Anyone else suffer from anxiety disorders/depression?

wickedcricket

anxiety!? no, why? did someone say I have anxiety!? who was it? why did they say that?

I DO NOT have anxiety and I'll slap you if you say it again ~

exercise, meditation/yoga, ativan and sometimes I self-medicate .. ok well not infrequently - so what? oh, and journaling. I write about what I'm thinking, how I'm feeling - what's going on externally ... get it out of my head & on paper. Helps clear my head for really important stuff like ... what was I saying?

YummyTpn

Yes to both.

The kicker is that depression affects motivation, which affects being able to get up and exercise...

However, when I do exercise I always feel better, those endomorphines really do wonders on the brain chemistry. I try to focus on the day-long high that I know I will get from the exercise, not the exercise itself. It helps!

Feel free to add me if you want extra support, 'cuz i understand this well!

(PS: I will add that this applies to being past the part of depression that keeps you inbedand unable to function at all...Yes, I've been there too, although not in a long time...I keep myself from that through meds and therapy, when I need it. the thing is, about depression and anxiety, is thatthey are treatable illnesses, although this is very different for everyone too. But there's hope>)

kayleesays

I have GAD that results in a lot of obsessive kinds of paranoid thoughts and occasionally depression. I've never been medicated. It kind of wracks me every day.

Edit: Huge doses of Vit D and runner's high, two things that make my life significantly better.

GellisIndigo

anxiety!? no, why? did someone say I have anxiety!? who was it? why did they say that?

I DO NOT have anxiety and I'll slap you if you say it again ~

Methinks someone may have a bit of paranoia to boot!

BeautyFromPain

PTSD, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and especially social anxiety.

SabrinaG1986

I have bad anxiety, and it stops me from working out often. I feel nervous when I go to the gym, I feel nervous when I go for a walk around my neighborhood. Once I get used to it, it causes me less anxiety when it's more of a routine. A big source of my anxiety is leaving my house and being near roads/crossing the street/being in vehicles, so it's really difficult to manage. I just moved so I'm in the process of just forcing myself to get into a new routine again.

Right now I'm using a variety of vitamins and supplements to see if it can help calm me down but some days I still feel glued to my couch because of depression. Sorry I'm no help lol.

KirstenRLD

i suffer with depression and PTSD and have done for 6 years. i feel like it has gotten worse lately, so things can be a struggle. i can find it hard to stay motivated, although exercise can make me feel calmer, especially yoga.

runningk919

Girl you are not alone on this one! I have anxiety and depression both and was recently prescribed medication that helps oh so much. It definitely affects my diet and exercise, I have days where I just fill like a zombie. For example, Tuesday night I made homemade pizza with my kids and carb overload kicked in. Between that and the depression I was in bed at 8:30, but yesterday I felt awful all day. So last night I kicked up some tunes and cleaned my house then did a killer @ home bootcamp work out and I can NOT explain how amazing I feel today. For me my depression is in overdrive when I'm not being productive, but when I am I feel like I'm on Cloud 9.
I don't know if you have seen a correlation between your weight loss and/or productivity with your depression but hang in there girl. Just remember how happy you will be with yourself and how proud you are. When I'm doing a work out that's really tough I push through by saying "Just think of how proud of yourself you'll be when this is over. Think of how disappointed you'll be if you quit." That helps me push. And don't forget sometimes we just can't do it alone, see a therapist and talk through your issues, maybe medication would help you too. I'm going to friend request you and motivate, we can always use some extra motivation. My diary is public so if you need ideas (not that I'm perfect, trust me I have a long way to go) please look and remember we all have days!

volvol16

I suffer mostly from anxiety and depression comes later if I allow my anxiety to get out of hand. I tried medication, but 25 lbs later, i decided that it wasn't doing anything for me but cause additional depression because I felt fat and ugly. I quit the meds cold turkey and began exercising. I also started seeing a therapist to help me with family problems and just really focus on who I am. Then, I joined weight watchers and did great on that! Once i lost my first 5 lbs I ran my first half marathon and haven't looked back. I use running as my therapy now because it clears my head and makes me calm (my therapist was expensive!). I've lost the 25 lbs, but have gained so much! I have learned that 1. what doesn't kill you makes you stronger (also a great song) 2. the only thing you can control (about anything) is your reaction to it (so my mom will be a B, i just have to let it roll off my back) and 3. I hold my head up high because I know that the past 12 years of my life were better than the first 15 and it's only going to get better from here!!! I still pick my cuticles until they bleed and chew my lips when I am really anxious, and occasionally, I will lose sleep over something, but it's not anything like it used to be. You just have to find out what works well for you.

