Surviving PTSD, Anxiety, Depression and Agoraphobia.

I was diagnosed with PTSD due to childhood trauma of molestation, homelessness, and verbal abuse.

I've had depression since I was eight when I had my first suicide attempt. I used to be a cutter up until I was 18. I abused drugs in college to cope.

I've been hospitalized twice for panic attacks and auditory hallucinations.

I am 22 now, almost 23. I haven't felt an impulse to cut and I no longer have self-hate.

I survived this trauma by re-wiring my brain through:

• positive affirmations
• patience
• meditations and hypnosis
• living my life in a way that eases my symptoms
• avoid coffee (worsens my anxiety)
• drinking green and chai tea
• doing yoga weekly
• taking walks daily
• talking about the trauma with people I trust
• giving myself time to rest and cry and release the sadness I still hold
• giving myself goals I can work on achieving
• practicing mindfulness
• law of attraction

Most importantly I practice forgiveness. Forgiveness for those who hurt me in the past. And to myself for trying to hurt myself all those years instead of being the change around me and loving myself.

 

I have struggled with panic attacks and agoraphobia for years. It is illogical and it doesn't make sense, but the attacks do not seem to care. For several years, I could not drive my car and felt like a failure. However, I soldier on. I take my medicine, feel the fear and drive any way even though it is a struggle, and keep my mind busy. I know that if I give up that I will have not life. But if I keep struggling and fighting, I at least get some life. And I have found that most people are kind and helpful if I am having a bad moment. (which has been a wonderful surprise)

 

I also have PTSD and get anxiety attacks sometimes. Nowadays I am doing better because I just do not think about those traumatic experiences that much anymore and my perception about them has changed. I see them as the stations I needed to go through to become the strong person who I am today and that helps me a lot.
I know it can get tricky sometimes, especially, if certain encounters trigger those memories again but you have to stay strong and keep going.
You have managed to get this far and are doing much better which is good. I am very happy for you.
What I might be worried about is that the apocalypse could trigger another traumatic experience for me depending on how severe it will be for me and that kind of scares me but
I just have to stay optimistic and stable especially since I have kids. I need to stay strong for them to be okay.

 

I used to suffer from panic attacks which are themselves depressive or are accompanied by depression. I have since developed potent coping mechanisms based on a biblical perspective after learning that there is no external and lasting source of true peace and contentment in this world.

 

My wife has recently survived clinical anxiety disorder. When my wife had a miscarriage, it was so unbearable to her that she cried for over a week. She her tears stopped she stopped talking. When she cried she used to talk about her miseries and pain, when not crying, she went mum. When she had hardly recovered, she had to go through gallbladder removal surgery. The physical pain create another problem. After three months of medication for anxiety, she is ok now.

 

All sickness, disease and psychotic problems can be healed by Jesus. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. The secret to obtaining healing is by taking communion. Not monthly, weekly or on some special religious holiday, but daily. If you read the New Testament, you'll see the disciples and evangelists (such as Paul) came together daily for the "....breaking of bread." The bread was unleavened bread or matzos crackers - and to pass it around and eat it, you have to "break it."

The best I've ever read on this was the book "Eat your way to life and health" by Pastor Joseph Prince. It really works.

 

Yep, Been there, do that. Don't want to forget any more.

Dale

 

I've been under depression since early 2017 and over a month ago panic-attack too but no PTSD. And apparently it also trigger hypotension (my BP was 90/60 at one time) and acid reflux (which trigger panic-attack 2 month ago). Suffice to say I reach the point where I no longer confident in handling any firearm and driving (already sold everything).

All the physician recommend me to see psychiatry but I figure there is no point in doing so because I've already taken steps to dealt with my depression on my own by reconnecting to old friends and close relatives. Suffice to say my typical activity nowadays are dominated of visiting old friends and close relatives, and so far it did help a lot with the depression. Hopefully I could recover my health condition early next year (acid-reflux still sporadic problem) because I've already canceling or postponing so many things off my itinerary including vacation with my gf.

 

Seems Jesus could do with a bit of help.

 

Ever so glad that reconnecting with family and friends is helping you. This process helps lots and lots of folk. And think also of how you may very well be helping them.

Do not rule-out psychiatry. Psychiatry got itself a bad name due to the over-prescription of psychoactive medications. Psychiatry got raked over the coals for having allowed this malpractice to go on so very long. Great improvements have been made. Having said that, if you see a psychiatrist and you are not pleased with the services of that physician, fire that person and seek the services of another. Brain transmitter substances get whacked even as the thyroid gland can produce too much or too little of thyroxine. The brain is one organ amid others than keep us plodding along the path of this strange life. Life itself sometimes goes royally sideways as we all know. If something can be fixed, fix it.

