Hi Casey,
Welcome to the forums. Sadly you're not alone in your state of anxiety. I'm glad you've chosen to use the BB site now, and I hope that you find the community at the forums very supportive.
I battled anxiety since the age of 12. I was always so skeptical of all the things the Psychologists would tell me were meant to help. Breathe - I was breathing, close my eyes - I'd close them permanently if I thought it would help! So I truly understand what it's like to feel like nothing provides relief.
Change can be quite an unsettling experience and can commonly be linked with anxiousness. Did you move out on your own, or do you have flatmates?
I'm happy to share some of the things that have worked for me, I will say though, these are activities that you will need to do daily, sometimes more than once a day. The more you practice them the easier it will be to use them when you most need them.
1. Take a look on youtube for a clip called 8 minutes to calm. It's a guided muscle relaxation which is very beneficial at training your brain to recognise the difference between tension and relaxation. I started out by doing it every morning and every night.
2. Google mindfulness. This is different to meditation in the sense that it's key goal is not relaxing. The objective of mindfulness is to allow your mind to stay in the present moment, without being judgemental of any thoughts that filter through. Jon Kabat-Zinn has some incredible books available, he's a bit of a guru. I also love Tara Brach, I have her CD on my phone so I can listen to her wherever I am.
3. Try as often as you can to practice "opposite actions". When your brain tells you stay at home it's safer, get out of the house. Sadly with anxiety the more we succumb to it's wants the deeper we make the neural pathways that are causing the anxiousness in the first place. By performing the opposite action you are helping your brain to create new neural pathways. This is really tough at first. My thing was to know that there would always be a toilet nearby. I didn't catch public transport for 10 years because of this.
4. Make time to exhaust your energy. Exercise as much as you can to try and work off some of the adrenaline being produced in excess. Avoid caffeine and sugar. Regular yoga can be helpful.
5. It would be worthwhile going back to a Dr and getting a referral to a Psychologist, and trying different medication.
Hope this helps.
AGrace
