All about Anxiety

[Sloths]

We can all get stressed or anxious sometimes. Worried or afraid of something happening, or obsessed about something happening in a certain way - so you're no exception. [taken from thelowdown.co.nz/categories/anxiety/anxiety click for full thing]


For lots of people with an anxiety disorder, a common symptom is having lots of worried thoughts in your head which you know are unhelpful (or even silly) but are hard to stop. These thoughts, which are often negative, keep replaying in your mind, and it just makes the anxiety or fear get worse. Anxiety disorder can also make you react more quickly or more intensely to situations. It even causes physical symptoms so strong people feel like they might have a heart attack.


It’s not the same for everyone, but there are some the common signs and symptoms. Different types of anxiety need different types of treatments. For mild anxiety self-help techniques can be really helpful. But for more severe anxiety, you’ll need some help from the pros – they’ve got powerful tools like therapy and medication.


There are different types of anxiety disorders too. It helps to know which one you’re dealing with and how severe it may be.

• Generalised Anxiety is when you feel anxious and worry heaps about everyday things like school, work, friendships or health. Whatever it is, if this excessive worry gets in the way of your life and goes on for more than six months it could be a generalised anxiety disorder.
• Social Anxiety can take hold when you meet new people, go to parties, hang out in big groups or have to talk in class. Your fear of embarrassing yourself or being made fun of can be so intense you’ll start avoiding these situations and not even want to go out.
• Phobias are about something specific - like spiders, injections, flying or being in enclosed spaces. If you’re experiencing a phobia you’ll probably start avoiding certain situations and that gets in the way of living your life.
• Panic Disorder is when feelings of anxiety become so overwhelming it can affect you physically. You might shake, faint or even think you’re having a heart attack and you’ll find yourself doing everything you can to avoid it ever happening again.

Sometimes it’s as simple as doing some deep breathing to allow the anxious moment to pass but sometimes it’s not that easy. If you, or someone you know, struggles with anxiety and has some techniques that work feel free to share them below - they may help someone else.


Don’t feel like you need to share any information you’re not comfortable with sharing. But if you need someone to talk to or someone to help you book that doctors appointment we’re here for you. My PMs are always open if you need a private chat.


As always, no one here is an expert. If you’re struggling please talk to a doctor or family member.

[Sloths]

I’m not officially diagnosed but I have a lot of social anxiety, which for a while I didn’t know was a thing because I didn’t have panic attacks I assumed it was just shyness and nerves. But since reading up about it I’ve learnt a fair amount and tbh I still don’t have techniques for dealing with it. My only technique right now is just knowing it’s a thing and knowing I’m worrying a lot because of this thing but if I try put myself in more and more situations (slowly - as in I cancel like 50-75% if new people are involved) then it does get better after time.

Starting on the internet is a great way for me personally, as small talk is my kryptonite, so getting all the small talk out the way online where I have chance to think about what I want to say is less worrisome and means when we eventually meet I know more about the person and small talk is lessened.

[buttons]

i have various diagnosed anxiety disorders
not just generalized anxiety and social anxiety (which i don't really get now) but also body dysmorphia, OCD and more specifically intrusive thoughts. i've also experienced PTSD twice in my life. i also have sensory processing disorder, mostly related to noise where noise is stressful to firstly my nervous system and if my nervous system is stressed it stresses my brain out, causing anxiety. so if it's anxiety, i've got it! and have been riddled with it from a very young age.


i think the biggest difference for me was making sure i was only around people or activities that were supportive for me
knowing that even if i was anxious about something, i'd have someone there to laugh it off with me, calm me down, or love me regardless, really helped
people don't need to understand anxiety or know what to do, they just need to support me no matter what i'm going through

that made more of a difference than things like hobbies, exercise, therapy etc. they do work for me and might be the difference for someone else, but being around supportive and loving people and getting rid of those that weren't was the right thing for me.

i learn by giving people and things one chance and if it still doesn't feel right, then it's not, and i need to make the decision there and then to cut it or else i get sucked deep into and the cycle of anxiety begins. so i need clear cut boundaries and ties in situations and friendships. it's really about taking care of yourself and putting yourself and your comfort first.

[dbgtz]

i was a bit of an anxious young lad which i think was possibly down to shall we say parenting methods

not to say it was really bad, just more if i could avoid doing something i would else id do it

i think the only time i felt what could be anxiety was my first year of uni where after the first few weeks or so where i struggled to leave the house for reasons
only way out of that was literally getting out of that, changed uni and sorted myself out a fair bit and mellowed though far from perfect still. dont really see it happening again to such a degree as im sure it was all circumstantial but ye weird time of my life

not forgetting the anxiety of someone finding out i played habbo in my 20s yikes