Saturday 25 June 2016

Bruno's Story | Anxiety Insight: Part Three

Hello again! This post will be the third part of my series 'Anxiety Insight'. This story is from a 22 year old office worker called Bruno*. This story helps everyone understand that men suffer from anxiety as well as women. It is by no means a 'female illness' as Bruno will tell you in his story...

"My anxiety must have started around the start of 2014, but considering I used to spend all my time in my bedroom until the age of about 15 doing nothing, it probably started earlier I just didn't realise.  I starred realise there was a problem when I started suffering from rapid heart rate, sweating, nausea, dizziness, depressed thoughts, extreme worry and fear although there was nothing to worry about, insomnia, restlessness. I also became very hostile towards people I was close to and felt myself becoming niggardly with emotions.

In my opinion, my doctor didn't help me comes to terms with my anxiety very much. I was referred for CBT (Cognitive a Behavioural Therapy) and it didn't really work for me. I don't believe you can teach someone to think differently, but that may just be me being stubborn and believing only intrinsic affirmation can help you. I was prescribed Propanolol by my GP and helped for a period of time in terms of calming my heart rate a fair bit, but after a while I got used to them and they didn't help. When I told my Doctor this, I was prescribed double the doseage, but this just produced bad side effects such as confusion and feeling completely brain dead because my heart rate slowed right down so I felt I had no energy. What helps me? A cigarette helps, but only for around 5 minutes. It's not a permeant solution. Music is a big help. I helps me escape my anxious thoughts. And although I cringe at admitting it, being in the company of my girlfriend is probably the biggest help of them all.

My anxiety does affect my job and the work I have to do. I work in an office and I find it hard to concentrate and struggle to sit still sometimes. This means I make mistakes which I normally wouldn't, which makes me feel crap some times. I also have no motivation to socialise and have no interest in the things that I used to love like playing football. After work and at weekends, I just want to relax and be in the comfort of my own home.

My advice to anyone who can relate to any of my story and thinks they may have anxiety is to seek medical help. This may seem hypocritical considering what I said above about my experience with NHS services, but this was just for me, and as I said, I can be quite stubborn about my beliefs. Going to see your doctor may help somebody else dramatically and really should be the first point of call in terms of getting help. I would also advise someone to find something in life which gives them solace. Something that allows to escape from the world even just for a little while. Things like watching TV or listening to music are great solaces for me"

*names have been changed to protect the identity of the individual.

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