topic Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression. in Anxiety

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 06:55:33 GMT

I was diagnosed with Anxiety and minor depression about a month ago when I had to come back from the snow (training to be a professional snowboarder) because I was having a panic attack at least once a week and was not leading a healthy life style. Back home now and my "mask" for anxiety got taken off and I completely broke down and everything got worse, but it made me realise how deep I was in anxiety and avoiding it. I'm on medication now and working through all of my problems with my psych and gp, feel kinda bad that I let it get to the stage where I needed AD's and a sedative to even cope just living at home but I'm staying optimistic.

I'm reaching out today to ask if any of you know any good tips or tricks to get better. I'm doing meditation everyday and starting to get my sleep schedule and eating habits in order while also trying to feel my anxiety to get familiar with it. Because at the moment most things over stimulate me in the way of anxiety and its hard to even go out in public for a long time. If I had to put it in a way it would be that you are always feeling alert of everything and focus, hence the meditation and self reflection each day to get be able to not be affected by the anxiety as much and not let it take my focus.

2 things that bother me though is 1. with the depression, it can just make you feel like you aren't doing anything good at times with recovery and makes me more anxious and 2. I have really low self-confidence and I don't mind the AD's cause I know its a long term thing but the sedative is sticking around for a while and I keep doubting the doctors and myself on that decision even though I know its the right balance at the moment.

Thank you in advance for any responses.

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

white knight — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 12:01:29 GMT

Hi gunrun, welcome

Yes I've been there. Its a weird distant feeling that I eventually overcame.

imo a mixture of several things some of self help can get you by. Well done in meditation.

Google

Topic: how I eliminated anxiety- beyondblue

You mentioned lifestyle. It might be time to seriously review your approach to it, friends, living style etc

Topic: the balance of your life- beyondblue

Low self esteem. Thats also a long goal to build up.

Topic: the best praise you'll ever get- beyondblue

Medication. We have little input there of course but this covers some areas

Topic: medication is a whirlpool- beyondblue

As for facing the world

Topic: fortress of survival- beyondblue

Happy reading, there are thousands more threads of interest here on this site.

Tony WK

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 12:38:09 GMT

Hey Tony,

Thank you so much for the links! It'll be a good read.

Regards,

Campbell

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Tue, 10 Oct 2017 02:26:29 GMT

hi,
Second post here cause I don't really know how to handle the issue cause its very unfamiliar to me. So today I realised with the help of my mum that I had never talked about or grieved over death or near death experiences close to me (to which I've had many) and through that fact we realized that I probably have a Huge phobia of dying (was Diagnosed with GAD and panic disorder to which many was happening cause I thought I was going to have a heart attack or die in someway). I'm trying to figure out if anyone has had the same issues before and if you could offer some advice? I'll be talking to my psychologist and close family and friends about it to get my feelings out there on it but I don't know how to handle it as such.
Regards

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

white knight — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 06:42:07 GMT

Hi guest

My ex wife was said "you'll relax more about death when you accept that death is part of life"

Such can be one of many fears or phobias that rule our mind. I think like many problems surrounding mental illness we should rely on more than one activity to tackle it.

Psychologist, meds, peer groups like here, friends ideas, reading etc. When my brother took his life in 1978 my parents needed me at 24yo to support them. Result, delayed grief for me. Grief is a personal journey, a process that cant be rushed but we tend to brush it off thinking we are strong.

More threads use google

Topic: coping with grief- beyondblue

Topic: making sense of grief- beyondblue

Topic: clear the road I'm on my way- beyondblue

Topic: 30 minutes can change your life- beyondblue

Repost anytime

Tony WK

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 07:34:20 GMT

Hi Whiteknight,

Things have progressed a bit more in my recovery and I have made a few more changes to my life to start and get back on my feet. Recently been able to handle day to day anxiety a lot better with a healthy diet and the right routine of meditation, medication and good sleep which all have played a big role in flaring my anxiety up in the first place. I still have issues with me being uncertain about my health as I check my heart rate everyday and get overly triggered by heartaches (which cause me to lose focus when walking or talking and throw me into the deep end of my anxiety) but I'm trying to get through them with exposure therapy such as exercise and noting the feeling when I realise it but going back to my original task so I've acknowledged it but not letting it influence my train of thought or concentration. Lost a bit of weight going through the start of this journey which has worried me because I don't have much of an appetite but now that I'm doing exercise and have protein shakes each day along with a regular diet I'm slowly seeing my weight rise again.

