Feels like almost everyone I know has crippling anxiety

[Anonymous]

Social media. Nuke it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First let me say this thread comes from a place of genuine curiosity and concern, not from a mean desire to gossip.

I'm defining "crippling anxiety" as anxiety that negatively impacts relationships, sleep, quality of life, often for which they're seeking medication or therapy. Obviously that's not a medical definition. I'm just distinguishing it from the nervousness I feel when giving a speech, for instance.

Of my friends: One or both members of the 5 couples in my circle have it (7 of 10).
Of my family: My mom, both cousins, ex-husband, ex-MIL, ex-SIL. I have no siblings, and ex's father is deceased, so basically that's everyone except my dad.
Of my coworkers: My boss and boss's boss and 4 of my 5 peers.

This is serious anxiety -- can't sleep for days because they're mulling over the end of the world and our purpose in it; avoiding going out in public and having panic attacks when they do; unable to drive (much less fly) because they fear crashing; alienating spouses due to their compulsive cleaning and fear of germs; etc.

Have people always been this way and we just didn't have the knowledge and tools to diagnose it as anxiety? Or is it from a change in our environment -- i.e. plastic in everything, something like that?

There's a lot of "in between" space there. I would say I have anxiety that is disrupting my sleep and affecting my overall outlook on life at the moment, but not to the doomsday, end-of-the-world sense and nothing that urgently requires medical intervention.

[Anonymous]

Living in the DMV during the pandemic has been utterly soul crushing.

[Anonymous]

OP, it sounds like what you’re describing is situational anxiety which our news and social media perpetuates through all the negativity. The other type of anxiety comes from within where there have been no external factors to cause it —- it’s a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are a lot of people right now who don’t know when to check out from the increased external negative messages which has resulted in a lot of cases of situational anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Living in the DMV during the pandemic has been utterly soul crushing.

i agree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's interesting that you posted that, OP. Funny thing is I just came back from Moscow, where in my opinion things were looking like complete Armageddon. 100 degrees weather (no central AC anywhere, including some hospitals), ridiculously high covid rates and not enough hospital beds/ambulances (I couldn't meet with 4 of my friends because they had covid at the time) + terrible political divide with a lot of heated emotions. But NONE of my friends/relatives seemed anxious, not at all. In fact, while being there I realized that of many people and relatives I only know one person who was briefly medicated for anxiety after going through her divorce. It lasted 6 month and she is completely fine now. It's just completely different lifestyle. Our Americal culture is very toxic, especially in this DMV area.

Well as they say There is no happiness in Russia, only Vodka. Perhaps that is why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

NP. Your shitty response is why I can’t stand the DMV. It attracts a-holes like you. And a-holes like you are enough to give anyone anxiety.

[Anonymous]

I had horrible anxiety when I use to drink regularly. I have many friends who are not sober, who continue to tell me about their anxiety and I feel many lack the ability to self regulate without alcohol, weed or pharmaceuticals. I think we live in a society where we bandaid everything.

I no longer suffer with crippling anxiety. I attribute this to sobriety, having a spiritual connection to a higher power, meditation/prayer and actively working everyday to get out of my own self pity by being of service to others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had horrible anxiety when I use to drink regularly. I have many friends who are not sober, who continue to tell me about their anxiety and I feel many lack the ability to self regulate without alcohol, weed or pharmaceuticals. I think we live in a society where we bandaid everything.

I no longer suffer with crippling anxiety. I attribute this to sobriety, having a spiritual connection to a higher power, meditation/prayer and actively working everyday to get out of my own self pity by being of service to others.

+1. I stopped all alcohol too, but before the pandemic and am convinced it helped me escape a lot of anxiety over the last year.