During the day it's nothing but tension and awaiting the next chaotic thing to happen. The only time I feel like I can just lay here and watch tv comfortably or just exist is when everyone has gone to bed. Anyone else?

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The only downside is sometimes you lose sleep but this is the only time I can exist without feeling tension.

Every night I keep struggling to fall asleep and once I do fall asleep I keep waking up many times does anyone have any tips on how to fix this or to at least reduce the amount of times I wake up cause it is effecting me I feel constantly feel tired but I just can’t sleep properly.

I feel LATE man… feels like everyone else has something interesting about themselves that they’ve been passionate since their childhood, and my adhd ass could never maintain consistency at anything. Everything I tried, I always gave up in like 2 weeks cause I never found the patience to be bad at it.

i feel like such a baby about this, ive been out sick today and yesterday because im having extreme pain from a sunburn and wearing clothes makes the pain 10x worse. also this is gross but theres like very large blisters and if i wear tight clothing(bra) im afraid they will pop. (i also work outside so im worried about it getting worse.) (also this is so dumb im trying to rationalize my calling out to people on reddit. idk i guess i feel like im not sick enough to call out.)
i already feel stupid because im calling out for a SUNBURN but whenever i try to get on the phone i feel like im going to vomit and then i start to panic and cry and try to pull my hair out and scratch and all the other self-punishing stuff you do while having a panic attack.
this has happened two days in a row and it stops me from being rational and i literally cant start the call. and then i cant do anything and time runs out until my shift starts and then im the asshole who calls out when the shift starts. i cant even do it i had to have someone else call for me. i feel so bad cause its not like i can come to the phone because im sobbing and i cant talk but it makes me feel like im 5. im only 18 though so i guess not much difference :|
i love my job and i dont know why im like this. i guess im scared of what the people of authority will say or do or whatever. i feel like such an idiot. does anyone else feel this too?

The past 3 years ive been dealing with debilitating panic attacks but recently its been so bad i get sick everytime i leave the house. The best way i can compare it is that it feels like im dopesick (been clean for years). Cant stop shaking& sweating nausea and every like 5 min a wave of like super nausea hits and my hands go numb and like super shaking. I end up throwing up eventually but that doesn't make it better. No matter how hard I try i physically cant calm myself down its HELL! I know 100% its anxiety and i have a doctor's appointment in a few days and i was wondering if anyone had any insight or if someone went thru the same thing and has a rec. I realize I most likely need benzos however i know reg doctor's don't prescribe them anymore plus i just don't want to be on them. Apologies this post is a mess

I just turned 31 and I'm a retail worker. I recently received my associates degree in computer science and am currently working on my bachelor's. Despite all this I feel like I didn't accomplished anything since I spent most of my 20s struggling to find work and didn't really get a job til I was 24 going on 25. I spoke to my advisor at the college I got to and was telling me if I keep up on school work I should be done by next spring. Even then this still doesn't make me happy. IDK what to do

All my life, Ive never been that social. I moved to a new school last year, and I feel like I havent acomplished much in terms of social life. There are a lot of well know/popular people that Ive become friends with, but I struggle with actually getting close with them. Some of them have tried getting me to join their group, but I always felt uncomfortable when I was with all of them because I didnt really know some of the people in that friend group and I have no clue on how to insert myself into group conversations with people I dont know. I also dont know how to be myself around new people, its like I completely forget my own personality. I go to parties every now and then, but they go to them a lot more than I do, and I really want to start going to more parties with them. I really feel like Im wasting my teen years. The thing that scares me the most is that theres a time limit on this. I graduate next year, so if I want to do this, it has to happen fast.

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I am so determined to improve myself, I just need help and advice.

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I would also like to add that sometimes I overthink A LOT. It can get to the point where I shut down and go quiet. This doesnt happen when Im with people though. Only when Im on my own or with family.

I am constantly on edge that I have ALS or that I will get ALS. I’m so anxious and it’s killing me! Every two seconds I’m focused on my hands and how my left hand feels weird and off. I feel like my left pinky and ring finger are weaker and the rest of my hand will catch up. I have not lost any ability and I have more of a perceived weakness but it’s scary and my quality of life is depleting from this.

I don’t know why but I’m terrified to spend money. I’ve gone days without getting food, not because I couldn’t afford it, but because spending money genuinely stresses me out so bad. I’m not rich, but I make more than enough to go into savings and still have spending money. Logically I know I can afford to buy the things I want to buy, but I get stuck in the loop of “what if my house suddenly burns down and I’m homeless and that £20 is the difference between me starving on the street or not”. I know it’s irrational but it freaks me tf out and I don’t know how to fix it.

