just wanted to say hi :)

[flimsymimsy]

Hi everyone its my first time here so just wanted to say hi and see how everyone else copes with everyday life.

A bit about me i have suffered from anxiety and depression and now agoraphobia since I was in an abusive relationship with my ex. My anxiety is through the roof at the moment and suffering constant panic attacks but am unable to take anti depressants due to the side effects and then was prescribed a beta blocker which landed me in hospital as my blood pressure dropped low so im struggling to find anything to help. My gp is a waste of time and im on the waiting list for counselling which I have been told is about 6 months which im not sure if i can last that long i just feel like im going crazy.

I do have children and i feel like their missing out too. Luckily I have family helping with them so they are getting out etc but I feel so guilty and most days i struggle get out of bed.

Please can anyone offer any advice or distraction tips or what you tend to do to help you get through the day. Thanks in advance

[mrsmummy]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

[flimsymimsy in reply to mrsmummy]

Hi mrsmummy and thanks

[Olderal]

Hello Madness (that does n't sound too polite). How do we cope with everyday life ? With difficulty, but somehow we find enough strength to get through to the next time. Your GP does sound a bit of a waste of space , usually in the UK they are pretty good, but there are exceptions. I don't know how your health centre works but if you can see another GP without causing major upsets I would do so. Its very important you have confidence in your doctor.

There are so many ADs all with different side effects that will vary from patient to patient that its hard to believe that your GP could n't find something suitable. Don't expect miracles from ADs , none of them are as targetted or effective as most drugs but they do help, and if the right one can be found can help a lot. They do take time to become effective and the side effects are usually worse at first and then lessen as your body becomes accustomed to them so if any side effects are bearable to you its worth persevering.

I'm glad you have family helping out. Children are generally much more resilient than you'd believe so don't over worry about them.

Things to help get through each day and will also be doing good for you are keeping up your contacts with family and friends as much as possible, exercise, regular and healthy meals and sleep habits. All good advice and all more difficult when depressed but do your best to follow it. If you can find an hour or twos distraction in a hobby, exercise, a book thats a real page turner, dvds or whatever it does give your mind a short "holiday"from negative thoughts and will also help.

A final thought depression and anxiety can make us all feel we are going crazy. They certainly make us very unhappy but as far as I know won't drive you crazy.

Olderal

[flimsymimsy in reply to Olderal]

Hi Olderal and thanks for your reply. My gp basically told me i dont look like im suffering and i can leave the house etc which didnt help and made me feel worse and as im unable leave the house cant register at another practice at the moment. The anti depressants cause me to have non epileptic seizures so my gp wont prescribe them which I guess I have to accept and dont really want another seizure to happen.

If it wasnt for my mum I would be lost and struggling alot more but feel I do depend on her alot which I need try and back off a bit as she cares for my nan too and is struggling to juggle everything and last thing I want is to run her into the ground too. My kids are always doing me lovely pictures and giving me lots of cuddles which does keep me going and id be lost without them. I think sometimes can be hard asking for help as scared of social services getting involved and possibly losing the kids although they are well cared for.

I purchased myself a wii u to try and help with exercise with some yoga games and lets dance to try and get a workout which I must admit is difficult when your feeling low and no energy but I will try to do it.

Thankyou for your kind words of support and Ill try the ones you suggested .

[chloe40]

Hello flimsymimsy

A very warm welcome to our Community, really pleased you've found us.

There are several excellent written guides that will be of interest to you from The Shaw Mind Foundation here:

shawmindfoundation.org/supp...

Take care

Chloe

[flimsymimsy in reply to chloe40]

Thanks Chloe