Anxiety controls me

[Notimeforfear]

At times, I feel that my anxiety is controlling my life. I live in fear and feel like I am going insane. How do you all combat those feelings of losing control?

[Hidden]

Hi and welcome to this community!

A lot of my anxiety and fears turn out to be unfounded. You can maybe experiment to see if that is true for you as well. Take something you fear, do it anyway, and see what happens.

[LilyAnnepuppy]

I need my psychiatrist, therapist, support group, meds, prayer and meditation to achieve an even playing field. Otherwise I’m subject to the symptoms you describe. I am sorry you are struggling.

[leaningonjesus]

For me it was detachment much of my life

It was and still is like a very unhealthy shield and wall of high protection.

[Agora1]

Notimeforfear says it all. We cannot allow the lies that Anxiety tells to keep us

stuck in a cycle of fear. I agree with Norw in that what we worry about usually

turns out to be unfounded. We can't have Anxiety dictate our life or we end

up just existing. We gain back control of our lives by kicking anxiety to the curb.

Our lives, our choices. Not easy at first but continue to take those small steps

forward and before long you will leave anxiety in a cloud of dust.

I'm happy to Welcome you to a great community of support. xx

[Kels78]

I'm currently feeling this way too. At times it feels under control and then other times it controls me, sadly. I have had a bad past with relationships and although thats not the case now the damage has been done. I always think we're a product of our life experiences. Eg bullied at school, bullied by stepdad, bullied in relationships. When we're babies we're not born anxious are we, it ends up happening to us as a result of bad experiences our amygdala gets out of control.

[Hidden]

I also suffer from serious anxiety. There are several treatments which are usually helpful. Consider meditation, mindfulness, breathing exercises, and cognitive behavioral therapy. These are all effective tools in reducing anxiety. You may need to do these on a regular basis but it will be worth it. The cognitive behavioral therapy will help you to uncover the thoughts that are making you anxious and allow you to challenge them to see if they are realistic.

Even the process of starting therapy will help you to feel better because you will feel more in control.

[punkster]

I agree with scansnap. Practicing meditation, which includes breathing exercises, helps reduce anxiety. I mean "practicing" meditation, which means being consistent about doing it every day. I'll compare it to my muscles. If I don't work them out consistently, they lose their firmness. The same kind of thing happens with meditation. You might not think it's doing anything at first, but stick with it. Therapy also helps, but takes some time. Exercise is another tool. On a day to day basis I try to distract myself with concentrating on work, reading, watching T.V., exercising, playing the piano, petting my dogs, talking with my family and friends. The thing I have learned about anxiety it that it tends to come and go. When I have an anxious day I try to remember that I won't feel this way forever. I hope this helps. I know how you feel, and it's horrible to feel that way.

[mschloe]

I'm almost 70 & have had anxiety most of my life, but it never was as bad when I was younger as it has been as a senior. I've tried all kinds of things over the years, but what has literally been a miracle for me is deep breathing & practicing gratefulness. There are several deep breathing methods & you need to find the one that feels best for you. I do 5 to 10 minutes before I get out of bed & before I go to sleep & usually a few times in the day. I also whisper several things that I'm grateful for no matter how small they may be. My morning & day anxiety have been almost totally gone for almost 2 months now & I haven't needed to take Klonopin. Google it & keep at it. Good luck.