Anxiety

[A2B]

• Hi . I am very new to this and a little nervous but here goes . I am 58 years old and have been suffering from generalised anixety for many years now.  I have let my anxiety rob me of the joys of life with avoidance and excuses and now am finding it harder to find the joy in the hobbies and interests I used to have . I have a beautiful wife , a wonderful son and grandson but I am struggling with the day to day grind of my Anxiety. I find it sucks the pleasure out of life . I have had antidepressant medication prescribed to help with this but i have an allergy to these so i am unable to take them . I do exercise abd mindfulness nearly everyday but i am still struggling with anxious days and nights. Is there anyone who has had the same problems with medication that has some answers on what else is available to help . Thanks 

[sbella02]

A2B,

Thank you so much for posting here, welcome to the forums. I'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with this.

Anxiety is often that enemy from within that remains in the shadows throughout much of our day-to-day lives and pops up to greet us and tear us down when we're vulnerable. Biologically, it's meant to be our bodies trying to protect us from negative outcomes, but it can sometimes affect us to a debilitating extent. I've struggled with anxiety at different points throughout my life, and while I can't advise on the medication side, I can definitely offer some advice in the way of coping mechanisms from some of my own experiences.

I'm an avid fan of journaling for those moments in life when my anxiety is giving me a lot of trouble. It helps me to get my head around what's going on, what is beyond my control, and what is within my control, which can be quite empowering. Journaling can take many different forms, too. Whether it's writing about your day, or something that's been on your mind, or even doodling for a set period of time. These all count as journaling and they can be so therapeutic. 

With hobbies and interests, allowing yourself to do just a little bit of one can sometimes give you more motivation to keep going with them. For instance, if you've really enjoy walking or exercising, you may find that joy starting to restore if you give yourself a few minutes to go outside, wander, and feel the air. If you enjoy creating music, listening to something that you've loved in the past can help you to regain some motivation to do so. In general, I find that listening to music in itself can be good for calming anxiety.

Listening to calming or relaxing videos at night can also help with some of that late-night anxiety. Our minds tend to wander most when we're alone with our thoughts, so it can be useful if we've got something to keep our focus elsewhere.

It may also be useful to let your GP or psychologist know about your experience with medication, and they may be able to offer some alternative treatments and coping strategies that would be more suitable. 

I hope this helps, please feel free to keep chatting with us if you'd like, we're here to support you.

Take care, SB