Root of anxiety

[kevoreally]

Going to share what I have learned about my anxiety and hopefully I can get some good ways to cope with it..

1. Distance (driving or being a passenger.)

My hometown is my safe zone for me aka my comfort zone. Any time I leave it I get anxious. My girlfriend lives out of town so I force myself to drive out there (been doing that fr 4 years but I pick her up and drive right back to my town. She lives 30 minutes away.

2. The fear of Fear or as some people like to call it fear of the unknown.

3. My health ( any pain or weird feeling I get I play worse case scenario's or over think what it truly is. (Yes seeing a doctor would be good idea but I am very healthy 22 year old as far as I know.. I eat pretty darn healthy..)

3. Excersizing (over using my energy to where my heart rate is up as if I had an anxiety attack ( add the anxiety attack with excersizing and I fear I'll pass out or worse)

4. Religion (afterlife or no afterlife)

My symptoms:

Racing heart-once this happens I begin to fear something bad will happen (K.o , or heart over works etc)

Sweaty palms

Tight chest

Over thinking

Palpitation

Hot cold flashes all over

Shaking legs

On edge

I am pretty sure there is more but I don't know of them at the top of my head.

My point in this post was to get some answers or advice of natural remedies I do take 75mg of zoloft but I wanna know smd natural remedies that are holistic or close to it (ex: almonds are great for head aches)

Also I hope maybe this gives you guys an idea of what your anxiety is and help cope with it yourselves as well

[Skoek]

Wow. Sounds like my own 'story', except I have had it for about 20 years now and although it is a lot better than it used to be I still go through periods of feeling all those things that you mention and it SUCKS!! - BIG TIME!!!

What I think has been my saving grace is something called EFT or Emotional Freedom Techniques - Google it and you will get plenty stuff to read and watch and listen to. Unfortunately it is pretty expensive if you are looking for a therapist (don't know why they have to charge so much money). I will attach a link to a very resourceful site - treasureu.co.uk/tapping-for... - I have worked with her over Skype a few times and she is a wonderful person.

Hope this helps. It's also comforting to know you are not alone

Sue

[kevoreally in reply to Skoek]

Yeah I have gone to CBT therapy I do meditate at home it helps a little but my anxiety is only outside of town it sucks have had this for 4 years now and I seem to get better and then worse and over and over

[Skoek in reply to kevoreally]

That's why I am sure the EFT or FasterEFT will be very helpful for you. Just check it out on Google.

[annonymousme]

Have you tries any alternative therapy activities like mindfulness, yoga or tai chi?

[kevoreally in reply to annonymousme]

Yeah I meditate I don't do anything else but I might give it a go

[annonymousme]

Or singing...or laughing therapy?

[annonymousme]

See what's available in your area. There are probably loads of groups that you could try out and see if the activities work for you. Look around as they may not always be advertised as though they are therapy activities Also a lot of these things are free in places like community centres and arts centres where they are often funded In my hometown I run singing and songwriting classes which people are finding are very therapeutic and they are also very low cost and I am applying for funding so that I can make them free. I'm sure I'm not the only person doing this so have a good look around

[Hidden]

Biofeedback and CBT have been crucial to coping with my chronic anxiety. One success: I used visualization, imagining that I was floating in a large hot tub, during the biopsy that I two days ago. I had been terrified because of the pain I anticipated. 10 mg of Valium was also a huge help.

Years ago I didn't like taking psych meds and told my doctor this every time I saw her. Eventually I accepted that I need them and probably will for the rest of my life. I exercise and eat a very healthy diet. I wish you success!

[kevoreally in reply to Hidden]

Yeah we may need them in our lives but I do not want to be dependant on a drug that we still to this day have no true idea as to what it really does with the brain chemistry or balances over a long period of time. So I'd rather do evdrthing I can with out taking pills but I do take zoloft but I have to force myself to take yhem... I am able to understand that anxiety is not deadly thank goodness but the symptoms just make it feel that way

[BonnieSue]

I'm familiar with all of your symptoms as anxiety symptoms that i do not put up with since my diagnosis of GAD. It's not going away so I must live with it. I take benzos and quetiapine for my bipolar II. I rarely have anxiety symptoms. Going "natural" is not an option for me. I also have had years of CBT therapy and have greatly benefitted from it. I'm a strong, well-balanced individual doing well under many stressful situations at once.

When my anxiety isn't under control for one reason or another, it's a real hell with all the symptoms you mention and many more. Life isn't always smooth and accommodating and I have my rough patches, but I get through them. Having strong family support and a strong spiritual life makes a world of difference for me. I'm never alone and always have reason to hope no matter how bad things seem to be.

[kevoreally in reply to BonnieSue]

I am very lucky because I seem to only have driving anxiety and very little health anxiety but when I need to go to have fun and experience life as a 22 year old I am VERY LIMITED I can put on a smile for so long but deep down I'm miserable because I see all my friends making moves and I am,stuck in one place and meeting new people is such a drag because. Can't go out of town to a club or something FUN I have had this for 4 yeas now it's terrible I wouldn't wish it upon my closest enemy

[corsaUMM]

Keep going I was like this for many years. Can drive a radius of twenyt miles on my own. Also go on journeys with OH. Sometimes take 2mg of Diazepam before we start on long journey.

[kevoreally in reply to corsaUMM]

What's OH? Also I keep a zoloft pill with me when I drive just incase I do tweak uncontrollably it seems to help keep the fears at a low but I do NOT want to depend on drugs...

[corsaUMM]

keveoreally. Oh is other half. My husband in this case.

[BonnieSue]

I just remembered...valerian root is a well known herbal remedy for anxiety. You might want to try that. I believe it's only going to help if your anxiety is fairly low.

[kevoreally in reply to BonnieSue]

I'm going to look into that.. I also just,found out that zoloft make you grind your teeth I always wondered why I felt myself bite down when I'm not eating anything... I'd catch myself and release the pressure ts very odd... but since I do it during the day I might also b doing it at night... so I am going to be buying a mouth guard for night time use.. very bizarre I hate big pharma...

[BonnieSue in reply to kevoreally]

Grinding your teeth is very common with or without zoloft. I do it and most of my family, extended family and many other acquaintances do it no matter their other health problems. None of us is on zoloft at this time. I believe it's stress related. If you can wear a guard you can avoid several problems grinding causes. That would be very helpful.

[BonnieSue in reply to BonnieSue]

Regarding valerian root: I can give you an example of who it helps: I lady I know is very hyper, talks almost non-stop, and has to keep very busy every moment. A nice lady, but very hyper nonetheless. To avoid taking a prescription drug when she gets too hyper, she takes valerian root and that eases her nerves and hyper state down so that she does not to need the prescription. I don't know any details beyond that.

[kevoreally in reply to BonnieSue]

Yeah I'm gonna look into it and see where I can get it it sounds like it will do wonders and it's natural?

[BonnieSue in reply to kevoreally]

From Everyday Health:

"Valerian is a flowering plant, the root of which is dried and used as an herbal remedy.

Valerian has been used in alternative medicine as a possibly effective aid in treating sleep problems (insomnia).

Other uses not proven with research have included treating anxiety, stress, depression, attention deficit disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, tremors, epilepsy, menopause symptoms, and other conditions."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a lot more information out about this herb if you'd like to research it.

[Hidden]

Your not alone i go thru this every damn day