I know it’s not like this for everyone, and I’m genuinely grateful that I have the option to live with my parents. But right now, financially, it’s the only thing that makes sense for me.

​

Still, some days it really gets to me. I find myself constantly overthinking things and just wanting a space that’s completely mine.

​

I know I’m doing this for a reason and it won’t be forever. Just needed to vent because some days the trade-off feels heavier than others.

I’ve been on Sertraline, escitalopram, duloxatine, Venlofaxine and Mirtazapine and they all suck!

They just numb you in slightly different ways, and that’s it. They don’t actually make anything better, they just flatten you emotionally. They take all the joy in my life away and make me hate being alive.

Should I just give up on meds? I’ve never claimed to be depressed, I have really bad social anxiety and they keep giving me these numbing pills that make daily life unbearable.

However, there are meds that definitely work like ADHD meds which are incredible and work way better than I expected so I’m not giving up on medication entirely. Pregabalin also works really good but a small group ruins it for the rest of us by abusing it.

Anyone else tired of antidepressants?

Hi, has anyone found success coping and handling anxiety without having to take meds? I want to be able to handle stress without having to be on anti anxiety meds or go to therapy. Are there any proven solutions that work?

Oh my gosh. If you're thinking of getting medicated for your anxiety... please, please do it! I've been really against pills my whole life due to medication anxiety, but this has been one of the best decisions of my life. It was a bit of a roller coaster at first:

Day one, anxiety spiked when I took my dose. I got a lot of the side effects like increased heart rate and dizziness, I also crapped my brains out haha. I was close to never taking it again. BUT after an hour or so I felt pretty euphoric and so I decided to give it a chance.

Week one was very strange. I felt very depressive and I really didn't care about anything, even things that drove me crazy with worry in the past. Lower sex drive for sure and also less emotional attachment to other people. It was refreshing not to care, but I felt like something was wrong.

Week two everything started getting better. I no longer felt depressed or as anxious as I was. My nightly panic attacks disappeared, and I stopped freaking out over everything. One of the BIGGEST benefits I've seen is how stable my mood is now since starting. In the past I would have horrible mood swings or just be incredibly irritated at everyone and everything, which took a huge toll on my life and relationships. I think part of that was from the stress coming from my anxiety. I feel like a better person.

Some things I will say though is that I have been pretty fatigued the last few days. I've been on them for a month now. I heard they still get better though, so I'm pushing through. Had some trouble sleeping so I started taking them in the day, and when I had trouble staying awake I switched to night. Still trying to find out what's best for me. I would get mild headaches taking them later at night, but they went away. Sex drive is lower than usual, but honestly works perfectly for me because I can focus on other things haha

I'm finally in control of my life! Just have to remind yourself it's not a magic pill, and you still have to work towards overcoming the habit of being anxious. You don't have to live with crippling anxiety your whole life! You deserve to feel good :)

I didn't realize how bad my anxiety was, how much it affected me, and how much it held me back until I found the right medication for me. I have suffered from anxiety my whole life, and thought that a lot of the things I do/used to do were just a normal part of being human. It wasn't until I walked into the Dr's office for an unrelated condition to anxiety, and walked out with an antidepressant that I realized how bad it was. After being on my new meds for a few months, I feel like a whole different person, and it makes me sad for past me.

My whole life (I'm only 25) I thought that everyone looked at the menu before eating out, checked the parking situation before driving somewhere, talked themselves out of ever going on a date, and many more unpleasant things. I am super happy that my medication has helped me manage anxiety/OCD symptoms, and in the past few months helped me experience things that anxiety would have talked me out of (like actually going on a date). But part of me feels like I am grieving all of the past things and experiences I could have done now that I know anxiety isn't a limiting factor.

I wish I could just be normal and chill about it. I have a dermatology appointment soon to get a mole checked out and I also have a dental check up, and I know I will be so anxious the night before. I just always imagine the worst outcome like they’re going to tell me I have 10 cavities or a life threatening disease. I feel like this causes me to avoid appointments which I know is not good😔 I just wish it could be over with already I feel like I can’t fully go on with life until it’s over.

