Your Questions About Best Self Help Books For Anxiety

Best book/method for an anxiety disorder?

I’ve been suffering from an anxiety disorder for 4 years. Mostly a social anxiety disorder. I’m not ready for therapy and my doctor wants to avoid putting me on medication. I really want to do something though and try to get better because it’s controlling my life. It’s keeping me from living it and being a part of normal activities.

Are there any good self-help books or methods that worked for you?

the best way to battle anxiety/panic?

could really do with some honest answers here guys, iv had major anxiety problems for years and years now, im a 23 year old female and just want to know if im guna be like this the rest of my life, iv tried self help books and saw a councillor a few time which al seems to help temporarily but i quite quickly slip back into my old ways. im just constantly worrying about my health, there’s nothing that should make me worry cos as far as i know im pretty healthy and normal but i think i just dread the worst happening, i constantly focus on my heartbeat that’s the one thing that causes my anxiety and panic, im at my worst after a heavy night like today iv been concentrating on my heart beat all day, it seems out of sink with my breathing, i feel short of breath at times, i get the odd pains and pins and niddley feeling too quite often actually which i have been told is al stress related but again petrifying… and just basically in fear that something is wrong which of course makes it al worse, i have been here loads times and normally its just me being me and worrying but if im honest i hate living my life in fear like this, i cant seem to tel many people cos it is embarrassing and people think its silly cos they dont have the same problems or understand, what are the chances of me actually getting over this one day or is it just guna be the way i am, any advice at al or anything that’s helped u if uv been the same would really be great

thank u x

Do I Have Social Anxiety Disorder?

Hey im just looking for for personal experiences and professional advice about social anxiety disorder and whether or not I am suffering from it.

I am really nervous about engaging in new social situations, like parties, or even just making new friends, ETC. When I do get into social situations, I analyze it and beat my self up for “saying the wrong thing” even if it was just small talk. At parties I am some what quiet, but when I drink I get more social. The next morning I feel like I made a fool of myself by saying the wrong things. This happens 99.9% of the time. I am also really nervous to talk in front of people and when I do I have to have everything I am going to say memorized or I freeze up.

When I am with really good friends or my girlfriend, I am a 100% different person, and comfortable with everything I say.

Is this a sign of social anxiety? I feel it is, but not as extreme as cases I have been reading about. And if so, what is the best course of action? Are self help books effective treatments?

I really want to get over this so any and all help is appreciated!

Why do i have anxiety if im not scared? I need help 4 real?

I think i turned it into something worse…this is my theory of what happened & i just want others opinions of it makes sinse. or if it can happen this way.

So anxiety is an emotion right? And when i was growing up i exsperienced it a lot, in lots of different situations, even when i was all alone i would think that im going to have it again or i would think of ways to surpress it. I developed social anxiety at a really young age cause of teasing & had an abusive home, was constantly put down by the way i looked & acted. So now i still carry that with me, even though i know i people wont judge me like i think they do, even though im fine with who i am..i still can’t get over that. I still have anxiety when i think like that…i still can’t get over it. I was doing fine, I had it for a really long time & eventually i was able to surpress the anxiety & get over it for the most part. I was doing really good. Then Spring break happened & i stayed at home a lot. I lost a little bit of social skills & doughted myself, all the old feelings can back & it was so weird & there was so many thoughts and emotions going on in my head i just had a panic attack. So after that happened i told myself it would never happen again, i wouldn’t let myself go there again. For a few days i was fine, i didn’t think i would have one again…i thought that was it. But the next time i had anxiety (social anxiety) i didn’t have a panic attack but had the constant symptoms of one. Then i developed agoraphobia & generalized anxiety so now i dont know what to do. Im not even scared of the anxiety, but when i think about it I get it. Doesn’t matter if anything provokes it or not, when i think about it I have it & when im in a tough situation its terrible. I was getting better with diversion & positive thinking, but then i started feeling like i had a ball of stress/something that wasn’t letting me relax idk i guess just anxious & so i was thinking about it a lot. Now i feel like i relapsed & it sucks. I know why i have it, cause of what i learned, what i grew up in, and how i feel now, but i dont know how to fix it when i have gotten rid of the fear. Well i’m not scared to have one because i know they cant hurt you & actually i know i wont ever have another panic attack again but i will get the symptoms & their constant. Thats just as bad…I dont know how to stop it. I’ve read lots of self help books, i know that im the one causing it. Consiously im not scared but subconsiously i am-thats what i think.
I just feel like i really confused my brain & i dont know what direction to take, what advice to follow, i dont know how to treat it, i dont know how to get to my subconsious & defeat the fear, i don’t know what to do. But im not coping with it, okay so any answers that suggest coping exercises or something like that get a thumbs down.

I just want to know whats the best way to get over it, if i sound typical in anxiety cases, if you think fear is the only thing i need to get over? Idk
I dont have money for therapy or psychiatry…& im 17. I think i need to like retrain myself, but i don’t know how. I really do have to handle this on my own so i want to make the right decisions of what i try. Maybe cbt or something.
the thing is i was getting better with diversion & positive thinking, much better. I wasn’t thinking about anxiety so i felt better & now im thinking about it a lot. I thought i was on the right track & going to recover then i got worse again & i dont want to go back to that. I know that my problem isn’t from any other condition…its just what i’ve been through & leanred & its like a habit…i know that. I think that its stuck in my head that it’s normal to feel that way…i think if i got over the fears & understood it then i would get over it. I’ve tried medication, it scares me makes me think i won’t have control over my thoughts & i just don’t like it. I used to do drugs quite a lot, about everything but when the panic attack happened i feel like if im not in my right mind i will have a panic attack. Like i always know what im doing/aware of my surroundings when im high or drunk, so it freaks me out & i really miss drinking wont lie.

Chronic anxiety, What has worked for you if anything?

I have chronic anxiety I can’t hold onto a safe thought classic fear of dead depersonalization racing thoughts fast heart rate,

I have tried, Therapy, one session of CBT, Hypnotherapy a few times, Self help books/cds

Zispin effexor lustral lexapro valium xanax

Varying degress of success but it’s my grielfriends 21st tomorrow and I’m sweating bullets though the xanax i just took helped.

Anybody tried anything that worked? 10 points for best answer you know you want it!!
ChiLady asked what about my GF Birthday party makes me anxious I freak out when I go far from my local hospital or if I’m anywhere I can’t escape from. Crippling really absolute constant indescribable fear.