Anxiety

crystalroselynn

Hey everyone.
So i use to use this app all the time. Since I've stopped using it I've gained weight. I currently have a boyfriend so that's part if the reason why I gained. I don't remember having bad anxiety then. Although I think I've always suffered from it. I'm constantly having anxiety issues. I either feel like I'm in a dream or like I'm dying because something is wrong with me. It's usually super mental. It's like I'm awake in a dream. It's something that I deal with day to day. I just started going to a therapist and seeing a physiatrist. My physiatrist put me on nortritrypline. I just started it so I'm not sure if it's working or not. Anyways I was wondering if my anxiety is getting worse because I'm not on top of my fitness. I can think of any real reasons to why my anxiety is so bad.
So I guess my questions to you is... How do you deal with anxiety...have you ever taken nortritrypline.....can being over weight lead to anxiety issues....do you think that's why I deal with anxiety everyday.
Thank you for hearing me out guys

sexymamadraeger

Maybe your anxiety is related to your relationship? My anxiety began years ago when I was in a relationship. I have had trouble with panic attacks every since. To answer your question - yes, yes, yes. Being unhealthy and overweight definitely makes anxiety worse. Not exercising makes it worse. Food makes it worse. I've had anxiety for 18 years now. I've never been on meds. Drs have suggested it. But I've learned to control them over the years. Exercise helps tremendously! When I get up and exercise first thing in the morning I feel so much calmer and focused. When I don't I get restless. Adrenaline levels are high first thing in the morning and mine goes off the charts without burning some off. Food makes a big difference for me too. When I cut out caffeine and a lot of sugar and processed foods from my diet I became more even. No more ups and downs all day long. It was such a relief! I don't know if the meds will help you. I imagine they will. But keep in mind it's a band aid effect. At the end of the day when you're ready to get off them... whatever caused anxiety in the first place will cause it again unless you work through the issues. I have found it's better to control it without meds and I've been slowly working through my anxiety-causing issues also.

crystalroselynn

So how exactly do you deal with your anxiety

closertogoal

I have found that when my anxiety is bad, then the food gets bad and vice versa.. It is a vicious cycle I feel. You have to put into your mindset that you need to plan meals, eat proper snacks, and go day by day. Don't look at the next day or focus on what you should do or should not do. Just plan and realize that yes, anxiety definitely makes food worse! speaking from experience. Also, look at ways to cope with anxiety such as reading, walking, calling a friend, deep breathing (sounds weird) but I use this daily at my work.

Alliern45

Generalized Anxiety Sufferer here as well...my whole life. Worse now that I am peri-menopausal. HOWEVER...when I eat clean and exercise consistently it is almost non existent. So why cant I do that all of the time! Arghhh. Trying again. Onward.
Allie

crystalroselynn

Thanks! That gives me hope. I once lost 50 and then I gained like 20 back. I'm hoping to get back to eating right and exercising. I don't remember having bad anxiety during that weight loss.

crystalroselynn

I really appreciate everyone replying. It lets me know that im not alone and that I can do it.

missbethea

When I was in high school, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression. However, when I got older, and was going regularly to counseling/psychiatrist, I was diagnosed as having Bipolar Disorder II and mild OCD. (Which my therapist said was likely learned behavior from my mom or a coping mechanism.)

ANYWAY.

I have found that regular activity and exercise helps my mental health. I am currently not taking any medication for my bipolar disorder, because I did not have health insurance for a long time and I couldn't afford it. But I have realized that when I eat better, stay active, and maintain regular sleeping habits that my depressive episodes are less frequent and far less intense. (I tend to operate under hypomania- that's what my therapist told me.)

At any rate... I have had anxiety attacks before, and tend to have a lot of nervous habits in general. I've found the best way to handle it- FOR ME PERSONALLY- it to acknowledge it, accept its happening, and let it ride its course. The last month and a half I've been in a depressive state and have holed up in the house and avoided socializing. About a week ago I decided "No More, I can't keep doing this". And I got up, went to the gym, and started back into my fitness routine and feel tons better.

Sometimes just venting or talking about things with someone who won't judge/doesn't think you're crazy will help a lot.

But you aren't alone. There are a lot of people with anxiety problems, or other mental / mood disorders, that are trying to get fit and do this journey. If you ever need encouragement or support, reach out to your boyfriend or your family/friends if they are understanding. Stay honest with them. I'm always honest with my friends when my moods bottom out, because it better helps them understand the best way to interact with me. (i.e.: if I tell them I am depressed and not feeling social, they know not to pressure me and tend to just check in on me and encourage me, which I need.)

r3ban1x

My personal experience with anxiety and depression ended up boiling down to my birth control. When I was on the pill I was constantly anxious and depressed and no medications ever helped, in fact they made it worse. When I was off the pill and off meds I was fine except PMS week but I figured out my triggers and learned my own way of handling it. Now I'm back on a different type of birth control and know when I get super anxious and stuck in my own head that it will pass, get some sleep, take a walk, cry, take a long shower, etc. That's just my experience but for 10 years of my life I basically thought I was crazy because no one ever told me to rethink my birth control.

crystalroselynn

I always feel like I'm thinking way too much. Like my heads gonna pop off or explode. It's like being in a dream all day long. I'm starting to think there's something wrong with me like brain damage or something even though I'm not sure how that would be possible. I just wish my brain would chill out for a second. Yesterday I almost freaked out over the sunlight. I hope that eating right and exercise helps me. I need all the help I can get

moniqueloveslouis

Suffered with anxiety my whole life and it always gets worse when I dont get exercise and dont eat healthy. Try going for a 30 minute walk everyday and invest in a treadmill for inside your house when the weather is bad. Ive tried meds for it too , and the other poster if right, meds are just a bandaid. Ive tried those too and they didnt work. Getting outside in nature, trees and fresh air help me immensely. Pets help with anxiety too! I take my dog for a walk everyday...it helps me, and it helps him too!

Christy_1988

Hi, anxiety can occur due to various reasons. In your case, I feel that your anxiety might be the effect of your relationship. Sudden waking up from sleep, numbness during the daytime are some of the common symptoms of anxiety disorder. Often, anxiety disorders come with the smallest of reasons which one can't imagine. However, frequent anxiety attacks are something serious, ignoring them may lead to further complications in the future. Approaching an expert anxiety therapist would definitely help you resolve your problem and lead a healthy relationship with your partner.

AmyLS2022

Hi! I’ve had anxiety my whole life with easier/harder years. This last year I started taking medication, and while it’s certainly helped, I discovered exercise helps, too! I do cardio every morning not for weight loss but because it’s a way for me to redirect the negative energy I often wake up with. It is most definitely another tool in my kit. Good luck, and know that you are not alone!

goyologo

crystalroselynn wrote: »

I always feel like I'm thinking way too much. Like my heads gonna pop off or explode. It's like being in a dream all day long. I'm starting to think there's something wrong with me like brain damage or something even though I'm not sure how that would be possible. I just wish my brain would chill out for a second. Yesterday I almost freaked out over the sunlight. I hope that eating right and exercise helps me. I need all the help I can get

Have you tried writing? There is a book called "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron you might want to check out. Maybe your exploding head and "thinking way too much" is your creative self wanting to break free and be expressed? There is an exercise in AW called "Morning Pages" - it is free writing you do in the a.m. (or whenever you have time) where you spill everything out. It's not journaling. It's not composition. You don't evaluate it or even reread it later. You just spill all the "thinking too much" out on to the page. I have found it helpful - it's like cleaning out the mental & emotional pipes, freeing me of that "exploding brain" feeling you talk about.
Take good care.