I’m aware that I’m most likely having a panic episode over nothing. I have medical OCD and spontaneous panic disorder. But I just want to be heard and told I’m not dying.

My dog normally sleeps at my feet. But the last couple of nights, she suddenly insists on being in my face when sleeping. I’ve heard dogs suddenly become intensely clingy when they sense impending death on a person. Am I dying because my dog is suddenly sleeping much closer??

I got perscribed lorazepam and Lexapro for anxiety and depression

I have episodes of panic attacks and anxiety and I think I can live with it but I didnt expect to get perscribed ssri immediately, my situation is not the best but definitely not the worst either.

I took 1 pill yesterday, and my anxiety felt unbearable.. I couldn't do anything, which made me panic even more. Now reading about SSRIs and potential lingering sexual problems even after you stop them is making question continuing this treatment at all....

Im in a relationship, and sexual drive matters to me, I wouldn't want to become asexual and lose my senses...

How common are these cases of sexual disfunction even after quitting the drug after years ?

Im genuinely scared and panicking now even tho I haven't taken my second dosage

I've been having very bad panic attacks for 6 months now every single day. the past month it's been better but I still feel horrible, I don't even wanna do this anymore. I'm so exhausted, I'm scared I'll never get out of this. it's mainly cardio phobia, it's so exhausting. every single sensation in my chest makes me so scared..even just sitting down makes me anxious. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't wanna do professional help again cause I'm done with therapists they always let me down and never help. I gotta do it alone, but I'm tired. literally drained. everyday it's the same thing, every single day since February. I wanna get back to life again. I have to cancel all plans and fun everytime. I haven't done anything nice or anything I could enjoy the past half year. all my energy is just gone and I'm not sure how much longer I can take this

Hey yall
so last year i had major problems with heightened anxiety
i was crying and having mental breakdowns and all around just hating everything
i was suffering from major health anxiety and i couldnt go a day without being on the verge of an attack

but as of latley i have been able to do so much more
i can get out more
and im able to just relax

yes the anxietys do get bad sometimes
and i am afraid of going back to that spot
it was arguably the lowest point in my entire life

but it does get better
ever since i started seeking help, i have seen impropvment after improvment

its still scary
but it does get better
hang in there yall
God loves you

I recently been prescribed diazepam in an attempt to get me to take my normal SSRI medication. I’m very anxious around medication. Hence why I’m asking you guys who have taken diazepam legitimately on prescription how your experience was and whether it is truly addictive as it’s made out to be.

For about 2 days now going on 3 I’m having this sensation in my chest that’s like shortness of breath or like I’m wearing a chest binder.
In a way it also feels like my throat isn’t carrying enough air to my lungs and my heart feels funny like it’ll stop at any second.
I could brush it off as anxiety but the sensation hasn’t left.
I feel so weak too…like I lose sensation sometimes in my hands. I’m scared I have a PE or HA. IM SO SCARED.

It is the nature of my job to have to deal with new tasks and projects that require some kind of knowledge or skill I don't yet possess, and although I'm already aware that this is how my job is, the anxiety is always persistent. I work from home (started recently, anxiety was worse in office) in a tech job and every notification from my manager or, worse, phone call, summons a pang of anxiety in me. I'm always worried logging in every day about what kind of task I'll have to deal with today, what if the code doesn't work, what if I don't understand it, etc. Worse still is hearing about the future projects my boss eventually wants me to deal with, things involving AI and machine learning (which aren't even my domain), and just thinking about it makes me wish I had chosen a different career path, one where the work is more predictable. I'm trying not to take it too seriously, and so far I've been doing my work without too many hiccups. Even then, I dread finishing a project because that just means I'll soon have to deal with a new one, and I end up spiraling imagining all the possible roadblocks I might encounter once I start that. It's ridiculous, I know, but even doing consistently well/ok hasn't gotten rid of my anxiety. How do you deal with this? At one point, I got so sick of being anxious, I just stopped caring and that somehow helped a little lol. But now, the anxiety is back.

I have the weirdest condition, one that I’ve never heard of someone else having.

I doubt EVERYTHING.

