Anxiety

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lauranicole823
lauranicole823 Posts: 19
edited November 2023 in Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
Does anyone suffer with anxiety? I haven't been diagnosed but I know I have it. Anxiety and panic. I don't want to be on drugs. How do any of you deal with it? Any suggestions?

Exercise helps but not completely...
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  • silvergurl518
    silvergurl518 Posts: 4,123 Member
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    yep. there's a mental health group...if you'd rather post in there. i have a whole slew of stuff!
  • Memerulez
    Memerulez Posts: 10
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    Anxiety/panic/paranoia are all related. They all suck rotten eggs in my humble and experienced opinion. I suffer from all. They all begin in my head and in the order I typed them. I talk them over with my shrink regularly, and my family too. Honestly the best present ever given to me was this: when the anxiety starts, just ask yourself this, 'What in the world are you so afraid of?' I know this sounds super simple. When I began 12 years ago asking myself this out loud when the anxiety disorder began, and yes I answer myself out loud, the anxiety began to calm. Then I realized usually it was going out of my comfort zone that brought it on. So, I began a people watching diligence.
    You know what I have discovered? As long as I am watching everyone else panic, or ignore one another, I am OK.
    Now tell me, why do I need my therapist? I will tell you, she makes me realize that life is living it, not fearing it.
  • Illona88
    Illona88 Posts: 903 Member
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    I have several anxiety disorders.

    With me meditation and cognitive behaviour therapy worked quite well.


    I refused meds as well. A lot of them are addictive, while a lot of people suffering from anxiety are more likely to become a substance abuser. So I just told my therapist I didn't want to use it.
  • lauranicole823
    lauranicole823 Posts: 19
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    Thank you! I'll check it out.
  • lauranicole823
    lauranicole823 Posts: 19
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    Yeah, I don't want to take anything.
  • jenna25
    jenna25 Posts: 213 Member
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    I do as well, i went to a doctor because i was having chest pains for a while but after he did tests he said it is just anxiety and i need to relax, im only in my twenties and shouldnt have this much stress already. He didnt want to put me on meds and i dont want to either, cardio helps me a lot and it comes and goes, the chest pains went away for a while but have recently started again :/ i try to just calm myself down and realize that im just wasting my life by worrying about everything every day.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    If you truly believe that you have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder, I would recommend seeking professional evaluation and help. A professional can discuss your treatment options with you, including the costs and benefits of medication (some of which are addictive, some of which are not). Random people on the internet, even if they have been diagnosed with these disorders are not a substitute for qualified, professional help.

    I will agree with the person above who said they suck though. Exercise helps, but as you say, only so much. A qualified therapists may also be able to help you find other types of positive coping mechanisms.
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    im only in my twenties and shouldnt have this much stress already.