 

Good morning Varuna,

I used to have the ailments of depression and the related aspects.

They are still present but no longer ailments. They are part of the human condition recognized by some.

"Consciousness is a disease." Michael Unamuno, THE TRAGIC SENSE OF LIFE, 1936.

Over the years, I've taken a few courses in psychiatry - only a few available for non-M.D. and most of my courses was overseas - and I learned some basic principles applicable to much of this.

I'm just an old, early-rising retired Prepper with a little background in using psychological principles as basic everyday tools of life.

My attention from your above post got focused on your mention of - - - "old friends" - - - and - - - "close relatives". Both of these categories of folks - good people, but requiring a comment - bring you closer to the psychological comfort of embryonic fluid , psychologically speaking.

Taking risks - NOT CHANCES - risks - is part of life and required.

Your mental salvation just be be found in an abbreviation you've used more than once: "GF".

Spell it out and spend some time thinking about the OPPOSITE of OLD friends and CLOSE relatives. Your girlfriend just might be the source of the psychological balms needed to heal the psych matters you mentioned.

......

And trade in the python and turtle for a nice dog and get an apartment with fiancee below the 3rd floor for easier evacuations.

Keep your resume current and both of you will experience upward mobility in the world's third largest democratic republic.

......

Meanwhile, back at the new capital city on Borneo............. There will be detached, single family houses for the top-layer of the middle class. Just research and do the real work.

 

That is one of my main reluctance to go seeing psychiatrist.

Actually our relationship is one of the source of the depression we are in shaky ground (legal complication)

Already given away my pet snake to a reptile collector and the turtle was dead due to flood a while back. All dogs and snakes (spitting cobra, reticulated python) seem to hate me or intimidate by my presence alone for some reason, most likely because I used to eat them, and they somehow able to sense that.

Nothing of interest for me there, it just a new administrative / political capital city. And business / industrial opportunity will still be centralized in Java.

 

Good morning Varuna,

I understand.

 

Unfortunately there is always a need to have another human being to interact with particularly when dealing with depression or anxiety

Actually all animals do talk back to us (in their own way), we human just tend to be ignorant of what they were saying or feel. Although my personal practice is always to avoid having any kind of chit-chat with any potential foods.

 

Trying to find people who are of sufficient quality is getting almost impossible. In the USA, there exist pockets of cultures who value honesty, modesty, are reliable, enjoy learning, are well-read, know when to speak and when to listen, people who are brave, have spiritual aspects to them, ..., possess attributes associated with civilizations that survive. Good luck finding a decent-paying job in such places. Good luck finding quality people in general.

My family and I have about given up. My sons have grown cynical. People are such sh##s these days that one contemplates becoming a hermit. Lonewolf is a bit more cynical than I, however if society keeps rotting into nothingness, maybe I'll buy the proverbial mountain cabin. I'll fence the place in, use concertina wire, keep devil dogs, and spray unknown vehicles with birdshot.

 

Good morning Old Geezer,

Had thought it was just me never finding people who were not contaminated with:

- pseudo-egalitarianism
- socialism; in case of emergency call 911
- self-sufficiency: the food bank with Sunday distribution at the Walmart parking lot
- well-read; They only listen to music, They teach climate change at the community college but never read "Life on the Mississippi"

The only reason I have not given up is that this area has a substantial number of foreigners getting sworn in as citizens and they approximate the basics of the US citizen.

Our weakness is internal to the US.

 

Some things in your life are hard or impossible to talk about. Some, you tell no one. Polite society doesn't want to hear about combat. It's not politically correct.

Every day, I wake up. I hurt like hell, but no one's trying to kill me. Suck it up and Charlie Mike.

Dale


FYI - For those that don't know "Charlie Mike" is what we used over the radio to signal "Continue the mission".

 

I used to think within similar line until I realized around few months back that I've severely lonely, and rather out of touch with other people around me even when I live in a major city.

 

Good morning Varuna,

Real good post.

I can't see too well where those red heart symbols are here. This this narrative entry.

 

There are still a lot of good people out there. the problem is that they/we have allowed the less than good people to do as they wished even to the point of passing laws specifically allowing them to act as they wish as long as they define it as cultural diversity. There have always been people that have no morals, no honor, and no sense of right and wrong. It used to be that whether they wanted to or not they HAD to at least act as if they did. My Grandfather threatened to kill a man for using language that is now more common than please and thank you in front of his wife. He gave the guy 24 hours to get out of town. the guy left and didn't come back until my Grandfather was dead. He KNEW that my Grandfather was a man of his word.