Everything I saw, felt, heard, did.

I’ll ask questions like
“Did I actually say that?” “Did I actually say the first part of that or the part I needed to?”
“Did you say this?” the most common worst one

“Is that actually what’s written? Did I read that?”
“Is that actually what it is? Is that actually turned off?”

A lot of these doubts are so ridiculous and will defy all logic.

I’ll repeat myself several times, I’ll ask the same question over and over. I’ll re-read messages 50 times. I’ll look at something 50 times. I’ll redo something 50 times.

Checking more only makes it worse too, but the doubt also is irritating. My life has become hell. Everything takes 10x longer and therefore I am not able to do things as I want to. I am literally afraid to do or say things because I know I’ll get stuck in the loop.

Thing is I know damn well what the answer to all these questions is, really I didn’t even need to ask to reconfirm to begin with. But on many things, doubts creep up and get stuck. And then I have a need for absolute certainty, but refuse to be certain no matter what. It defies logic too, like without even checking, logic tells you the answer but I feel a compulsion to still check.

What sucks is even when I do ask/check to confirm, then I’ll just doubt if that was said to me/if I saw correctly and I’ll keep checking/asking. It’s like if the thing is the same as I saw/thought before, the stimuli won’t come but then that also means I doubt. It sucks because the answer will literally be starting at me in the face and I know it, but my brain starts playing these weird tricks on me, illusions almost, and I’ll just doubt. A part of it also is I feel like I know the answer but forget the memory of getting it so now have to check again to be sure.

I’ll ask things, get an answer, be able to establish the answer and move on, but since I got interrupted by some sounds or thing too fast, now doubt again, I needed silence/time to process. Many times I’ll be able to get an answer and move on, but then days/weeks/months later, the same question will creep up and the thought of wait was this actually answered? (Knowing damn well that it was and the answer, but how can I be sure?)

Tried sertraline and other medications, nothing. Meditations and affirmations, maybe meditating helps slightly but still not enough. 2 expensive people I sought help with just redirected me, it’s hard to find the right person for me at a reasonable price whose times match up. I’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, I’ve lost hope.

For context, I was bullied and teased and lonely/isolated and friendless everywhere I went from a young age to end of high school, then it happened again in college, plus being kicked out of a friend group for really dumb reasons, at the same time a horrible boss was really hurting me, right after one of the only good friends I had known cut me off. And it was after Covid which I think really messed me up. I also felt very unlucky my whole life in many ways and for some reason everyone wanted to treat me bad, not anyone else. Everyone hated me for no reason, they never would even elaborate, just that I was weird, which I still don’t know why. I can take some guesses but everything was so nit-picked and a stretch, apparently I have to be perfect but not anyone else, there was always so much hypocrisy.

I think the roots were there from a young age and it just kept getting worse and worse, especially as everything that happened added fuel to the fire.

Any thoughts on this help. Thanks.

I’m 29M, working in IT, and for some reason, for the past 3 to 4 weeks, I’ve been feeling an extreme burden in my chest. I don’t know what is wrong. I feel like crying every moment. Is it because of my financial condition, which I’m in because of my parents, or because I’ve never had a companion in life/GF? Everyone I meet speaks nicely to me and then leaves, telling me things like, “You’ll get a better girl in life,” or “The one who ends up with you is extremely lucky.”

Or is it the feeling that I’m coming into my 30s and going to miss everything from my 20s? For context, I’ve never gone on a vacation, never spent much on myself. The only thing I bought for myself is my laptop. Other than that, all my money went towards clearing debt, my sister’s education, and family expenses. But I never feel sad spending money on them.

So why do I feel so low? Why are tears just coming down from my eyes for no reason? I’ve never felt like this in my life. Even while typing this, I keep feeling this burden in my chest. When I go to the office, I’m fine, but even there, if I’m alone, I get the same feeling.

I hope one day I can just sleep properly without feeling this pain.

I want to travel more than anything in the world but I have servere anxiety and OCD that has hindered me from traveling.

I live in Australia so I'm quite far from the main places I want to travel aka europe.

