Hi everyone. My name\'s Theresa and I\'m new here. As most of you know, anxiety gets extremely difficult to handle on your own and there isn\'t always someone right there to help you or just talk to you. That\'s why I joined up here in hopes of discovering that I\'m not so alone and to get some advice along the way. So you may be able to better understand my situation, I\'ll tell you my story.

Anxiety Disorder runs in my family and I have a younger brother with Autism. Depression also runs in my family. It\'s quite hectic around here at times. I had severe depression all through middle school and eventually became suicidal, but my anxiety was so hardly there I wasn\'t even aware of it, though I still showed signs.  Upon entering high schoolI met a guy who really turned things around for me and I was happier than I ever imagined possible. We never fought and he was romantic and attentive. A year and a half ago I experienced a random anxiety attack that was mistaken for both an asthma attack and a heart attack. While my family and I were looking into the situation for about a month, my boyfriend cheated on me out of fear and tiredness of waiting. I was heartbroken and that triggered SO much for me. I was depressed and extremely anxious and, in short, ended up in the hospital. I got counseling shortly after and quickly discovered that I suffer anxiety disorder (and \'suffer\' couldn\'t be a more suitable word). It was extremely difficult at times and I wanted to give up but after a little over a year of treatment and medication, it appeared to be perfectly at bay and I was happy as ever. I also found a new boyfriend, who I am still with today (8 months, as of a week ago). Well, that period of no anxiety lasted about four months and for the past month, it\'s been creeping up on me. Just a few days ago it struck me that I need treatment again and that I can\'t just push this down.

Well that\'s that on my history. Lately I\'ve been a little scared to go back to getting treatment. I remember how bad the anxiety could get sometimes and I get panic attacks just from being afraid to go back to that. Also, I feel so extremely defeated. I know I shouldn\'t and there\'s no shame at all in having to go back to counseling, but I really thought I had this conquered. It\'s depressing to be nearly back where I started. But all that I\'ve accomplished isn\'t for nothing because I did learn many coping skills for certain situations and I have to remember that. Now it\'s time to learn some new skills for a new chapter in my life. I\'m lucky to have such supportive people in my life and I just have to keep reminding myself not to worry.