newcomer.

hi, everyone. i'm new to the website, and i've been hanging out on the depression board for a few days. thought i'd drop in over here and meet you guys. :)

i've been struggling with anxiety for almost a year. i collapsed at work one day, and during the 3 months it took to get a diagnosis, i was convinced i had every debilitating/deadly disease known to man. the only diagnosis doctors could make was vitamin D deficiency. i've been taking extra supplements since january, and my vitamin D level is finally normal, and i am a lot better, but i continue to have physical symptoms almost daily that my doctors attribute to anxiety -- muscle twitching, weakness, exhaustion, dizziness, brain fog, reoccurring muscle and joint pain, recurrent symptoms that feel like the flu. i almost always feel like adrenaline is surging through my body, like i was just really startled by something. i have learned to NEVER google my symptoms...google is not a very good doctor and will always diagnose you with some very rare, exotic disease that you are extremely, extremely unlikely to have. :)

i have learned to cope by pacing myself. if i'm tired, i stop what i'm doing and rest. if i hurt or feel sick, i'm careful not to over-do-it. i try to get exercise when i'm feeling good. i've worked to improve my diet so that my body has the quality fuel it needs to "run" well. when i have the energy, i do the things i like doing. if i need to cut back on responsibilities, i reevaluate my priorities and only do what's really necessary. sometimes just getting through an anxious day is all i can do. i have struggled with depression off and on throughout my life, and my experience with anxiety has definitely snowballed into depression. i used to be an energetic, happy, confident person. i could handle any bump in the road like it was no big deal. i'm not that person anymore, and i miss the life i used to have.

one coping skills i'm not good at is opening up and sharing with people in my life. i want to work on that. i guess that's a reason i was drawn to this forum...it's a whole lot easier to open up here when i'm anonymous.

i'm working on finding hope that i beat this anxiety and have a life i love again. i tried visiting a psychiatrist a few months back and took prozac for a couple of weeks before my health anxiety made me believe i was having side effects, so i stopped taking it. last week, i decided i'm going to give meds another try, so i saw my psych today and was prescribed effexor. i'm going to start it tomorrow, and i'm NOT going to read the leaflet that lists all the side effects. :)

thank you all for having me here. it's hard to know whether i fit in more here or on the depression board since i struggle with both disorders. i hope i can be a helpful member of both boards. :)

thank you for the warm welcome, scaredy cat, and for sharing what has worked for you. :) i forgot to mention in my post that i am working on getting into therapy. it has helped me a lot in the past with my depression issues. i have tried reading some self-help books, and i did learn a lot of helpful information. haven't found one that has been "life changing," but talking about it in therapy seems to have been the real key for me in the past...i almost need someone to give me "homework" assignments and hold me accountable for doing them.

again, thank you for the welcome. i am glad to have the opportunity to be here. :)

Hi

Good to meet you and welcome to the forum SC has given you some good advice so I just wanted to pop in and say hi and keep posting we are here to help.

Hibee