Update! My anxiety is pretty normal now.
Hey everyone. I was inspired by another member to post this as I believe its good to have lots of stories of 'the other side' too 😄
Growing up I had a slow building anxiety that began to overflow when I hit about 25 years old in the form of extreme health anxiety and panic attacks, I could barely leave the house. Even to get food in the supermarket I would be walking around on the verge of or having panic attacks. It was the worst experience. I was so weak, I barely wanted to walk outside in fear of having a heart attack from elevating my heart rate. I had never been diagnosed with anything, I just believed something was wrong with me and this fear had grown since I was a kid.
When it was at its peak, all I could think about was how to not feel it. The turning point I had which really motivated me was when I was sitting in the emergency room and the doctor turn to me looking disappointed, "It's probably just anxiety". I felt like I was wasting precious time for someone who actually needed medical attention and while I did need help, this wasn't the place to get it.
From that moment I did everything I could, read books, watch videos, I got a free councillor, made local friends who struggled with other anxieties. I committed to walking a few steps further every day. I stopped eating anything that made me feel unhealthy. I wasn't eating enough but at least I was finally moving in the right direction.
I slowly began to recover and tried new things. Public transport, dinners with friends, and my biggest fear at the time, the movies. I would often regress as I pushed myself too far however I was trending upwards in terms of my confidence in my ability to not get into a state of panic. It probably took about 6 months to get here. I was still ruled by anxiety but at least I could have many moments of life I enjoyed.
From then until 29 I didn't progress much, I was content with the level I was at. I started working with a friend and we built a business together. I was driving to work every day and living a normal life. I would often feel moments of being overly anxious, but nothing that I couldn't handle.
When I hit 31 I decided to branch out and start my own business and work online. I've always been more of an introvert and prefer to work at home or be alone if possible.
Now I'm 34, own my own business making decent money, exercise regularly, eat well, have great friends I see often, am in a committed relationship, regularly talk and see my family, and feel confident with short flights on my own. I don't feel overly anxious about anything except long flights, I barely even think about anxiety anymore, if anything I feel like I understand my body more and am at peace with letting my emotion states show up and be as they are.
My next goal is to slowly build up to doing long flights, its the hardest thing left for me to do because I still have PTSD of sorts having rolling panic attacks on flights in the past. The last few I did were fine though!
Best of luck on your journey!