Severe anxiety.

[Lurch09]

Hey guys, all my life I have had problems with anxiety and sleeping. They went away for 18 months but have now come back again even worse then before. My rock all my life, Is now leaving for a holiday and I mentally and physically can't deal with it.

I've gone back on my medication and have booked an appointment for Monday with my gp but I was wondering if anyone could help with to get through the next couple of days/ weeks. Thanks in advance.

[demonblaster]

Here for ya Lurch 🙂
What can I do for you? Go for it talking it through, how you're feeling, I"m listening.

I usually don't suffer anxiety but have had a couple of full blown attacks with heart pounding, hyperventillating including recently cause I knew what was happening was able to talk myself internally down.

Hope this helps, btw have you heard about grounding techniques?

Ok so said to myself in a matter of fact no nonsense type way is you know it's anxiety causing this and I'm not going to let this control me, so I concentrated on breathing slowly and steadily and worked on not allowing the thoughts and panic to avalanche which was moreso in the background while concentrating on the breathing. Worked.

I suggest to get you through the next couple of days to try and re focus on maybe a couple of other things, like do you have any projects that don't stress you or hobbies that you like doing.
Another VERY good stress release is excercise that can be done inside house or out.
Aim being to distract for now

Another thing you could try is even if you can't draw grab a pen whatever and paper and let the juices flow or start writing a story (nothing stressful) it's quite soothing and creativity also an outlet.

Something else too, this is important, believe in yourself, believe you can get through this because you can. Take the firm voice and let that be your master not the beast.

Do you or have you done any meditation, you can make your own techniques up. So pick where you'd be happy and relaxed and in peace, get comfy, close your eyes and imagine you're there, the mind will keep dragging you down so just keep going back to that place, put yourself there, our imaginations are very powerful.

Massage is relaxing and peaceful. Get comfy with no time limits you have total control over what you want out of this because it's coming from your imagination & start from head massage through body one arm and leg at a time in sections to toes included, before moving to a new spot be sure that you're completely relaxed and stress free in that area, feel the stress coming out and peace and relaxation, take longer for parts that are tense as long as you need.

Lurch you can & will get through this ok, believe and don't forget well done btw you had a great 18 mth break so you found strength clearly and used it, it's there I believe we all have it.

Cya soon 🙂

[Guest_9809]

Good morning Lurch09, and welcome to the BB Forums.

As you have already seen, by Demonblaster's great post, there are many members here who can relate to what you are going through. I have also noted that you have found your way to another Anxiety thread about anxiety and posted there too. So good on you for checking out a few other threads, hopefully some of the tips and suggestions there will help you.

I very much endorse all that Demon has said in their post to you, and cant really add a lot to it. It is true that distraction, via whatever method works for the individual, is our best defence against severe anxiety. So you need to look for ways that will distract you best. As Demon said, this can be achieved by doing a much loved hobby, some exercise, meeting up with friends, watching a good movie, meditation, mindfulness, yoga or generally keeping busy.

I personally have ptsd so my anxiety is also severe at times. And I find that 'grounding' techniques and mindful breathing exercises are quite successful for me. If you are unaware of how to do either of these, I would suggest you google them and read about them.

It is good that you have gone back onto medication, which as I understand it, has been helpful to you in the past. However it may take a while for the medication to kick in, so be patient with that. I hope your appointment with the GP tomorrow brings you some more solutions. Have you seen a psychologist in the past? That may be a good option for you right now, and if so, your GP can put you on a mental health care plan and refer you to a suitably qualified psychologist. There are a number of psychotherapies which are highly effective in treating anxiety.

I also have issues with sleep, which you state you are having difficulty with too right now. I will give you the address of a SLEEP thread here which has some suggestions about helping with sleep. You may find that useful. Copy and paste this address onto your browser:

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/online-forums/staying-well/sleep

Always reassure yourself that, although distressing and uncomfortable, anxiety is not life threatening. And it can be controlled. You have beaten it in the past, and you can again.

There are many kind people here who are very caring and supportive, and we are all here to help you through a tough time. So please come back and talk some more.

Taurus