Hi my name is nick i will first start by telling my story with my anxiety.

I was a quarterback in highschool and was hurt in my senior year in which i started to use painkillers for my knee pain. I was recruited to play college football and everyone was counting on me to be the best. I worked hard that summer and went into college thinking i would be the best and start that year. Of course I did not but i wasn't that broken hearted. My family still came to the games to watch me on the sideline. And even though i didnt start i was still busting my a** the whole year to be able to start next year and i was still using the painkillers this whole time. After my first year I went back home for summer break and got a summer job working in a soybean factory my dad got for me. it was a very stressful job and very labor intensive. i was also trying to weight lift for football for next year while using the pain pills still. and i was also using a supplement for weightlifting with caffiene and sugar. i was using it for about a 2 weeks and i was having periods of dozing off feelings at work. because i worked for 8 hours then went and weightlifted then went to bed at around midnight to get up at 645 to do it all over again. then i had my first panic attack i was coming home from weight lifting and took a hot shower and got out feeling short of breath and my hands, face, and feet all went completely numb. i ended up not needing an ambulance this time but i went to the E.R. and they said all i had was heart palpitations and sent me home with xanax and an appointment with a cardiologist. And after my first panic attack they just started to take over. and once the first attack started i had to stop weight lifting and i also stopped the pain pill addiction.

I am now in week 8 in the program and can now finally work out without going into a panic attack. but i still have low level of axiety all the time but it is getting better.

also i am curious to hear other peoples stories on how they first started their anxiety.

getting better,
Nick

Hello Nick, I have been in the program for a short time only I have been depressed for a long time and then got the anxiety which got worse when I started doing sales calls and the answer always seemed to be no. The anxiety got so bad on some days I could not leave my house. Since I have started the program just knowing what is the problem and maybe I can help myself to adjust my negative self talk has helped me relax a little with going out. The holidays have been very difficlut to continue with the program but I hope to be back on track this week. Good luck with getting better.
Staying on the right track will help.
Mya

Hi Nick,

My anxiety started around last spring. I have been retired for a little over 2 yrs and now I have to go back to work. When I found that out is when the anxiety really started. Just the thought of work got me all anxious. My heart would pound, my hands would shake, I'd perspire and have a kind of woozy feeling. Over the last several months I have been to my family doctor, a psychiatrist and a therapist. I am FINALLY on the right medication (Celexa), see my therapist once a week and am doing the program. I am SO much better, but not quite ready to tackle the work force yet. I am still nervous about it, but my reaction is far less severe than it was. I actually had someone help me with a resume today, so I am making progress. I find it very helpful to take along my workbook from the sessions to my therapist and we go over what I've been working on.

I, also stopped the program for a couple of weeks during the holidays, but I am back on track now. I'm having a very hard time with the information from session 5 and am now working on 6.

Good luck with the program and you should be very proud of yourself for being able to get off the painkillers!