Whats the best way to beat anxiety, in your opinion

[Clare118]

Hey, I'm Clare, I'm new here. I'm 25 and have suffered from anxiety attacks/panic attacks for as long as I can remember. The docs dismissed it when I was younger and so I dismissed it for a long time. It came and went but always came back worse than before.

I knew by the time I was about 18/19 what it was but just thought that it would go away. Ive had issues with my back since I was young too, muscle spazems, so when I was 19 they they gave me diazapam for it. I knew that diazapm helped anxiety so I thought, great, I've got my meds and didn't need to talk to anyone about it. they are great if you want to lay about the house and do not a lot else. I was chilled because I didn't have to cope in the real world while on them, I was signed off work. Plus they only gave 2 weeks worth as it was to help me relax. Next up was amitriptylene, this i did not like!!! I had such real dreams I felt like I was living another life at night. I was tired all the time and wasn't even on a high dose. Of course, sideaffects are individual. Next for my back was clonazepam and that is what I was on recently. Again, if you're planning on going about your normal day at work this made it hard for me and made my anxiety worse. My speech went a little funny, couldn't concentrate on anything. It scared me to not be in control.

I had a death in the family recently and that was it, it was ask for help or let it beat me. finally managed to admit to my doc that I needed help. He has given me 10mg of citalopram a day and referred me to a psycologist. I've not started taking these yet but I've had really positive feedback about them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I think my only advise to people is to be as honest about what you're feeling as you can because keeping it to yourself doesn't help. My friends just started giving up calling after a while, they all thought I was being boring. I was just too depressed and anxious to go out. Now some of them know they are trying to help and make the effort to be around, even if I'm having a bad day.

It started with my breathing, no matter how deep I took a breath it was never enough. I was about 14 at the time and I was given a ventalin inhaler!!! they never thought I was hyperventilating, next the heart palpatations, the heavey chest feeling. The feeling of dred.... I can only describe it as stage fright to those who don't get it. complete irrational fear only I didn't know what my trigger was. It happens in the night, at my desk at work. I still dont really know what the trigger is. The sickess means I don't want to eat much, I just want to get in bed and go to sleep. I don't want to go to the pub, not often at least. The bad days are starting to out way the good now so time to fix it. I'd really like to hear about what other people feel and what they have found to help? Obviously I don't want to be on meds all my life. I just want to be normal, whatever that is!!!

[PanicOver!!]

Hi

The first thing you need to know is you ARE normal
And you have already taken the first and biggest step in talking to others and asking for help.
the meds will help you fight it but you can beat it.
Anxiety is where out minds have been trained to over react to a quite normal situation and we can train them bak. For example everyoune worries when they get a pain that it may be something serious but normally that thought flashes in to your mind and then goes and sits at the back while we get in with life.. with anxiety sufferers that thought not only stays there it grows when fed by our own fear an the whole process can sporal out of control.
The bigest thing that helped me get anxiety free was learing to accept it and not fight it. Whel the waves of feelings come try and just let them see them for what they are .. unrealistic fears. This is harder to do than it sounds but it can be done and may take a while to learn but like everything training takes while so dont give up.

Best of luck and keep going

marc x

[cattttt]

There is no one way to beat anxiety, different things work for different people. I've been anxious all my life too and I'm alot older, 55. It was only 4 years ago, when I went to the doctor with panic attacks ( they had got to a point where it was stopping me from doing things ), that finally somone was kind to me over it. Before I'd had the "don't be stupid" "pull yourself together lines", but no real help. Since then, I've been better, but finally, earlier this year, I found myself a psychologist. We have delved into my past and found a whole heap of things which have led to where I am now, I've cried alot and talked alot, but now I'm starting to understand it all and get somewhere. It's cost heaps, but I don't care because I'm starting to feel better. So you need to try things until you find something that works for you.

[Bill]

I would guess that you've probably always been prone to anxiety because like alot of us it's in our general nature. For instance, you could be sensitive, a worrier, intense, etc.

Often it can be a build up of events, pressures and worries that will trigger panic. Your psychologist will no doubt get to the bottom of it by asking you what happened when you were very young.

Sometimes we have to talk about the past to enable to come to terms with events but probably more important is working on moving forward.

I had a death in the family recently and that was it, it was ask for help or let it beat me. finally managed to admit to my doc that I needed help.

This has been the most recent event that has triggered your anxiety causing you to feel panicky. It's been a shock and a trauma to you so it's natural there will be a reaction. It takes time to settle.

He has given me 10mg of citalopram a day and referred me to a psycologist. I've not started taking these yet but I've had really positive feedback about them.

Often when we suffer a traumatic event, a med will help us through the difficult period until our minds com to terms after the shock and begin to settle to normality again. We like to feel "safe" and "secure" so anything that makes us feel vulnerable will shake our security causing us to feel anxious. In other words, we like to walk a safe path in our minds but life just isn't like that so when bad events occur we'e forced off our safe path and this is why we become anxious because our boat has been rocked.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I think my only advise to people is to be as honest about what you're feeling as you can because keeping it to yourself doesn't help.

You're absolutely right. If we bottle emotions they fester and cause negative emotions which in turn cause tension which triggers anxiety. If we release these feelings, our minds are given a chance to heal by coming to terms with these feelings.

My friends just started giving up calling after a while, they all thought I was being boring. I was just too depressed and anxious to go out. Now some of them know they are trying to help and make the effort to be around, even if I'm having a bad day.

The company should help you feel more secure. You don't have to talk about your loss or how you feel because talking about unrelated matters can help distract you away from worrying about your feelings which in turn will help to relax you. Anxiety breeds on attention so anything that helps you to forget or ignore anxious feelings and worries will help to keep you relaxed.

