Stress Center Peer Support

So one summer when i was 12 my family took a trip to the lake to celebrate my aunts wedding. We had a boat and were cruising around towing each other. I was strapped belly down on a knee board (i know this isnt the proper way to ride a knee board) I was pulled for about a minute or two then suddenly found myself under water with the floating board on top of me. With the waves of the passing boats and i couldnt manage to town myself over or even get my head up for air. The inexperienced boat driver drove a good distance from me so i had no help. I just remember fighting for my life and hoping to catch a gasp of air. I took in a bunch of water and blacked out. I just remember waking up back on the boat and coughing up a ton of water. after this vacation weekend was over this is when my Panic attacks begin. Does anyone think this could have been the cause of all my stress and anxiety? My hair soon started to turn grey and my panic eventually triggered IBS. Life is very difficult as it is. My life is even more difficult now that im 23 yrs old and have suffered with this for 11 years. I hope to one day do away with it all and take control of my life so i can start enjoying it for what its worth

That sounds like a horrific and traumatic experience! No doubt it affected you, and may indeed have been the beginning of symptoms for you. My personal feeling is that anxiety is gentically based in that you get a certain set of genetics that can either predispose you to problems with anxiety/OCD/depression or to be resilient. The genetics only "loads the gun" however. It takes trauma, abuse, and/or learned behaviors that "pulls the trigger" so to speak, and set off the cascade to having problems with anxiety and depression. Here is a link to a long, but informative, article about how your genetics predisposes you with what they call the Orchid/Dandelion gene:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc...12/dobbs-orchid-gene

Some people are resilient in the face of any adversity, like dandelions. Orchids, on the other hand, wilt unless given optimal conditions and flat out fail if stressed at all. There are benefits of being an Orchid, like the article states so I guess the trick is embracing who you are while minimizing your short-comings. I think you're in the right place to do that, and asking the right questions.