We have ALLOWED the lowest of the low to become our children's heroes. We have allowed the schools to allow behavior that was unimaginable in my time in school. Now GOOD people have to hide and keep their mouths shut because if you say anything about someone acting like a heathern you are branded a bigot, raccest or a nazi. The right of people to be rude, thieves, lazy, vulgar, violent to the point of lethality and even anti American to the point of treason is now considered at the very HEART of our constitution.

Their rights to do as they wish far exceed the rights of good people to not be victimized. If you resist this the cops will come for you. If you try too hard to teach your children how to act and that acting bad is wrong you may get a visit from child protective services if they go to a public school and refuse to kowtow to the thugs that now run the public schools.

There are a lot of good people out there. they are HIDING from the insanity that our nation has become. I hate to say this but if the nutless wonders would refuse to allow this and would stand up for their rights like the trash does then maybe things could be better. But as long as the good hide and allow the thugs to run our nation it is only going to get worse until it reaches a breaking point. Eventually, the thugs are going to become so oppressive that only a civil war will be able to heal the wounds.

On a side note. For thise of you in other countries that will be pleased when the US goes down. Understand without the US the Russians and the Chinese will divide up the world and there will be almost nothing that you will be able to do about it. The entire military of Europe and Great Brittian is less than what the State of Texas can field in the way of a military. We are a nuclear power. Who exactly do you think is IN the military in the US all-volunteer military? We will fight but even in the middle of a civil war, the US will be a monster that nobody dares to try and tame. The day we turn inward and bring home our troops the rest of the world is going to suddenly be in deep trouble.

The good news is that the good people are in general well-armed. they are willing to fight for their nation, family, and homes. Once they come out of hiding they will be angry as hell and almost merciless in eradicating the problem. Good people have a long fuse. That is in part what makes them good people. Make no mistake though that once the fuse is lit and burns down, the explosion is going to shake the entire world at its core.

 

Didn't you mean to say, "... and they appropriate the basics of the US citizen" ?

Once upon a time, there were few civilized (semi-civilized, anyway) living on a HUGE continent, N.America. Many things needed to be built, railroads, factories, an agricultural base, ..., on and on. This place was destined to become the home for humans attaining something greater than a stone-age existence. Workers were willing to come here and pitch-in. They brought with them sound morals, a willingness to work, the desire to create, the desire to transcend, to grow spiritually and intellectually.

The continent is now full. Really full. And Spirit has utterly abandoned the place. America has become an enormous pustule. Please, no more filling! Lance the boil and let the purulence drain. Methinks the Divine Physician has drawn a scalpel from His kit. The treatment will be hideous, but the result could prove to be a new beginning.

 

Good morning Old Geezer,

Yes, "appropriate" is the better word than what I wrote ("approximate" - They know the US model is far better than what they had come from).

These new arrivals - new citizens - believe in our Latin motto "From the many: one". Can't spell the Latin phrase.

These new citizens do not support the "cultural diversity" being pushed by some of the national power centers eg the universities, some government agencies, some Responder groups, etc.

I can envision a permit required to have a baby with at least 2 named persons responsible for the pending child.

As crowded as the US portion of the North American continent is, there's always mass relocations to areas of Canada.

Foot Note:

One of the Responder groups pushing cultural diversity is, in general, if I may generalize, the American Red Cross. At their emergency shelters they preach to keep families together in the shelter. Thus, eg a large extended family "hogs" the vertical poles of the building. Vertical poles and columns are needed by those with impaired vision / blind for their navigation reference points. I lost my argument on this. I am disliked. I am hated by the socialists.

 

hey there, that's a problem . there are actually many ways to treat anxiety.i found a video on you tube that explains a few simple ways on how to cure ANXIETY
i have tried many different ways to cure anxiety.
here's a link to a video that gives some great tips.
https://dausel.co/qwdwRi

 

Good morning Abhi,

Welcome to the Forum. I'm sure you'll have rewarding experiences here.

Don't forget to add the anxiety partner word to the mix: stress. The mix causes the problems of not readily resolving the anxiety.

 

My girlfriend actually had issues dealing with anxiety and depression, she watched this video and I asked her to give me it. Hopefully this can help you too! https://www.shrink-service.it/s/jgxUz0

 

I was going to write a reply but I figure a picture is worth a thousand words...