Anxiety Problems « on: March 20, 2020, 11:20:05 AM » Author: CEB1993
Hi all, I would like to let you know that I have anxiety, OCD, and panic attacks. I am gradually accepting this as part of who I am and disclosing it to people I know. I've dealt with anxiety and OCD since I was a young child. The past two and a half years, I've began to have occasional panic attacks, which are really scary and uncomfortable, and often leave me feeling physically ill. With all that's going on in the world right now, and stress that I'm dealing with individually, I had a panic attack yesterday at work. I'm doing okay today and I'm finding ways to manage these episodes. It seems like some days I worry about EVERYTHING. In order to tame my anxiety and bring myself to a better state of mind, I do the following: Stop what I'm doing and go someplace alone. Take my medicine. Listen to relaxing music. Pray. Focus on things I'm thankful for. Focus on enjoyable hobbies and interests (i.e. lighting and cars) I will say that lighting and a site like LG is a blessing for me to enjoy a unique interest with other likeminded people  Anyone have any advice or memories of their own struggles? After reaching out to a few people, I've found I am not alone in this battle and that many people are actually very understanding and compassionate.
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	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #1 on: March 20, 2020, 11:27:39 AM » Author: HomeBrewLamps
that sucks man. sorry that you have to deal with anxiety. and especially panic attacks. those are no fun.
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~Owen

Scavenger, Urban Explorer, Lighting Enthusiast and Creator of homebrewlamps

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #2 on: March 20, 2020, 11:57:10 AM » Author: HPS_250
Quote from: CEB1993 on March 20, 2020, 11:20:05 AM Hi all, I would like to let you know that I have anxiety, OCD, and panic attacks. I am gradually accepting this as part of who I am and disclosing it to people I know. I've dealt with anxiety and OCD since I was a young child. The past two and a half years, I've began to have occasional panic attacks, which are really scary and uncomfortable, and often leave me feeling physically ill. With all that's going on in the world right now, and stress that I'm dealing with individually, I had a panic attack yesterday at work. I'm doing okay today and I'm finding ways to manage these episodes. It seems like some days I worry about EVERYTHING. In order to tame my anxiety and bring myself to a better state of mind, I do the following: Stop what I'm doing and go someplace alone. Take my medicine. Listen to relaxing music. Pray. Focus on things I'm thankful for. Focus on enjoyable hobbies and interests (i.e. lighting and cars) I will say that lighting and a site like LG is a blessing for me to enjoy a unique interest with other likeminded people   Anyone have any advice or memories of their own struggles? After reaching out to a few people, I've found I am not alone in this battle and that many people are actually very understanding and compassionate. , I’m sorry you have to deal with that.   I have never had panic attacks before, but when I’m stressed I usually come to LG.
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I’ve always been interested in all kinds of lighting, mainly incandescent and HID, and especially all kinds of sodium lamps (HPS/LPS). I’ll tolerate LED but I’m not a fan of it.
I’m not proud to say that my city has Devolved to LED.

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #4 on: March 20, 2020, 03:58:37 PM » Author: CEB1993
@HPS_250: That’s a good plan! I’m always able to relax a bit here on LG. It’s an escape for me to embrace all things lighting and learn a few things while I’m at it. Continuous learning on my own terms is always rewarding. Thank you all for your support! I won’t bore you with too many details about me, but anxiety is a pervasive problem for many and I can definitely sympathize. I usually find that immersing myself in hobbies, having a day with no schedule, and being able to withdraw for a little while helps a lot.
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Philips DuraMax and GE Miser forever!  Classic incandescents are the best incandescents!

Stop the lamp bans!

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #5 on: March 20, 2020, 04:32:49 PM » Author: HPS_250
Quote from: CEB1993 on March 20, 2020, 03:58:37 PM @HPS_250: That’s a good plan! I’m always able to relax a bit here on LG. It’s an escape for me to embrace all things lighting and learn a few things while I’m at it. Continuous learning on my own terms is always rewarding. Thank you all for your support! I won’t bore you with too many details about me, but anxiety is a pervasive problem for many and I can definitely sympathize. I usually find that immersing myself in hobbies, having a day with no schedule, and being able to withdraw for a little while helps a lot. I’m always able to relax here too, while learning new things about lighting! It helps you escape from things.
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I’ve always been interested in all kinds of lighting, mainly incandescent and HID, and especially all kinds of sodium lamps (HPS/LPS). I’ll tolerate LED but I’m not a fan of it.
I’m not proud to say that my city has Devolved to LED.

