neversaynotopanda

Well done to you for seeking help and advice: you are already on the road to overcoming this anxiety by being so open and self-aware. I have also suffered debilitating anxiety my entire life and will till the day I die: it never disappears but you can learn how to control it very effectively. You obviously have the ability to overcome this; you have after all studied for and earned your nursing degree and I bet there were a few stressful days associated with that! What worked for me was admitting my feelings to just one friend who put me in touch with a wonderful doctor who prescribed SSRIs and referred me to a psychologist for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). I would never rely on just meds alone or therapy alone but both of them together was the turning point for me. I finished 12 sessions of CBT and took baby steps to getting better: each achievement was a huge confidence boost to go a further step; then the next step and the next. I will be on SSRIs (100mg Zoloft) every day for the rest of my life I think as they give me that objectiveness I need to realize I'm becoming stressed and am able to step back and put into action techniques that work to pull me back to normality. Getting older and learning not to care so much about others and their opinion of you also helps! I'm 48 now and have only really got this under control about 6 years ago so have a lifetime of missed opportunities because of crippling anxiety. I absolutely adore where I am now even though it has taken this long and believe me, if I can do it, you can to. One book I bought which really helped me was called "Fearless - Your Guide to Overcoming Anxiety' by Wayne Froggatt : check out his site Rational New Zealand - it's a fantastic resource. I can only urge you to keep trying to find something that works for you and never take it for granted you will be 'healed' or the anxiety will suddenly magically stop one day - it won't! But you will be all the stronger for dealing with it and living a better life. Your brain can't wait to sabotage you and CBT really helps you to show it who's boss! Best of luck to you - you can do it.