Jori7071

And you thought you were alone! I USED to have anxiety to the point where I was agoraphobic and extremely suicidal. I was finally forced out of the house to see a physician for it. A nurse at the doctors office seen my scripts for Prozac (the drug of the day) and asked it I had anxiety issues and depression. I said yes. She said, you don't need medication-you need to realize that God is in control. Put him in the center of your life and you will be amazed at how feeling like everything is out of control goes away. SHE WAS RIGHT! I have never taken any of the meds that were perscribed to me that day and it was not easy. Nothing worth having ever is. Now-10 years later I am free. I still have an occasional panic attack, often I find they are brought on by high levels of caffine in my day.....guess they elevate the heart rate that throws me into panic mode. I am so much more focused now on the GOOD things in my life that I have overcome the overwhelming feeling of dread and fear.

I hope this helps, someone helped me and I try to help others. I hope you find your peace and in the meantime-good with your fitness quest! You can do this!

bleacheblonde

You're definitely not alone! I have suffered from anxiety and OCD and occasional bouts of bad depression since I was about 12. The OCD at times was just terrible...I had a form of it where I didn't really do things like counting and hand-washing and obsessive cleaning, but I was a severe hypochondriac and would worry obsessively that I had some terrible disease and was going to die. I would become convinced that I could detect "symptoms," and little things would trigger my anxiety. I never wanted to be very social because social situations made me terribly nervous...I spent a lot of time studying and practicing piano and clarinet, so I became very good at those things, but my mind was kind of out of control.

I have found a combination of meds that works for me and I see a psychiatrist and therapist once a month. Sometimes it takes awhile to find the right combo of meds that work. Not all of them will turn you into a zombie; sometimes even one that DOES turn you into a zombie will not have that same effect if you take a smaller dose. Right now I'm taking clomipramine, and I started out at 150 mg which turned me into a sleepwalker, so we cut my dose in half and now it's working just fine.

When I'm exercising regularly, it really helps with my depression and anxiety as long as I"m doing it consistently. It can be hard to find the motivation to start, but once I get some consistency and momentum going, I find that it improves my mood considerably. Even my psychiatrist has said that exercise needs to be part of my "prescription." I just have to be careful not to focus too much on the numbers on the scale, because then I start to obsess about numbers instead of how I feel.

deadstarsunburn

It's super hard to beat it on the bad days. Because all I want to do is lay in bed.
Usually I just repeat to myself that "I want to go run..." and eventually I believe it lol.

threnners

I meditate, I take xanax, and I grind my way through a workout even though my brain is screaming "STOP THAT, you're going to have a heart attack." Anxiety can suck my *ss for all I care.

raven56706

i have a question for you guys... is this something that can come out of no where... only reason im saying this is i believe i have anxiety now. It all started a month ago when i got sick and hit in the head by my daughter (dont laugh)... ever since then, i have been having trouble breathing and my mind is filled with so many thoughts...


sometimes i have trouble sleeping and i feel so depressed.... im in line to getting my deviated septum fixed but i think thats getting me nervous as well. are these all things you are all going through?

raven56706

bump to see if anyone can respond to my response

XxYeaIrocxX

bump to see if anyone can respond to my response

I don't know if I can help you.
Mine started when I lost a good friend and just got worse after I had my daughter. I have friends of mine that developed early and just got worse through the years. So I assume it can always be there, but takes an event in your life to really trigger it. My family has a long line of this so it really isnt uncommon for me to find out about it.

deadstarsunburn

i have a question for you guys... is this something that can come out of no where... only reason im saying this is i believe i have anxiety now. It all started a month ago when i got sick and hit in the head by my daughter (dont laugh)... ever since then, i have been having trouble breathing and my mind is filled with so many thoughts...


sometimes i have trouble sleeping and i feel so depressed.... im in line to getting my deviated septum fixed but i think thats getting me nervous as well. are these all things you are all going through?

You should see a doctor. Self diagnosing or having other people diagnose you who don't fully understand it can be a bad situation.
Being on medication and depending on that is NOT fun, it sucks. So I would recommend taking a test with your doctor than if it's dealing with mild anxiety you can maintain that with counseling, which is what I've done and only now have depression to beat.

But to directly answer some of your concerns trouble sleeping and thoughts that are overwhelming and coming out of no where are both symptoms of anxiety/depression.

raven56706

my sister i believe suffers from it and she thinks i might be going through it now... freaking sucks because it came out of no where

deadstarsunburn

my sister i believe suffers from it and she thinks i might be going through it now... freaking sucks because it came out of no where

It can be genetic, so you really really really should go to a doctor and have them evaluate you.

