Anxiety & Panic Community

and how else does it effect you? what are your physical symptoms? what helps you cope with your anxiety? medication? if not what helps you?

for example, with me, when im nauseous, i cant focus on anything else, like reading to distract me. my mind gets consummed by the nausea, and i cant think of anything else. it seems that if i stop focusing on the nausea, it might make it worse...

and my anxiety shows up unexpectedly, but that is apparently due to me having mitral valve prolapse (a minor VERY common heart condition that is said to cause other minor things such as anxiety)

and ill just feel off, kinda nauseous, kind of scared, heart pounding. it can come and go, or stay awhile. im afraid, in general, of passing out, getting sick, things like that, in public, so i feel some of my anxiety comes when i need to go out with a crowd, and i get afraid that one of those things will happen so i get some anxiety symptoms when it comes to going out sometimes.

when im sick, with a cold, i get scared it means i have a serious disease brewing so that makes me panicky on and off for a few days

also feel like it would be hard for me to have a 5 day a week job, because of the way i feel so weird on and off...and when i start to feel like that, the last thing i want is to be sitting and doing work, when i really need to go for a quick walk, and get fresh air.

dont wanna go on medication, i am realllly against it, but i might get a low dose of Xanax to take on a as-needed-few times a week (or less) basis

and in the past few weeks, i am shaky with no appetite and some nausea in the morning, and i feel sickly and dazed and not myself (on and off) from 7-10am and then i slowly return to normal feeling great by midday and then a little off by night time, its a strange new pattern

please share your anxiety stories with me? thanks!