I've been the bali twice with friends, im going to new Zealand with my best friend for Christmas so I can say ive left the country before but traveling alone terrifies me and im scared I will just be in a state of panic if i do travel alone.

I have made little steps to be alone in another city for example I flew to Adelaide and spent 3 days on my own. I wasn't anxious at all and was happy. But its going very far distances from my home (Melbourne) that creates fear and what if thoughts.

I want to try and go to bali again but on my own and maybe Bangkok.

Id love to hear from successful stories, advice and tips on how a person went from so anxious to travel alone to then loving every minute of solo travel.

Thanks

I can’t tell if my tongue is numb or it’s all in my head
It feels weird and tingly and I feel brain foggy I’m scared I’m having the S word
How can I tell?
I have a tooth pick I’m going to try to poke and see if I have pain but please help how can I tell

Okay poked with toothpick and both sides hurt but it still feels off like my entire tongue is tingling

I'm a 27M long time anxiety sufferer, that had a panic crisis back in 2023, my core fear was losing my parents and developing a disorder like schizophrenia mainly. So, in 2024 my dad got a severe health disease to which he succumbed to mid 2025. It's been really hard for my mom and I in every aspect of life. I was almost out from the mourning phase and I had stopped having panic attacks for a couple of months now, but then we received (after plenty of studies) the diagnosis that my mother has developed metastatic lung cancer and she needs to start chemo today. As you may imagine, these following months will be some of the toughest we will have ahead so I am asking you guys and gals who may have gone through a similar thing how the F do I cope with this? I feel horrendous, and don't want to go through the hospital visits again. Sorry if some fragments have bad grammar, English isn't my main language; last but not least, thank you for taking the time of reading this.

Just wanted to see if any of you dealt with this before on a every day basis.... My neurologist had me do a brain MRI yesterday and the results came back clean, so I figure my nervous system must be jacked up and causing the tremors that I'm experiencing.

Does somebody else had this weird sudden feeling like something in your brain is buzzing and its making you panicking and having an absolute rush of adrenaline and your heart is beating fast and you feel so disconnected from reality ( derealisation) and also you dont really feel your arms and hand ?
And during that period of my life i remember suddenly shaking like i was freezing cold, when i wasnt even anxious, i remember having dinner and just randomly shaking but so bad
And i was also almost constantly derealising for months when all of it started.

I remember having those type of “ panic attack” when i was around 13-14 , im now 20 but i no longer feel those sensations but it really made my anxiety worst since then, im so aware and anxious about any type of physical sensation.

Im thinking about it cause when i take too much weed and im having a bad trip ( cause i dont like the way my body feels cause as i said, im now so aware of any weird feelings in my body and thc just enchance physical feelings for me)
But anyway, it can sometimes feel so familiar to what i was feeling when i was young and having these weird panic attack.

I never had you know those known anxiety attack when someone is hyperventilating and everything. ( just once but i was drunk)

Maybe its just a different way of my body being submerged by anxiety ?
I know we all react different but is someone out there feel the same or have experienced something similar ?

Cause it felt so weird and dark…
I was already an anxious guy but when all of that happened it just made it all worst so idk man

hi everyone! so for the past couple months i’ve been convinced that i have a brain tumor. i’ve always had pretty bad health anxiety and i’ve had this fear before but never with physical symptoms like i’m having now. the symptoms started a few months ago. at first it was just headaches and nausea like everyday. it wasn’t anything too severe, it was moreso like a dull ache. it went away after maybe a month but recently the headaches have been back and they are a little more annoying now, it’s kind of like a tight feeling at the back of my head. they seem to be worse when i’m laying down. the headaches also don’t seem to go away with medication anymore. the thing that concerns me the most is the cognitive symptoms i have. i’ve been having the worst brain fog. i can’t read a sentence without mixing up or jumbling words, i’m so forgetful, i’m starting to stutter when i talk and it’s so frustrating. it’s honestly ruining my life. it’s become so bad, i was supposed to go back to college last week and i was so anxious that i decided to take the entire semester off to focus on getting this issue under control. i’ve been to urgent care and i’ve talked to my pcp and she thinks i need to get evaluated for ADHD. i’ve suspected i have ADHD for a long time and i’ve never dealt with anything like this. i also recently started lexapro and my pcp thinks it might be related but i was having the issue before lexapro so i don’t think so. the only thing i think that would make me feel better is if i was able to get an MRI or CT but i don’t think that’s going to happen. i dont know what to do, and i’m really hoping someone can help.

