Paul couldn't stop sweating! He thought there was something wrong with his glands or maybe it was just too hot out! He had been having this problem of heavy sweating off and on for about 3 months now.
He also was a lot crankier.
He was snapping at co-workers, his girlfriend and even his own mom.
He thought it was just stress, he had a huge presentation to prepare for but that was last month and he was still ill tempered even though his responsibilities were not as demanding currently.
He started to worry that he was sick.
His bowels had been giving him problems and he was dizzy a lot.
He also had problems concentrating and often felt out of it.
He was worried he was sick and put off going to the doctor because quite frankly he didn't want to hear that there was something wrong with him.
He kept hoping all of this would pass.
His girlfriend teased him constantly that she wasn't the only one with PMS now.
He realized that his problems just weren't going to go away.
He went to the doctor and his physician ran a million tests and didn't have any answers.
In some ways, it was a relief, none of the big problems, heart disease, cancer etc.
were an issue but it was still vexing.
What was going on? His doctor kept asking questions and one day told him that he thought Paul was suffering from generalized anxiety disorder.
Huh? Paul couldn't believe it! Isn't anxiety a girl's problem?They're the ones that get all depressed and stressed out over everything.
Guys were calm, he was calm.
Isn't your heart supposed to race and your breathing becomes labored when you're suffering from anxiety.
Weren't you supposed to be fearful all the time and incapable of doing anything? That wasn't Paul's problem, he had a job, he had a girlfriend, he had friends, and he went out and did things.
He wasn't some hermit, afraid of his own shadow.
After Paul calmed down and reflected on his doctors additional comments and found some more information on the internet, he realized that the doctor was probably right.
Anxiety sufferers don't necessarily need to exhibit the flashy symptoms like a racing heart or paralyzing fear or inability to breathe.
Sometimes, a lot of less severe problems can add up to the same answer, anxiety.
Paul isn't alone millions of men and women struggle with anxiety or panic attack problems that affect their daily life.
Some of the effects are small or simply inconveniences and some of the effects are more significant and life limiting.
Anxiety is not something that simply happens to weak people or silly people.
It is a real condition that can affect anyone from the strong firefighter to the office accountant.
It is not something to be ashamed of and luckily it is something that can be dealt with.
Paul can work on resolving his symptoms and channeling his thoughts away from the negative and towards the positive.
Don't avoid consulting a doctor if you feel something is wrong with you and don't be ashamed of what the answer might be.
Information is power and you should gather as much information as you can about panic and anxiety related conditions.