose your mental state and go off the edge. I have not had another panic attack but just the fear that I was going to have another and that would be it.

I went to my family Dr. and she made me feel better just by tellling me "oh you had a classic panic attack, and that she had one herself" it is the most terrifying thing to have but apparently they are so common and that at least almost everyone will have one in there life at least once.

I wasn't cured but at least I had a name with what I was dealing with it...then I explored the internet and boy the info you can find....but it helped because it gives you a reason and remedies on how to stop it......not necesarily in it's tracks but you learn how to cope. If your Doc gives you meds to help while you are dealing with your anxiety just until you get control of it yourself....and you will. take it....I take 50 mg of zoloft once a day and will take this drug for 9 months and she said if you have no eposodes in the 9 months than I'm offf them....but you have to learn how to relax..I take yoga...learning how to meditate and take my vitamins especially B Complex and vitamin C does wonders for your nervous system and excercise it raises your good endorphins and please try not to be scared the thing is with anxiety you will not go over the edge....keep telling yourself that ..it's called self talk therapy and your psychiatrist will and should tell you all about this...take care and god bless

hey thanks a lot...when i start to feel like im losing it i will try some of that stuff...for the past few years i have led a very slacker/stoner lifestyle with a very negative outlook on life..just today i am thinking about trying to turn stuff around and start exercising, working out being more social, getting a job and so forth, to keep myself and my mind busy. just finding out that this is something thats very common already makes this problem feel more beatable

glad to hear and you will not regret it having a more positive outlook on life I think is the key as well as excercise...god speed my friend!

hi..

well, i can suggest you some more ways to get relief in your anxiety. apart form medication and doctoral visits you can try for the relaxing exercises. Yoga can help you a lot.

There are various exercises in yoga for relaxation and stress relief. Meditation have also shown effective results in such cases.

I can recommend you some exercises like:
Bhujangasan (Cobra pose)
Shavasan.(Corpse Pose)
Suryanamaskar (Sun salutation)

try and see the results.

Catdog,
I'm really new at this site but your post caught my eye...especially the part of starting up these new activities and if they are connected at all.

I'm quite a bit older than you, and what didn't work well for me was to attempt to rid myself of anxiety - I wasted alot of years reinforcing it I think.

What has helped me recently is getting a diagnosis (OCD), so it's good you have an appointment and can tailer something just for you...

and what has helped me some days (although it's counterintuitive, is to learn to sit with my anxiety, learn to be in that place where I'm living with uncertainty - I'm told that my brain won't pay as much attention to it then.