First - I must say WOW! I've received great feedback and an outpouring of support after launching my blog last week. I'm very excited to be on this journey with all my other anxious penguins. Thank you for taking the time to help me and others through this journey. I'm looking forward to working with you all and feeling better every single day.This Week's Journey What can I help you with this week? I think it's important to start the Journey with a good foundation. Week 1 of the Journey is all about understanding what anxiety / panic is and determining whether you are experiencing signs and symptoms of these disorders. Why is this important? Understanding signs and symptoms of your anxiety / panic is the first step in beginning to recognize and control your anxiety. Also, many people may have these feelings and not recognize that they are actually experiencing anxiety. As I noted in last week's blog, anxiety and panic are related but different. As you know, I was formally diagnosed with both anxiety and panic in August 2014. Yippee, right? That was the impetus for beginning my journey to managing my incurable diagnosis (though I should have started when I experienced my first panic attack long before formal diagnosis). So let's get this started by talking about the signs and symptoms that you should be aware of: Anxiety When I was diagnosed with anxiety last year, my therapist and doctor used the DSM-5 (which is like a manual for mental disorders). My therapist and doctor asked me what symptoms I was having and then diagnosed me generalized anxiety. It was that easy. Here is a list of some of the symptoms of anxiety (* = symptoms that I have experienced with my anxiety): * 1. Chronic and exaggerated worry and tension, even though nothing seems to provoke it * 2. Always anticipating disaster, often worrying excessively about health, money, family, or work * 3. Have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep * 4. Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehensive expectation), occurring more days than not for at least 6 months, about a number of events or activities (such as work or school performance). 5. Difficultly controlling the worry 6. The anxiety and worry are associated with three (or more) of the following six symptoms (with at least some symptoms present for more days than not for the past 6 months: restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge; *easily fatigued; difficulty concentrating or mind going blank; *irritability; sleep disturbance; and muscle tension Well, that was a lot of *** for ones that I've experienced before. And that's not even a complete list. To share a little bit about my generalized anxiety - I tend to worry (irrationally) about health problems. Health problems that I don't have, but that I convince myself that I might have. One thing I did to stop this, was avoiding things like WebMD.com. Nothing good can come from that website for a person with generalized anxiety, I promise. Another thing that I did (at the recommendation of my therapist - check out next week's topic to learn about therapy) was visit a cardiologist. I know what you're thinking - she is 27 and crazy! But when I experience panic (see below), I can't describe it as anything other than feeling like I'm having a heart attack. So to help with my generalized anxiety about my panic, I ruled out heart problems. Now, when I feel a racing heartbeat or a tight chest, I know that it's the onset of a panic attack, and I'm able to control it much better. What symptoms are you struggling with? Please feel free to comment and share below! Panic Panic disorder is just a variation of anxiety that usually (in my experience) is more intense and harder to control than general anxiety, particularly because of the physical manifestations. Now, if you have ever experienced a panic attack, you probably know it. These things I don't wish on my worst enemy. They are onset and awful. I have anxiety about having a panic attack because I can't stand how awful they feel. But, guess what? Like I said last week, I've been panic attack free for over a year now. That doesn't mean that I haven't been on the verge of having one - because I have. But through my journey and treatment, I've learned to control what I call the "downward spiral" into panic. Here's how you know that you're likely having a panic attack (again from the DSM-V) (*= symptoms that I have experienced with my panic): An abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes, and during which time four or more of the following symptoms occur. The abrupt surge can occur from a calm state or an anxious state: *1. Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate *2. Sweating *3. Trembling or shaking *4. Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering 5. Feeling of choking *6. Chest pain or discomfort *7. Nausea or abdominal distress *8. Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faith *9. Chills or heat sensations *10. Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations) 11. Derealization (feelings of unreality) 12. Depersonalization (being detached from oneself) *13. Fear of losing control or going crazy *14. Fear of dying If it makes you feel better, look at all those asterisks! And, to add the cherry on top, I've experienced all of those asterisks, all at once, during some (if not all) of my previous panic attacks. When I had my first panic attack, I thought I was having a heart attack and was going to die. I even told my then-boyfriend (who also suffered from anxiety and was able to help me through a lot of my anxiety problems) to call 911. I then started praying because I was sure I was going to die at the age of 24. One of the biggest parts of my journey was controlling my anxiety so that it would not get to the point where I had a panic attack. I still struggle with that to this day, though I'm doing much better. Once you have a panic attack, if you're like me, you will worry about having another panic attack - which can lead to a panic attack. It's like a sick downward spiral that you have to recognize is happening in order to avoid getting stuck at the bottom of it. What symptoms are you experiencing? Feel free so comment and share below, so that I and others can help you. How Common Are These "Unwelcomed Friends?" I don't even want to use the word "disorder" anymore when describing anxiety and panic (though I'll continue to do so). These disorders are really more like unwelcomed friends - they show up out of nowhere, unannounced, unwelcomed, with feelings of doom and symptoms of a heart attack. I mean, really? No one wants that. But, as you will see later in your journey (and a topic for this blog in a few weeks), there are positives to having anxiety, though it may not seem like it now. So how common is anxiety? Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population. (Sources: National Institute of Mental Health);(http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics) Anxiety disorders cost the U.S. more than $42 billion a year, almost one-third of the country's $148 billion total mental health bill (The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 60(7), July 1999); (http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics) More people in the U.S. suffer from anxiety, than depression. Despite its high level of treatability through therapy and/or medication, 2/3 of adults with anxiety do not receive treatment. Teenagers with anxiety receive treatment even less frequently – only 1 in 5 teen sufferers do. (https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-anxiety) How about our unwanted friend panic? 6 million, 2.7% Women are twice as likely to be affected as men. Very high comorbidity rate with major depression See You Next Week . . . If you take away anything from this week's journey, please understand that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Ok, take two things away from this journey - anxiety and panic are treatable and manageable! Please share your comments below and I hope everyone has a nice weekend :) I, for one, am hoping that a special baby named Olivia joins us on the outside of her mama's tummy this weekend! | Last week's blog: And So the Journey Begins . . . Next week's blog: Therapy: Is It Right for Anxiety/Panic (And More Importantly, Is It Right For You)? |
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Being diagnosed with anxiety SUCKS!!!!! There is no better word to describe that diagnosis. I received that formal diagnosis a year ago. I suffered my first panic attack in the fall of 2011 while sitting on my couch watching a movie. Most recently, I suffered four intense panic attacks over a two-week span during the summer of 2014. All of these attacks happened when I was relaxing at home. Anxiety and panic have no rhyme or reason. That's one of the reasons they are awful and if I could, I would physically punch both disorders in the face.
Want to hear the good news? I haven't experienced a single panic attack since I consciously decided to make changes a year ago. Now, don't get me wrong, I still suffer from anxiety and have to work at managing it and preventing panic on a daily basis. And some days are harder than others. But I'm in a much better place today than I was over a year ago. Now, I might as well manage your expectations from the outset - I'm very blunt and probably not politically correct I also don't sugarcoat things because, really, what's the point of that? I will likely get emotional in some of my posts because dealing with anxiety is some tough shit . Oh, yeah, and I will likely swear from time-to-time. Also, this blog is not intended to give advice on how to "strive and thrive" with anxiety. Though there will be ample positive posts on this blog, I will always be honest. Do you want honesty? If not, this blog is probably not for you. If you believe anxiety is a good thing, then this blog is probably not for you. Though I will have posts related to the benefits of anxiety, I genuinely believe that my life would be much better without anxiety and the constant worry that is intertwined with anxiety. For my first post, I thought I would simply give the reader an idea of what to expect from this blog: 1. This blog is intended to provide tips and advice that I've learned over the past year relative to managing and preventing anxiety/panic. For the reader's purpose, I use the terms "anxiety" and "panic" as different disorders. Though they are related, panic is a more severe and debilitating form of anxiety that is usually accompanied by physical manifestations. 2. And, selfishly, this blog is intended to get tips and advice from my readers. My journey is nowhere close to being finished! I want to hear from you about what works for you. In fact, one of my main reasons behind starting this blog was to help myself as well as others. In essence, this blog is meant to be a forum where we can collectively help each other. 3. I will update this blog every week. Each weekly post will discuss a single management and/or preventative strategy that I've found successful over the past year. 4. Some posts, particularly my first few posts, will provide background information relative to anxiety and panic disorders. I will also discuss typical symptoms and the diagnosis process. 5. Each weekly blog will provide a "preview" of next week's blog. For instance, my blog next week (if I even have any readers next week) will be about my diagnosis, the diagnosis process in general, and how you can start to handle being diagnosed with a disorder that has no cure. As I mentioned, the journey for me is still underway. I have a year under my belt and that year has provided a lot of guidance and insight. I'm excited for this blog. My hope is to have at least one reader that wants to take this journey with me. Because, let's be honest, being an adult is hard enough. and going through that journey alone is overwhelming. Toss anxiety and panic on top of that, and it's enough to make you want to stay in bed everyday. See you penguins next week!! |
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