    This statement is amazingly laughable. First, people of all ages suffer from significant stress, from children to elders. Second, while stress often makes the symptoms of anxiety disorders worse, and is often associated with the onset of anxiety disorders, for people who have anxiety disorders, the anxiety often exists even when the person is not under obviously high levels of stress.
  • melsmith612
    melsmith612 Posts: 727 Member
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    I'm diagnosed with GAD and Panic Disorder... going on 15 years with it. Therapy alone can be helpful (especially for panic attacks) but I also take xanax (as needed). I started out needing it 4-5 days/week and am now down to 1-2 days/week after about 3 months on it. I find that despite it having a risk of addiction it has made a huge difference for me to just know that I have something available to calm me down when I get overwhelmed. The safety net of having a chemical solution has actually helped keep me calmer in situations that would have made me extremely anxious only a couple months ago.
  • lauranicole823
    lauranicole823 Posts: 19
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    I'm glad I am not alone. I try not to worry so much as well. That's where it comes from. Feeling overwhelmed and just sitting and thinking way too much. I miss out on life too by worrying! I will try these methods and the things I am reading about in the mental health discussion forums :) Thanks everyone!
  • Morningstar93
    Morningstar93 Posts: 161
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    18 and I've had anxiety for a while.. Recently I have found talking to that one person you trust and adore really helps, whether it is a family member, partner or best friend.. sometimes even a stranger can help (like us) . with the chest pains, breathe deep and lay down close your eyes.. but with the rest go RUN!! run it all out. I guess in general not letting things pile up inside is best to help avoid an attack, so having someone you can talk to really helps :flowerforyou:
    This often works for me.. good luck.
  • tubbyelmo
    tubbyelmo Posts: 415 Member
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    I get very paranoid and anxious around my time of the month, to the extent I would rather huddle in a corner than go out the house. I work in a quiet office so I'm normally ok once I get to work, however, anything out the ordinary has started to make me panic. I'm fine when I go out with my partner, but don't like going anywhere alone. I've not had any medication from the doctor, I take herbal Kalms and Bach Rescue Remedy for a couple of days every month and just try to make sure I don't hide away totally. I've started to talk to my partner about it more, and that helps a great deal, it's not something to feel ashamed of, it's just something I need to try and get under control.
  • Morningstar93
    Morningstar93 Posts: 161
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    Yes Kalms are good, personally I believe they have a placebo effect, however as more of a mental than physical condition this is good. I don't want to be on any medication so exercise breathing and ocassionally Kalms :smile:
  • lauranicole823
    lauranicole823 Posts: 19
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    Oh it is much worse around "that time of the month". I can totally relate with you on that. I also work in a quiet office. When I feel anxious or panic little things will startle me too.
  • Morningstar93
    Morningstar93 Posts: 161
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    Oh it is much worse around "that time of the month". I can totally relate with you on that. I also work in a quiet office. When I feel anxious or panic little things will startle me too.

    Sounds just like all of us :) you're not alone :flowerforyou:
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    I'd like to point out that those over the counter supplements people take are, at least in the US, very poorly regulated. Who knows what is in them, whether they work at all, or what the side effects are? No one, because they don't require any sort of scientific or clinical data. At least with a prescription drug you have a much better idea of what is in them, whether they work, and what the side effects are. I also don't see why people think they are "better" than prescription drugs, if they do have an effect, how is their effect an improvement over a regulated pharmaceutical?
  • Bentley2718
    Bentley2718 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    Oh it is much worse around "that time of the month". I can totally relate with you on that. I also work in a quiet office. When I feel anxious or panic little things will startle me too.

    Sounds just like all of us :) you're not alone :flowerforyou:

    Not to be argumentative, but not all of us. I've never seen a relationship between anxiety and menstruation, even when keeping logs for my therapist and doctors. I'm not saying it's not common, but it's certainly not universal.
  • kerrycherry
    kerrycherry Posts: 13
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    Hi beat anxiety with ocd tendencies a while ago by doing the Linden Method, it saved my life and Charles Linden deserves a medal in my eyes. Truly inspitarational and no medications in sight :-)
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    I have been diagnosed with "general depression" "social anxiety" and "general anxiety disorder" . I used to go through weeks where I would have panic attacks so debilitating that if I was driving I would have to stop. I couldn't go alone to strange places, I hate crowds. It was awful.
    How I cope today:
    I got a new job (not something that can be done for most people I understand) and instantly was a lot better. About five months later I started getting haelthy. I have noticed that changing my diet has made me feel better over all. Plus a lot of the social anxiety I was having came from insecurity. As I'm working to better myself, I get less insecure.
    Do I still have intense panic attacks? I've had one in the past five months. Do I get nervous in new placed with new people? Hell yeah, but I can manage now and I'm now medication free.

    Try eating fresh foods, get lots of vitamin C, and find someone you can talk to, even if it's about nothing major. Sleep at night, and when you wake up tell yourself you're going to have a good day. Negative self-talk is the hardest thing to overcome, but makes the biggest difference.
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    Oh it is much worse around "that time of the month". I can totally relate with you on that. I also work in a quiet office. When I feel anxious or panic little things will startle me too.

    Sounds just like all of us :) you're not alone :flowerforyou:

    Not to be argumentative, but not all of us. I've never seen a relationship between anxiety and menstruation, even when keeping logs for my therapist and doctors. I'm not saying it's not common, but it's certainly not universal.

    I agree. I tracked my mood for two years straight and there was no correlaton between menstruation and my mood.
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