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Anyone has GAD here?

kaerin

kaerin

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GAD stands for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

I discovered it at the age of 25 that I have it for a long time, better late than never but still...it saddens me.

Anyone experiencing it? And how do you yourself cope with it?
 
I'm not sure if I have GAD as such, but I have anxiety attacks.

Thought I was having heart problems, they checked that, it was fine. Blah test blah, they say I'm having anxiety attacks.

It took some doing to convince me. I was offended. I thought stuff like that was for the weak-minded, which I knew I was not.

But in the years since I've come to realize that mental illness is just as real as physical illness. You can't just "snap out of it" any more than you can just snap out of having a hernia, or diabetes. It has to be addressed with treatment and/or lifestyle changes.

A lot of times, something like this is a sign that you've "been strong too long" in the face of hardship, and while you are presenting a tough front things are fraying around the edges and something needs to be done.

I balked at being constantly medicated. The doc gave me some mild sedatives to take when the anxiety attacks were too much for me to cope with. However, I've learned to cope mostly through my own efforts with any but the worst attacks.

Recognition of what is going on is key. Controlled breathing and mental imagery help a lot. Something to distract me from whatever is driving my anxiety helps... music, talking to someone, reading, all these have helped at various times.

But once in a while I have to take a pill anyway... or if I'm at home, a double-shot of bourbon, which I actually prefer. The doctor wouldn't approve I'm sure, but it relaxes me enough to shake off any but the worst anxiety attacks. It isn't necessary very often, fortunately... I wouldn't want to turn into an alcoholic, but it probably doesn't reach that point more than once a month.
 
kaerin said:
GAD stands for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

I discovered it at the age of 25 that I have it for a long time, better late than never but still...it saddens me.

Anyone experiencing it? And how do you yourself cope with it?
Click to expand...

Surely Weed Works....
 
kaerin said:
GAD stands for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

I discovered it at the age of 25 that I have it for a long time, better late than never but still...it saddens me.

Anyone experiencing it? And how do you yourself cope with it?
Click to expand...

No need to be sad at all. You already recognized it, now learn how it comes on, and learn what triggers it, and then learn how to stay in the present.

Been there.............. and bought the tee shirt.
 
kaerin said:
GAD stands for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

I discovered it at the age of 25 that I have it for a long time, better late than never but still...it saddens me.

Anyone experiencing it? And how do you yourself cope with it?
Click to expand...


I believe that is what my daughter has. Although, not an official diagnosis, she suffers from an almost constant low level of anxiety that sometimes grows into a full blown anxiety attack. I'm not sure if that's the same, but when she feels it 'growing' for lack of a better word, she starts to meditate. Depending on the situation, she'll reach out to me when meditation isn't working. I'll talk with her for however long it takes for her to get a little more control. But usually a combination of meditation, and a quick call to Mom helps her. She doesn't want to take any kind of medication, which is her choice, although I think it might help some.

Reaching out to someone who can just listen to you, and have a regular conversation with helps. With my daughter, she tells me she's getting anxious, I say ok, then I talk about everyday stuff and listen when she wants to talk. If I hear in her voice she's losing it a little, I'll ease the conversation back to everyday stuff again. It's not that I'm ignoring what is happening, but I've read that consoling, sympathizing with the usual platitudes, while feels like the right thing to do, actually makes it worse. The person having anxiety knows that they are being a little irrational and knows that there isn't really anything to be anxious about. Telling them the obvious has the opposite effect.

Someone who can talk with you like that would be a great help. And meditation!
 
holbritter said:
I believe that is what my daughter has. Although, not an official diagnosis, she suffers from an almost constant low level of anxiety that sometimes grows into a full blown anxiety attack. I'm not sure if that's the same, but when she feels it 'growing' for lack of a better word, she starts to meditate. Depending on the situation, she'll reach out to me when meditation isn't working. I'll talk with her for however long it takes for her to get a little more control. But usually a combination of meditation, and a quick call to Mom helps her. She doesn't want to take any kind of medication, which is her choice, although I think it might help some.

