Set back with anxiety and depression :(

[Skeeble]

Hey all. I have been doing so well with managing my anxiety recently..been pushing boundaries with my agrophobia and was feeling better in myself. I was on top of the housework and doing my make up everyday..and I seem to have woken up 2 days ago and I feel like I'm BACK where I was before I started the Antidepressants.

Low mood, no energy.. anxious constantly.. racing thoughts.. can't sleep..and soo soo DOWN nd wondering is this my life now..

Anyone else taken 10 steps forward only to be sucked back into the deep end again.

I hope this isn't my life now as it's so depressing being like this. A year ago I didn't have any of these issues. Now it rules me

[Hidden]

Did you just start taking a new antidepressant? It may just not be the right fit for you...

I completely understand where you are coming from. Sometimes I wake up with no anxiety and get so excited that it's finally cured and then the next day it seems to come back worse than before. I just want to feel better and I get sooooo frustrated when this happens.

My boyfriend (who also suffers from severe anxiety & depression) has to remind me that there is no cure for anxiety, but we are able to learn to manage it. So with that being said, my advice to you (and myself) is to take the good days as they come and deal with the bad days when they show up. Don't think yourself into a state of anxiety (that's what I tend to do...when it's not there I am just counting down the seconds until it shows back up)!

Also, if you are feeling stressed or overwhelmed that could be contributing to the anxiety/depression. I tend to feel very anxious Monday/Tuesday mornings (my busy days at work) and feel better on Saturdays/Sundays when I don't have much going on. Start journaling and writing down the times you start to feel anxious, and maybe you will be able to see a pattern in when you feel anxious/don't feel anxious.

I hope this helps!! Trust me, if I could fix it I would. It's ANNOYING and extremely frustrating. Hope you feel better soon

[Skeeble in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for your reply xx

[Cat33 in reply to Hidden]

Fantastic reply 😘

[misfitt]

Oh my goodness, literally the exact same thing happened to me. I feel for you if you ever want to talk up can message me!!!

[Skeeble in reply to misfitt]

Thanks. You would think with all the people in the world suffering there would be some sort of cure by now lol x

[misfitt in reply to Skeeble]

Yeah it's terrible I was good for a really long time and now it's just getting hard but coming in like waves of "fine, calm, anxious" over and over I really truly hope you feel better and just remember if you beat it once you can do it again

[EsmeKells]

Am in the same boat you are and I empathize completely. Please don't beat yourself up. Whenever I get in my head too much, I try the opposite to emotion technique. Normally on a crap day, I run to my bed and cry all over my cats and then text an ex while eating a bag of cookies ( yeah, I am cringeing just typing that) so instead I start talking to myself - I say, "Hey! You are starting to get super negative - do you want to let your anxiety beat you?" Then I find a song - a stupid pop song and start singing and jumping until I snap out of it. I feel ridiculous and uncomfortable doing it but...It clears my head enough to haul my sad butt to the shower and make my self presentable. Then I feel a bit better and keep on trying. I know this may not help you but maybe thinking of a 38yr old slightly chubby lady jumping up and down to a Demi Lovato song singing to her cats in leopard pajamas might make you giggle. Good Luck, my dear. You are not alone in your struggle.

[misfitt in reply to EsmeKells]

I do that too!!! I love all of you guys so much 😂😂 Ill literally look in the mirror and say "you're the daughter of a king, you will not do this today, you will be happy and you will smile" (I'm religious so by king I mean the big man up stairs) and I'll turn on music and do my makeup or something, and it actually helps for a while!!! Sorry I just thought that's so awesome

[Skeeble in reply to EsmeKells]

Love this. Thank u so much xx

[EsmeKells]

Lol..that made me giggle.See, even though anxiety is hard - having a sense of humor really helps. Being a King's daughter is pretty sweet as well! I will be praying for you! 🙃

[Cat33]

Hello Skeeble

Please remember you can't have a setback unless you have begun to recover You will have setbacks but dont think that is how it will always be

You say 2 days ago thats not long Try and accept that you will feel like it for a while then you will start to feel better again and even better than you did

It's great that you are doing your housework and doing your make up

If you haven't already please please look at Dr Claire Weekes books or go online to find her wonderful words I know she will help you so much

I kept a diary which I found really helped and also I have a lovely special pretty notebook where I write things during my day that have made me feel happy little things like birdsong a sunset anything that gives pleasure

Keep smiling this is NOT how life will always be

Take good care and be kind to yourself x

[cortisolqueen]

I could have written that post! It describes my life completely. I will be better and feeling like my old self before this anxiety started, and then BAM, I wake up and it is all over me again. It is so frustrating to think you are cured and then it hits again. Every thing I read says this is just the way it is with anxiety. It least we are having some good days. I used to never be free from it but now I do have periods where I think I am cured. I will pray for you and everyone on this forum.

[Hidden]

Has there been any recent major changes or major dates come up? That always seems to be what sets me back. The good news is that you will move forward again and next time know what is happening and hopefully why. Had a crap week myself due to an anniversary of a tragic event, wasn't even aware of it till 3 days later when I figured it out. Hope you find your trigger...

[Skeeble]

Thanks guys your words are so helpful. xx

[designguy]

Hello Skeeble, as a few have commented here, the meds only help reduce and/or help make the anxiety manageable, they won't eliminate it. That was my experience and of many others from what I have read. Doing the psychological work with or without taking the meds is what is usually required.

One of the things that helped me in my recovery was reframing my thinking and changing my expectations. If I got up in the morning and found myself thinking I shouldn't be tired what if it's anxiety, etc..., then I would get anxious. If I changed my thoughts to it's ok if i'm tired, who cares if it's anxiety, etc... it minimized or eliminated my anxiety. When I found myself mentally arguing with reality is when I had anxiety. The other critical thing for me was changing how I thought of anxiety. Instead of using the words, "fighting, struggling, overcoming and even managing" I would correct myself and change it to "accepting". Accepting is the path to freedom.