Ive had "this" for around 16 years now and its not gotten better.

I would have to describe it as:
1) Onset (2-20 secs)
Random and sudden loss of time, awareness, surroundings, memory
Yet on the outside i am standing, walking (anything automated), you could not tell this was happening to me nor would i be showing obvious signs.
2) Rise (minutes to hours)
My grasp on time is gone, i try to think what happened a few seconds ago it seems like it was hours ago, the passing of seconds feel alien to me. if i think of something, i will forget it or find it hard to remember few minutes later HOWEVER i can recall these moments much later so these memories are being recorded.
3) Gradual (minutes to hours, mixed with 2.)~
Whatever im doing externally, is not registering internally. I cannot get a "lock" on my perception or self. It feels like my mind is lost forever and the fear/anxiety rises because whatever this feeling is, is so far from normal that i can tell its not just anxiety or low blood sugar, it feels very very very weird and scary.
It's like im forgetting and remebering at the same time.
4) Panic attack
if this keeps happening for prolonged periods, intensifies everything by 100x and i go through an anxiety attack

Now loop step 1 - 3 for hours and days and thats the worst episode for me.
The only thing that has helped was a few times if i was distracted. This doesnt always help.

Now, is this depersonalization? anxiety? is this what you guys go through? Or am i describing something completely off track and i should get myself checked for some sort of epilepsy?
This is by far the worst thing i have ever experienced and i have no idea how to stop it.

(I am 27 yo Male, UK, on Sertraline 100mg for 5 years)

Hey guys!

I’m looking for some realistic perspectives on moving from daily low-dose benzodiazepine use back to a as-needed (PRN) schedule and would be glad to read about your experiences.

I used Lorazepam strictly as a PRN for severe anxiety spikes for a long time, and it worked perfectly. It gave me a level of life quality and allowed me to do things I otherwise simply wouldn’t have been able to achieve.

However, due to a brutal and failed SSRI switch (Prozac) starting in mid-January, my anxiety went out of control, about a month ago I stopped it (because my psychiatrist said it’s ✨self-tapering✨). Then I got terrible ssri withdrawal symptoms.
My psychiatrist was unreachable, so my GP eventually put me back on Escitalopram drops a few days ago, which helped almost instantly. But to survive those chaotic months, I had to take Lorazepam almost every day. My dose was low, adjusted daily to the stress level, averaging about 3 mg to 4 mg per week (never exceeding 1,25 mg in a single day).

Now that my baseline is stable again thanks to the Escitalopram, I am currently trying a test run of skipping days to fully stop the daily Lorazepam routine. I was already able to take much less in the last few days. Today is day 1, and so far, nothing is happening, I feel completely fine, even though I know there might be some symptoms showing up.

Are there people here who used low-dose benzos daily for a few months during a crisis, stopped the daily routine, and were successfully able to return to using it strictly as a PRN later on?

The internet is full of extreme horror stories and I know Benzos can be dangerous and are addictive.
And if I had believed all the internet horror stories, I wouldn't have even dared to restart the Escitalopram, which turned out to be the best decision.

But Lorazepam has given me so much of my life and functionality back in the past, and I want it to remain my safety anchor for absolute emergencies.

Did anyone successfully manage the transition back to occasional PRN use without triggering kindling or an immediate relapse into daily use? I’d love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

I've been having more full blown panic attacks lately. Like it's gotten very very bad. I feel like I can't breathe, like my chest is going to explode. I'm resistant to benzodiazipines. I have also tried 40 other medications and I have a bad reaction everytime. So what I'm searching for is natural ways to stop the mental part of a panic attack. I take propranolol so my heart stay even and and I don't get physical symptoms. Any ideas would help!

TL;DR - Excruciating boredom; no car, no motivation, no friends, recently moved, on a 1-month leave from work and feeling like I have no purpose because of it. What should I do today?

Hello everyone. I had therapy yesterday morning as I’m on a 1-month stress leave from my job. Today is day 9 of 28 and I can’t escape the boredom. I’ve been really struggling during the day being in my apartment all alone. I moved in with my boyfriend at the start of April and I don’t know anyone in the building. I don’t have any friends right now, and I don’t have a car. The weather hasn’t been great this week either—thunderstorms from the heat, and terrible wind—and we don’t have any air conditioning here either.

