Anxiety...how do you fight it?

mollyingrid92

I get random attacks through out the day. Gym days I use those work outs to throw everything at the weights. But on rest days I struggle.

Motorsheen

It Wins.

Cerealsensei

Consistent exercise helps me just by generally improving my mood. I also try to practice breathing, throughout the day I try to take a few deep breaths every now and then, and especially if I feel the nervousness coming on I try to slow my breathing down.

It can be really hard to deal with and I'm sure its different for everybody. A lot of time its a mental thing, and I have to remind myself that I'm worrying about something that isn't there and that I'm creating problems that don't exist.

You have to find ways to keep your mind occupied, a lot of times in those moments of when you sit idle you end up thinking about it too much and it triggers it.

It's can be extremely difficult to deal with but you can manage to overcome it.

Unknown

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mollyingrid92

Thank you all. The onset is so random lately that I can be reading and boom!

I haven't talked to a doctor about it recently but I do need to call and make an appointment soon.

My boyfriend and I share many of the same triggers and same anxiety feelings so he helps a lot with talking me down. I just hate when it's so sporadic.

linsey0689

therapy can really help. maybe workout everyday if that helps you.

tiffuhnee13

I saw a client on Friday for an assessment and he used the fidget spinner I keep in my office. It really helped him calm down during the appointment. Another one of my clients uses a fidget cube for his anxiety and says it helps him.

Francl27

I don't do rest days.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

mollyingrid92 wrote: »

I get random attacks through out the day. Gym days I use those work outs to throw everything at the weights. But on rest days I struggle.

Your doc (and others) can help you find a licensed clinical psychologist. I'm afraid some medical people will push pills first, therapy later.

Deadman_Diggingup

As someone who has had high anxiety for 30+ years, I've learned to recognize the triggers. Therapy did no good, and medication only works for so long, so by learning what starts the anxiety spiral I can catch it before it gets out of hand. When I feel anxiety rising, I remove myself from any outside stimulation. I listen to my breathing and concentrate on that. Nature helps. Hearing the leaves, feeling the grass, smelling flowers. Anything you can focus on in a positive way.

mollyingrid92

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

mollyingrid92 wrote: »

I get random attacks through out the day. Gym days I use those work outs to throw everything at the weights. But on rest days I struggle.

Your doc (and others) can help you find a licensed clinical psychologist. I'm afraid some medical people will push pills first, therapy later.

That's what I don't want. I don't want medication. Was on a few different meds in high school and it was horrible.

TavistockToad

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

mollyingrid92 wrote: »

I get random attacks through out the day. Gym days I use those work outs to throw everything at the weights. But on rest days I struggle.

Your doc (and others) can help you find a licensed clinical psychologist. I'm afraid some medical people will push pills first, therapy later.

My husband was offered talking therapy before pills, so not always.

samthepanda

Sometimes I can talk myself through it, writing it down can sometimes help depending on if I understand the trigger. Like you, exercise helps, even a walk can be good. I know I can get locked in to the cycle if I don't leave the house regularly ( not an issue at the moment as I have kids who i have to get to school but used to be.) Sometimes the thought of entering the gym can trigger my anxiety even though I know I'll feel better when I've exercised. I worry about the anxiety taking over and having a hold over the families life and its hard to know which battles are worth fighting and when its OK to say ' I can choose not to do that'. cold ve been very anxious on ferries for a long time, and finally about 5 years ago I finally said no more - it was causing so much stress for me, and the family as I was an awful person to live with for several days before. However when the anxiety just comes over you from nowhere that's much harder to deal with as you can't prepare or avoid. Menopause has brought a new range of anxiety feelings for me and sometimes it comes from nowhere. I try to be as prepared as I can be, eg I can get very cold very quickly, and get shaky which then makes me embarrassed which adds to the anxiety etc...so I try and make sure I act as soon as I start to feel cold (and believe me that can be hard when no one else is cold - hubby says I have my own microclimate!) I carry gloves even in the summer.
You will get through this x

lowil44

I take deep breaths and try to clear my mind

KosmosKitten

_Deadman_Walking_ wrote: »

As someone who has had high anxiety for 30+ years, I've learned to recognize the triggers. Therapy did no good, and medication only works for so long, so by learning what starts the anxiety spiral I can catch it before it gets out of hand. When I feel anxiety rising, I remove myself from any outside stimulation. I listen to my breathing and concentrate on that. Nature helps. Hearing the leaves, feeling the grass, smelling flowers. Anything you can focus on in a positive way.

I second this. I've suffered from anxiety in various forms since I was young. Removing myself from the situation causing the anxiety is the only thing that has worked for me. I've talked to psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists and while they were sometimes insightful/helpful, I did get tired of them trying to push medications or therapies that do not work or didn't work long term.

Being outside in peaceful situations definitely helps (me) because it removes me from social situations and the pressures I often feel being around other people. It honestly helps more than exercise, although I will say that exercise definitely helps more with the depression component a lot of anxiety sufferers also deal with.

