Generalised Anxiety disorder

[Jaylou]

Hi All,

I have suffered form anxiety most of my life but recent changes at work has me spiralling badly to the extent it's crippling. I went to my GP and I did a MHCP and she has me on medication which is helping somewhat. I am booked in for my first therapy appointment in January buy I was hoping to get some ways to help cope until then? 

[Guest_37942367]

Hi,

I'm new to understanding the anxiety space so I will be mindful not to give advice as I'm still learning myself. But I just wanted to give you words of encouragement and let you know that you have taken the hardest step already which is reaching out and asking for help. So good on you and I hope you find support and tools that can help you find the place you want to be. Remember. You are enough and worth the struggle 🙂 All the best mate

[Jaylou]

Thank you that means a lot. This space is new to me as well. But so glad I've found it. It's good to have support. Hope everything is good with you 😊

[Happylife]

Hello Jaylou,

Warm welcome to the forums. Really sorry to hear about your mental health struggles. Thank you for reaching out and sharing your story.

Glad to know you are seeking professional help. From what you have mentioned looks like recently your anxiety must have aggravated because of the changes at work, which is very normal and natural.

You can try some of the natural ways to cope which may be helpful like Mindfulness techniques or deep breathing, this can help slow down the anxious processing of thoughts and emotions. It can help in learning to be more present rather than focusing and anticipating too much about the future.

Also, practice acceptance and try to keep a positive mind. Sometimes change can be good. It can be helpful to accept the journey and embrace it as an opportunity to learn.

Please remember you are not alone in this and we are all here to support you.

Do take care of yourself and stay active. Most importantly don't forget to laugh😊, taking a moment to have fun is a gentle reminder that anxiety is not in charge.

Hope this helps. Here to listen and support if you want to talk more...

Take care

Happylife

[Jaylou]

Hi Happylife,

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. This is a different kind of anxiety to what I have experienced before. I have been reading books on CBT and DBT and they have been helping until I start therapy. I'm always up to talking it helps me a lot to voice my worries and feelings. I'm an author as well and I writing usually helps me feel good but I haven't been able to write in 8 weeks. So I've found other things that helps me relax like sitcoms and romcom movies. 

Hope you are doing well 😊 

[Dean07]

I relate to your story.

I have had GAD for most of my life and I am 64 years old.
At times I've become quite dysfunctional but most times I managed to function at work in general life but tend to shut down emotionally when anxious. I used to think that if I thought hard or worried about a particular issue that I would find a solution and the anxiety would be finished. As you know with GAD another issue would pop up and I would worry about it just as much.

I went to a new psychologist this year and he has been very helpful. He managed to convince me that thinking about a problem initially can be helpful to find solutions but after a certain point the worry is counter-productive. It's the excessive worry for me that causes the anxiety to worsen. I've managed in the last few months to not allow myself to worry about an issue past a certain point. When I find myself ruminating I now do not allow myself to continue thinking about it. It takes some practice but very quickly my anxiety levels dropped. Problems and issues were still being resolved even if I did not worry. I now think of the worrying as part of my anxiety disorder and not part of finding a solution. This paradigms shift has lowered my general anxiety levels greatly.

I still have things that pop up that worry me but they tend to only last a few hours or a day where they used to last for days or weeks. Separating excessive worry from problem-solving is working for me at the moment. This allows me to be much more emotionally present and enjoy life much more.

[Guest_47748615]

Hii i used to have really bad anxiety and a school counseller (loved her and so did everyone else) taught me that if i was stressed or anxious i could tap my fingers together (like my index finger against my thumb, but like not just that but with like the other fingers too) idk how to explain it well sorry 😅 but you’d make up different patterns and stuff and even though it didn’t really do much it was comforting and it helped a little especially if i was stressed out in a situation because it’s silent and not really noticeable so it’s not a distraction to anyone around you and stuff so idk i hope this helps and i hope ur therapy goes well 🩷

[Jaylou]

Thank you for telling me about your struggles. GAD does affect your life so much. I have started reading CBT books and they have helped. I  do the same I try not to stress past what I can control and try to be in the present. It had helped. But my biggest trigger a the moment is Death. It makes me spiral. It's debilitating but I'm taking one day at a time 😊

[Jaylou]

Oh I love that idea. I will try that next time. Thank you for the suggestion 🙂