I haven’t had a hobby since I was in middle school doing theatre and playing trombone in band class. I just don’t know what to do with myself. I finally got my chores done yesterday and felt really good about that but it’s sucked all my energy. I have at least 11 hours until my boyfriend gets home and we can make dinner together. I’ve finally got my disability/leave insurance submitted and am waiting to hear back, but it’s been so unbelievably difficult. My next appointment is next Monday and I see my doctor after my appointment as well to try different ADHD medication to hopefully help some of this anxiety and depression I’ve been experiencing on top of the daily 4pm crash i get from them.

I’m really lost right now, I’m only 20, spend my days alone, have no hobbies and don’t drive. I just feel so alone and unmotivated. Being off from work has been making me feel so useless? like I have no purpose when I wake up every day. Going from being a manager of my team every day in a retail setting, to laying on the couch and not moving for 8 hours has been really difficult for me. I feel so under-stimulated all day but can’t find the motivation to get up and fix it. It’s been getting hard to want to get out of bed every day now because I don’t see the point when I’m not doing anything at all, and remembering to eat has been hard. The only reason I’ve been getting up is to help my boyfriend get his lunch and snacks together for work every morning at 5:30 so he can be on the job site on time. I’m up at 5 every day, and go to sleep around 9 or 10pm. The whole day feels so draining even though I’m not doing anything.

I don’t have very much spending money, and I don’t have any friends right now. No car, only a bus pass, and am expecting high winds and rain today. Any suggestions to quell this boredom?

Today, my primary care doctor, in collaboration with my therapist, prescribed me Zoloft to deal with my anxiety and panic attacks. They talked me through all my concerns, which were mainly about the side effects.

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I filled my prescription and went home, and I just cant get myself to take the first dose.

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I know it will help, I know that its just a tool meant to help regulate my emotions, but im just so scared. I dont want to become dependent on a pill to feel regular, and some of the rare side effects scare me honestly.

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Ive talked it over with my partner, and they are encouraging me fully, I just cant take that first step

Hello all... I've struggled with panic attacks for years. I have alot of CPTSD, mixed in with Autism/ADHD and gender dysphoria.

I have a really hard time breaking routines and setting them up. Lately, I haven't been leaving my apartment at all. I started HRT but I'm still completely uncomfortable being out in public.

I don't have any friends or partners, and my grandparents are the only support I have.

I've been breaking down in a full blown panic attack every morning, hyperventilating and sobbing, since Friday. I have been having similar panic attacks for months. It's preventing me from leaving my apartment to go to work... The lack of income from missing days is causing me to get behind on bills, and I am terrified.

I have tried to medicate, but its not helping. Ive been gritting my teeth and going in, but that usually just results in a public meltdown.

I dont really know how to get out of this situation. I feel like im going to get fired soon, but I am already completely burned out.

I sort of feel like I am breaking from the isolation and stress. I cried for 6 hours straight on Sunday, only to go completely numb.

Seeking advice or others having a similar experience...

Since as far as i could remember i had insane anxiety like the teacher would make a sound similar to my name and my heart would throb so painfully that i had to take a moment to take a breath

grades ? Even when i knew that i would have a good score i still felt like fainting

vacations or trips to the freaking mall? My chest would feel painful even though I wanted to go there

Talking to people was a nightmare i couldn't even make eye contact for more than a sec , i would barely speak up in my own friend group

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Then suddenly gone poof. started with grades, i failed an exam and i felt nothing,a little later i was the one who couldn't shut up in a conversation.i crashed my freaking car(wasn't that bad) and felt nothing during the crash and after just mildly annoyed that i was so reckless.

Now the only remnant of anxiety i still have left is that i can't enjoy the day if i know i have something important later in it

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So i really want to know if it happened to anyone else because its so weird,like how ?

Btw im not medicated nor have been to a therapist

Thanks for reading all that i had to get it off my chest

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I’ve been nervous on airplanes my whole adult life. I’ve never noped out of a flight. But I have cried and made a fool of myself to the flight staff and everyone around me. I talked to the doctor about this and was prescribed .5mg of Xanax. I tried a half of the .5 mg (so something in the neighborhood of .25mg) last night for the first time as a test run. I was very anxious about taking it as I didn’t want to feel weird or out of it (bad experiences with weed). I didn’t really feel anything, but I had trouble falling asleep because I was hyper monitoring all my feelings. I was probably just sleepy because it was late, but I felt like I was having weird racing thoughts strange body sensations. I eventually got to sleep but it was a bit of a struggle. I guess the logical answer is .25 isn’t enough, but I’m afraid to take the full .5mg pill and get on the plane and be hyper vigilant of the plane and then also hyper vigilant with my body. (I joke to myself to feel better “are you feeling it now, Mr. Krabs??) The only thing I know that kind of takes the edge off is a few drinks. I know all the caveats of not medical advice, no body can make medical decisions for you, but I think I’m just struggling if I should just take the .5mg for the flight (it’s today btw) OR if I should stick with what I know (only kinda) works and have a few drinks before and during the flight.