It started with my breathing, no matter how deep I took a breath it was never enough.

I think you'll find that the reason for this is because you're holding your muscles tight because you're so tensed up without being aware of it. It will mean no matter how deeply you try to breathe your muscles won't let you even though your lungs are working fine. When we feel afraid we tense All our muscles which then affects our breathing and all our limbs. What would help you is to learn a relaxation technique. For instance, try to focus on one muscle or area of your body at a time, tense it up really tight then let go and make it go limp. This makes you gradually relax your whole body.

I was about 14 at the time and I was given a ventalin inhaler!!! they never thought I was hyperventilating, next the heart palpatations,

These are caused by adrenalin rushing around your body. It's part of the fight or flight conditioning we have preparing us to fight or run but we can do neither when we have no enemy before us because the enemy is stress that we're feeling. Sometimes going for a brisk walk or run or exercise can help burn off this excess adrenalin and it can also help us to sleep better.

It happens in the night,

In the night your subconscious will come to the surface so when we go to bed feeling anxious, we'll dream alot and then wake in panic even if we can't remember dreaming....Restless nights because of worry. Try getting up, walk around, have a relaxing drink..Not tea, coffee, coke or alcohol because caffeine and alcohol will make it worse!

at my desk at work.

This can happen because we feel stressed, or become aware of our feelings, or because we're bored which will mean our minds will look for something to worry about. Try getting up and going to the loo, even if you don't need to...it'll help nip the feelings in the bud.

The sickess means I don't want to eat much, I just want to get in bed and go to sleep.

Whenever we feel nxious, our tummys will react because of the excess acid we produce which will make us feel sick and cause us to lose appetite.

I don't want to go to the pub, not often at least.

Pubs are crowded places normally.When we feel stressed, we feel trapped by it so crowded or enclosed spaces will trigger our panics because we'll feel there's no escape because of how anxious we're already feeling.

The bad days are starting to out way the good now so time to fix it. I'd really like to hear about what other people feel and what they have found to help? Obviously I don't want to be on meds all my life. I just want to be normal, whatever that is!!!

Firstly, the psychologist will help you understand the causes which will help you to understand yourself and why your mind reacts in the way it does to traumatic events.

I would then also suggest you work on a relaxation technique. Remember that ALL your panicky feelings are being created by your mind through worry and fear, even if you're not aware of thinking anything. You've been through a traumatic experience and this has caused your mind to react. In other words, if you can train your mind to ignore anxious feelings that will be half the battle won. Fear wants us to focus on it and it knows it can control us because it knows how to frighten us, until that is we turn around to it and tell it that "we don't care" what it does or how it tries to make us feel. When fear attacks, we tense up but if we can let the feelings go through us without reacting so that we stay relaxed, panic doesn't result.

A psychologist will help you understand the causes etc but if they can also offer a therapist (although I know there's often a long waiting list) to show you relaxation exercises, you'll be well on the way to learning how to cope with anxiety.:hugs:

[Idstain]

I think the only way YOU can beat anxiety is by acceptance. It can also be beaten by meds (but in a sense it's not really you beating it then, it's the drugs).

One of the biggest epiphanies i had on the road to recovery is when i read about first and second fear in a Claire Weekes book.

First fear is the fear you experience at the "natural"/instinctive level, for an anxiety sufferer this can be a very acute feeling. Second fear doesn't actually have to be fear, it's just whatever unpleasant thoughts we attribute to the first fear such as "ugh what was that", "i feel so terrible", "why can't this go away"

In every moment you have the opportunity to approach your experience in a kinder, gentler and more accepting way. If you do this you can't help but be free of anxiety eventually. I highly recommend reading the book in my signature below and anything by Claire Weekes.

Good luck!! :)

[Going home]

I agree with the others in that its acceptance that gets you through. Ive had to accept that i'm just a naturally anxious person, nothing really bad has ever happened to me, but ive had life's stresses to deal with like most people. But my reaction to stress is more than it should be and that starts off the symptoms, then once they start I worry about them and so the symptoms stick around longer than they should. My imagination runs away with me in any given situation...I think ahead to what 'might' happen and then spend too much time waiting for it. Ive been waiting 30 years for the heart attack. Since ive realised that its actually my reaction that keeps the anxiety symptoms going ive accepted that's the kind of person I am, and that somehow has lessened the anxiety. I still get days when I panic over the slightest twinge, but it passes alot quicker these days.

Best wishes
Anna xx

[ems43]

Hi Claire, I too have suffered anxiety from a young age. I think, like everyone else has said, different things work for different people. For some people it is getting to the root cause of the problem ( eg, abuse, bullying, family problems). However, I don't think there is a root cause per se. For example, I think I am prone to being anxious due to having very overprotective parents, family history of mental health etc. I think for some of us it is just a combination if genetics, our personality and our environment. However, I am a big advocate of CBT. I had it about ten years ago, and although i accept I am naturally an anxiosu persona dn will always be a worrier I have functioned very well until my recent blip. Some people swear by hypnotherapy, NLP, whatever. I guess the hardest thing to accept, whatever form of help you get, is that ultimetly it is you that has to make the changes . I found that really hard when started CBT as expected my therapist to cure me. But it boosts your self esteem as you realise that you do have everything you need inside you to overcome overwhelming anxiety ,. best of luck x

[ems43]

ps- plus i do think you need ot take a holistic approach, eg, lifestyle changes, exercise, good diet, finding some form of relaxation that helps you. I also do think that mediction has its place in helping you get ot a place where you can really work in therapy/ take risks and overcome your difficulties. x