General Anxiety Disorder: Personal Stories
(GAD)
What is it?...
There is a huge spectrum of ‘mental illnesses’ that people can be affected by which I will explore in further detail later. I would like to share with you the three conditions which have affected me - General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Premenstrual Dysphonic Disorder (PMDD) and Depression.
But firstly I would like to share my experiences of GAD with you...
I hope that by sharing my own personal experiences of the condition and the views of others, it may help people who maybe in similar situations...
But firstly I would like to share my experiences of GAD with you...
I hope that by sharing my own personal experiences of the condition and the views of others, it may help people who maybe in similar situations...
Good bye G.A.D
Dear G.A.D… you destroyed my life, for so long you were my nameless adversary
You hid your identity, I was so lost and confused, yet you showed me no mercy…
I blamed myself, thought I was losing my mind.. that I was suffering on my own
little did I know that you were tormenting others too…and that I was not alone
I spent years trying to find answers and to work out what was so wrong with me
But what I didn’t know was that I actually had a mental illness called G.A.D
For so long I didn’t know what I was fighting - so it was a battle I never won
But when I finally found out who you were… then that’s when the victory begun
Everyday was a living nightmare, but now it’s like the dawn is finally rising
The darkness I was once engulfed in… is being lifted by at long last realising…
That I’m not the freak that I thought I was, nor am I weak, crazy or insane…
Being aware that what I have is an illness helps me to better deal with my pain
And instead of being bitter and angry at the suffering you have inflicted on me
I choose to turn what is negative into the most positive thing that it can be
I will use my experiences with G.A.D to help others who are afflicted too…
So they can break free from their prisons and no longer be held captive by you
I will expose your identity and throw away your mask so everyone can finally see
The illnesses that you are actually are and how destructive you can really be
The day I saw you for what you are, was a real momentous turning point for me
Giving me strength to help myself & others break free from the chains of G.A.D
I know I may not be able to escape you completely & you may always be around
but you will no longer steal from me the peace & freedom that I have now found
So I’m writing this to tell you... I’m no longer your victim or under your control
You may try to destroy my mind & body, but you will never take my heart & soul
This is the end of the line for you, but for me a new chapter has only just begun
I’m determined to help others fight against you and ensure our battle is won
I won’t let you hold me back any longer, or stop me from who I was made to be...
This is my declaration of freedom and my journey of victory against you – G.A.D
Personal Stories
"Anxiety was running my life, I couldn’t believe how much it had taken over. I didn’t feel myself, nor was I acting like myself. I was so aware and conscious that I was acting strangely around people, but couldn’t stop it, and this only made me feel even more anxious and worse. At its worst, I couldn’t even look close family and friends in the eye, and would make excuses to escape social situations to hide away on my own. But even by myself, I was unable to find any rest or peace for my mind and I felt like there would never be any real escape for me” (Anonymous)
“I thought I was going mad. No one else around me seemed to understand what I was going though. I felt so alone. I couldn’t seem to stop worrying about anything. I knew in my head it didn’t make sense, but nothing I could do would stop the thoughts that kept coming into my head and driving me crazy” (Anonymous)
“I couldn’t understand what was going on. Everyone else seemed happy and normal – except me. I felt like I would never get away from the prison of my own mind and wanted my life to end, just so that the pain would finally go away” (Anonymous)
“It felt like I was seeing the world in black and white…like I was wearing dark glasses that constantly cast a shadow on everything I could see. All the colour and happiness in my life had been sucked away by the GAD and depression which had consumed my life. I felt like I could never break free and that I would be stuck in this miserable existence for the rest of my life” (Anonymous)
“I felt like there was no hope or future for me. Id been to so many doctors and counsellors…tried so many self help books, did everything I could…but nothing would make the hell I was going through go away. It was like I was trapped in the prison of my own mind, and there was no way out...”(Anonymous)
“I thought I was going mad. No one else around me seemed to understand what I was going though. I felt so alone. I couldn’t seem to stop worrying about anything. I knew in my head it didn’t make sense, but nothing I could do would stop the thoughts that kept coming into my head and driving me crazy” (Anonymous)
“I couldn’t understand what was going on. Everyone else seemed happy and normal – except me. I felt like I would never get away from the prison of my own mind and wanted my life to end, just so that the pain would finally go away” (Anonymous)
“It felt like I was seeing the world in black and white…like I was wearing dark glasses that constantly cast a shadow on everything I could see. All the colour and happiness in my life had been sucked away by the GAD and depression which had consumed my life. I felt like I could never break free and that I would be stuck in this miserable existence for the rest of my life” (Anonymous)
“I felt like there was no hope or future for me. Id been to so many doctors and counsellors…tried so many self help books, did everything I could…but nothing would make the hell I was going through go away. It was like I was trapped in the prison of my own mind, and there was no way out...”(Anonymous)