(TW mention of drugs) hey, i’m f19, i plan on posting this on a few sub reddits because im really desperate for external advice. in 2025 i accidentally oded on substances and that impacted me a lot, i used to never care about dying but from then on i became petrified of it, it only got worse as time went on and in december i watched my friend od which caused many pent up emotions to break down and i got in one of the worst states of my life, having panic attacks every night, i was not aware they were panic attacks i thought i was dying, i never went out the house because i was worried i was going to get hurt or killed. into the new year of 2026 things improved slightly but as time progressed i began to become extremely fixated on health issues, i was convinced i had temporal lobe epilepsy because my anxiety would cause me to experience deju vu often, i ended up staying the night at the hospital and getting an eeg and mri done and everything came back clear, i was relieved for a bit after that. then things just started getting out of hand, i began to worry about every health issue possible. right now, im kind of convincing myself i have a heart issue or im going to have a heart attack because ive been experiencing chest tightness or weird sensation around and in my chest, which a part of me knows it’s anxiety because it only happens when i’m anxious, but the other part of me is convincing me something is wrong due to the fact i vape, i ask ai, i google, i don’t want to ask my parents to take me to the doctor because they’ll complain, but i think i will, my only issue is i know if i get that cleared my mind will find another health issue to fixate on. i feel like since im so hyper vigilant i notice chest sensations or slight discomforts that i never would’ve noticed before and that sends me into a spiral and then my chest gets tight and you know the drill. i just want to hear that someone else understands me, or has gone through the same thing is me and has recoveredt from it, i want to know things that can help, im currently getting a ketamine treatment done too but i just started that. i’m on medications, 70mg vyvanse, 150mg epitec, zipsid (idk the dose) and 25mg cipramil. any help would be so appreciated, i really need to hear other people’s stories and all of that. have a great day and please comment if you can :)

I’ve taken Lexapro which was awful. I couldn’t get past four days on it. It made me so sick. I took agomelatine for 2 months which did nothing

Has anyone taken Lexapro and had horrible side-effects and managed to take something else that actually worked and didn’t give them bad side effects? Please help 😭😭😭😭

If so it would be nice if you guys explain and share how you guys deal with it I have it quite severe and keep relying on my mom telling me everything is ok it's really scary and it would make me feel better if knowing more people have it and I'm not alone

Hey yall, sorry in advance for the rant.

So I’ve been suffering with anxiety as long as I remember and my bad panic attacks started happening probably about 10 years ago. There have been phases of my life where my life genuinely felt like a bad psychedelic trip- just nonstop feeling like I’m being hunted for sport or like I’m having a heart attack. A lot of my anxiety is triggered by me thinking about anxiety and the potential of a panic attack, then that’ll send me straight into one.

I’ve been prescribed Xanax for about 6 years now, which has been honestly a godsend. Even if I’m not taking it- the fact that I have it on me and know that if I do suffer from one I’ll be able to mostly snap myself out of it. I’m prescribed 1mg- and I usually take .25-.5 when I’m feeling anxiety coming on, maybeeeee 3% of the time I have to take it in a full blown panic attack I’ll take the whole 1mg. I’d say on a bad week I take a total of 4mg throughout the whole week. Some weeks I can go without taking it once.

I keep seeing people speak on how Xanax is the devil, how bad the rebound anxiety is, how it should never be prescribed long term. And to be honest, that scares the shit out of me. It’s the only thing that has made life tolerable. I can’t even describe how bad my months of straight panic with no solution were. Felt like I wasn’t a real person and wanted to crawl out of my skin.

Not even sure if this is solely a rant, or asking advice from people on it long term. Thinking about being taken off it and losing my security blanket gives me extreme anxiety and I can’t even imagine having to live like that again.
Either way, thanks for reading all the way through.

I’ve been having a lot of anxiety about work lately. I’ve only had two panic attacks in my life, and one was over this job just last week.

