Anxiety- coping with the nausea feeling

[Paris22]

Hi,

I'm Paris22 (alias name) and I suffer from anxiety and OCD. I've known about BeyondBlue for a while and thought it was time to log on as a user myself to seek advice from people who understand and have experienced what I am experiencing.

I do have question! One of the awful feelings I get when going through anxiety is nausea. And was wondering if anyone has advice on how they coped. I've tried sleeping or having cool air or the fan on low setting on me. A damp cloth on my face, deep breathes and concentrating on something uplifting on TV or a book. I've even tried listening to meditation music. The feeling starts out strong and then eases off after a while.

Thank you in advance for the help! If you tried anything that at least help cope or ease the feeling then I would very much appreciate your advice.

Paris22

[lookingforme]

Hi Paris22

Firstly, welcome to BeyondBlue.

I'm quite familiar with that reaction, and it is quite unpleasant, and it' an indicator for me that things in my head are about to get to tipping point.

Have you ever tried mindfulness exercises? It's a bit more than meditation, in that you can perform actions while doing them. It requires first to get used to deep, slow breathing, and then involves focusing your attention on an object or activity. I like sketching or writing with fountain/dip pens, and it was suggested to me to immerse my mind and my senses into that very act. From, noting the colours, textures, the feel of the pen/pencil on the paper, smell, just everything. It was a way to sort of reset. Or it could be simpler, with the deep breathing, to take an object, like a flower, and noting everything about it. Or simply sitting still and focusing your attention on different aspects of your body. All while deep breathing. It has helped me, firstly in that the anxiety would back off, and secondly I could actually isolate a few feelings that I was experiencing. I would often feel calmer afterwards, and almost like I had a different vantage point. If you look it up, you will probably find a lot about it, and even have some guided stuff to start you off? This has helped me both inside the psychologist's office and at home when I had the thought to put it into practice. Most recently, about 2 weeks ago.

Hope this helps a little

Joelle

[Zeal]

Hi Paris,

Welcome to the forum!

I've had OCD since I was 13, so for 10 years now. I have experienced that feeling of nausea alongside the anxiety. It isn't as common for me now, but still bothers me sometimes.

I haven't found sleeping or lying down to be helpful for me. Sitting on the sofa and calmly watching an episode of something enjoyable on TV can help. It sounds like you already do this. Keeping up your water intake is important, as well as having regular healthy meals/snacks. Patting pets is calming, especially if it involves a cat sitting up against you on the sofa! 🙂

Just sitting in a comfortable chair with your eyes shut, nice music on, and taking deep even breaths can be of benefit. Distractions have worked the best for me when I experience this nausea.

I hope others have new ideas you can try 🙂

Best wishes,

SM