Racing thoughts.

[CHRIS198412]

When I am anxious and depressed, I have a lot of racing thoughts which make my anxiety and depression worse. Then I feel distracted, confused and lonely.

How do I get out of this situation? Does anybody know?

[Barbloki]

I have the same problem and am still searching for an answer. A lot of people on here swear by Claire Weekes book an anxiety. I have it ordered from Amazon and cannot wait to receive it. I am tired of this rollercoaster ride and everything I've tried has not worked. Meds only mask the problem and I don't want to be dependent on pills. I want to fix the problem inside me, whatever it is. After reading on this group for several weeks and seeing similar comments over and over, I'm starting to think we should form local groups so we can meet in person and figure out this problem once and for all. So many of us are suffering without a solution. Who has the solution? Please share it with the rest of us. Right? I talked with a Peer Support Specialist yesterday who has been where we are and she has learned how to get rid of her anxiety through mindfulness and using meditations and something to do with the vagus nerve that runs from our brain to our stomachs. We have to retrain our brains to think and work a different way instead of being in constant fight/flight mode aka anxiety mode, waiting for the next shoe to drop. I am so ready to make these changes. I just need someone to teach me. I don't want to figure it out by trail and error when someone else has already figured it out. Just give me the recipe so I can follow it. That's my mindset right now. Thanks for listening to my rant. I wish you peace today and every day.

[LoveforAll41 in reply to Barbloki]

Hi Chris and Barbloki. Yes, the racing thoughts storm in... for me the tightening of the throat, shallow breathing, my intestines feel like they are being wrung out, oomph.

Yes, I know the user BeeVee has acceptance down and good posts on working it out. I think there is a method for us all out there that will work to find peace. That is funny you want a recipe Barbloki, I ask my therapist over and over in different ways for them and she just kind of smiles and I know that I am asking for formulas again.

A really big step for me, being a male taught to hide and not feel emotions, has been recognizing them vs avoiding them. I guess when I would get depressed or sad or hopeless I felt like I could not sit in them and would binge eat to avoid the emotions. We have so many thoughts and good reasons to feel anxious. I haven't read Claire Weeks book yet, but I like to accept this anxiety and just allow it and maybe do a bit of work to turn it down.

This week I had a bad day at work, where I can often try to find self worth and I have big financial anxiety, and I started feeling very anxious. I wanted to vomit and this lasted for most of the evening, but it was a great triumph for me because I sat in that state of wanting to puke and recognized that I was anxious and feeling like a failure. Can't really do anything but try again tomorrow.

Anyway, acceptance for me has looked like validating my anxiety and being okay with that feeling. I have a crappy day at work or see that the company isn't doing great - it makes sense to feel anxiety, I care and want to perform at work, and job hunting is scary and a big task.

I have sciatica and it is painful to walk sometimes, I want to give up and feel hopeless - sadness makes sense, it is really hard to cure and I have been doing exercises for years, and surgery is scary. Of course I am going to feel anxious about that, I don't want to give up sports or get surgery.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling. I really think acceptance is the way to go (it is kind of exposure therapy which I think is essential for recovery) but it may look a little different for all of us. I wish you peace, hope, and strength.☮️

[augustine02]

i understand. i’m so sorry you’re going through this it feels like it won’t ever go away, BUT IT WILL PASS. it will. anxiety has ruined my life many times. i’m here if you need to talk!

[Smooth_Jazz_Lvr]

Hi, I definitely know those feelings. I’m not sure how to change them. Major Depression and Anxiety has caused so many major problems in my life. I’m new to this platform and am seeking help too.

[mizzou7016]

I take meds....and they help stabilize my anxiety and moods at times, for me I have to deal with anxiety and depression caused from the job and from home.....best advice I can give is to live life the best you can each day....and realize that Rome wasn't conquered in a day.....take steps to make each day a little better.....even if it's only 1 thing on your to do list....remember to also understand that it's ok not only to put your name on your priority list......but it's ok to put it at the top

[CHRIS198412 in reply to mizzou7016]

Thank you for your advice. I do take meds too. But sometimes my anxiety is so bad because just a little trigger. I try meditation and yoga too.

[mizzou7016 in reply to CHRIS198412]

I've been dealing with mine for a long time. I'm hoping that mine gets a lot better in August when I can get away from some of my chaos that consumes me

[Beevee]

Hi CHRIS

I wrote a post 4 years ago on this forum about how acceptance of those anxious thoughts is the way to overcome them that you might find helpful.

I had lots and lots of racing thoughts about anything and everything. Those that resonated with me hung around longer because I believed them [and made me more anxious] and gave them far too much respect.

When I changed my attitude towards them and stopped giving them the respect and attention they needed to survive and let them go, their sting was drawn and they all eventually faded away. The content of those thoughts are irrelevant. It's just anxious energy being released and needs to be felt because this is how recovery works.

If you have been given a clean bill of health, acceptance of all symptoms of anxiety will eventually bring peace of mind and body.

[CHRIS198412 in reply to Beevee]

Dear Beevee Thanks for your advice. I will definitely try out. You are so funny. Smile.