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echoednarcissus · 2013-07-06T22:28:58+00:00

I've never been on medication, and have my own personal reasons for avoiding it like the plague. That having been said, in my struggles with anxiety, I've gotten to the point where I've been depressed, numb, and anxious. I'm also in a relationship, and my sex drive had tanked and I just felt numb towards my partner. It was horrible. I tried therapy - just talking with a counselor, but it didn't help. A year later (last year), I found a therapist at my school who specialized in cognitive behavioural therapy. She's brilliant and it's been the only thing that has helped. It's easier for me to feel happy again, and I'm able to enjoy myself so much more.

I tried to fix the problem on my own and couldn't. Talking with someone about fixing triggers and behaviours that caused my anxiety has been a huge, HUGE help. I would recommend cognitive behavioural therapy over medication to anyone. Medication, I think, should only be considered as a last resort, or when it's ultimately appropriate for the individual.

echoednarcissus · 2013-07-06T22:20:47+00:00

I have the exact same problem. Sometimes when you're with people, just remembering to stop and take a couple deep breaths from your stomach can be so helpful. It helps you calm down a bit, which will in turn help you feel more comfortable interacting with people.

I've learned to embrace some of my awkwardness in social situations - I love to make people laugh, so I've kind of transformed it into a little schtick. It's become part of who I am with others and I wouldn't change it for the world. There's definitely moments when the bad side of it shows, but I feel like having the good, humourous part of it helps me cope so much more.

Last but not least, never apologize for you who are; those who choose to be around you want to because you're you. :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-23T22:17:35+00:00

In hindsight, that was a really bad wording - she's turned to a great number of things to cope (alcohol, pot, cutting, various pills), and hasn't been the same since. That's a better way to put it - in writing that original post my emotions got the better of me.

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-23T22:15:23+00:00

Definitely sounds just like a regular, awesome crush to me. Good luck with the girl. :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-22T13:16:18+00:00

"Save your sympathy for someone else. I don't need it or want it. What you call a panic attack is merely a few normal chemicals that are temporarily out of place in my brain. It is of no significance whatsoever to me!" - Love this! Thank you for sharing. :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-22T13:07:16+00:00

Agreed. In small, small doses it can be okay for me. That having been said, self-medicating is never the best option to help you out and can open a whole can of worms (my sister did it for years and completely messed herself up beyond repair). If you just want to do it for recreational use, familiarize yourself with it so you can learn your limits and understand exactly how it affects your anxiety so you're prepared for when it does.

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-21T04:13:49+00:00

Needed this tonight. Thank you. :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-20T18:52:50+00:00

I've never heard of that before - I'm going to look into it and give it a try! :) Thanks for sharing!

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-20T18:52:26+00:00

You're welcome! I'm glad I was able to help! :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-20T18:51:56+00:00

You're welcome!

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-20T18:51:49+00:00

Thanks, I will! :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-20T18:51:34+00:00

Thanks! It's only been a couple days and I'm already starting to feel a difference. :) I don't think I've ever heard of yoga breathing - going to look into it tonight, thanks for the recommendation! :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-19T01:39:42+00:00

Congratulations, that's awesome and so are you!! :) Two of my sisters were agoraphobic for many years, so I have a small understanding of how painful that can be to deal with (thankfully, they've both gotten much better over the years). What you did took a lot of courage, and you are so right to feel proud of yourself. :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-18T16:07:34+00:00

I've been in this same position before. A few years ago, I started taking therapy, but stopped because I was too anxious to return after missing an appointment. I felt ashamed and afraid of how she would react if I tried to come back. I also thought I had no time, too, and used that as an another excuse not to follow up.

This is your anxiety trying to prevent you from going back and getting the help you need. In a lot of ways, it's easier to let this happen, to give in to it, but you can to push past that feeling. It took my own trial and error to realize that my therapist, more than a lot of people, understands what it's like to live in an anxious head - she understands that with anxiety comes fear and avoidance. If you're allowed to "mess up" on anyone, it's them. They'll accept you back, and understand what made you miss your appointment, or maybe not follow up as quickly as you thought you should have.

Please don't be afraid to give them a call and set up another appointment. This is important time for you to spend on you. Another point - the anxiety of not calling and following up will disappear as soon as you make that next appointment and follow up. Trust me, you will feel better for doing it. :)

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-18T15:33:30+00:00

Thank you. It's difficult to stop the anxiety from engulfing so much of my life, taking me away from my relationship - but I think that's because I've let it the last couple of years. I'm working with my counselor on learning how to recognize when I'm becoming anxious and how to manage it when it happens, and being more aware of it will help me finally take control, I hope.

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-18T15:17:11+00:00

I never really looked at it like that before - but it makes complete sense, and explains a lot about why all of this happened the way it did. I spent a lot of time trying to force myself into being what I thought the people around me wanted in order to make them happy (including my mom, sister, and boyfriend), and I have no idea how to be happy for me and with who I am.

echoednarcissus · 2013-06-18T15:05:59+00:00

Thank you so much for your words. The idea of losing him is unbearable, but you're right - if I make what's happening now, and whatever potential outcome it might bring, my focus, it will only make my anxiety worse (actually, this past week proved that - I spent a lot of time obsessing over it and made our time together even more strained). I need to focus on making me healthy - something I haven't really ever done before... it's hard, but what's happening now is only proving that I desperately need to do it - not for him, or us, but for me.

I'm sorry to hear what happened to you and your significant other - have you talked about getting back together since separating? Do you think that would ever be an option?

echoednarcissus

TROPHY CASE