advice?

[Dugg99]

hey, I’m new here. But I’m really trying to find support groups so I can talk to people who have genuinely felt the things I feel daily and who have had similar experiences as me. It’s hard when you’re surrounded by people who have never gone through mental health. I have severe anxiety- can’t even leave the house. But I’m moving in with my mom to try and get the help and support that I need. And man is my anxiety off the charts. I have a whole load of stuff for my mom to come pick up and move to her house but it’s difficult because I have to pack up all my stuff by myself and my depression is freezing me and making me unable to move and my anxiety is sending me into panic because im not done moving. Any tips? Anything is appreciated.

[Shunneddune]

Take small steps...try just sitting outside..I know it sounds trivial but you just have to gradually expose yourself to the world in incremental steps..take it from me I spent 2 years afraid to leave my apartment or walk into a store..?you'll have good days and bad days ..times when you can leave your house and times when can't...

You'll find lots of helpful people here and we all understand. Or else we wouldn't have even looked up the site...best wishes

[b1b1b1]

Good you have come here!! As Shunneddune suggested, try baby steps. The first day, just open the front door. The next take one step; the next day take two steps and go back; the third day take three steps and go back, etc. Don't even think about leaving the front walk, or public hall (if you live in an apartment). Just one or two steps, very very gradually.

It is also good that you can live with your Mom, as I think not being alone and having some support will be helpful.

[Dugg99 in reply to b1b1b1]

thank you for your response, im glad i joined this site

[gajh]

You don't even have to think about leaving the house right now. Now you just need to focus on packing and moving. Packing all of your things is totally overwhelming and leads to not being able to even start. Try to break down the packing into tiny steps so that you are at least moving forward. Be patient with yourself. You don't have to do it all at once. The days will pass and you will accomplish the move. Then you can focus on settling in to your new home. I am glad you are here seeking support. You are not alone. Stay in touch. I care.

[Dugg99 in reply to gajh]

thank you, its difficult because every bin i take out its like a new pile of things turns up in its spot, like its never ending.. and i dont even have too much stuff. my goal is to be out by the 10th, but i can only really move during the day and thats when my anxiety is at its peak

[gajh in reply to Dugg99]

it seems never ending, but you will get to the end. You will meet your goal of the 10th. Do you have any tools that help you deal with the anxiety? Does listening to music help? Can you possibly ask your Mom for help? Be sure to practice self care. You are doing a great job, don't be too hard on yourself.

[hopeforjoy]

I've had exactly the same situations and feelings as you so eloquently described, so I have so much sympathy for you right now.

Are you taking anything for your anxiety? Buspirone has definitely been a godsend for me! Also, something that really helped me when I had to force myself to pack and move while battling severe anxiety was to use that opportunity to de-clutter my life. I was relentless in throwing things away that I hadn't used in a good while, and that gave me a feeling of self-agency, and after awhile it became very liberating. I'm wishing you the very best!

[CLB1125]

i don’t know if this will help your situation but for me making lists helps. When I have a list of what I need to do it helps my anxiety a great deal. When I can check something off that has been done it makes me feel like I accomplished something. Take care

[SayNOtoPanic]

Hey Duggyy. Sorry ur dealing with so much anxiety but glad ur moving in with ur mom. Family and luv is a plus when dealing with this stuff. Take it easy on yourself with the packing. Maybe do a to do list of what you’ll pack for the day and start minimal and increase the items on the list per day. Not sure if you do breathing exercises slow deep breaths from ur nose inhale and hold three seconds exhale slow from your nose. You can do those in sets and as frequent as you need. Helps slow everything down that the adrenaline is trying to hype up. Also a guided meditation I find helpful just sit and listen to one to direct your focus on something grounding when ur anxious. Prayers up to you.

[bethelbee]

Hi and welcome! I have been there with severe anxiety, panic and agoraphobia. It's one of the worst feelings in the world and most people don't(and won't) understand! As others have asked, does anything help and/or are you on any medication? Someone else mentioned Buspar (Buspirone is the generic). It helped me years ago. Glad you're able to move in with your mom so you'll have more support. Wishing you the best. Please keep us posted.

[Dugg99 in reply to bethelbee]

I have a daily and a “when needed” both for anxiety but I don’t think I like my when needed one, is buspar a daily one or one for when you need it? Thanks for the reply, made me feel less alone

[bethelbee in reply to Dugg99]

Buspar(generic is Buspirone) is a daily continuous drug. It is not fast acting and usually takes a few weeks to feel the benefits. It's been many years since I was on it, but as far as I remember I don't recall any side effects. As I said it worked really well for me and kept my anxiety and panic at bay. I've tried meditation but for me it's only helped when my anxiety wasn't severe, too hard to concentrate. Glad I could help you feel less alone..keep in touch when you're up to it. Sending hugs

[Lovesdogs2]

I am somewhat new as well. Today my issue is obsessive thoughts. I am sure they are linked to my anxiety. Anyone have any advice on how to stop obsessive thoughts?❤️

[Dugg99 in reply to Lovesdogs2]

Asking yourself to find evidence of things being true, for example if you’re worried someone is judging you or doesn’t like you -you ask yourself where’s the proof that’s true? And there’s never any proof -try to reframe those thoughts to be positive ones.

[SayNOtoPanic in reply to Dugg99]

Great advice.

[SayNOtoPanic in reply to Lovesdogs2]

Hey Lovesdogs2. Try mindfulness. Identify things around you and anything to do with them like how they look, or smell or sound. And maybe spell the item backwards. Like the coffee table is brown. And then spell table backward. But do a few sometimes it cuts the thought bombardment. Good vibes up to you.