Anxiety?

[Anya]

I wouldn't totally discount medication. Meds are never a band-aid that 'fixes' all of your problems but for some people it provides enough stability day to day so that you're healthy enough to develop your own coping mechanisms. I'm not on them right now but I always do better when I am. My problems are still there but meds help keep it from getting totally out of control and to cope with panic attacks. They're definitely not for everybody but don't let pride or shame get in the way of trying.

This. This right here.

I have had a moderate to severe social/situational/general anxiety disorder since I was 13. While 'finding the root' of anxiety is all well and good, many times that root is simply a chemical imbalance that needs corrected, and no amount of soul-searching, prayer, or talk therapy will touch it. Not to say that those things can't help- or that your anxiety IS chemical...but it'll take trial and error and learning about your mind and body to make the right decisions for you.

I have been virtually non-functional when unmedicated. Do I like being dependent on a pill everyday to function? Of course not. But If I was diabetic, or had a heart condition, or a thyroid condition...you bet your bottom I would take my medicine! It's taken a long time, but attitudes are shifting for the better toward mental health. Having mental problems isn't the shameful stigma it was 10+ years ago. Chemical imbalances in the brain are every bit as real and treatable as physical health problems.

Keep your chin up.