Why do certain things, even good news, cause overwhelming nervousness and anxiety?

[Jake_Mo]

First I want to say hello to everyone. This is my first post. I won't go into full detail of my problems and/or story right now, as it would take forever. I'll start with a little summary. Within the last year and a half, I've been through a lot. Basically I've had anxiety and panic issues my whole life, but never really knew what the problem was until last year. I knew I needed help at that point.

This mainly revolves around employment, but I have social anxiety and what not. Anyways, at the beginning of last year, I got the opportunity for a new job. In a nutshell, it was way too much for me to handle, I didn't know what was happening to me. I was completely overwhelmed, could barely function properly, and just had this constant plague of anxiety/out of control nervousness. I knew something was really wrong, so I got help.

I'm gonna skip forward because a ton has happened since then. I haven't been able to work while I've been sorting thos all out and getting help. I've been feeling pretty good recently. I should probably mention the medications I'm on right now. I take Effexor 150 mg and Klonopin 1 mg with it in the morning. Then I take another Klonopin 1 mg in the evening. I have another prescription that I was given for emergency situations, but I don't take it often.

Recently I've been feeling pretty good, so I've been trying to get back to the real world and start working and what not. I signed up to get help from Vocational Rehab Services. It's a good program that helps find lut what you will be good at, helps place you and mentor you, etc. So after waiting a little bit, I got a call and it looks like it is moving forward, which is great news. At the same time, the feelings I was having last year are flaring up all of a sudden. Just feeling overwhelmingly nervous and anxious and lethargic.

At least I know what it is this time, but why am I having these feelings again, especially with the medication I'm on? It's really frustrating since I've been feeling pretty good. But all of a sudden it's like the monster is back. I just don't understand why. Something that should be a happy time turns into a time of severe nerves and anxiety. It's just so frustrating and I'm trying to use the skills I now have to fight it, but it's like a plague. Thanks for any replies.

[Jake_Mo]

Thanks a lot for the advice. Yeah, I recently started a vocational rehab program. Finally got a call back from them after my initial appointment. Got my next appointment scheduled, and from there that's when my anxiety and nerves and panic just flared up like crazy out of nowhere. So the job stuff and all that it entails are definitely the trigger.

Interesting to hear about effexor. My problems are definitely anxiety, nervousness, and panic. Not so much depression and what not. Do you know what medicine or medicines are the best for just anxiety, nerves, etc? Thanks again!!

[Paxiled]

Wish I did -- we all react differently.  Usually, the two antidepressant categories for this are the tricyclics and the ssris.  But if you can do it without medication, it's best.  If you can't. well, it's trial and error, unfortunately with medication.

[Paxiled]

If there are chemical imbalances that cause anxiety and depression nobody knows what they are, and there are no meds for that problem.  Which brings us to you're having one major trigger for your anxiety, which seems to be job related and all that entails.  If this keeps arising, then it's likely the meds you're on aren't the right ones.  if anxiety is your main problem, Effexor is a very stimulating antidepressant, and can often cause anxiety, so it's not usually what someone who mainly has anxiety not caused by depression would be put on.  So you might look into that.  I think the above, though, recommending therapy is where you should have started, but make sure you find a therapist who specializes in anxiety treatment.  Unfortunately, in my experience, most therapist don't, and most who do don't take insurance.  CBT is a form of therapy that's considered the most effective for anxiety, but they won't care at all about how you got this way -- they'll just focus on techniques to change the way you're thinking.  Good luck whatever you choose to do.

[Jake_Mo]

Thanks for taking the time to read this and respond! Much appreciated. That's a very good analogy. I don't know why it happens. It's like a plague that just overcomes me. It makes me pretty much sick. It's like I barely want to eat or do anything when it's at it's peak. I got my medication dosage bumped up yesterday, and I do see a therapist. Unfortunately, I keep getting new therapists because my other ones have either had to move, got a new job, etc :/

[TheLightSeeker]

Many Therapists  work with skype, facetime etc. Find one who can help you dig deeper, to get those core issues to the surface.
Pay attention to your dosing, even if they are prescribed, they are not necessarily "innocent".

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi Jake.

It the good news bad news syndrome when it comes to negative emotions and psychological structures embedded in the subconscious.
The conscious mind celebrates the good news, only to have the celebration
interrupted by the subconscious mind, which brings up the bad news-stored negative emotions associated with the workplace, like social anxiety, work performance anxiety and other related emotions.

It is similar in a way to overweight people on a weight loss program where things seem to be going well, until one night, they get up and pull out from the fridge the half black-forest cake, left-over from a birthday celebration and finish it all!
The good news is being on the weight-loss program.
The bad news-stored in the subconscious- is "You will NEVER be loved, so you might as well eat all this cake and be FAT", "If you lose weight, you will be more attractive, which might lead to a relationship and not without all the complications and added responsibilities. Who wants that?" and so on!

Therapy my friend might be your only real solution.
Hopefully you can get a therapist to get down to those core issues and help you clear them. Somebody good in regression therapy, perhaps using hypnosis, could help speed up the process of healing the mind and the psyche.
I have used in cases like yours a combination of EFT, Energy psychology and Hypnosis to facilitate a mental and emotional re-balancing.
Medications can help some people with certain chemical imbalances, but they can only do so much.

Best wishes,
Niko