Coping mechanisms for anxiety and OCD.

[Heids]

I have recently moved to a small community in outback Western Australia. I take medication to try and assist my anxiety and OCD but it doesn’t seem to be working as well anymore or I am just not coping as well. I’m 8hrs from any major town/city so it’s very isolated. I was wondering if anyone had any coping mechanisms or strategies to help?

Thanks in advanced 😊

[blondguy]

Hello Heids

Welcome and thankyou for being with us 🙂

I understand your anxiety issue as I have the same for a while now......and its an awful place to be in.

You are proactive by having the meds organised and good you Heids. I also take meds....SSRI and a benzo when required to offset the poor quality sleep I used to have.

8 hours is a long way from any regional town/city. That would be difficult. Can I ask you if you have Skype enabled on your PC? Skype will let you have a face to face chat with your counselor/mental health worker

You are strong for posting on the forums as there are many gentle people that can be here for you :-)]

The meds are an excellent management tool but only lay the foundations for our recovery. The remainder of our recovery is frequent counseling to help us help ourselves to regain some peace of mind

You asked about coping mechanisms and yes there are hundreds of them on the forums under the various subject headings.

• Just some good news for you Heids...The Flying Doctor Service has been allocated extra funding to assist people in regional areas that dont have access to the mental healthcare they need

May I ask you how severe your anxiety is if thats okay? Do you experience chronic panic attacks or a more general form of anxiety? The general rule of thumb is......If your anxiety effects your day to day well being and ability to function then its usually regarded as serious

If you wish to elaborate about your condition we can support you more effectively

I hope you can post back when its convenient for you Heids 🙂

My kind thoughts

Paul

[Heids]

Hi Paul,

I sorry to hear that you also suffer from anxiety, but I am glad there are people like you on these forums to help others with your experiences.

Yep I do have Skype but I don't really have a councillor or mental health worker at the moment, as I felt I was getting better and hadn't been seeing a psychologist for a while before I moved.

I'll have to have a look through some of the forums on here to make a list of different coping mechanism etc.

I was diagnosed with a generalised anxiety disorder, but I still have days were I dread going to work or leaving the house, and have acute panic attacks.

Thanks for your advice.

Heids

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Heids,

Thanks for your post.

I think coping mechanisms would vary a little depending on how your anxiety and OCD affect you personally - what does it look like for you? How does it affect your day? The way that it affects one person is going to be different to the way it affects another.

With that said though here are some general things I can think of -

- Have a routine. Even something as simple as a night-time routine can make a world of difference.

- Relaxation strategies. This can be anything from breathing exercises, mindfulness, muscle-tension exercises, listening to music or going for a walk. It can take a little time to see what works for you.

- Try to be aware of your self-talk. What sorts of things are you saying to yourself? Is it helpful/unhelpful? Being able to challenge some of that talk and see what's actually true is important and can help.

- Be kind to yourself. What might you say to a friend who is going through the same thing? It's amazing how much we can beat ourselves up!

Hope this is helpful! You might also find this useful - https://mindspot.org.au/ocd-course# It's a free course offered over eight weeks. It's funded by the federal Government and has psychologists/psychiatrists who've written the material personally. It might be worth looking at given that location is a barrier for you!