New to the group...Attempting to manage anxiety without prescription

[momenj5]

I guess I have always had anxiety but this December it became an issue where i needed to seek out the assistance of a doctor. I had anxiety and was unable to go to the super market, after this I was constantly trying to gauge how i was feeling and it was distracting me from enjoying my family. I was given Lorazepam and took it for about 3 days lessening the dosage. I also had a few visits with a psychologist. I have made lifestyle changes such as eliminating alcohol and coffee, I have always exercised and still do. I am also now taking lemon balm, magnesium, b complex and fish oil. I am a mom to 5 year old twin boys and a 3 year old daughter. I have also allowed coffee and alcohol back into my routine on a limited basis. My anxiety has not been a problem to where it has prevented me from accomplishing anything I have needed to do. I do however feel at times that I am overthinking when it comes to making decisions and i find it distracting. I'm debating if i should use prescription medication or continuing trying to manage anxiety on my own. Any tips or feedback is appreciated.

[JAYnLA]

Hey Momenj - it sounds like you're actually doing pretty well. The overthinking is part of anxiety. If you find your anxiety manageable, maybe some CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) could help you with your overthinking? That's what CBT does. If you have access to therapy I'd recommend it. Personally, I tried natural methods for a long time and couldn't find the relief I needed so I am now on medication. The medication is helping me. If you can get balanced without out it - good for you!

[momenj5 in reply to JAYnLA]

Thank you so much for your response! This may be something I need to do. Its tough for me to want to pay a copay and rely on people to watch my kids to deal with myself. i prefer to spend time and money on them lol. But if it will improve the quality of the time i have with them outside of therapy then its probably worth it.

I was actually thinking of trying out: The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety: A Step-by-Step Program 1st Edition

by William J. Knaus (Author), Jon Carlson (Foreword)

Maybe i'll do a separate post to see if anyone found success with trying to do CBT on their own.