Life With Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

By Avion Anderson

I have not been diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a type of anxiety disorder, thank goodness. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but living with never-ending worries is not my speciality. Also, I certainly never chose my mental illnesses, they chose me.

However, I wish that others never suffered with GAD. I have come to understand persons living with GAD, as I am learning each and every day to cope with my own mental issues.

I’m no anxiety expert, or anything remotely close to it. I am just an individual like everyone else. Well not totally. I am suffering in silence and struggling each and every day with multiple mental illnesses. Anxiety is part of them.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder is a type of anxiety that I thought would be important to talk about.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder symptoms

GAD is characterised by excess worry about common problems, that lasts for at least six months. People affected by GAD may have intense concerns about issues related to health, money or family. These can be to such an extent that they experience extreme tension, startle easily and have trouble concentrating and sleeping.

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:

• Muscle tension
• Fatigue
• Restlessness
• Difficulty sleeping
• Irritability
• Gastrointestinal discomfort

A person living with GAD would tell you that it’s like a lifetime of worries that never go away.

They sometimes not only suffer with GAD, but can suffer with other illnesses too, such as depression and sometimes substance abuse. Sometimes GAD is also accompanied by another anxiety disorder that makes life even harder.

Catastrophic thinking

People with GAD worry about anything and everything, even the smallest things. This makes their day-to-day activities feel totally catastrophic.

It is sometimes advisable that persons with this disorder do not drive. This is especially so when the feelings become more than they can bear and cope with. A lot of things can go through their head while driving. These things include thoughts like believing a tyre will blow out on their vehicle, thoughts of crashing into a wall, or landing on a pedestrian. Unfortunately, if they are not carefully and totally observant, those things truly might occur.

Generally each and every day is a constant battle for folks living with GAD. Even for average people the tortuous thoughts they must live with would wear them down if every day was a replay of the previous day.

Talking about that, I too feel as if I am in a battlefield and anxiety is the devil. I just want to hold him by the neck and shake the living daylights — or nightlights — out of him!

Anxiety is isolating

It’s hard talking to others about anxiety, or even carrying on a conversation when anxious. Most times people with GAD can become withdrawn and isolate themselves from others. In that respect it is the same as suffering from social anxiety disorder or schizoid personality disorder.

I am gradually working at overcoming both social anxiety disorder and schizoid personality disorder. I must, if I want to start going out and interacting with people and advocating on behalf of my brothers and sisters.

That’s what I call those who suffer with mental illness and help others like myself speak up and out.

They share their stories on my blog, twitter, google, and other social media networks. Doing so, I know, has put off a lot of people, but it makes the battle not just about me.

Exhausting and frustrating

Persons suffering from GAD can’t just stop the thoughts. This must be totally exhausting and frustrating. They can also become very upset over trivial things.

But there is always hope. If they are diagnosed early and not left untreated, there is hope.

That is because if it is left untreated the result can be serious problems down the line.

The end result can lead to their bitter demise.

But where there’s a problem, there’s often a solution. Not everyone will like or want to accept that solution — medication is a huge no for me.

However, I would advise others to listen to their doctors and therapists.

Anxiety can be treated

Physicians are always right in this instance, and often advise patients to take medication.

They may also offer them a number of other treatment options. These include supportive and interpersonal therapy. Also they may offer cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a treatment.

Other therapies specifically target thoughts, physical symptoms and behaviours. These behaviours include the over-preparation, planning and avoidance that characterise GAD. Mindfulness-based approaches and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy have been investigated, with positive outcomes.

Even relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, exercise, and other alternative treatments can become part of a treatment plan. They help persons suffering with any type of anxiety disorder, and with depression.

I would like to say to a word of encouragement to my brothers and sisters everywhere struggling with GAD and other mental illnesses. Please keep on fighting and never ever in your life give up.

Reproduced with permission, originally posted on avionneslegacy

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