General Anxiety Disorder and loss of mother during the holidays.

[bluesdoggie]

Hi, I’m struggling with the holidays approaching as it will be the first one without my mother. On top of that, I constantly stress about things that could be wrong with our house even though we just moved to a low maintenance townhouse. Both of these things make my head spin which affects my sleep which sends me into a deeper depression. I go to therapy, exercise, take meds, have breathing apps, but I still struggle, which is why I’m reaching out here. Does anyone have similar anxiety and if so, have you tried anything I haven’t listed that helps? I do lean on my loved ones but can sound like a broken record and worry about being a burden to them. Thanks

[tiggra]

Allow yourself the time to heal. You have a lot happening all at once. Sometimes you have to go off and have some quiet time without any distractions, which sometimes helps me to refresh, but it's ok to feel what you feel.

[bluesdoggie in reply to tiggra]

Thank you for your words and I agree. I just had therapy this morning which I’ve been going to since 2010 and for the first time I was taught it can actually be harmful to talk about my anxiety too much. I always thought the more I emptied my head the better, but there’s a point when it’s too much of a broken record that constantly talking about is allowing my mind to obsess about my anxiety rather than try to distract it by talking about normal things.

[tiggra in reply to bluesdoggie]

Proud of you. I hope it works for you. You made my day.

[Ryanlion]

Bluesdoggie, you are still grieving for your mother if you were close. It can take years to get over it. No wonder you have anxiety and depression. I lost my mum 3 years ago and i still cry and dread Christmas and have anxiety and wonder will i ever be the same again. Losing a parent is a huge loss. Be kind to your self and if you need it find a counsellor who deals with bereavment

[dutchgirl71]

Hi there! I too lost my mom this year and this is the first Christmas without her. I also have OCD, so my anxiety is quite elevated. I often feel like a nuisance to my family, so I try not to mention the turmoil in my head! But we always seem to make it through. I hope you find some joy and peace this holiday season

[bluesdoggie in reply to dutchgirl71]

Hi! I’m so sorry you also lost your mom. It changes your whole outlook about the holidays.

My grief is elevating my anxiety as in my catastrophic thinking kicks in and I have irrational thoughts that our plumbing is going to give out for no reason. As hard as it is, my therapist suggested setting a certain time of day to talk and worry about it. Easier said than done, but when that anxiety creeps in I try to tell my mind “no now is not the allotted time.” So far it’s helped a little.

I hope you also find peace this holiday season and can lean on your family as much as you need to.