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #6 on: March 21, 2020, 11:03:19 AM » Author: suzukir122
I suffer from panic attacks and anxiety, but to a certain degree. It's fairly mild, and happens very rarely, only when I'm surrounded by large groups of people. No one knows when I'm having anxiety or panic attacks. I do suffer from extreme depression though, and that's daily. Very extreme depression. I've posted a topic about it a couple years ago that has likely been deleted. Unfortunately no matter what I do to try to avoid it, you can hear it in my voice easily. Especially nowadays compared to 2012 and before. My depression started a little before a break up with a girl I fell in love with several years ago. That break up shattered me. It also permanently changed my view of people. Ever since then, with all the other added pressures of the world and how people are, I haven't been the same. And it's been getting worse and worse as time goes on. I'm very silent about this. Eventually I will give in permanently, but given time. Who knows... maybe I'll end up achieving my dreams, and maybe I'll end up finding the woman I've been searching for all this time. I'm apparently a "handsome" guy from what I've been told. If it happens, maybe it will steer me away from enabling myself to create my own demise
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Interests:
1. Motorcycles, Cars, Women, and Lighting (especially fluorescent)
2. Weightlifting/staying extremely athletic
3. Severe Thunderstorms of all kinds
4. Food and drinks. So gimme them bbq ribs
Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #7 on: March 21, 2020, 04:15:30 PM » Author: CEB1993
My anxiety began a long time ago and it’s gotten slightly easier to talk about it as I’ve gotten older. I’m accepting it instead of bottling it up and hiding it. With the panic attacks, I feel them coming on. I know the warning signs. The hot, tingling face and shortness of breath. They’re prompted by people around me being angry or stressed, crowded environments, and/or highly demanding environments. They really throw me out of sorts for 20 min to a whole hour. Thankfully I don’t mistake them for heart attacks because I’ve experienced them enough and I know I am physically healthy.  They suck, but I know how to care for myself, ride them out, and to get back up to speed. Sometimes I just want to put up my Christmas lights again to spread cheer and encouragement to myself and others. Some people are putting their Christmas lights up now to bring some happiness and encouragement to the anxious world population due to current events. @Suzukir122: I’m sorry to hear about your depression and panic episodes. Depression and anxiety often feed off of each other. There are times before a highly stressful day, I’ll feel unusually sad for no specific reason. Anxiety will run me down until I’m in tears sometimes.  It’s a battle, but it always passes. Another thing to have is a support group of people to talk to. Communication is so helpful with these problems. Family and close friends are great resources and can give you amazing support
« Last Edit: March 21, 2020, 04:36:24 PM by CEB1993 »		Logged

Philips DuraMax and GE Miser forever!  Classic incandescents are the best incandescents!

Stop the lamp bans!

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #9 on: March 21, 2020, 08:12:46 PM » Author: suzukir122
As much of a lighting enthusiast as I am, and have always been all of my life, Christmas lights will not have any cheerful effect on me. In a way, they'll create more of an opposite feeling for me. "The situation is so bad, Christmas lights are going back up," kind of feeling/thinking. Not a good feeling. Weightlifting and looking in shape has always been another "go-to" medicine for me to combat depression. Doesn't matter how good I look in a muscle T-shirt... once I have an anxiety attack, my confidence is also attacked, and my depression increases significantly. @CEB1993, I do know that feeling though... shortness of breath, rapid heart beat, increase in temperature.... all three of those feelings have occurred with me as well during my anxiety attacks.
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Interests:
1. Motorcycles, Cars, Women, and Lighting (especially fluorescent)
2. Weightlifting/staying extremely athletic
3. Severe Thunderstorms of all kinds
4. Food and drinks. So gimme them bbq ribs
Lighting has ALWAYS been a passion of mine. I consider everyone on here to be a friend

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #10 on: March 23, 2020, 09:31:57 AM » Author: CEB1993
I have a catastrophic way of thinking and expecting with many situations. It seems like I worry about everything that could possibly go wrong, and it wears me down emotionally. I feel like one mistake on my part will snowball into a huge disaster. For example, I think about going to work and the possibilities of my car breaking down, getting in a wreck, getting stuck at the railroad crossing, etc. I’m usually completely wound up and upset before even arriving at work. Some days are better than others. Sometimes I’m able to be more assertive with myself and make the best of my day. Other times, I can barely bring myself to leave the house because I’m so physically and emotionally drained from the constant anxiety and “What if?” thoughts. Having my support system and having benefits at work that allow me to get the professional help I need are huge positives in my life.
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Philips DuraMax and GE Miser forever!  Classic incandescents are the best incandescents!

Stop the lamp bans!

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #11 on: March 23, 2020, 11:33:49 AM » Author: dor123
I think that I've an OCD, but I never diagnosed like this.
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I"m don't speak English well, and rely on online translating to write in this site.
Please forgive me if my choice of my words looks like offensive, while that isn't my intention.

I only working with the international date format (dd.mm.yyyy).

I lives in Israel, which is a 220-240V, 50hz country.

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #12 on: March 23, 2020, 05:36:41 PM » Author: CEB1993
I have OCD as well. A lot of things most people don’t think much of really bother me: Is my car locked? Did I turn off the lights before I left? Avoiding people who seem like they’re sick. Checking expiration dates on my food. My list goes on... Having anxiety doesn’t define who you are, just like hurting yourself doesn’t define who you are. You’re still the same person regardless of whether you had a panic attack or fell and broke your arm. I’m thankful to live in a time period that does not stigmatize mental health problems quite as much. There is no shame in seeking counseling! When you go to a professional counselor, everything is kept confidential and it’s the best place to express your emotions and talk about things that you might wish to keep private. I believe anyone can benefit from counseling, I know I have
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Philips DuraMax and GE Miser forever!  Classic incandescents are the best incandescents!

Stop the lamp bans!

	Re: Anxiety Problems « Reply #14 on: March 24, 2020, 11:36:16 AM » Author: CEB1993
My anxiety is worst early in the morning and then decreases later in the day. According to research, cortisol increases during the early morning hours to offset melatonin and help your body to wake up. With me, my cortisol levels are frequently too high, hence the reason I need medication. Anxiety is a medical problem that has to do with irregular brain chemistry. It's nothing to feel guilty about, and it's something that can be managed with the right kind of care.
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Philips DuraMax and GE Miser forever!  Classic incandescents are the best incandescents!

Stop the lamp bans!