For the sufferer anxiety is basically 24 hour a day managing. The idea of "accepting and letting it be" makes sense on paper and in theory will work. What does one do when it becomes a little too much?
When i experience physical symptoms (panic, shakes, trembling, fast heart beat) i weather the storm and let it be and control my behavior of not overreacting to it. This is to teach the brain to desensitiz itself etc...... But what is one to do when you're highly sensitized and the smallest of thoughts trigger the physical symptoms?
A person can't spend the day accepting physical discomfort when you have repeated back to back episodes. At this point it's out of control and you're about to lose yourself. The brain just isn't getting it.
I'm curious to know others take on this? From personal experience. Is this the point when medication needs to interject?
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Dnel82
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I've been doing it alone for 3 years. I feel the same about medication. But what does a person turn to when it becomes to much and you loose control over it?
For me, that’s where the meds come in. That plus therapy helps a ton. I have been on meds since I was a teenager and had many of the same worries you do. Keep in mind that I did this as my teenage brain was growing so I was much more susceptible to bad side effects and feelings getting worse. The best thing you can possibly do is find a doctor who can look at your symptoms, and your personal and family history, then make a decision on what to take based on that. The idea is that they’ll be looking after you Incase side effects do get worse, but I can’t stress enough how much these two things helped.
By coming here and writing your posts, you are already taking the steps to recover and deal with your anxieties!
I struggled so long,the meds save me,I couldn't cope and live anymore with the panic attacks..I woke up every day paralysed,trembling,like having a heart attack..started loosing weight,nauseous,had to sleep sitting in bed because I couldn't breath..started to be afraid of leaving the house and having a panic attack so I wouldn't get out...I said to myself that's no life so I choose the meds..I don't regret it,I don't think at that point I would get better naturally..I never had a panic attack again since 25 and I'm now 38..I'm anxious lately because I divorced but nothing like those episodes of the past
I get this way from time to time. Less frequently than I used to.
I'm still getting better at accepting. I keep practicing, but the automatic response of fighting does happen more often than not. I am not dismayed. Annoyed, yes...but not dismayed.
Without going into details about my life with anxiety, I recently made the decision to go back on meds to take the edge off. In consultation with my psychiatrist, it was important that the meds not completely mask the anxiety, but to take it down a notch. I am on a low dose of trazedone. This allows me to still do the important CBT work with changing my reaction to anxiety.
Where do you carry the anxiety in your body? When I realize that I'm feeling anxious and worrying, I check my body and more times than not my shoulders are shrugged and tense. When I release that and take a deep breath, I feel a reduction in the bodily stress.
I am merciless towards myself. I am harsh and judgmental. I give myself no margin of error and am my own worse enemy. I criticize myself constantly and when I don't get the acceptance aspect perfectly, I am inclined to brutally chastise myself. My two goals are to practice more and give myself patience, kindness, and love.
I don't get into the med debate. It's the individual's right to choose.
Great read.... I also recently accepted a mild SSRI to top up my mood while I deal with the fact the stress has moved from my controlled IBS to a more scary chest and back problems which I can’t get a grip on ..... but I will beat this I will get over my disappointment in myself, like you I am ultra self critical
Hang in there! Look at anxiety as a friendly reaction to stress. It has helped me to see anxiety as a messenger...that when the tension is increasing, the anxiety tells me to let go. Which is easier said than done, but when I do let go and get off my back, there are moments of peace.
Well written strong and accurate view.... I can absolutely relate to your post I think I may have coped using distractions and then for whatever reason I let my guard down and now I’ve given in to medication to support me while I regain my spark and some energy
I had meds’ in my 30 swore blind never again so I’m very disappointed at 55 to have given in, but my mind is stronger than my will power so let’s test the process of meds while I regain the fire in my belly and sort the pain in my back and chest
Great post Dnel, and one that i'm afraid I need to answer from the 'it's got too much' perspective. My anxiety and chronic insomnia has now triggered rolling migraines, so much so that I am under a neurologist now. He feels our best option to help both is to go with Epilim (Sodium Valproate). I am devastated that it's come to this, but the cycle has become unbreakable. I've been dealing with extreme anxiety now since 2012. If the drug works, i'll be trading migraines and anxiety for possible depression including suicidal ideation, rapid weight gain and tremors. Doesn't feel like a fair trade to me, and I feel like I've now really lost this fight tbh. Sorry to be so pessimistic but it is what it is, for me at least.
I'm so sorry to hear this. I empathize deeply for you. I struggle to as well on a daily basis and i understand there are other like me who suffer far worse. Maybe one day when there's enough awareness to this disorder someone would've found a solution just for us anxiety sufferers.
It saddens me to know there are more like me struggling to no avail. I too wish there was an easier way.
Also i know how it feels with the migraines. Only a week ago i had a migraine for 5 days straight. My vision was so distorted by it.
Thank you so much for replying, Dnel. I really appreciate your kind words. I am so very sorry to learn that you're a migraineur, too. I can certainly sympathise - mine usually last 3 to 5 days, and the visual distortion just adds another layer to our anxieties too, doesnt it? Do you see a Neuro. about yours? My Neuro. told me that anxiety is actually a part of migraine presentation in itself, so we do have some significant overlap there. Can I just say too that I've just been catching up with posts here after a bit of an absence and I find yours very thoughtful and thought provoking - thank you, and keep posting! It really helps to feel less alone, even though this is a 'club' that none of us want to belong to.
I can completely relate to your post. My anxiety and depression has become something that’s around 24hrs a day, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had even a second without being anxious or low. Once it became like this I decided to try medication. I would say a good rule of thumb is that if it disrupts your ability to live the bare minimum day to day activities, medication is something that needs to be tried. I’ve only just started taking medication so very unsure but I’ve heard great things about it.
After reading a few of your posts and your introduction in your profile page one of the best things you can do is buy some magnesium glycinate, it will ease your symptoms.
You can not sit and dwell you have to fight back and you have to be brave and actually face the things that do scare you, and I mean face it.
Yeah you could have a heart attack and die, so could I, so could anyone..... And ?
Ive been there, I ended up with agrophobia and wouldn't go out my door because of it so I'm not talking from lack of experience.
i think meds are something to think about when daily life becomes unmanageable. when your anxiety/panic attacks interfere with living.
there's such a stigma around medication. i feel it about myself and ive been taking meds for a few months. its not something i ever wanted to do but i have small kids and was spending my days with them in a panic thinking i was going to die at any moment.
sure, look into natural remedies, leave no stone unturned, but they don't work for everyone. i take a bunch of vitamins. they're not going to heal a chemical imbalance in the brain.
there's no shame in taking medication. we wouldn't tell someone who broke their leg to try to manage it on their own first or look down upon them for going to a doctor. im on low doses. i still get anxiety but its nowhere near where it used to be and i think everyday im getting stronger. it might be a lifelong battle but for now the meds help.
I expect you already know that beyond a certain point, perhaps different for everyone, the chemistry of the brain is altered so that to get out of it is hard, if not even possible. At that point some medication would help to an extent. altering what you do would perhaps be the next step.
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