Working through anxiety disorder and minor depression.

[Guest6732]

I was diagnosed with Anxiety and minor depression about a month ago when I had to come back from the snow (training to be a professional snowboarder) because I was having a panic attack at least once a week and was not leading a healthy life style. Back home now and my "mask" for anxiety got taken off and I completely broke down and everything got worse, but it made me realise how deep I was in anxiety and avoiding it. I'm on medication now and working through all of my problems with my psych and gp, feel kinda bad that I let it get to the stage where I needed AD's and a sedative to even cope just living at home but I'm staying optimistic.

I'm reaching out today to ask if any of you know any good tips or tricks to get better. I'm doing meditation everyday and starting to get my sleep schedule and eating habits in order while also trying to feel my anxiety to get familiar with it. Because at the moment most things over stimulate me in the way of anxiety and its hard to even go out in public for a long time. If I had to put it in a way it would be that you are always feeling alert of everything and focus, hence the meditation and self reflection each day to get be able to not be affected by the anxiety as much and not let it take my focus.

2 things that bother me though is 1. with the depression, it can just make you feel like you aren't doing anything good at times with recovery and makes me more anxious and 2. I have really low self-confidence and I don't mind the AD's cause I know its a long term thing but the sedative is sticking around for a while and I keep doubting the doctors and myself on that decision even though I know its the right balance at the moment.

Thank you in advance for any responses.

[white knight]

Hi gunrun, welcome

Yes I've been there. Its a weird distant feeling that I eventually overcame.

imo a mixture of several things some of self help can get you by. Well done in meditation.

Google

Topic: how I eliminated anxiety- beyondblue

You mentioned lifestyle. It might be time to seriously review your approach to it, friends, living style etc

Topic: the balance of your life- beyondblue

Low self esteem. Thats also a long goal to build up.

Topic: the best praise you'll ever get- beyondblue

Medication. We have little input there of course but this covers some areas

Topic: medication is a whirlpool- beyondblue

As for facing the world

Topic: fortress of survival- beyondblue

Happy reading, there are thousands more threads of interest here on this site.

Tony WK

[Guest6732]

Hey Tony,

Thank you so much for the links! It'll be a good read.

Regards,

Campbell

[Guest6732]

hi,
Second post here cause I don't really know how to handle the issue cause its very unfamiliar to me. So today I realised with the help of my mum that I had never talked about or grieved over death or near death experiences close to me (to which I've had many) and through that fact we realized that I probably have a Huge phobia of dying (was Diagnosed with GAD and panic disorder to which many was happening cause I thought I was going to have a heart attack or die in someway). I'm trying to figure out if anyone has had the same issues before and if you could offer some advice? I'll be talking to my psychologist and close family and friends about it to get my feelings out there on it but I don't know how to handle it as such.
Regards

[white knight]

Hi guest

My ex wife was said "you'll relax more about death when you accept that death is part of life"

Such can be one of many fears or phobias that rule our mind. I think like many problems surrounding mental illness we should rely on more than one activity to tackle it.

Psychologist, meds, peer groups like here, friends ideas, reading etc. When my brother took his life in 1978 my parents needed me at 24yo to support them. Result, delayed grief for me. Grief is a personal journey, a process that cant be rushed but we tend to brush it off thinking we are strong.

More threads use google

Topic: coping with grief- beyondblue

Topic: making sense of grief- beyondblue

Topic: clear the road I'm on my way- beyondblue

Topic: 30 minutes can change your life- beyondblue

Repost anytime

Tony WK

[Guest6732]

Hi Whiteknight,

Things have progressed a bit more in my recovery and I have made a few more changes to my life to start and get back on my feet. Recently been able to handle day to day anxiety a lot better with a healthy diet and the right routine of meditation, medication and good sleep which all have played a big role in flaring my anxiety up in the first place. I still have issues with me being uncertain about my health as I check my heart rate everyday and get overly triggered by heartaches (which cause me to lose focus when walking or talking and throw me into the deep end of my anxiety) but I'm trying to get through them with exposure therapy such as exercise and noting the feeling when I realise it but going back to my original task so I've acknowledged it but not letting it influence my train of thought or concentration. Lost a bit of weight going through the start of this journey which has worried me because I don't have much of an appetite but now that I'm doing exercise and have protein shakes each day along with a regular diet I'm slowly seeing my weight rise again.

I keep up everyday self reflection because it helps me become more in tune with my feelings and helps me accept who I am and be able to rely on myself a bit more in terms of looking for confidence and overall recognition that I'm just getting a spout of anxiety and that's why I feel agitated as such.

Though one thing is still bothering me, I can't seem to relax for a long time or be let my brain run free cause it feels like its set to being anxious all the time, so unless i'm focused on a task or something my anxiety flares up a bit. I know I'm getting better cause all my anxiety and panic is getting less but I still can't shake that underlying anxious feeling and I don't know how to shake it.

Regards

[KMTE]

Wow you sound exactly like me. My doctor seems to call it more health anxiety. I am constantly thinking there is something wrong with me and always check my heart rate and have a huge fear of dying. Other the last 6 months I've thought I had numerous things wrong with me and it started to affect my ability to leave the house and do social things. No advice as such but things do get better. I am using all the techniques that you are minus the sedative. I've learnt now not to dwell on a bad day and don't look at it as a set back. Happy to chat with you more about it (oh and I also have minor depression )

[Guest6732]

Hi KMTE,

Yeah sounds like you have a similar case to mine, I've been up and down with how i'm viewing my health and alike but its generally getting better and its only been a month since I started feeling that way so its still pretty fresh, I've been doing a lot of conditioning on the way I think about each health anxiety as well like placing nicer words on each symptom and making sure I expose myself to it little by little to show myself I am fine with it. Progression is nice but so hard to gauge when its over a number of months and you have up and down days aha. Guess I've just gotta be patient with it all and keep determined 🙂

[Guest6732]

Been an interesting progression with my anxiety, cause the more I think about it the more I get anxious, so its really hard to understand it without getting too involved with it at all. That careful balance is something i'm learning again and have been able to as such take public transport and stay the night at a friends house without having a panic episode, still had bouts of my anxiety (especially since I have a low grade cold) throughout the night but in the end was really good, was able to focus on other feelings not just my anxiety which I believe is key to my recovery, cause the feeling of having fun or being sad or jealous or anything else helps my mindset slowly come out of being set in an anxious tone at default.

I think with my health anxiety as well its just me tunnel visioning too much on what could happen and as such it brings about panic but if I don't judge or get involved with the sensations of my body it doesn't work me up to such a degree. Hard to explain it simply at the moment cause I've only recently thought of it but it does work for now, just need to see if I can keep it going!

A certain level of patience is needed for this Journey cause it definitely does take a long time to whoever has it, Its really good reading the other forums and getting a good feel for the journey and where it may take you and how people have been happy and changed through the experience!

[Guest6732]

Been an interesting time recently, I've had such a busy week (even when compared to when I didn't have anxiety) and its been completely draining which I can understand. But over the past week I've developed a new symptom from my anxiety I'm guessing which is that I feel I not breathing well enough. It takes a pretty big toll on me mentally cause if I get caught up in it my head will get fuzzy and i'll rushed with some adrenaline. I've been doing writing down and keeping a calm open mind about it but it can be so distracting and debilitating when I get caught off guard by it. I'm going to see my GP and psych this week anyway for a checkup so i'll bring it to their attention but its very much a pain and I don't know what to do about it.