I need success stories on overcoming anxiety

I think you should consult your therapist and your doctor about taking some meds to give you some relief. It might be helpful to get through the recovery period. Keep growing, keep educating yourself, keep nourishing yourself in any and every way possible. DIG YOUR HEELS IN! You will make it! When this is over, you will be the best version of yourself! Not one other person can be a better you than YOU!

I never had a problem with panic attacks until I was involved with my xN. Interesting to read that it is part of PTSD. That makes sense. I'm happy to say that I haven't taken a Xanax in over two weeks now. For awhile, it was every several times a week to every day. For months, first during the initial D&D stage, then increasingly bad once I started NC, I couldn't do anything. I mean, quite literally. Your first priority is to make it through the day, or the next five minutes. Every morning I would wake up and have about 5 seconds of peace before I remembered. Then I'd cry. I'd pull on some jeans and go for a walk, listening to either peaceful or empowering music (not love songs) or listening to Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth (very, very helpful). I would walk and cry and talk to no one, just working things out. Whenever things got too bad, I'd take a hot shower and cry there. If things got too bad, i.e. collapsing to the floor, gasping for breath or suicidal ideation/self-injury, I'd take a Xanax. During that time, nearly every moment was replaying some part or other of the relationship, and I'd try to force myself to think of something else. Now the only time that happens is when I'm laying down to sleep. Still, I've discovered a way to get rid of those thoughts: Trying to think of something else is near impossible...so I stopped thinking and started remembering in detail. Whenever I catch myself thinking about him or replaying a particularly good time, I close my eyes and draw my bedroom in my head. I mean every detail of the room. The dressers, the headboard, the Mind you, my xN was never in this room. Pick a room he was never in so there is no association, like an office perhaps. It occupies my mind until I fall asleep or until thoughts of him pass. Now, with the exception of minor setbacks like today, I can work again and be quite productive. It was a good 3 to 3.5 months of nothing but anxiety attacks and just making it through the next few minutes, though. But there is peace on the other side of it.

Hi, I'm really sorry to hear about this. I'm not sure how much it will help but I can give you a few strategies my husband used when he suffered from really bad anxiety. The mornings were the worst- he would struggle to get up. The strategies are not about self-esteem just about coping, starting the day and getting a bit more focused. Hope there's somethng here for you! So first he had the radio by the bed and turned it on as soon as he woke up (he found the news helped distract him). He had a short list of things he had to do as a sort of morning routine e.g. be in the shower by a certain time. He actually had the times written down as he said this focused him. One of these things was taking our youngest son to school. Doing somehing for someone else really helped him. He saw it as a responsibility he had to keep- and it was also something nice to help keep him centred. His anxiety was focused around work. I suggested that he whenever he was overtaken by panic, he wrote his worry down and rang me or spoke to a colleague - his fears were outsize ones and we could would talk him back to perspective. If you have someone you can talk this might help or just keep posting here. He also found reading a help- but this takes a lot of concentration. It does create a distraction and it helps you not to feel so alone. I realise that this advice is not very N orientated and different things work for dfferent people but I was moved to reply to you- these feelings will start to subside. He got through a terrible period of anxiety and depression... but he had medication too.

Panic disorder is a common side afect of ptsd and im so glad you are seeing a therapist . The trouble with panic atacks is that sometimes the fear of having them is worse than the panic atack its self so it stops you doing things and youre life can become quite small . I know that lots on here are not meds people but i am a meds person and i would say to you that short term meds can work wonders and just lowering youre general state of panic . The other great way of getting ansiety under controle is plane old exercise but my goodness it works .The good news is that keeping NC the panic and low self essteem gets better in time .. you are so doing the right thing by seeing a therapist :) xx (sorry about the spelling im on my mobil .. doh ..)

I used to suffer terrible anxiety when flying! This really is the same thing! I was building up the crash and burn in my head so bad, I'd have paniak attacks on the plane and cause all kinds of scenes! I like to travel and deep down, the reality is a car crash is more likely! So I never let the fear get in my way, I kept getting on that plane, time after time, year after year, the switch finally went on. I fought for my sanity, to enjoy every bit of my travels. The more I fought the easier it was to fly! Ok so being Narced is the same, we know the reality, this person is not good for us, NC is the way to succeed. Take it one day at a time and soon you will be flying free! By the way my anxiety was vey severe, I went every where and took every drug, they only think that help was me fighting it! So.. Fight don't let it take you down! Idealk