I keep up everyday self reflection because it helps me become more in tune with my feelings and helps me accept who I am and be able to rely on myself a bit more in terms of looking for confidence and overall recognition that I'm just getting a spout of anxiety and that's why I feel agitated as such.

Though one thing is still bothering me, I can't seem to relax for a long time or be let my brain run free cause it feels like its set to being anxious all the time, so unless i'm focused on a task or something my anxiety flares up a bit. I know I'm getting better cause all my anxiety and panic is getting less but I still can't shake that underlying anxious feeling and I don't know how to shake it.

Regards

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

KMTE — Sat, 04 Nov 2017 21:16:38 GMT

Wow you sound exactly like me. My doctor seems to call it more health anxiety. I am constantly thinking there is something wrong with me and always check my heart rate and have a huge fear of dying. Other the last 6 months I've thought I had numerous things wrong with me and it started to affect my ability to leave the house and do social things. No advice as such but things do get better. I am using all the techniques that you are minus the sedative. I've learnt now not to dwell on a bad day and don't look at it as a set back. Happy to chat with you more about it (oh and I also have minor depression )

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 03:28:31 GMT

Hi KMTE,

Yeah sounds like you have a similar case to mine, I've been up and down with how i'm viewing my health and alike but its generally getting better and its only been a month since I started feeling that way so its still pretty fresh, I've been doing a lot of conditioning on the way I think about each health anxiety as well like placing nicer words on each symptom and making sure I expose myself to it little by little to show myself I am fine with it. Progression is nice but so hard to gauge when its over a number of months and you have up and down days aha. Guess I've just gotta be patient with it all and keep determined 🙂

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Sat, 11 Nov 2017 10:58:58 GMT

Been an interesting progression with my anxiety, cause the more I think about it the more I get anxious, so its really hard to understand it without getting too involved with it at all. That careful balance is something i'm learning again and have been able to as such take public transport and stay the night at a friends house without having a panic episode, still had bouts of my anxiety (especially since I have a low grade cold) throughout the night but in the end was really good, was able to focus on other feelings not just my anxiety which I believe is key to my recovery, cause the feeling of having fun or being sad or jealous or anything else helps my mindset slowly come out of being set in an anxious tone at default.

I think with my health anxiety as well its just me tunnel visioning too much on what could happen and as such it brings about panic but if I don't judge or get involved with the sensations of my body it doesn't work me up to such a degree. Hard to explain it simply at the moment cause I've only recently thought of it but it does work for now, just need to see if I can keep it going!

A certain level of patience is needed for this Journey cause it definitely does take a long time to whoever has it, Its really good reading the other forums and getting a good feel for the journey and where it may take you and how people have been happy and changed through the experience!

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 07:46:05 GMT

Been an interesting time recently, I've had such a busy week (even when compared to when I didn't have anxiety) and its been completely draining which I can understand. But over the past week I've developed a new symptom from my anxiety I'm guessing which is that I feel I not breathing well enough. It takes a pretty big toll on me mentally cause if I get caught up in it my head will get fuzzy and i'll rushed with some adrenaline. I've been doing writing down and keeping a calm open mind about it but it can be so distracting and debilitating when I get caught off guard by it. I'm going to see my GP and psych this week anyway for a checkup so i'll bring it to their attention but its very much a pain and I don't know what to do about it.