Just my opinion but I hate psychiatrists now, mine REALLY messed me up.

mlts10

I have both and those are definitely signs of both. You need to see a doctor and see how you can be treated. Might be with meds or just some therapy or things you can do on your own to help handle it. It is something serious though that you don't want to take lightly.

raven56706

oh no... definitely not trying to self diagnose myself... im trying to get a better understanding if this is what i have... im not sure what i have and why i feel this way...

again... the weirdest part about this was when i got sick 1 month ago... it was bad but i didnt think this would be the outcome of it.. it was like a flu..

WhitneyAnnabelle

Both. I have Bipolar I (and a host of other, connected maladies), and it can get very challenging to eat properly and exercise on a regular basis. To be honest, I just take my time with it. If I can do just a little bit of SOMETHING, that's an accomplishment. I tend to undereat when I'm depressed, so I have to be careful with that. I try to stay out of stress as much as possible, and that helps curb negative moods/feelings.

sarahharmintx

I was diagnosed about 10ish years ago with depression. The anxiety aspect has just been over the past few years. Right now Im not doing anything to treat or help with it. Although, I do feel I am getting to the point with anxiety that it is going to start hampering my daily activities. I might have to talk to someone about it then.

TrailRunner61

Yes, I have in the past, mostly. For now I have a lot of extra stress and it makes my blood pressure go up. I'm on bp meds and I have xanax to take if things get too crazy and it helps a lot. Luckily, I rarely have to take it.

Another thing, if I get super stressed I totally lose my appetite and want to exercise more because the endorphins help me de-stress. I am a recovered anorexic so I have to be careful with that, especially when I reach goal. Right now I'm making sure I eat right and have healthy food to nourish my body. It seems to help,.

jcw4

Hello,
Yes I struggle with depression. The one thing that is helpful although I can't do it every day, is going to bed at 8:30 so I can wake up at 4:30 so I can get a work out and my quiet time before work. The challenge is getting to bed by 8:30 and falling asleep. Last week I was able to do twice, this week so far, twice. I've been off my anti-depressant for 1 1/2 years and that has been the most helpful thing I've found. Are you on medication?

goldfinger88

You're far from alone. I don't think the site is working all that well right now. I can tell you that I've had it since I was a child and it's gotten worse. I get so fatigued that I don't want to exercise, don't have the motivation or energy. (Part of that is medication.) However, I've found that a short session of exercise -- mostly resistance exercise -- helps to allow the depression to lift. I also find that I can't successfully count calories for a long time. Just a couple weeks is about all I can take. I eat low glycemic and that keeps my calories down without counting because I'm not as hungry and I'm better fed.

At any rate, lots of people suffer from both anxiety, panic and depression. Some to a larger degree than others. Feel free to add me as a friend.

threnners

I thought it was out of the blue until my dad recently dropped the bomb that he's had panic attacks for years - so yes, there is a genetic aspect of it. Mine however was triggered by my ex husband's douchebaggery - I had two "episodes" of panic that subsided after several days. However, it became full time when he left in 2009 - and right after that my gallbladder went bad. My doctors could not figure out that was the cause because I didn't present with gb disease like most people. The gallbladder issue is resolved, but the panic remains because I developed health anxiety on top of that. Now I deal with constant muscle pain from the anxiety, but I do not have panic attacks anymore. Once you stop fearing them, they really do stop happening.

Dragonwolf

And does it effect your diet/work out routine?


If so, how do you push past it.

Depression here. Does it affect diet? You bet. I'm a chocoholic and could down a bag of Oreos in an attempt to feel better. Part of me envies the people that don't eat when they're down, since I'm the opposite (I tend to want to eat when down) and basically physically can't not eat (headaches, mental capacity starts going downhill fast, etc).

Work out routine? Not so much, but I think part of that is because I found a routine that truly kicks the depression to the curb. When I just did the gym thing, though, I'd have those "I don't want to deal with people" days, then easily fall off the wagon. Doing a workout that I enjoy and don't see as "working out" (I practice martial arts) really helps on that front and has provided me with motivation to hit the gym, too (powerlifting, to increase strength so I can stand up to the guys). I've found that to be the key to maintaining the routine and going even if I don't entirely feel like going. It's a lot easier to talk yourself into doing something good for you when you get immediate results from doing it (and by immediate, I mean "feeling significantly better by the time your session is done," not "immediate" as in "do it three days a week and start slowly feeling better at the end of the first week").

LelliAmi

I have both. Usually my workout is my escape from all the bad thoughts in my head, but once in a while I'll get an irrational panicky feeling while exercising that makes me feel like if I push myself too hard, I could have a heart attack, or an aneurysm, or a stroke. AND I'M NOT EVEN 20 YET. My dearest wish is for my anxiety to just disappear. It makes me scared to do a lot of things. I'm on medication for it, which has helped a little. But once in a while, my fears will come creeping up on me. It sucks.

raven56706

is one of the problems having trouble breathing?