New To Community

[LetaLynn]

Hi i am looking into different ways to help me to become a less stressed out and less anxious as well as be able to go out in public when there are alot of people in the place i am going to instead of avoiding places until after 11 pm when most people are home asleep. i have a companion animal he gives me much love and is my lil buddy he cheers me up when i feel down <3 my puppy.

[BonnieSue]

There are many things you can do, like learning Tai Chi or Yoga or deep breathing exercises and using them when you feel any anxiety or tension building. Distraction and exercise or physical output are useful when anxiety and adrenaline levels rise.

Some natural remedies and non-drug sources of information are books, videos, and workbooks suggested by other people on this site:

1---"I've found David D. Burns' "Feeling Good" and "When Panic Attacks" to be very helpful."

2---"I am working through the anxiety workbook by Dr David Carbonell and it has helped immensely!!! "

3---Mindfulness has helped many people and is now recommended by doctors in the UK. Here’s just 1 link that explains it’s usefulness: heartwoodrefuge.org/benefit.... Another option of many is called MINDSHIFT. You can download it to your phone from Google Playstore.

4---TRE (Trauma releasing exercises) is something you can learn in a class but you don't have to talk about your problems and once you have learned the technique you can use it at home.

5---"A good book that I came across recently is "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook, 6th Edition" by Edmund J. Bourne, PhD. You might find this book to be of some help to you, although communicating your thoughts and feelings in a group setting is enormously helpful as well. "

6---“The book DARE, which is about anxiety. It’s a very good book about accepting anxiety and letting go of the fear. The author is Barry Mcdonagh and he also has a YouTube channel and a Facebook support group.”

7---For anxiety: Claire Weekes audio books on iTunes. “Self Held for Your Nerves” is one title that is good. You can see her on YouTube. “The Dr. Claire Weekes book is easy to understand and will help you on your way to recovery through acceptance.”

8---Another really good CD and book is the Linden method.

9---How to be good with yourself: self-compassion.org/the-thr...10---Try the meditation app called Headspace. It's done in 10 mins slots once a day.

10---Videos on YouTube by THAT ANXIETY GUY helps with anxiety re: depersonalization/ de-realization states.

11—For UK residents: Have you ever been in touch with the organisation called MIND? They offer one to one sessions with a Project Worker free. They also run courses that you can attend free of charge. One of the courses is about Anxiety. Their website is mind.org.uk

12---"Go on the psychology today site and look for a therapist that specializes in anxiety."

13---Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings – after all, who ever said you were supposed to be perfect? self-compassion.org/the-thr...

14---“Have you ever listened to Louise Hay on YouTube? Some of the talks help motivate you and hopefully you will feel a positive energy.”

15---“I called one of these online therapist sites. The therapist was really good. It was prestoexperts dot com. Her name was Lori Burke. Definitely a professional and she got me through this awful depression/anxiety morning.” (There is a charge for this service)

16---For meditation look at:

Tara Brach and Chopra Center

17---theworrygames.com/anxiety-f...

18---“AnxietyNoMore” by Paul Bywater. A phone app.

19---“At Last a Life” book by Paul David.

20---The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook

Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance

By: Matthew McKay PhD, Jeffrey Wood PsyD, Jeffrey Brantley MD

A Clear and Effective Approach to Learning DBT Skills

First developed for treating borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has proven effective as treatment for a range of other mental health problems, especially for those characterized by overwhelming emotions. Research shows that DBT can improve your ability to handle distress without losing control and acting destructively. In order to make use of these techniques, you need to build skills in four key areas-distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

Source: NewHarbingerPublications

Caution for non-Buddhists: Zen Buddhism inspired aspects of DBT, along with behavioral science and dialectical philosophy. Source: GoodTherapy.com.

[LetaLynn in reply to BonnieSue]

I have agoraphobia so a group for me is not in the plans for now I'm working on so many things but I am on meds for my depression as well as therapy for the other things that I am dealing with my lil furry buddy helps me to be distracted when my anxiety is going full force but I try to think of happier this GS and do deep breathing to calm down as well as coloring and playing video games like Tetris type game and MMORPG's thanks for the tips👍

[BonnieSue in reply to LetaLynn]

Great! You already have some important things in place that will help you. I wish you great success in ridding yourself of some fears and getting your life where you want it to be!

[jannygranny]

Hi, just want to let you know I have the same issues going out, I get so nervous shopping and standing in a line at the grocery store is no fun. Seems so silly-why am I so anxious, especially when I look around and see others people conversing, exchanging pleasantries etc. I am so overly self-conscious I can't hardly cope. I make myself go out and face my fears which ends up making me feel like a failure because I am unable to hide my fears and I think everyone notices. Wonderful you have a companion animal with you! I wish I had some advice to help you, you aren't alone and talking about our feelings and what is happening to us can be comforting. I wish us peace, don't know why or where peace of mind went---