Managing Anxiety

[Tazzalot]

Hi

I will keep this brief

I have ongoing anxiety/depression I have seen a GP .. my usual has moved to a different practice unfortunately 

So I had a mental health assessment and was given a referral to a Psychologist ... this hasn't gone well and I stopped going after 2 sessions.

I really struggle with the whole mindfulness/being in the present concepts .. it is all too airy fairy to me (68 yr old male)

There is a fair bit going on around me which I need to be able to deal with / cope with but at the moment I am just stuck

Thoughts / suggestions 

Stuart

[white knight]

Hi Tazzalot

I'm similar vintage. I had anxiety from childhood and it peaked in 1987. After 12 months therapy I decided I use every means available to eliminate it from my life and have been anxiety free since 2012.]

The following link might give you ideas on ways to reduce it or even eliminate it. 

https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/anxiety-how-l-eliminated-it/td-p/183873

By all means reply and we'll chat again.

TonyWK

[Petal22]

Hi Tazzalot,

Im sorry you are dealing with anxiety and depression I understand it can be hard to deal with.

I think it’s great that you did a mental health assessment.

Im sorry that you felt that the first two sessions didn’t go well.

I understand that sometimes when we are introduced to mindfulness and being present sometimes we think what is this going to do to help me.

Speaking from lived experience of severe anxiety OCD these exercises really do help a lot………  they where some of the skills that gave me back a normality of life but it took perseverance and practice.

I understand that you have alot going on at the moment if you are able to practice these skills they can train you to be able to put your attention onto where you want it to be.

They can also help you to feel more calm in the moment.

Im sorry you are feeling stuck, please tell us more if we want to.

How did you feel with the psychologist you had? Sometimes if we don’t feel comfortable with a psychologist we can always change to a new one until you find the correct fit for us.

We are listening 

[ecomama]

Hey Tazzalot, welcome to the forums. Waves to Tony WK (our vintage lol) and Petal too, hi guys! 

Would it be okay to share why you stopped seeing the Psychologist? 

There are SO MANY ways to "practice mindfulness" without all the airy fairy stuff lol! That made me laugh tbh... I imagined a 68y old man dressed up as a fairy. 
Sorry I digress.. 

But right there is one way to be mindful. Watching comedies. Mindful just means living in the present moment. 
Watching a comedy that's funny to me is a form of mindfulness. 

If you're into any crafts like woodworking, you can get lost in doing that craft for hours and that's a form of mindfulness too. 

Dealing with both anxiety and depression at the same time can be challenging! 
Anxiety needs grounding. 
Depression needs uplifting. 
Same person dual needs. 
NOT impossible, just challenging. 

Without realising I dealt with the depression first. I didn't use meds. 
It can try to sweep in but I have my strategies to deal now. 

I have Complex PTSD so some therapy teaching me HOW to do my own Exposure Therapy, with a Psychologist specialising in PTSD, worked extremely well. 
4 sessions was all that was useful for me. 

I've only had one "relapse" of note in 2y from memory, so that's GRAND lol. 

The Psych I saw for C-PTSD said she usually spends 18 months working on depression before she can begin work on PTSD symptoms, with her patients. 
So if you could deal with the depression firstly, perhaps that clears a pathway to better resolution of the anxiety. 

What do you think? 
EM

[Mark Z.]

Hi Tazzalot,

I'm sorry for your challenge. I can tell that you really had a lot of meaningful attempt, you've made great efforts!

Would you mind to share, why the psychologist was not helping? 

Mark

[blues23]

Hi Tazzalot

i find the mindfulness hard to do too , I do colouring , I used to garden but injury at the moment so can’t do that , I walk a lot ) 2 hours or more a day ) it’s hard when u get put back in situations or thoughts of those situations that are causing your anxiety to go back to this mindfulness cause me personally I can’t if I’m anxious I can’t go to the mindfulness place . I got triggered today and it’s upset my mind a bit in how to get out of those memories and fears . It’s hard so so hard .  These Things trigger me and it’s hard. I’m also having counseling but is a slow process to get to feel better or learn  how to not to be triggered . I also got referral to psychiatrist but that’s loooong wait list .

do you have any hobbies? Interests that can distract you from your anxiety? Do u have anyone u can’t vent too ? Sometimes venting can help . 

[therising]

Hi Stuart

What you're going through sounds so incredibly tormenting in so many ways. Glad you've made the connection here, in the way of support and suggestions.

Being a gal who likes to look at things from a variety of angles, I like to research stuff from both a scientific and natural angle. Sounds like you might relate to being more of a science guy.

From a natural angle there is mindfulness, which has been practiced for thousands of years. From the angle of something like quantum physics or quantum mechanics, this area appears in it's infancy, in comparison. Both are 2 different rabbit hole channels that deal with energy. Focusing on QP, thought has energy. Different parts of the brain will energetically light up in a scan based on what a person is thinking of while they're being scanned. This is one way thought can be observed and measured. The physical body is comprised of energy, with all its energy systems. At a cellular level, cells vibrate and function through energy (vibrational energy, chemical energy etc). How our energetic thoughts interact with every energetic cell in our body will determine our overall state of ease or dis-ease (aka disease). So, you could say 'Manage your thoughts and you manage how your cells are going to behave to some degree'. For example, think hyperactively and the cells will function hyperactively, heart cells included. Short term, not bad. Long term, not good. Long term, such hyperactivity causes stress on the heart and cardiovascular system. This energy system is almost always under (blood) pressure.

Can recall asking my mum's rheumatologist whether she has patients who manage stress naturally, besides with medication. She mentioned a few, with one being a guy who has a woodwork shed out the back. This helps him manage his stress and inflammation levels. I imagine him calmly focusing/meditating on the smell of the wood, the careful measurements, the sound of sawing, the feel after planing or sanding. A handful of ways in which his senses and mindfulness play with the energy systems in his physical body, including his immune system (helping reduce inflammation). Sometimes, being mindful of only the things we can relate to is what it takes to practice mindfulness easily, without too much effort.