A little intro from an anxious newbie

[alwayshardonmyself]

Hi Everyone,

I've found myself lurking on here for a couple of weeks. It's been nice to see and read that I'm not alone in the world when it comes to my anxiety. I got diagnosed with anxiety and depression in March of 2017 but the reality is I've been suffering through them for years. Honestly, the best thing I've done was to go see my doctor about it. He started me on some meds and got me onto a mental health plan where I was able to go and talk to someone every fortnight. Just being encouraged to talk was great. I came to understand that my brain isn't always my friend. I now recognise when my brain is being an pest. My last bout of depression lasted a solid eight months. I remember, this time last year, feeling great, confident, assertive and self-assured. All feelings I hadn't felt in a long while. It was really nice to not be constantly flat and defeated. Those feelings seemed to continue for the last twelve months. It seems now that my depression is back. The last couple of days have been hard. My brain is going off the charts telling me I'm not good enough and worrying unnecessarily about things. I know it's my brain just being an a**hole but I'm having trouble quieting it. Just here to chat to anyone going through anything similar. The idea of support from other people going through the same things is really appealing and I'd love to share my thoughts, techniques with anyone who needs an ear. Thanks for taking the time to read my intro.

[inkhart]

Hi alwayshardonmyself

Welcome to the forums 🙂

I can really relate to your post I had a similar “relapse” this at the start of this year after feeling okay for a few months, and it felt like starting all over again.

I too have found being able to talk openly really helps. Have you thought about getting another Mental Health plan? I believe that it resets with the calendar year, so you might be entitled to another one (your doctor will know more)

Have you tried engaging with a hobby to distract yourself? I just finished going for a morning walk myself while listening to a podcast. What works for you?

Isaac

[baet123]

Hey AHOM,

Welcome to the forums and it is great to have you here. It is great that your are expressing your feelings and emotions as this is super important on your journey to recovery and its always better to express your thoughts/feelings rather than keeping them bottled up inside.

Sorry to hear that you have had been struggling for a while and I can relate to much of what you are experiencing/have experience. It seems that you have made some improvement and it is encouraging that your receiving active medical care and treatment from your GP. It is also amazing that you have a deeper understanding of your mind and your exercising mindfulness.

Has anything changed since this time last year? Are you regularly seeing your health professionals and are you still on medication and the same medication? It may be time to reassess your medication/dosage. It is super important that you maintain regular visits with your GP and a therapists. Keeping them in the loop and ensuring your seeing health professionals every few weeks will be extremely beneficial.

Unfortunately, mental health and the treatment/recovery process is different for everyone and not one glove fits all. Recovery takes TIME and there will absolutely be ups and downs but pain is temporary and there are absolutely better days ahead.

Somethings you can do that will benefit your quality of life and overall emotional well-being includes ensuring you exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet and get enough sleep. These sound cliche and they are but they work.

You are not alone and we are here to support you whenever you need anything!

You are extremely strong, resilient, intelligent and brave and things will get better. It is important that you discuss all of your concerns with your GP and ensure you are receiving regular treatment from relevant health professionals.

Hope this helped.

Look forward to hearing from you again.

All the best,

Nick.