Anxiety help

[Kate0712]

I have been experiencing extreme anxiety for about a year now and have tried deep breathing exercises and meditation and just recently got out on medication. I’m hoping that maybe talking about my anxiety might help. I have noticed it gets worse when driving or when going to a public place and it just comes out of no where. Does anyone have any miracle things that help with coping with anxiety..

[Agora1]

Hi Kate, there really isn't a quick fix in controlling and eventually lowering anxiety

with a pill or a magic wand. However, deep breathing has been my "go to". I never

knew something so natural and normal could be the answer to my severe anxiety 24/7.

I started with being Agoraphobic for 5 years when I looked into everything possible

to rid myself of the fear. I was afraid of everything. Didn't like being stuck at a stoplight

or train track. Couldn't talk on the phone or in person w/o hyperventilating.

There had to be a way I could get myself back in control again but what was it?

And then, I referred back to the first book I read on Acceptance of Anxiety by

Dr. Claire Weekes. "Hope & Help for your Nerves" That was the beginning in what

put me back on the right track once more. From there, I started daily Meditation and

Deep Breathing exercises. I started my day with that, mid day and then before bed.

Over and over again until I retrained my brain to respond within a split second when

under fear/stress. The more I did it, the better I became. It's not about waiting to need

it but being prepared by practicing daily. Now my response to deep breathing comes

automatically w/o my having to think about it. I am always in control of a situation.

Because of this, I am more laid back then I ever was.

And so Kate, it looks like you have already found the miracle cure but just need to

tweak it more by practice. "Practice makes Perfect" is true.

Welcome to this support forum. You've taken the first step in getting the understanding

and caring that we all need. We're here for you xx

[Kate0712]

I am the same why I hate being at a stop light . I can literally start to feel my heart begin to pound if I noticed the light was about to turn red. It is the weirdest thing . But I will definitely continue to meditate more often and on a schedule to try and help. Is there any app or website for the best meditation videos ? I found I prefer the guided meditation.

[Agora1 in reply to Kate0712]

Kate, I use YouTube for all my meditation videos.

The reason you may feel fear when you're at a stop light

or a train crossing is because we hate feeling trapped.

We need to know that we can escape readily if the fear

gets to be too much.

This is why breathing deeply in and exhaling slow and long

can reduce the fearful thoughts and symptoms. You cannot

be breathing properly and feel fear at the same time.

It helped me to get through shopping at big box stores as well.

It's just an amazing tool to use because it's not just psychological

but a physical remedy as well. xx

[Hidden]

I have a lotus mat, which is like acupuncture, it really calms you down, after laying on it for about 20 min.❤️

[Kate0712 in reply to Hidden]

I’ve never heard of that. That is so cool. Did you get it from amazon?

[Hidden in reply to Kate0712]

Yes you can buy them on amazon, but read all review! ❤️

[Sabio77]

Kate0712 thank you for sharing. yes, talking about it does help. talking on here is a great way. try aroma therapy, soothing music, a shower, drinking water, journal about your day and include everything, play an instrument, read a book.

[Llab]

I wonder what breathing exercises you are doing and for how long each day?

I don’t think they are a miracle cure but they have definitely helped me get my anxiety down to a manageable level, say about 3 out of 10.

I started doing the exercises last summer when my anxiety level was about 6 or 7 out of 10 and I had severe insomnia.

At first I was doing the exercises every chance I had. I mostly did box breathing and 4-7-8 breathing. And when I wasn’t doing the exercises I tried to breathe slowly and deeply.

Gradually, my anxiety went down and after a few months I even had anxiety-free days.

Unfortunately I became a little lazy about doing the exercises and deep breathing and my anxiety level started increasing. Therefore I think it’s important to make slow, deep breathing your usual way of breathing and make sure to do some exercises every day.

I’ve found it’s also useful to combine gentle, deep breathing with walking and easy stretching. This seems to help with insomnia.

If I wake up early and can’t get back to sleep I do breathing exercises while lying in bed.

Breathing slowly and counting down from 100 to zero is helpful for me - I usually don’t get further than 80 or 70.

It’s a very anxiety provoking time now and we need as many tools as possible in order to cope. For me, breathing is one of the important tools.

I wish you all the best, there are few things worse than anxiety so anything we can do to reduce it is good.

[Kate0712]

Thank you so much for your advice! I usually would do my breathing exercises along with my Fitbit (so I just followed along to my watch) but I have to admit I’m not doing it very often and when I’m in the middle of an anxiety attack nothing helps but to let it run it’s course. I definitely agree there isn’t much worse than anxiety

[Kate0712]

I really like your example of “I taste fear” I have tried this technique and sometimes it does help and sometimes my mind is racing so fast that I can’t focus on anything but my heart pounding

[XoxoFaith]

Same here I don't know why my anxiety feels worse when I drive or go somewhere too so try to avoid it