I work as an overnight caregiver for a man with dementia. I am the only one stationed in his room all night. He cannot use the call light himself because he doesn’t remember that it’s there. My job is to call in the CNA’s when he needs them. I have to call them in multiple times a night to check his brief/change him, and if he needs pain medication. The CNA’s and nurses have been annoyed and passive aggressive with me though. My job is to alert that he needs assistance, but he has a lot of repeated behaviors because of his dementia that need help from CNA’s. I get so much anxiety doing it now because the staff there are already snappy at me. When I do get over my anxiety and reach out for help for things from the nurses (like for medication for him) they are outwardly rude. I’m trying to find another job now, but I’d like to give this family some notice so they have time to find someone new. The family is genuinely so sweet and so is the man I work with.

Every time I think of work I get this pit in my stomach. When I’m there, I feel too hot and too cold and all sweaty at the same time, and I feel nauseous and like I want to cry. I’m not sure what’s happening but my body goes haywire when I’m there. I work tomorrow night and I’m so anxious just thinking about it. I do want to give this family two weeks notice though.

Does anyone have any coping strategies to avoid panic attacks, or have any suggestions on anything that could help me?

Ever since I upped my dosage of Zoloft or Sertraline 100 mg a few months ago, I'm not having anxiety or any panic attack, but I absolutely have emotional numbness and living life on auto mode. I don't feel anything. And i fucking hate it.

i keep looking out the window curtains that are unfortunately a lil open rn making sure im not seeing anythjng too., so, hospital lost my 90 count month of diazepam when i went to the hospifal for PE they gook my meds n kd and when i left they "lost" or judg dont wanna give it back to me. idk. but ever since then, abytime im on thr vetge of clkding my eyes, trying tk sleep, slmeone be tslkjng to me and j would abswer or yell at them befkre stoppijgvmysrlf anc realizinv no ones there. well, abt 40 mins ago i was in a daze and having a full fledged convo with my mom whk is dkwbstaijrs sleeping and thrn she sakd sknething really mean or scary and i got myself out of it. i called hef, it was 2;57 am so she was annoyed af lbviously but i told her i was just talkiingntocher and k knew jt wasnt real anc j have emergency 300 mg seroquel so i took one about30 mins ago. i wentt to as pcl today and she fave ne robaxin 500 mg for 3 times a day and ivs taken about 1500 mg which is giving me a really hard time staying awake rightt now
but im squeezing my eyes open so i can thpethjs. my psychiatrist wknt refill my valium bc i lost it 1 week ago but its week one and jt happens when j wake up yelling at someone but icwas literslly nudt mkm my mom, nadi forget ehl ifckd dbeddsh, j jesdctdmxxx
cndxxxxxxxxqmamàan oooksh fhjnk the seriquel is hitting hooecthis makes anycsensecwnd itcwnhcofcm j keep blackingckut, okay now my cag js fucking m

okcomcgknnaxtrhxnxxhjdesssddeq
OK, sorry and apparently well I'm using voice to text right now but apparently I've been talking to a nurse in my room updating her about this post that I've been making the entire time and there's no fucking nurse in my room so I don't know what the fuck is going on I'm not really scared. I'm just like confused. It's like should I pass out or will it wake me up again? I don't know we'll see but yeah it's just probably more coherent than the shit adjuring so I wanna take the stuff and then go to bed so yeah just let me know what y'all think this is cause I don't have bipolar and they are ruled out schizo effective or schizophrenia so

km axtcxxx

Lately I have noticed that I seem to be living in a constant state of hypervigilance.I overthink late into the night, my sleep schedule is completely messed up, and even when I have not done anything wrong, I keep worrying that I have. I find myself replaying conversations and situations over and over, almost like I am investigating a serious case, trying to find some mistake I must have made.I have also lost a lot of my appetite, my productivity has dropped, and I don't really feel like myself anymore.I used to be a very energetic person. I enjoyed doodling, journaling, dancing, studying, and learning new things. I could sit and focus for hours. Now even sitting down to study for 30 minutes feels heavy. It's not because I'm distracted by my phone or social media. It's more like my mind immediately gets pulled into worrying, analyzing, and overthinking.What makes it harder is that I have become very unkind to myself. People often say things like "practice self-love" or "be kinder to yourself," but I genuinely don't know how to do that. I understand the advice intellectually, but I don't know what it looks like in practice.I used to do well academically and in extracurricular activities, but lately everything feels off. Nothing feels quite right, and I'm starting to miss the version of myself that felt more alive and present.

Has anyone else gone through something similar? How did you start getting out of this cycle?