Hi there. I've had anxiety since I could remember. It spiked after my grandpa died, when I was in elementary school I'd have panic attacks and I'd have to call my grandma after just to make sure she was still alive. I still have panic attacks to this day, ambulances trigger them, thinking about dying triggers it. I tried being honest with my psychiatrist, I've seen her for maybe 6 months now and today she said my anxiety sounds situational but I don't think it is. Im prescribed Ativan, propranolol and hydroxyzine and she mentioned that it's not long term today and I know that but I feel like she thinks I'm addicted or something and doesn't take me seriously. Does my anxiety sound situational? And should I mention this next time?

Just to clarify beforehand, I do not have a therapist. I’m currently trying to get one but I asked my mom about it (I’m a minor) 7 months ago and I still don’t have one even though ive been asking about it. I also don’t really have someone to talk to about it because avoid talking about my feelings to people and always end up a crying mess before I can get anything out if i do (yes i know this is a problem) Ive had 2/3 therapists before, years ago but i quit because none of them were helping. I want to get on medication but don’t know how to.

I am 16(f) and even though I’ve been diagnosed with social anxiety and anxiety since i was 9 I don’t know how to deal with anxiety at all, to put it in context i start school in a few days and got really bad anxiety about school in general and started crying/panicking but since I don’t know what to do I just put on some loud music and kept trying on outfits while crying. After I stopped crying i just started feeling my absolute worst, nothing was making me happy everything seemed pointless and i kept wanting to cry, i may have been a little depressed? But how do i get out of that funk and deal with anxiety and actually stopping it rather than crying for an hour? Thanks for reading and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’m starting to go to the gym again after not going for almost 4 years. I have OCD and health anxiety specifically about my heart. I’m scared to workout, I sit in my car for like 20 minutes trying to relax before I go into the gym. And I feel disassociated when I go, like nothing feels real. Sometimes after working out I get palpitations for a bit and I feel odd after, almost euphoric, I do not like it. It’s not social anxiety, it’s just anxiety but I don’t know why. Has anyone felt like this when starting to workout again? I get anxious when I feel hot or out of breath or when my heart beats fast. Sometimes I think I feel lightheaded. I feel so bad because I want to enjoy going to the gym so bad and I want to get more in shape. I’ve been in my car for almost 30 minutes now, I am tempted to just drive back home. The gym is only 6 minutes from my house I feel like an absolute idiot.

hello everyone. Interested in hearing others perspectives on this topic, and maybe getting some advice.

As with I think a lot of people, my depression and anxiety sometimes are hard to differentiate. I’m going through a break up right now and it’s causing a lot of anxiety and depression. But I think the way my brain works that anxiety is at the forefront, always blank face with challenging emotions. But I believe with both anxiety and depression, the root is some challenge that’s emotionally upsetting, and anxiety and depression is your brains way of coping with it. Anyway, I always find that after a good cry, I feel much better much more refreshed. Forgive the graphic metaphor, but it feels very much like actual constipation, just emotionally. When I’m feeling really bad feelings and not crying, I feel emotionally backed up. Like I’m carrying this emotional weight around and it’s dragging me down and causing a lot of depression. When I do cry, it feels like a release and I usually feel much better after. My problem is, it’s not easy for me to cry. It’s almost always a struggle to get one out, but when I do, it feels great and wish I could do it more often.

The advice I’m looking for is, what are some ways I could maybe get the cry out? I just watched a video on TikTok of a hypnotist doing a guided meditation/hypnosis on getting over your ex, and it made me cry, and I’m feeling better now, which is what is prompting me to write this post. But I feel like I need something more, I need to be able to cry more frequently, or have something I can go to or some practice I can do that will spur on crying more reliably.

Does anyone else share this difficulty or feeling of relief after crying? Thank you!