The continuous loop of anxiety

CMF

Hello friends,

I have been on the forums a long time. My issue is anxiety. It usually comes & goes but last 6 months it serms constant. As soon as I get over one thing I am triggered by another. I can't seem to find much peace. I tell myself I can't control the future & all I have is this moment & nothing bad is happening but the thoughts continue...round & round.

I'm tired of it. I just want some peace.

Cmf

white knight

Hello CMF, it has been a long time, welcome back!!!

We go back a long time.

You might recall, my anxiety peaked in 1987 and I embarked upon many means to remove it. 22 years later it was eliminated but in reality 5% remained and that does, like yours, return at times so I have to rmeind myself to return to the strategies to get rid of it. My proven methods are these-

Deep breathing. That can be done anywhere, anytime and for me most effective prior to sleeping.
Muscle tensioning exercises again just before sleeping
Do things that exhaust you. I found that out when building a house post separation of my 1st marriage. I built it myself and was so tired I didnt think all the time about my kids.
Distraction

https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/staying-well/depression-distraction-and-variety/td-p/275790

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

Also there could be factors you havent mentioned like financial pressure or family situations. Please feel free to mention them.

Reply anytime and its great to hear from you.

TonyWK

Psychdiaries2

Hi there,

Thanks for your honesty in your post. I relate to the feeling of constant anxiety at times and not being able to find peace. I also repeat similar positive thoughts like 'I am not my thoughts', 'these thoughts are not the truth', etc. but I relate to the feeling that it's hard to stop the negative thoughts coming in. Something I am trying recently is meditation. I have been doing smiling mind every night the past couple weeks which has been really helpful in calming me down and helping me unwind before bed. I would definitely recommend it if you want to give it a go!

Hope you feel some calmness today 🤗

Kind regards,

PsychDiaries

CMF

Thanks Psychdiaries,

I haven't mastered meditation yet but I also haven't persisted.

Hope you enjoyed your day.

Cmf

CMF

Hello WK my friend,

Yes we do go back a long time & it is comforting to see you. Everything is going well. I enjoy my job, my kids are doing well. I lead a very simple life. I want nothing but to be rid of anxiety.

For some unknown reason I have developed fear of using my lap top. I rarely need to & have anti virus & check updates but I get anxious whenever I log on. I never used to & don't know how it started. I don't do online shopping or anything. I just have a fear.

This weakens my mind & I find small things trigger me. Whilst at work last week my security camera detected some one at the front door. There was no delivery or anything but it triggered be badly. Who was it? Why were they there? What did they want? It has made me anxious all weekend.

I am lucky to have a wonderful friend who tries to understand & not brush it off. He has told me I can call anytime & he will answer. We catch up most weekends & he tries hard to make me feel better. I just feel so mentally weak. As soon as I feel better another trigger comes along & im just over it.

Cmf

white knight

mmm, ok.

Triggers are certainly something that I still get but I dont associate it with my anxiety, just partners in crime lol.

https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/staying-well/triggers-that-down-you-triggers-that-lift-you/td-p/...

Fear of things, that hesitation can certainly be part of anxiety.

https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/ptsd-and-trauma/overcoming-fear/td-p/555114

By far the best method to relax is 30 minutes prior to sleeping deep breathing at the same time doing the exercises below.

Google- progressive muscle relaxation Department of health WA

Intrusive thoughts? this is a good thread-

https://forums.beyondblue.org.au/t5/anxiety/ocd-and-intrusive-thoughts/td-p/618968

We'll chat soon, reply anytime

TonyWK