My anxiety is ruining my life

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your story, I am sure there are some members that can relate to this...

Here is the fact sheet for your medication, which could be of interest to you or some of our members.

Ok firstly, Sertraline is an antidepressant, I have been on Sertraline, and many other antidepressants, but did not find them helpful to combat my depression or anxiety, at least not if used alone. 

OK here is a good question, what makes you believe you are the only one in the room feeling anxious or nervous? Is it possibly that they appear more composed? As this may be a misconception, everybody deal with anxiety and nervousness differently.

I know if I feel nervous about a meeting, I take water with me to sip, this can take the focus off of how nerve wracking I first perceived the meeting could be, but during times of severe anxiety and nervousness, I've returned to my GP, for him to prescribe specific anxiolitic (anti-anxiety) drugs, I take a Beta Blocker (Propranolol), that reduces the anxiety, induced shaking, that I suffer when nervous, or if I'm having a severe anxiety attack even a short script of Diazepam, is there any reason you are not or can not take an anxiolitic (anti-anxiety) drug, along side your Sertraline? Perhaps it may be worth speaking with your GP?

Also do you have any professional support, a counsellor, or therapist, who you can talk to about your fears? Like I said often medication doesn't work alone, it needs to be used alongside talking therapies to be effective, if you don't have any professional support, maybe this is also something you'd like to consider 😊

Good Luck and I hope you manage to get some relief from the overwhelming anxiety you feel 😊

@StumpyDavies Hello and thank you for taking the time to reply to me.

I guess it is impossible to know how others are feeling but even from how they talk at meetings, laugh with each other and joke around, I feel very much on the sidelines. I smile and make an effort but inside I am screaming!

I think I will take a visit back to the doctor and talk about further options. I was originally put on propanol because the anxiety was giving me dibiltating headaches. But I stopped taking them once the anti depressants kicked in (sertraline) and the headaches and chest pains left by themselves.

I need to start talking therapy too. 

Thanks, it's nice to know I am not alone.

@Eddyyy‍ You're welcome, I hope you find something that helps you, with the anxiety, it may sound very strange, but something else to do is practice talking, as if in a meeting, imagine responses, trying to find rational thinking, try to bring yourself some comfort through practice, also if you're worried about shaking, have something for your hands to do.

Use a blob of blutack, pull it in half, and stick it back together, repeating the process, squeeze it if you need, or change it's shape, if you want those giggles, you have to think of something that will amuse those giggling, find common ground, do some research, find out their interests, maybe invite them to lunch, or for a coffee, or even a night out.

Try to build a bond with those work colleagues that you'd like the sort of reaction your looking for from, maybe their just unaware that you feel on the sidelines, sometimes being a little open can help, maybe ask them if they ever feel nervous, this could break the ice some, to make some conversation, each meeting maybe discuss something you feel, but do so subtly 

One other thing, is remember "Don't think too much" this was an important tip from a friend that helped me a lot, preventing me from over analysing the situation, and actually strengthened most of my friendships, as I appear calmer and easier to approach 

Hi,

I am a breast cancer survivor and lately I can't get rid of the feat that it's going to come back. It started when a friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer and it's like the worry has a mind of its own. I feel anxious all the time and its making life really hard. Does anyone else get scared like this sometimes?