Help, I am 48 years old and have suffered from anxiety for many years. Most days I feel scared and emotionally overwhelmed. Am wondering if medication and/or counseling can help. Any suggestions?
Anxiety is a very real problem and most of us suffer from it at times, we would not be human if we did not
Most of us feel we live in a very unsettled and insecure world and a lot of our feelings come from the attitude of our parents. If our parents worried over minor things and were not very happy over the future or were caught in a situation that they were only just coping with daily life, that is understandable that their feelings would come down to the children.
I think that you have to take a look at where your anxieties are coming from and ask yourself to look back over the past of your worries, did they come to anything?
If you talk to other people whom you think always appear confident, you will find that maybe they have the same feelings as you do but they cover them up. It is a good idea to plan something to look forward to and to find a faith. You do not necessarily have to have a religious faith as such but if you can explore some kind of spirituality it will help.
Anxiety by: Kay
Thank you for contacting Positive Personal Growth. Your anxiety is caused by the thoughts you have. No one gives it to you but once you have a fearful thought and accept it into your mind it roots itself inside and grows daily, because the more you think about it and feel the fear the worse it grows. It becomes a vicious circle, fearful thought, acceptance, fearful feelings then dread and so it goes on and on making you desperate.
All this is happening inside your mind, and this fear is caused by your way of thinking. They are your own thoughts that give you the fear. Fear does no exist other than in your mind. You cannot reach out and touch it.
I have no idea what is causing your fear, it may be something that happened to you in your past, or maybe something was said to you that upset you, but I feel that counseling would certainly benefit you. My opinion (and it's only my opinion) is that drugs wont cure the cause of why you are anxious, and this is what you need to find out to enable you to work through these things and become strong within yourself.