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 13:34:43 GMT

Hi everyone,

Back again to give an update on how I'm going and in need of some insight. So since I last posted there has been major progress, I'm able to go out with friends, I got a job, I'm able to cope with life in general basically and have been cutting down on my sedatives cause its going so well with my mental state. But I've also hit a new point, So basically I have gotten a fear of my health and wellbeing and it shows up all the time with random symptoms like e.g leg cramp and such which I get scared from and get blank minded from a sudden rush of worry. As well as that I've also been finding it hard to aspire to anything in life, I don't think its quite depression cause i still enjoy stuff but I've lost my drive to do something grand or look towards the future. Its become a bit of a block. I want to get my life back to the point where I can enjoy it and feel different emotions for different situations, but this problem of my health fear and lack of drive is making it hard. I really just don't know how to get around it, cause its a hindrance.

I want to also say to everyone that I am managing really well now with my anxiety and that's almost cleared up to a normal state. So if anyone has any queries about my journey I'm happy to share how I went!

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 03:22:07 GMT

Another update on my story.

So its been a very busy and stressful month with family illness and family pets passing as well which brought on a bit of an anxiety attack. Apart from that though work and everything has been going along smoothly, I kept getting headaches and weird symptoms from something though throughout the day. so I went to the doctor and I was told I could be over sensitive to my anti-depressants so I was told I could half the dose cause I was recovering well and see how my body and mind goes. Needless to say i stopped having the headaches and symptoms which is fantastic but also made me more anxious as my anti depressants were on a lower dose, not to say I can't handle it or anything. It just feels similar to before when I was on a high alert of things subconsciously, should calm down soon though as my body and mind gets used to the lower dose!

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Croix — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 06:10:33 GMT

Dear Campbell~

I'd like to apologize, it looks nobody has responded to you. It's a problem that does happen from time to time, it's no reflection on you, or what you are talking about, just the system.

It's hard when pets pass away and family is ill. It naturally takes one's thoughts to death, and this would have been particularity hard seeing your phobia of dying. Hopefully that has improved during this last 6 months.

Reading though from when you first came here it seems to me you are making a lot of progress. Depression and anxiety are horrible things that curtail one's life and even the mask you spoke of having is a poor thing. In my case it can actually made me feel more isolated - there is me on my side and the whole world on the other.

Now regular medical supervision, a job, and being able to use public transport and stay at friends makes the world is a better place.

Being able to halve your medication - and feeling beneficial effects with the headaches and other things is really excellent. The fact your have become more anxious is a nuisance, hopefully a temporary one as you say. ADs do tend to take a while to stabilize whenever the regime is changed.

Being on constant high alert does fade and you can help it do so. I'm sure you are already doing a lot, with exercise, attention to diet and sleep, plus trying to avoid stressful situations if you can. I even go to the extent of not watching the news as it keys me up and there is nothing on there I can do anything about.

Spending time each day doing something I enjoy and which takes my mind away from my life is most important for me. It gives me something to look forward to, a break from the current set of anxious thoughts , and even helps my feel better about myself. Do you do something similar?

If you look at:

Forums / Anxiety / SELF HELP TIPS FOR MANAGING ANXIETY

You will probably find useful things others have done. I find it very useful. You mentioned medication, while I'm not good at that by myself I use the free app Smiling Mind which works well.

Having people to help is at least as important as the doctors, do you still have your mum around to support you? It sounds as if she has made a big difference in the past.

I'll try to keep an eye out if you would like to post some more

Croix

Feeling directionless is I guess simply a sign you still have a way to go, and as your mind becomes less consumed with anxiety there is room for long term goals and enjoyment.

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

white knight — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 12:46:17 GMT

Hi Guest

I wont repeat aspects of Croux's post which is an excellent one.

Some self help really works with anxiety. This is clearly mentioned in the following thread.

Use google

Topic: anxiety how I eliminated it- beyondblue

Sorry you were missed.

Tony WK

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

StudentMum — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 13:12:29 GMT

Hi,

I’ve just joined this forum (I should be sleeping but I lie awake every night and I’m tired every day). I’m a mother with a child with special needs, I was injured in a car accident a while ago and left with no money and unable to work, and I’m doing a full-time course load at uni.

I can’t sleep at night, I cant wake up of a morning, I’m constantly missing classes and having to catch up at home. I’m so anxious about literally everything in my life and depressed that I’m struggling to leave the house and I’ve pushed away all of my friends. I feel like my life is over but I’m caring for a child I love more than anything and I’m stuck in such a rut. I don’t like talking to people about things. I feel like I’m drowning.

