New Member 👋

[foxhuntress]

Hi all. I’m new to forum and would love to connect with others with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Some days seem virtually impossible to get through. Would love to hear how others cope aside from medication. Thank you!

[Halalsister]

Newbie here too

[EndUser13 in reply to Halalsister]

Welcome!

[Hidden]

I'm new here too and have generalized anxiety disorder.

[EndUser13]

Welcome to the forums!

For generalized anxiety some of my most helpful coping techniques come from a lot of practice, figuring out what I like and what I don't. Having a routine is helpful, especially if it leads to regular, restful sleep.

Journaling is an almost daily habit I use to give myself some perspective as well as a non-judgemental place to vent.

I could beat deep breathing into the ground, I've seen it work wonders for so many people and it's something we can do at any time or place.

Using these forums can be a great way for you to express yourself and get some healthy feedback. I'm glad you found them 🙂

[AnxiousSilver in reply to EndUser13]

"For generalized anxiety some of my most helpful coping techniques come from a lot of practice, figuring out what I like and what I don't."

This is so hard to accept, but at the same time so correct.

I don't think that there will ever be 1 self-help book that will ever be enough for GAD. It's more of reading multiple books, and finding what works and what doesn't work for you.

.

That, and being involved with a support group (like this), because it's important (at least I believe that it's important) to have people that "understand you" when others in your life don't.

[Call_me_anything]

Hii 👋, welcome to the group

[101315]

Greetings and welcome to the forum. If you put your lunch in the fridge make sure your name is on it.

[Hidden]

Hello FoxHuntress, I like to listen to positive music at high volume to block out all the noise in my mind, always does wonders for me. Also lifting weights, even light ones to work up a sweat really helps relieve my anxiety. Hope these ideas help you out a bit.

[AnxiousSilver]

"I’m new to forum and would love to connect with others with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)."

Hello, and welcome to this forum.

My name is Silver, and I suffer from Extreme Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

.

Like you, I suffer from good and bad anxiety days.

Some days, I'm OK, and other days I'm basically bedridden.

What helps me the most is walking (when I'm up to it) and support groups like this one.

Either way, this is a good and supportive community.

[Jacko3]

HelloI also have GAD for me I will go for a walk, play a game on my phone, listen to music, brush the dog's or watch a movie.

Keeping busy helps but we have to try and make time during the day to sit with our feeling's, thoe this can be extremely hard to do.

Then we learn our feeling's can not hurt us and in time we will de sensertise.

I haven't fully got to this point yet I still tense up when the worst moments are their wich is alot.

Have you heard of DARE APP or the ANXIOUS TRUTH wich is on face book.

I've also tried meditation and breathing but haven't gone the hang of them.I wish you and everyone else here well.

Animals are also great friends sending a kiss to your horse.

[foxhuntress in reply to Jacko3]

Thank you for the tips! Appreciate it!

[foxhuntress]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome! 🤗

[Agora1]

Hi foxhuntress, at one time I suffered from extreme GAD. My anxiety was so overwhelmingthat it put me into an Agoraphobic state of fear for 5 years. Never during those 5 years did

I leave my house. I couldn't even stick my head out the door for the mail. Blinds were closed

as well as the windows covered because the light from outside would be too stimulating

for my brain. Sounds of any kind including phone ring, doorbell and sounds on tv made me

jump in fear of anticipation of what? I didn't know.

In and out of Panic Attacks and Free Floating daily anxiety kept me in a state of fight or flight.

I knew enough about Anxiety through my having read Dr. Claire Weekes book on

"Hope & Help for Your Nerves". My situational anxiety was something I felt I couldn't

control at the time.

I was wrong, so wrong...I was giving Power to this Bully called Anxiety and forgetting that

I had power deep within me as well. Not until I started to Accept Anxiety as not physically

harmful did I start going forward in healing.

Anxiety will use any ploy it can to make us fear and once we conquer one fear, it puts another

one in it's place. Rather than treat each fear individually, I learned to retrain my brain by using Meditation and Breathing. Meditation changed my negative thoughts into positive ones. Breathing exercises worked on my physical symptoms putting me into a calm and

relaxing state of being.

They say it takes about 30 days of daily meditation to start changing your brain pattern.

I've been doing it for years and feel that I am in an even state of Peace & Calm within my

body and my mind. And when Life happens as it will for all of us, it takes but moments to

reverse any negative feelings and go back to that quiet state of being.

Welcome foxhuntress, I think you are going to learn a lot from our members through our

own experiences in dealing with Anxiety (GAD) I'm happy you are here with us xx

[designguy]

Hello and welcome to the group. One of the biggest things that helped me in dealing with anxiety was learning that anxiety is truly a paradox, the more you resist it the more it persists. I had spent so many years trying to fight it, suppress it and out think it but it just got worse. Medication (klonopin) helped provide me with a glimpse of what being anxiety free was but I still continued to have the anxiety. Learning to tolerate the anxious thoughts and feelings and no longer fear them was key to my recovery. Also learning what anxiety really is and why we have it and also determining why and how I developed it helped as well. I found the book "At last a life and beyond" by Paul David and the DARE Anxiety book and youtube videos very helpful as well as the youtube videos of Dr. Claire Weekes. Learning and practicing simple mindfulness can also be very beneficial in being able to observe your thoughts and not be attached to them. It takes time and commitment but is possible to heal.