Every day I wake up in fear, stomach churning, muscles trembling, feeling sick...it happens I suppose as I am full of dreaded of the day ahead.
I am frightened of a day of feeling sick, aching and shaking and feeling like I am going to pass out.
It has gotten so bad now, I can't go out, I can't even go to my son's and see my grandchildren or has a friend round. I just want to cry for my old self back, but I don't know where she is. None of the drugs the doctor gives me helps. I know I have to do this alone.
Can anybody identify with this? Any tip or encouragement would help so much. I have completely had enough.
Thanks for reading me. X
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Funkyfaerie
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I was waking up shaky every morning. Couldn't go to work without the anxiety. Everyday I have head pressure it seems like. You have to tell yourself "I'm going to do this" anxiety or not. You can't keep running from it or it will continue to bother you more. Everyday when I get out I feel like I can't do it. I'm feeling bad the entire time I'm out but each time I get it done and back at home. We can't allow the anxiety to keep us trapped. If we do it will grow. It's a bully and will continue to ruin our day. Try not to focus on it. Just say this is anxiety , hi I feel ya and go on with your daily routine. Each day you move toward it and not run away it will get less. I was once unable to leave my house for 4 days because I was scared of the sensations and feelings that anxiety will make you feel. However they are not dangerous
This is fantastic advice and quite frankly the only thing you can do. Thearpy, meds, CBT will only get you so far. The only true way to beat or manage anxiety is do what you gotta do in your daily life regardless of how you feel. Taking it easy keeps you housebound and miserable. it's hard, real hard but eventually the anxious feeling become less and less. They may never go away but they'll be manageable.
I will try to recall your words each morning as I'm currently in the grasp of anxiety for 2 weeks. I remember when I used to ENJOY mornings....now I'm all shaky.
Morning funkyfaerie you have just described me to a T ive been like it for a few days now ive had it for 17 years in total and every so many weels or montjs i get very bad anxiety it even wakes me up its scary and i have the biggest fear of death i always think the worst that ive got some underling terminal illness its so scary having to battle with yourself everyday and it dosnt help that the mind plays horrible tricks on us im here if you need me day or night we can kick the shit outta this anxiety and show it whos boss xxxx
I have had bouts of anxiety a few times in my life, but this is by far the worst. It all started bout 4 yrs ago, with headaches and work and family stress and I guess just built up gradually.
Now I dread every day, and even more so if I need to go out. I feel sick, feel faint and dizzy, everything aches and hurts and I mean everything, muscles seem to tremble or buzz. I get bouts of ibs, ringing in my ears and sometimes skin rashes.
But of a mess really!
That's why I dread the day. I am going back to the doctor tomorrow, I want him to fix it, but do you know what? I don't even know what I am going to say to him.
Wow - same here with the IBS and, faintness, trembling, "buzzing", and tinittus (ringing in ears). Hang in there.....i'm sure we'll all find a way out of this mess!
Funkyfaerie, first thing in the morning is never a good time for those with anxiety disorder. The body's production of cortisol peaks at around 8a.m. and if not used for 'fight or flight' it sloshes around in us making us feel extra anxious, stressed and depressed. Our bodies think we need this extra shot of cortisol first thing to fight the dinosaurs but there hasn't been a dinosaur round my town since anyone can remember. There is a natural antidote to cortisol which is called Thianine, it's found in green tea but you can also buy it in tablet form both as Thianine and Green Tea.
I find that drinking a mug of green tea first thing on waking very helpful in countering morning anxiety but don't find the tablet versions work for me.So you might want to invest a pound or a dollar in a pack of green tea bags (available in most supermarkets), what's to lose?
Stomach churning, shaking, nausea, feeling you're going to pass out are all classic symptoms of anxiety disorder. So is agrophobia, not wanting to leave home. It usually starts after a longish period of too much stress and worry, our nervous systems can take just so much - and then they becomeover sensitised. When this happens our nerves start to play tricks on us causing all the symptoms already mentioned and many others beside. In fact, over sensitised nerves tend to imitate all kinds of physical symptoms plus strange feelings of dread and not wanting to leave the 'safety' of home.
But these nervous symptoms aren't real physical illnesses, they're frauds. Although they make us feel rotten and scare us half to death they're not life threatening, can't damage our bodies or send us crazy. They may make us think we're going to pass out or our legs are going to turn to jelly if we walk up the streetvin fact they never do, frayed nerves don't have the power to do that. But most sufferers don't know that so each bad feeling causes more fear which causes more bad feelings which causes more fear and so the vicious circle rolls on. And all the extra fear we generate only serves to keep our nervous system over sensitised.
The solution to all this suffering which always leads to recovery is to stop fighting and testing yourself as this only causes more tension and fear which frazzled nerves thrive on. Instead you have to develop the frame of mind that allows you to Accept all these bad symptoms for the time being without generating more fear. Just go about your normal daily business and although you feel lousy just accept it, don't fight it, because you know it can't damage your mind or body because it's a sham caused not by real physical illness but by nothing more than a blip in your nervous system.
If you can manage to accept those bad feelings temporarily without constantly re-sensitising your nerves with fear then eventually your nervous system becomes de-sensitised and returns to normal - and all the rotten symptoms disappear. So the key word is Acceptance followed by Practice and Persistance and just getting on with your day's work and for you that includes going out and visiting your son. It's a case of 'do what you fear and the death of fear is assured'. If you've read this far funkyfaerie then you now have an explanation of what's been happening to you and you now have a road plan for recovery using Acceptance. So why not start practicing the Acceptance method tomorrow and start to reclaim your life - and stop being intimidated by blips and glitches in your nervous system that can only trick you but can't harm you because they are only toothless paper tigers?
Wow Jeff.....great advice......the tough part, for me, is to put it into practice and make it work. Sounds like, perhaps, you have experience as a therapist of some sort?
Just read some of your posts and see you had/have a problem with nausea. That is one of my main problems too, which makes it hard for me to cope and not want to go out. My life up to a year ago was so different, I was going to gigs and festivals, seeing friends, but it has all stopped...for the time being because I cannot enjoy anything constantly feeling sick or thinking I am going to throw up and that starts more panic, so much so I suppose it kicks off the passing out feeling.
Gosh I sound rational don't I sitting here in the safety of my home 😊.
Anyway what I wanted to say to you was. I bought some anti sickness travel bands, you may have seen/heard of them, they work on an acupressure point and are mainly used for travel sickness...and they help! I have a feeling you are in the US, but you can get them via the internet, worth a try
I have taken drugs for the nausea, but want to try and stop taking too many drugs!
Hi Dylan, no not a therapist just someone who experienced anxiety disorder for over 40 years but have it under control withthe Acceptance method I described.
I am going to try from today to get up when I wake up, instead of laying in bed shaking, no matter how bad I feel. I figure distraction might help. And I figure it's a better habit than laying in bed freaking out for two or three hours.
Can I just say, Jenny, that the Acceptance method I described was worked out many, many years ago by Claire Weeked who experienced anxiety disorder as a young woman studying to be a doctor. As a result she described her method for recovery from anxiety disorder and agrophobia in a short book that's avaialable fro Amazon either new or used for a few pounds/dollars. In the u.k. it's titled 'Self help with your nerves' and in the u.s. 'Hope and help with your nerves'. That book has been responsible for the recovery of more people than any other and I leave it to you but do recommend it, you will soon find yourself in its pages and it will bring reassurance and eventual recovery using Claire Weekes' Acceptance method.
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