I’m not sure how this is helpful to you (sorry) but I’ve just stumbled upon this thread and I too am desperate for some advice and help. I have no time to implement anything my psych suggests- attending the appt’s actually creates more stress because it takes time away from my child and his therapy and it costs money to get there.

Move never felt more alone in my life. I hope people on here can help or at least listen. Im fighting an endless losing battle.

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Croix — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 14:08:04 GMT

Dear StudentMum~

I don't think Guest6732 is going to mind if I talk to you for a moment. I guess the first thing to do is welcome you here, I'm sure you are going to find it a friendly place where others will try to help.

I'll mention that while you are welcome to stay in this thread your best chance of advice and to meet more people is in a thread of your own. If you get stuck making one just sing out.

Your life sounds very hard at the moment, looking after a youngster with special needs is pretty taxing at the best of times,now with an injury it's that much harder.

I'd like to ask a couple of things if you don't mind. Are you all by yourself or is there anyone to care and help you, a partner, family member or friend? It can make a huge difference if there is.

The other thing is you said you were doing uni full-time, and I'm wondering why. With your child to care for, plus your injury and depression and anxiety as well it seems to me at first glance to be more pressure than you need.

Ok that was me being nosy - no not really, the better I understand the better I can talk with you. Actually it does not sound as if your medical team is talking properly with you. As you are finding out there is absolutely no use in having unrealistic expectations about what you can do outside the therapy sessions.I hope your doctor bulk-bills.

If it was me I'd go see the doctor and explain a couple of things, firstly the situation you are in now, sleeplessness, exhaustion, anxiety, isolation and all the rest. If you think talking face to face might be too hard do what I've done and write it all down in point form first - then share the paper. Alternatively print out your post. My doctor fund that method very useful - so did I.

Then try to get a realistic regime, with checks built in to ensure you are able to do whatever is required.

The battle is not lost, you can improve. I was a complete mess and have now reached a pretty good life far from how I was.

Please come back and talk more, either in your own thread or here

Croix

Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

Guest6732 — Sun, 08 Apr 2018 08:27:32 GMT

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the replies, i appreciate it a lot! I wasn't entirely too fussed on nobody replying, it was more to record and document my own journey and see if i can look back on it and learn plus to help anyone who was going through a similar journey.

At the moment I'm trying to work through my smaller bouts of anxiety, subconscious reactions to situations that make me anxious when I know it doesn't have to be. So my go to response to that is to confront it and ask myself why. I couldn't do this in the past cause my head didn't have enough self confidence to value my opinion but know I can slowly chip away at that set motion but facing up to it with my own analysis. It is still very draining and hard but it should get there. Plus i think itll help me grow in numerous ways to do it like that for myself.

My home situation still hasn't changed much but i'm starting to realize how I can get around it and how I can be my own person, unfortunately my pet passing was harsh but most people would feel rough regardless of their mental state on that.

Now i'm not gonna lie, I'm horrible with looking after myself in healthy ways, the only thing i do regularly is exercise, diet and sleep are broken and could be better. I just don't have the drive for it as such, i'm not a hundred percent sure why though. If it ever gets too bad though I make sure I keep a bit of a better routine.

The pills have settled down a bit now, I feel more aware now, but not in a bad way. I can think and contemplate things with anxiety as a side without getting overwhelmed most of the time, I wouldn't say its necessarily better but I like having this freedom of my mind.

Now StudentMum, I'm sorry you are having such a rough time with everything. It seems like you have a lot of pressure on your shoulders, and as Croix said it could be you have taken on a few too many things at once. Having goals are great but having only when they are realistic and you can be able to see them in easy small steps to achieve, otherwise taking big leaps and bounds will leave you exhausted and restless (it was part of my reason for my anxiety at the start as well. The best advice I can offer you if you are having trouble communicating with people is to write down your days and thoughts and reflect on them, it really helped me out! otherwise someone more experienced might be able to answer your question 🙂

regards,

Campbell