What is going on with me ?

[BFG]

Everything just seems to be hitting me all at once this year, over the last 3 months i have had some major issues in my life, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer in January, apon returning home they day she come home from hospital i came home to find the roof in my room had collapsed which destroyed some of my personal effects that i needed for my first day of uni which was in a week, they roof has since been fixed and uni is going ok, but the worst occurred when on saturday afternoon good friend of mine suddenly passed away.

It just seems like my life has just turned into this snow ball that is slowly rolling down a hill getting bigger and bigger, i started displaying some symptoms of anxiety about a week ago, i noticed there were points in the day where my breathing would become uncontrollable and my heart would start racing, the chest pains would kick in for a few minutes but then i was ok. 

I tried to convince myself that it was something i was doing, maybe it was the coffee in the morning i was having, the amount of sugar or soft drinks in my diet, i began to cut them out over the course of the night, but the worse was yet to come. After visting the family of friend who had passed away for the second night in a row, after being there for an hour or 2 i began to get those feelings again, breathing heavily, chest tightening, heart racing so i went outside to get some air. Then my mum came out to check on me and she said "Whats wrong, you haven't been yourself lately" and then i just let it all out, i broke down in tears, i kept saying why does this all have to happen at once, and why does this always happen to us. My mum thought i might be suffering from anxiety and so did my dad who had previously had a bout of depression many years ago.

I made the first step today, i got in contact with beyond blue over the phone, it was a fantastic feeling to get the ball rolling, but i know its going to take a while. My question to the people on the forum is, What are some things that helped or are helping you while suffering with anxiety especially when it comes to the area of sleeping at night, and dealing with panic attacks ?

Thanks Guys xoxo

[JessF]

Hello BFG, I am terribly sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, on top of everything else.  Family, friends, where we live; these are all cornerstones and anchors of wellbeing  so its no wonder that you are feeling so anxious having experienced loss in all three of these areas. 

One of the things I have found helpful in panic attacks is first accepting that the feelings will pass, just like a wave crashing on the beach.  Learning to control your breathing, slowing things down, and 'grounding' yourself - concentrating on the rhythms and feelings within your body, your feet on the floor, your back against the chair, the clothes against your skin, these techniques help hold you in the moment and counter the anxiety which is panicking you into worrying about what 'might' happen in the future.

For sleeping at night I find it useful to read before bedtime and keep away from televisions, computers or bright screens for at least an hour beforehand.  I sometimes listen to music or audiobooks in bed, and if I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot get back to sleep, I will sit up and read for a while.  Getting angry and frustrated about not being able to sleep will only make it harder to get to sleep!  Hope this helps and very glad to hear you have got some extra professional help too and hope you enjoy the forums.

[BFG]

Thanks for your help JessF, I have also found that some camomile tea has really helped too, last night before i went to bed, i completely shut off everything and just had some quite meditation music playing in the background and i found that it really helped me relax my breathing and calm me down.

Im a little nervous about resuming normal habits like starting to drink coffee, and re introducing sugar into my diet, but I'm sure over time like you said "This will pass" and i will return to normal 🙂

Thanks again JessF

[Pixie15]

Hi BFG,

One of the best things I find for managing anxiety and sleeping soundly is regular exercise. I walk or run most days and do some stretching which helps to relax my muscles.

Also anxiety can be something that happens along with grief. I find that it is helpful to keep a journal.

peace,

GratefulToday.

[JessF]

Hello BFG, yes the tea is a great one! I was skeptical at first but it has worked a treat for me too.  I'm probably drinking too much coffee at the moment, it helps to know your limits with these things.  Sometimes I think we can eat and drink just out of habit.  Last week I spent a day just filling up on coffee and by the end of the day I was bouncing off the walls.