I'm with you mayn. I have anxiety all the time. Usually which causes me to shiver uncontrollably, however most of the time it's not very noticeable on the rare occasion it is.
Mainly when i'm about to give an exam or gamble a load of money. Or give presentations in class.
My advice would be to first see a doctor about it (i haven't either) and see what he says. If it's a severe case he'll probably prescribe you some medicine.
If that's out of the option you really just need to notice what situations are making you anxious. When they do, and you're under your anxiety attack just think about why are you anxious? Is there really any reason to be?
You need to get out of your comfort zone, and go through with it, repeatedly. It's gonna be realllyyy tough at first but it's gonna pay off in the end.
Good luck
I strongly agree with this post from my own experiences. When I hide indoors like an agoraphobe and don't put myself in uncomfortable situations my anxiety is worse. The uncomfortable situations are just as awful at first, but over time the feeling of immense failure begins to clear and I begin to learn to and feel like functioning properly.
You will begin to notice what makes you anxious if you put that intent in your mind. Be mindful of your wish to be free of anxiety and make positive attempts to change your actions or thoughts to free yourself. Be mindful of your actions and thoughts which cause you anxiety. When you can examine these things objectively and see these triggers without judgement you can see that they aren't so bad, or that you can do or think such-and-such to help.
Being mindful has a lot to do with meditation. In my opinion mindfulness is the essence of meditation. Meditation is where one releases themselves from thought. One feels and exists only for this moment. One will think and will drift from the sensation of no-thought, but one can be mindful that they drifted into thought and come back to no-thought. All you have to do to begin meditating is get in a comfortable position and begin to focus on your breathing. It's very hard to let go of your thoughts. You may even begin to think about thinking about thinking about thinking about letting go of your thoughts or thinking about nothing.
The trick is to just make a mental note of your thoughts (when they occur). For example, you're trying to meditate, when suddenly you begin to think about how you're getting to school tomorrow. You then realize that you drifted from focusing on your breathing, so you accept that as a fact without any good or bad connotation and resume focussing on your breathing.
Focus only on your breath. In, and out, on repeat. You will be aware of the sensations of exhalation and inhalation without actually saying the words in your head "In, and out". You'll know you're making progress in meditation when you accomplish this. Over time you will be able to hold this focus on your breath for longer periods of time. It is a muscle that must be exercised to perform well.
It is in this silence of thought that one can drift into non-drug-induded altered-states, and can reflect without judgement on themselves or others.
Medication can help for a multitude of reasons. It is in my opinion a tool just like meditation. It will not solve anxiety for you but it will make it easier for you to solve it yourself. Of course, always only take anti-anxiety medication on your doctors advice.
I hope that this post helps anyone who comes to this thread in search of advice.
P.S. This
link provides some great insight into helping yourself change into a mindset where you can freely grow. I think this might be one of the most important intellectual and/or spiritual advancements that our time needs to make. It is a change regarding one's attitude towards self-growth and what thoughts and words to ourselves and to others can help breed a mindset of growth.
