Today I'm gonna be bringing up a subject that hits home for me, something that some of y'all have probably dealt with as well, and it's this little douchebag of a disorder called anxiety, this shit makes you want to avoid every single thing that makes you even the slightest bit uncomfortable in your life, and just hide under the covers in bed to forget the world around you, you become antisocial, and avoid conflict as much as possible. this shit is crippling to any social life or job. I have had WEEKS worth of missed work back when I was still in uni, and that only piled on more stress, which made getting back into the swing of things harder and harder.
 
So, I was officially diagnosed with moderate social anxiety about 6 years ago, and this diagnosis was after a long ordeal where I never went to work, I was sick ALL the time, and I had a constant migraine headache. my friends and family finally dragged my ass to the doctors when I skipped out on my baby sister's high school graduation, I was a mess, and I needed help that no person in my life could give me without knowing what the fuck was wrong with me. What I needed was for people around me to stop piling on reminders that I'm behind on shit, and I needed to stop bottling up emotions and avoiding a confrontation. that's what the pills were for.

Anxiety in some cases comes along with 'stop giving a fuck about everything and do what I want' pills that I received. they make you feel absolutely free from worry, and your emotions run a little wilder. after the pills I spoke my mind like it or not, so if you know someone with anxiety and one day they just become completely brutally honest with you, it's them venting 5+ years worth of general anger that they built up inside and they can't help but let it out. don't hate the person and try to refute what they say like one of my ex girlfriends did, always ends with a really bad fight and possibly a breakup.

You may also see that person just straight up do some crazy shit on a whim after taking their pills for the day, I used to just go wander the streets for a couple hours at a time at random then come back like nothing happened. this is another effect of the pills, they make you want to go out and wander, they make you want to burst out of that room you've been so fond of hiding in. you should support people like me when we do this, if I were to ask if you wanted to join me, take that shot, it really helps, it makes us feel a lot better when we're not wandering aimlessly alone with no one to guide us or keep us wandering to that dread mindset.

Getting over, and getting control of anxiety is a LOOOOOOONG process, and the sense of dread that comes with it shows up in waves rather than a constant stream, you can be perfectly fine one day then boarded up in the room for the next 36 hours. when you have someone who deals with anxiety, you should be there for them on those shitty days and try to break them out of that  shell and put some cracks in it so the next time it's easier for them break out, try to have as much fun as you can on those low days, and don't get dragged into the pit that your friend is in.

 me personally, I STILL haven't gotten completely out of the hole yet, and some days I just straight up can't find a reason to get out of bed in the mornings, but we try, and each time I'm on a low my wife drags my ass to the track and makes me do laps until I'm out of that state and back into the groove of things. Rally, and my wife are the two crutches that keep me going, try to find something that that person with anxiety loves, and keep them going to that place no matter the day and you may see some good results.

well, that's my story, I hope it somewhat put a little bit of insight on the disorder and maybe helps one of you help someone else out of the same pit I got dug out of. how about you guys? any stories or anything about the disorder you want to ask/share about?

EDIT- just realized the time, it's 4AM, if y'all have questions for me, I'll answer when I wake up.

Hm, yeah. Anxiety runs in my mom's side of the family a great deal. Doubtful that it's like anxiety disorders, but just more anxious than normal. But yeah, I have to deal with a fair amount of anxiety myself, so I can relate with you to some extent. Though I'm obviously not as bad in terms of anxiety as you are, so I guess I could be thankful for that.

But anyways, good luck with your anxiety issues.

I don't have clinical anxiety, but I've had my fair share of panic attacks in the past. Nasty shit. Makes you want to just give up on life and become a NEET, and I wasn't even officially diagnosed.

Anxiety. A right bundle of cheer. I never had it in the manner that you described but way back when I was younger I'd freeze at the thought of going out anywhere public. People'd try talking to me and I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Couldn't bring myself to go out and about in public.

Quote from: Magos Domina on May 03, 2015, 04:21:46 AM

Having anxiety is not a fucking adventure.

I mean TL;DR

it's a title buttercup, and if you can't be arsed to read the post then why even bother posting?

Because it's Kiyo. That's what he does.

But yeah... Social anxiety is fun stuff, especially when you're even afraid of answering fucking phone calls.

Quote from: Magos Domina on May 03, 2015, 12:31:41 PM

Quote from: Mega Sceptile on May 03, 2015, 11:02:52 AM

Quote from: Magos Domina on May 03, 2015, 04:21:46 AM

Having anxiety is not a fucking adventure.

I mean TL;DR

it's a title buttercup, and if you can't be arsed to read the post then why even bother posting?

Why so serious?

Because we're in the Serious board for serious topics and serious discussion. Let's try to stay on topic.

I was on topic, not my fault certain people are too sensitive.

my anxiety was terrible like a year ago, it was crippling
recently i've been wayyy better but there are days when i feel like it's creeping back

GAD diagnosed here, I go through periods (months at a time) where I just can't leave my home/room without having serious breakdowns. it's really hard to spark and maintain lasting friendships. I've met maybe one person with whom I've developed a lasting relationship in college that I didn't know in high school.

Really affects relationships too. Terrible fear of rejection (along with a bad history of being rejected) led me to avoid approaching women in a romantic capacity entirely.

It's manageable though. I realize that it's all in my head and that people really don't think of me the way I feel they do, but it's still hard to deal with a lot of the time. I struggle breathing during bad spots and it keeps me from doing work for long periods at a time, but it's better than it has been in the past.

Quote from: Not Comms Officer on May 03, 2015, 04:41:54 PM

Quote from: gats on May 03, 2015, 04:36:01 PM

my anxiety was terrible like a year ago, it was crippling
recently i've been wayyy better but there are days when i feel like it's creeping back

I have some advice for you.

Just think of every stressful thing you've ever had....

AT ONCE

now what?

You find a gun and some ammunition.