Hello, I've been suffering with anxiety and depression most of my adult life. Therapy and medication have helped in the past. I am going through an increased level of anxiety in the last 2 months and have joined this group to look for solutions. I tend to sleep little and wake up at 3:30 AM lost in anxious thoughts.
I start my day in mediation then exercise at the gym followed by a healthy breakfast then work. My anxiety is becoming difficult to live with.
Hello Westsider101: You are welcome to come here anytime and I will be happy to chat with you. I feel very positive about your post, even given your new anxiety as of two months ago. Most importantly, you have answered your own question: Since medication and therapy have helped you in the past, it's time to bite the bullet and begin round two. To use myself as an example, I was very disturbed when I was young and I was in psychoanalysis for 6.5 years, 5 days per week, from the ages of 17-23. Psychoanalysis resolved most of my disturbance and most of my anxiety and depression without medication. I then enjoyed 50 years of success, relative peace, and occassional crises. Then at 69 (I am now 71) I crashed and took a big downturn: severe anxiety and depression; unable to leave the house, etc. I am now in psychoanalysis, part 2, six times per month. My suffering is greatly reduced and I am making fundamental changes in the disturbed parts of my personality. Meanwhile, if you do decide to seek the therapy and medication that served you well in the past and will likely serve you well again, then until that time comes, the strategies that you are using should help somewhat; eating a good breakfast, medication, coming to this forum for help. Keep that up. Also, consider thinking about if there is anything that happened two months ago, either some external event in your life, or something internal, that could have been the cause of your anxiety. After all, such a state does occur for a reason. We just have to find it.
linuxusr, thanks for your thoughts. I am struggling to figure out exactly what it is. I'm a software developer and its all starts from work thoughts, fear, can I keep up with the new tech, procedures etc. Have a voice in my head says I will be disgraced, fired, I know that sounds over the top but that is what the insidious nature if this is for me. Way more fear than seems appropriate. If I get fired I will be fine. So why all this fear? I am struggling to make sense of it.
No, that is absolutely not OTT! There must have been some pivot point on your job--a new procedure, a new policy--over which you had doubts whether you could perform or not. Besides, your job is your lifeline, and the threat of losing it is disturbing, regardless of your ability to find another one--particularly if in finding another one, your reference for this one would be compromised. FYI, and this is baby steps for me versus giant steps for you: I thought I didn't have the brain for coding until I co-opted an AI tutor! I am now familiar with the basic working environment of Python: Linux OS; bash; python3 + REPL; nano; saving scripts for constructs as .py files, etc. And I am doing my first mini-project: Learning the constructs I need to convert C to F and F to C. Come back here any time for chat!
Westsider101
Welcome to the community.
You are doing so many things that benefit both mind and body.
Did something happen to kick things up again?
This is a very supportive group.
🐬
Thanks for your thoughts Dolphin14. Im a software developer and I wrote above I have a voice in my head says I will be disgraced, fired, I know that sounds over the top but that is what the insidious nature if this is for me. Way more fear than seems appropriate. If I get fired I will be fine. So why all this fear? I am struggling to make sense of it.
That's interesting. Do you think it's your age and feeling pushed out by the new tech etc? Loss of control? Choices being made for you but not with your day?
When you look back on your history of anxiety can you connect any dots from then to the situation now? Some emotional issue perhaps?
Hopefully this is all overthinking and it won't happen but our brains can sure do a number on us
Hi Zaid08, I do strength training for about 40 minutes 5x / week.
What do you eat, generally speaking? Normal diet, ketogenic, gluten free?
Hello that’s good you do all this things to feel better. I suffer from anxiety since I was 13 years old. But I noticed that when I’m sick or have personal problems it gets worst.What I do is cry and pray to God for healing since physically I don’t do much since I’m sick. I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome it’s hard for me to do breathing exercises. I try to keep my mind away from problems I almost have nightmares every day and I always wake up feeling sick nauseas anxiety costipation and throwing up to the point that I feel so weak because I can’t eat well so today I started using an electric pad that warms up to help with the discomfort of my stomach. I try to do what I can to feel better. I hope this works. Hope you find a way to feel better.
My anxiety also got worse in the past 2 to 3 months. I am wondering if the holidays flared it up, but I am not sure. My bills piling up due to not being able to work just adds to my stress. I can't work because of my rather nasty anxiety and major depression and schizoaffective disorder. My anxiety has gotten so much worse for some reason. You would think getting my SSI money each month would relieve my stress because then I can get the things I need, but getting money actually makes my anxiety worse partially I think because I can't afford everything I need to pay for and buy. I can't afford all my bills and that is making things so much worse. I am working with a debt management company to reduce some of my debt which helps a little. Plus, I am on medication and talk to my counselor on a regular basis.
If it helps you, what you are going through is very similar to me. Insomnia, anxiety, and depression have ruled my life for the last 2 1/2 months. It’s been almost two decades since this happened to me, and being in an older body (I’m 69), makes it much harder than the episodes I went through from my mid- 30s to about 50.
I think meditation and daily exercise help me, and I’m glad to see you do that. I also talk with friends and family about everything that’s going through my head in the bad times, and though that’s hard it seems to help to get it out in the open.
Therapy and medication have always been part of what I do try and resolve these episodes. I’m currently waiting for a new med (Zoloft), to kick in. It’s starting to help with the anxiety, but I think it’s making the insomnia worse! Believe me, I know how 3 am sucks for anxious lying thoughts.
Here’s hoping we both make progress in our battles. Feel free to message me if you’d like to chat.
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