Crippling Anxiety

[j_styx]

Hello! I'm new to Health Unlocked and hope I can find some support here. I've always suffered from anxiety but recently it has become unmanageable. I am taking medication for it but it rarely helps.

I wake up every day feeling like I'm being suffocated, like a constant black cloud is haunting me. I have just started a new job and my anxiety is already impacting on that. My partner is so supportive but I worry it will eventually impact on our relationship.

I used to be so different, I was in the gym daily, sometimes twice a day, went to yoga classes, ate very healthily and was happy. I fell ill last year and my routine went out the window, after that the anxiety crept in. I am now too scared to leave the house alone, I don't go to the shops or out with friends or do anything social. I even panic when my phone rings now. I know I need to work at getting my routine and life back but I really am finding it difficult to know where to start.

I feel I am coping in the wrong ways, relying on having a drink when I have had a particularly bad day and I don't want to go down that road.

I hope talking about it and sharing my struggle will help. Is anyone or has anyone experienced something similar? Are there any particular tools or methods you found helped?

[LilyAnnepuppy]

Welcome to the community. I’m sorry for your struggles. But you’ll find supportive people here. Your bio says you joined in 2014. I’m glad you finally decided to speak up. 🌛

[j_styx in reply to LilyAnnepuppy]

Hello! Thank you so much. Yes, I joined in 2014 for other health reasons and thought it would be good community to come back to during this struggle with anxiety

[LilyAnnepuppy in reply to j_styx]

Welcome.

[Hidden]

Welcome to the group and I am here if you want to talk and I know how u feel and hope that we can all help u out and support u in any way

[j_styx in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[Hidden]

You can private message me if u want to talk to me

[Montana136]

Hi jade, I relate to all of your symptoms. My anxiety is a little bit different now than it used to be but literally I would paste the floors I could not concentrate I could not remember things. I literally felt like my IQ went down. At that time I was suffering also from depression. It is good that you have a job I would recommend whatever you can do keep going try to focus on the moment and the job at task. Just get through it minute by minute keep your job. Anxiety will only get worse if you lose your financial stability. I kind of do slow controlled breathing exercises because it's hard for other people to actually see this happening. I try to bring my thoughts to my breathing focus on and my breathing through my nose my mouth isn't feeling my chest is it feeling my diaphragm when I release the breath and my exhaling all the way I just to pay attention to the breath for a moment. This is an exercise that probably needs to be repeated regularly there are short-term benefits to it but most of the benefits are if you keep doing it long-term. The drinking I see that you notice it's probably not a good outlet. That is also something that becomes a crutch and a bigger problem later. I recommend you slowly decrease the volume of drinking. Plus it's really not good with meds especially at night when you go to sleep. I am new to health unlocked and I choose posts to respond to and I create my own posts and I get support and encouragement from this community it has been very helpful. Try to find something everyday that you can be thankful for. The sun coming up. Having a partner. Having a job. There are a lot of small little things and gratitude is very helpful. It has helped me a lot. I try to find silver lining even in the bad shit that happens. And often there is a silver lining. Sometimes you do not learn the lesson for a long time but I guarantee you there's always something valuable in our despair. I have had severe anxiety currently I just suffer in the mornings with more of a interruptive thoughts and things that maybe I should have said or done differently. It is not interrupting my sleep at the moment which I am thankful for but I have been going through this overthinking trying to fix myself constantly , for decades, and that is an anxiety based dilemma. Depression and anxiety interrupted college for me and her interrupted being able to choose a successful career, it interrupted the way in which I relate to others. And I won't even to go into the subject of trying to find a partner a man that treats me well. My problems run deep. I am making much better choices for myself and have much better decisions for myself in the last 6 months to a year. But I take three steps forward and then two steps back. I feel at times like I don't want to live with this sorrow and feeling uncomfortable in my own body with my own thoughts. But those thoughts subside more often. I'm doing much better and this platform has really helped me. Ask me any questions you want I have a lot of information and I'm good at listening. And I'm compassionate it seems I am very compassionate to all others my problem is is I am not compassionate or friendly towards my own self. I hope something here I have said helps you in your day. Take care of yourself and be well. ✌️🌻🌈❤️

[j_styx in reply to Montana136]

Hello, thank you so much for sharing your story with me

I'm so sorry you are suffering in a similar way but glad to hear you are doing better. I try daily to keep to a routine and I like to journal which I also try to do daily. I totally agree with the gratitude element as well, finding the little things in each day to be thankful for 💜

I'd love to chat sometime and I am always here also if you fancy a chat anytime Take care and hopefully speak soon 💜

[scansnap]

You mentioned that you have been taking medication, but have you been in therapy?

There are many common treatments for anxiety such as meditation, mindfulness, deep breathing and so forth. I would also recommend learning more about cognitive behavioral therapy since it is a very effective form of therapy and you can learn to do it for yourself. I recommend the book Feeling Great by David Burns.

[j_styx in reply to scansnap]

Hello Thank you for replying. I have tried some therapy but didn't find it very effective, my partner has suggested I may be better with a psychologist which I am looking into. I have researched a small amount on CBT and have been referred by my GP, however the wait list is over a year long in my area at the moment 😔Thank you, I will look into purchasing that now. Hope you are well and thank you again for the help 😊

[designguy]

I found that medication helped my anxiety/panic some but did not resolve it. What helped was learning what anxiety really is and how to constructively deal with it, in other words I had to change my thinking and approach to it. The reality is that anxiety is a paradox, the more you struggle or fight it the more it persists so the solution is to surrender to it, let your body desensitize and allow it and then it will dissolve. Anxiety can also be a signal that you have repressed emotions that you need to deal with and process. Anxiety can also be caused or contributed to by not having your hormones, thyroid or adrenals in balance and even a poor diet. Another thing that is really helpful is learning and practicing simple mindfulness meditation in order to be able to observe your thoughts and not attach to them or believe your anxious thoughts. I found the DARE Anxiety book and youtube videos very helpful, as well as the book "At last a life and beyond" by Paul David. You might also like the youtube and website of Paige Pradko for good, clear information and advice.

[j_styx in reply to designguy]

Hello, thank you for your reply That makes a lot of sense, I absolutely need to learn how to deal with it in a more constructive way. I would say there are definitely underlying emotions that make it worse that I need to address. I eat very healthily and have had numerous tests recently to check hormone/vitamin/thyroid levels etc and all seems to be okay.

Thank you, I will definitely look into those recommendations and continue to research healthier and more constructive ways to manage. Thank you so much, hope you are well.

[designguy in reply to j_styx]

You're welcome, hope it helps you, it has all made a big difference for me. Another key thing is that anxiety is a part of us and we just need how to respond and think about it differently.