Feels like almost everyone I know has crippling anxiety

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have had anxiety on and off through my life. I did really well during the pandemic because I was hyper focused on “getting through it.” Ironically, now that things are improving and everyday expectations are back, my anxiety is back.

Girl, same.

[Anonymous]

Easy. Like attracts like. People tend to spend time with people who are similar to them.

Plus, oftentimes, anxiety has a genetic component. So it runs in your family. Anxious people are more likely to end up with other anxious people.

And certain career paths tend to attract the anxious. In some cases, it can be a positive - extreme attention to detail, for example, so I see a lot of anxious people in data.

[Anonymous]

I feel pretty sane after reading this. I get worried. But I self talk myself down, and pray a lot to manage it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have had anxiety on and off through my life. I did really well during the pandemic because I was hyper focused on “getting through it.” Ironically, now that things are improving and everyday expectations are back, my anxiety is back.

Girl, same.

Me, too. I managed the pandemic really well. Now I feel like I'm having a belated reaction - really, really bad anxiety. Barely functioning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Easy. Like attracts like. People tend to spend time with people who are similar to them.

Plus, oftentimes, anxiety has a genetic component. So it runs in your family. Anxious people are more likely to end up with other anxious people.

And certain career paths tend to attract the anxious. In some cases, it can be a positive - extreme attention to detail, for example, so I see a lot of anxious people in data.

This. My social circle, including me, includes a lot of people with varying degrees of anxiety. I wouldn’t call it crippling, but some have had episodes where it’s more severe or things that make it flare.

I associate with a lot of overachiever type people, a lot of lawyers, and a lot of people of Eastern European Jewish descent. It’s like a trifecta for anxiety disorders.

[Anonymous]

I think it's the area. Just look at the schools and colleges forums here. Insanity.

[Anonymous]

OP, this sounds rough. Maybe....uh...find some new friends if being around these people is debilitating for you? I had to do that with a group that seemed to be always in or on the verge of clinical depression. I didn't blame them but it can be exhausting.

[Anonymous]

Definitely more anxiety in the overachiever crowd. I wonder if it’s a fear of failure / fear of making mistakes. I have always been pretty laid back, but married someone who grew up an overachiever and the level of perfection that they have for themselves and others is insane. I feel like I’m getting anxiety just from their anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Yes, a lot of us have anxiety in my family and my husband's family. It manifests in different ways and no one has an actual diagnosis apart from 3 people... but the rest of us have it too. Seems to be associated with perfectionism, attention to detail, ability to hyperfocus, and above-average IQ.

Our profiles led us to select the jobs we picked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's the area. Just look at the schools and colleges forums here. Insanity.

^^This^^

[Anonymous]

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

I feel like before the pandemic, most of my female relatives and friends were on SSRIs. But for me personally, I have generalized anxiety, no meds, and it is much worse since about April to May 2020. I have to force myself to do anything social.

[Anonymous]

What’s your age? It seems generational to me. I’m a millennial and it seems like ALL my peers have this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you miss the global pandemic? Do you have no empathy?

How nice for you that you didn’t lose anyone you loved, of COVID or of other causes where you couldn’t be with them in their final days, or give them a proper funeral.

How nice for you, that you didn’t lose your job or income.

How nice for you, that your kids adapted well to online learning.

How nice for you, that your parents aren’t in elder care facilities, and you weren’t locked away from seeing them, or only could see them through glass.

Etc.

Nice diatribe. Did you miss the part where OP says that in every case, it predates the pandemic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have had anxiety on and off through my life. I did really well during the pandemic because I was hyper focused on “getting through it.” Ironically, now that things are improving and everyday expectations are back, my anxiety is back.

Girl, same.

Me, too. I managed the pandemic really well. Now I feel like I'm having a belated reaction - really, really bad anxiety. Barely functioning.

Same here, but my anxiety is completely physical.
A few days before getting my first dose of the vaccine I broke out into nervous twitching. It’s been going on for 4 months. I’ve had to go on meds for it.
I was fine through out the pandemic, and then… boom.