Another thing that also helped immensely was, unfortunately, getting away from people who were making my anxiety worse because they also had their own mental issues that they were projecting onto others. In the end, I had to make a decision: their well being or mine.

jenilla1

Exercise, meditation, lifestyle changes (including the elimination of toxic people and situations).

jenilla1

mollyingrid92 wrote: »

I get random attacks through out the day. Gym days I use those work outs to throw everything at the weights. But on rest days I struggle.

Active rest days - long walks outdoors, easy bike rides, something soothing and non-strenuous, but still active. If it's out in nature, that's even better. Being physically active every single day can help. Just make some of those days easier, so you don't overdo it.

Sloth2016

It greatly improved when I started CPAP for obstructive sleep apnea.
Daily intense exercise helps a great deal as well.
Beyond that, some life hacks - keeping a calendar up to date with due dates so nothing is missed, spare set of keys in case mine are lost or misplaced, etc. - reduce life's stressors.

Best wishes in improving your situation!
-s

neldabg

I highly recommend doing yoga or tai chi and some meditation on rest days.

LunaPipes

I listen to Abraham-Hicks on YouTube if I feel my anxiety/stress building. The emotional guidance scale framework is helpful.

Timshel_

For me it has been recognizing triggers that start it, the symptoms of it, and then building that mindset that it is within my control to own it. Doesn't mean I don't get anxious, because that is a normal body response to many situations. It means that I know that much of the "feeling" is a chemical response that does not effect my ability to function. Sometimes I have to detach myself from the feelings and just go through the known motions of life, but that helps me regulate and still complete things.

Deep breathing and mindfulness really help overall, but exercise as well.

SoulRadiation

I personally eat and drink too much, and then I will hit one or two punching bags

It's not the best solution.

It would be better to turn your anxiety into an artistic pursuit...there are some great works of art completely made out of anxiety.

SoulRadiation

I would also recommend visiting a psychiatrist. I was disappointed when I did...I laid all of my existential philosophy *kitten* (oops I mean kittens) on him...and he recommended that I start taking fish oil, vitamin D, and Sam-E (that *kitten* is really expensive...so I'll not say that I use it, as I don't).

However, psychiatrists are good people...they know what they're doing...and they know who can help you. It's literally their job to know who is going to help you and how.

I encourage that.

Sarc_Warrior

I was recently diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called sarcoidosis. I have had brutal anxiety for 18 months. I slept for less than 4 hours a night for the first 6 months post diagnosis. One day I woke up and decided that I have two choices in life. WEAR OUT OR RUST OUT. I have decided to become anti fragile and expose myself to different experiences and opportunities. Add me if you want.

indiacaitlin

I have struggled really badly with anxiety my whole life, one of the ways I cope is just by accepting that I may feel anxious or think anxious thoughts and just kind of roll with it? I try not to fight it and that seems to give it less power.

19shmoo69

In my case, I had anxiety and anger issues. It literally hit me like a switch being turned on or off. My family put up with for years. We met somebody that suggested that it could be a food problem. I've been gluten-free for almost 2 years. The difference is night and day. Since then I've read that other causes could be some vitamin deficiency. Thyroid function also plays a part in some anxiety issues. I pray you find your answer.

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jenilla1

19shmoo69 wrote: »

In my case, I had anxiety and anger issues. It literally hit me like a switch being turned on or off. My family put up with for years. We met somebody that suggested that it could be a food problem. I've been gluten-free for almost 2 years. The difference is night and day. Since then I've read that other causes could be some vitamin deficiency. Thyroid function also plays a part in some anxiety issues. I pray you find your answer.

TMI alert!

That's interesting. For many, many, many long miserable years I suffered from an undiagnosed digestive disorder which made me very ill. It started in my early twenties with mild, less frequent bouts, and then increased in severity and frequency throughout my thirties. (This was before the gluten-free craze, so nobody thought of it as a cause/solution for me.)

During this time, I developed panic disorder and anxiety because I never knew when, how or why I would suddenly become violently ill - usually after eating, but it was unpredictable at times. I spent many hours of each day in the bathroom wondering which end I was going to be puking out of next. I saw several doctors and none of them tested me for celiac or food sensitivities. They just called it IBS and told me to make "lifestyle changes" to reduce my stress.

Finally, a new doctor suggested that it was probably food-related and started me on an elimination diet. It turned out to be a gluten problem. I've been gluten free for several years now and it's like night and day. Panic disorder has vanished (although it took time to retrain myself not to feel anxious anymore - after so many years it had become like a habit) and I haven't been sick in forever. Glad you figured out what was wrong with you, too!

Tewsy87

Support, good self care, therapy.

Owlie45

Finding the right person to talk to helped me. When it's building up he's able to talk me down and get my mind onto something else.

Finding the cause helps. Mine is food related. Eating foods that affect the histamine in my body can lead to a panic attack during the day followed by an allergic reaction in the evening.

TheRoadDog

I don't get anxious often, but when I am stressed out from work or anything, I grab a cigar and go for a walk.