Anxiety is taking over my life

[MrsSauci]

Having a real hard time dealing with this anxiety. Everyday I wake up and my chest feels tight. Then my heart starts to hurt. I have 6 children and life is very stressful. I don’t know what to do. The pills don’t seen to work and I’m only supposed to take them every 6 hours but I feel like popping them like candy. I need help 😢 I’m 36 and I don’t want this to be the end of me. Please.. Any suggestions

[lovedogs51511]

Hi there and a big welcome to this wonderful site!!! I'm also a lifetime sufferer of crippling anxiety. My psych nurse put me on propranylolol. It helps a lot. No side effects that I've noticed. Its been a huge relief. Just a suggestion. Pills work differently for everybody. Hoping you find relief soon cause I know the pain of anxiety and totally understand the frustration!! Hope you have a blessed day😀

[Ironj]

Good afternoon MrsSauci

The chest pain I’ve been getting for 30 years almost everyday that comes and goes. It’s not from your heart but from muscle tension. We tend to unconsciously tighten up and don’t even realize it , as I’m typing this I noticed my chest muscle had tension. I take Xanax as needed and if I need to take it every 2 hours I will up to the max dose a day of 8 mg. I’m not by any means telling you to double up on meds , but if I need a little more I take it. Coping with anxiety can come from many avenues , one is this site. I like to read other peoples anxiety issues because most of them are the same as what I have. It makes me feel better knowing I’m not alone with the symptoms and anxiety. Best wish John

[Hidden]

hi, anxiety hurts no matter what anyone says. here's an unorthodox suggestion- it takes a long time to manage anxiety. it sounds like you are going through a difficult time and it must be very challenging. have you tried any alternatives in addition to your medication? self-compassion really works. look at Brene Brown's site or Kristen Neff. Neff's site gives meditation for self-compassion and honestly I've listened to the site and it is very helpful.

[MARYRD27]

Six children can make a lot of demands on a person. How much help do you have? You need some regular “me” time. Is Dad doing anything with the kids or just going to work? It’s way more stressful raising 6 kids than it is to go to a job. You need to get out of the house and carve out a life for yourself. You have to demand it. Take care of yourself or you won’t be able to take care of anything else. Assign chores to the kids and don’t worry if everything doesn’t get done. And if you need an occasional Xanax, take it.

[Kel12]

May I ask how old your children are? I have three, 8, 6, and 3. Many times my anxiety has caused me to be much more angry and disconnected than I want to be. I have started forcing myself to repeat (in my head) that they are only young once and they will be gone in a blink. That is really helping me to stay engaged. I have also started slacking on housework just so I can spend more time with them and stress less. Or I try to be more productive during my youngests nap time. My kids have their own set of chores and if they start fighting (which is a major stressor for me) they get grounded from their TV and Tablet. No video games is a big deterrent from acting on behaviors I don't like. I don't know what pills you are on, but the frequency in which you can take them leads me to believe they are benzos. I've heard from several doctors that benzos are only good for "as needed" anxiety and far more addicting because of their short life. I took Cymbalta, which for me was 60mg a day and I took it for a year and a half before choosing to stop. It worked great and the only way I ever had any symptoms of anxiety while on it was when I was under a ton of stress or if I didn't take it at the exact same time everyday. Even then, I knew the cause and it was bearable. It could be beneficial to talk to your doctor about how severe your anxiety is and your thoughts on how the pills aren't working.