I have severe anxiety and panic disorder (among other things). My internal voice says the worst things to me, which often leads to my daily waves and panic & anxiety. I’m trying to learn techniques on how retrain my brain to where that negative voice doesn’t have ALL the power. I think there’s too much chatter in my brain period and I have started reading more as a distraction, also unplugging my my social medias for awhile. Idk if I’m grasping at straws but I figure if my mind isn’t always so overstimulated and overwhelmed then that negative internal voice will have less power. That if I do more fulfilling things and reduce/remove some stress I can speak more positivity into myself. I am on medication but also am trying to teach myself techniques so I’m not always grabbing for a pill bottle. I hate anxiety so much.
How Do You Show Yourself Kindness & G... - Anxiety and Depre...
How Do You Show Yourself Kindness & Grace? *Serious Question*
When I feel bad I do some sort of self care and try to acknowledge the thoughts then let them go, at times I put them in a jar above me, other times I say “Less importance.” When I feel better I try to do things that fulfill me like spending time in nature or art.
Thank you for your advice !! I have definitely been spending more time outside just trying to let myself breathe, breathe, breathe….. at my last job we would use art therapy ( I worked in a hospital) for the patients who were suffering from anxiety/depression. Definitely worth giving it a shot! Thank you again.
You are really making a difference to those in the hospital. I always wanted to do art therapy.
“but I figure if my mind isn’t always so overstimulated and overwhelmed but that negative internal voice will have less power.” - this makes sense. Good job
I am also struggling with negative thinking. My therapist says that by brain is in a hypervigilant state and that it is "danger seeking." I told her how powerful the urge to danger seek is, so powerful that grounding techniques don't work when I try them by myself. She said to imagine a huge cruise ship as my thought. Then imagine that the rudder turns, and the ship takes a long time to turn because it is so big. Sometimes this helps me. I'm still on the lookout for tools to power down my negative thinking. It feel like most days whenever I check in on myself I've been negative thinking about something for a while. Very frustrating.
That’s actually a pretty good example used by your therapist. I struggle as well with grounding techniques and mood regulation exercises not working on me, or like you said I also tend to just zoom into a negative thought/memory. It’s such a cruel hamster wheel. My “danger seeking” had me abusing substances this year which only made my mental health issues worse. I cannot wait to live healthy both physically AND me mentally. Thank you for your words.
Perfect example. A cruel hamster wheel -- and the hamster can't get off. I don't "danger seek," but thinking about it, I realize my radar is always out, looking for threats. It's exhausting.
Hey hope your feeling better today!!! I am on the same boat my mind just starts racing and it feels like i have no control until I end up with a panic attack. I have been reading the book "Hope and Help For Your Nerves" by Dr. Claire Weekes (anyone who deals with creepling anxiety should read this book). She talks about how most of our thoughts aren't our thoughts we are just the observer of whatever our mind comes up with. She talks about acknowledging your thoughts and just viewing them as thoughts. When you get an anxious thought just imagine your thought as a cloud and watch it pass don't engage with negative thoughts and most importantly don't believe them. Meditation will also help you alot with developing this skill and it takes alot of practice but once you are able to just "observe your thoughts" your anxiety and negative thoughts won't be as recurring
Hi friend ! Yes today was a better day. Got lots of fresh air and positive stimulation. Thank you for that book recommendation, I need every recommendation I can get lol. Yes someone else told me don’t fight the thoughts, acknowledge the thought (good or bad), and move on. I definitely need to working on my meditation skills; maybe once my rugrats go to school I can practice more lol. I appreciate your encouragement and support, sending you good energy as well!
Find the source, consider the source, validate your feelings, and forgive yourself for beating yourself up for things you cannot control. At best we can recognize the root cause of self flagellating and rumination of negative things about ourselves....most often it goes back to childhood....we were just kids, and had no control over those that were supposed to be our caregivers....and build us up when we are knocked down, and often they are the ones knocking us down. Kids take that on as they are not lovable, and they are flawed, and not wanted, something must be wrong with them. Emotional abandonment to outright child abuse sticks with us and haunts us in our adult lives. At best I can recognize when I'm spiraling and not beat myself up.
”Ofthen they are the ones kicking us down”
THIS.
Yes I’m coming to the realization that starting my from dysfunctional childhood and at different points in my life there’s a lot of things I haven’t dealt with and just kept pushing down until it boiled over. I compartmentalized so many things that it has manifested into several mental health issues. Hope to mentally and physically take control back and work through these things. Thank you for all your encouragement!! It’s been such a great relief to have others to talk to about these things.
I have severe anxiety too also other things too. I am on 1 medication each night for it. I also require maletonin to help me sleep each night because I can't relax enough at night to be able to. I am always so tense and need an extra over the counter med (the maletonin) to help me relax enough to actually be able to get any sleep at all. I miss a lot of sleep without it. I usually miss at least 2 days a week without sleep. Sometimes the meds just are not enough to relax me. I am now trying meditation and it is starting to help. I already meditated once today and probably will again just so I can relax enough before bed tonight. Have you tried meditation? It help me. Just play some calming music and sit and close your eyes and clear your mind (if you can clear it). It can be hard to clear your mind at first, but with practice, it can be done, even if it is for just 3 to 5 minutes at a time.
Yes I am on 3 medications for my mental health illnesses. 2 in the morning, 1 at night. Yes I definitely want to give meditation a chance. I take a sedative to sleep because then my anxiety will have me up 2 days straight. I’m sorry to hear about your sleep troubles; sleep is so important when it comes to our mental health! I thank you for your advice and definitely hope to add meditation to my fold! Crossing my fingers your sleep schedule gets better !!
Thanks. I hope we can both get more sleep from now on. I sure need it. I miss so much sleep every few nights. But I hope it gets better soon. Last night and the night before I was able to catch up a little bit on my sleep thankfully. I sure pray I will be able to sleep again tonight.
I hate this energy sucking anxiety as well! I feel like it is taking over and even though I take meds and do therapist I can’t shut off the always worst scenario in my mind. My poor dog even has anxiety because of mine.
Thank you for your response. Yes I feel the same as you; I hate how anxiety has changed me as a person. I mean down to one of my favorite treats, ice coffee, I don’t even drink anymore due to fear of anxiety. I’m sorry to hear that about your dog. Dogs are really in tune with their owners feelings/energies. My youngest daughter is picking up some of my worrying traits and I hate to see that rubbing off on her. That’s why I’m trying to fight back and change how I handle things in front of them.
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