Reaching out to someone who can just listen to you, and have a regular conversation with helps. With my daughter, she tells me she's getting anxious, I say ok, then I talk about everyday stuff and listen when she wants to talk. If I hear in her voice she's losing it a little, I'll ease the conversation back to everyday stuff again. It's not that I'm ignoring what is happening, but I've read that consoling, sympathizing with the usual platitudes, while feels like the right thing to do, actually makes it worse. The person having anxiety knows that they are being a little irrational and knows that there isn't really anything to be anxious about. Telling them the obvious has the opposite effect.

Someone who can talk with you like that would be a great help. And meditation!
Click to expand...



Talking with someone you know cares is the best medicine for it. And you're right, better to talk about other things than about the anxiety itself.
 
Goshin said:
I'm not sure if I have GAD as such, but I have anxiety attacks.

Thought I was having heart problems, they checked that, it was fine. Blah test blah, they say I'm having anxiety attacks.

It took some doing to convince me. I was offended. I thought stuff like that was for the weak-minded, which I knew I was not.

But in the years since I've come to realize that mental illness is just as real as physical illness. You can't just "snap out of it" any more than you can just snap out of having a hernia, or diabetes. It has to be addressed with treatment and/or lifestyle changes.

A lot of times, something like this is a sign that you've "been strong too long" in the face of hardship, and while you are presenting a tough front things are fraying around the edges and something needs to be done.

I balked at being constantly medicated. The doc gave me some mild sedatives to take when the anxiety attacks were too much for me to cope with. However, I've learned to cope mostly through my own efforts with any but the worst attacks.

Recognition of what is going on is key. Controlled breathing and mental imagery help a lot. Something to distract me from whatever is driving my anxiety helps... music, talking to someone, reading, all these have helped at various times.

But once in a while I have to take a pill anyway... or if I'm at home, a double-shot of bourbon, which I actually prefer. The doctor wouldn't approve I'm sure, but it relaxes me enough to shake off any but the worst anxiety attacks. It isn't necessary very often, fortunately... I wouldn't want to turn into an alcoholic, but it probably doesn't reach that point more than once a month.
Click to expand...

Yup, I hear that. For the longest time I didn't even get that they were connected to anxiety. The "been strong too long" thing often stops you from even fully knowing what's going on in your own mind.

So I'd literally be sitting there, about to do something that I thought only made me mildly nervous at most, and suddenly I'm like, "Huh, that's weird. Why the **** can't I breathe? What? What is this?"

But because I refused to acknowledge my own anxiety, I also refused to outwardly react to it or say anything, so no one else could ever tell, so I just continued to do nothing about it for a while.

I don't get them very often lately, but I had about a 6-month run where it was just basically a constant low-level panic. I am normally one to refuse meds too, but I was willing to consider a take-as-needed med for that stint. In the end, I didn't wind up taking anything for it because my GP wouldn't listen to my shrink, and would only offer me a drug I told her I didn't want to take because of bad family history with it. So instead, I had to do everything myself like usual, apart from a couple pills a friend bummed me, and just struggled through it. Thanks, horrible mental health system, you're completely useless. *sigh*
 
RetiredUSN said:
No.... weed masks the problem. Learning to deal with anxiety without drugs is the way to go.
Click to expand...

I know the argument, some Zen Masters used to claim that Alan Watts could not possible be Zen because he used drugs and alcohol so strongly, he might feel the right things, he might know the right things, but because it was chemically facilitated....was not pure....it did not count.

Over the years I have come to reject that argument.
 
Skeptic Bob said:
I have heard that works for some people, which I find odd since weed also gives some people anxiety.
Click to expand...

Well ya, you need to get the right one, and not everyone responds the same, experimentation is required, as well as using the correct dosage.
 
Don't forgo treatment op. I used to be a nervous wreck before I started vaping CBD(all natural, doesn't get you high) and going to cognitive behavioral therapy. I'm much more level headed now and can pretty much control my emotions.
 
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