Designated Doodler

Finding the right medication for General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is like playing Russian roulette. If you haven't surmised this yet...your doctor has no idea what's going to work for you and what won't. They can't forsee the side effects that you'll be sensitive to or the outcome of the medication for you in the long run. And knowing anxious souls...looking up medications (and their side effects) online is disastrous. If you've reached the conclusion that you need medication, you have to keep searching for that perfect medication, with the realization that it may not exist, all the while living your daily life. Medication can take a couple months to take effect and coming off of medication can be...challenging to say the least. I've experienced coming off of Lexapro. It was a terrifying experience that occured in college. And you can't exactly explain to others around you that you're acting totally...weird...because you're coming off o...

I felt inspired to write this post today to help anyone out there who knows/is friends with/is a parent of someone with anxiety. I realized today that these things I know aren't just common sense. They've come from years of dealing with anxiety myself and knowing others who have as well. So here it goes. Things to keep in mind about anxiety: Anxiety isn't as easy to control as you might think I've had people ask me in the past "well, why don't you just stop being anxious." To me, that's like asking someone who has chronic migraines to stop having migraines. What's important is to realize that anxiety is very much a physical thing. It is a response that your body has, when once started, is difficult to control or stop. An anxious person may have a racing heartbeat, sweaty hands, dry mouth, or even shake. Once the body begins this descent into anxiety it's hard to turn around. And even if the anxiety isn't yet to that point or severi...