Getting the right help

[Mic_Quid]

Hi everyone,

  I'm not sure if this is the right discussion forum for this but I thought I would have a go and find out.

I've had anxiety for a long time, probably all of my life. I have seen psychologists and have some strategies that allow me to manage the symptoms. However the underlying anxiety still remains and rears its ugly head from time to time.

I have also had some issues with frustration/anger, being quick to get quite frustrated and upset/angry. I think it's related to feeling anxious and a "bandwith" issue if that makes sense. It's something I have been working on and I thought I had been doing well until an incident yesterday.

So essentially, I feel like I need some help in being able to not get so frustrated. I've read some things about taking deep breaths and counting backwards and the like but that would require a presence of mind that I don't know I had in that instance.

Can anyone suggest how I can approach this? Is it a go see a Dr and get a mental health plan thing or are there other groups I can reach out to?

[Atleigh]

Hi there, I am also a long time anxiety sufferer and find that I do spiral out with frustration from time to time. 

For me the triggers tend to be when I'm feeling out of control, things are happening that I think are unfair or wrong and nothing gets done about it and I can't do anything about it. This is usually a work thing but it can be as simple as seeing cars parked illegally in a busy carpark knowing nothing will happen to them and they can keep being selfish.

It then sets me off being anxious that I care about such trivial things. 

As for solutions? I don't have much to offer beyond sympathising. I do take daily low dose medication which has helped to keep the edge off. I have also tried to find a few people that we have a "rant" understanding.  We go to each other when something sets us off and start with I need a rant. When we do this we know it may be an irrational conversation and we don't want solutions we just need to get it out there. If I can't rant in person, writing the rant in a journal has helped me get it out of my head. 

I don't know if any of this will help you. Good luck with your journey. 

[WishyBee]

Hi Mic_Quid,

 I can relate to feeling upset and angry in relation to anxiety, an incident can have my frustration bubble over in an instant. I’m glad you have some strategies that work for you, it may be helpful to seek out support with anger management, perhaps techniques specifically aimed at frustration would be useful. I understand that deep breathing and counting just don’t cut it when you’re boiling over with frustration and I wish I had the answer for you. Somethings that sometimes work for me when I am on a frustration spiral are - taking a shower and letting the water run over my head,  going to a dark space (somewhere without light) for a few minutes so I can’t see anything that will annoy me, doing a clean out so I can physically throw the rubbish in the bin. 
Keep searching for the tools that work best for you.

Take care

WishyBee

[Happylife]

Hi Mic_Quid,

You are at the right place, sorry to hear about your feelings of anxiety coupled with frustration and anger. They do tend to go hand-in-hand and are two sides of the same coin. We all get this annoying anxiety popping from time to time, so it's very common and you are not alone.

If I may ask, do you have any family or friends who you can trust and talk to? Just talking to someone about how you are feeling can really help. 

Not sure if you have already done so, but you can try reading topics on Anxiety and Anger on the ReachOut Australia website, below is the link - they have some great tips on how to manage anger. Hope this is helpful.

https://au.reachout.com/challenges-and-coping/anger

How to manage anxiety and stress | Anxiety (reachout.com)

Do keep sharing more if you feel like, always here to listen and help...

Take care

Happylife