Anxiety / Anger

PamelaDe1323

I have anxiety and anger problems (both because of previous depression). Once I get upset or mad or in the slightest bit irritated, i get really mad at everything, I work out a lot in hopes that it will help with my moods, but it doesn't. And as much as I try I cant, and no matter how hard I try, If I get in a bad mood it continuously gets worse and I can't seem to pull myself out.

The only thing that will snap me out of it is waking up the next morning. Has anyone had previous experiences like this? I really neeed to find ways to snap myself out of these moods I get in, and I cant just "think of a happy place" if you've ever had clinical depression you would know thats almost impossible once you get to a certain place.

I just need ideas on how to make myself happier, running helps sometimes, but sometimes If im out and cant run I need other options, Please help, any suggestions would be helpful thank you.

31993703

PamelaDe1323

Very Helpful...

31993703

Very Helpful...

No one here can help you. YOU need to figure out what "calms" you down. Go see a doctor?

butterflyluv1218

Have you tried maybe getting a punching bag? It might help to let out some aggression.

PamelaDe1323

I have, and they have put me on pills, special diets, given me vitamins, even referred me to a concealer, nothing so far

PamelaDe1323

Thought about it! I actually may invest in one soon

songbyrdsweet

Have you sought a therapist that you really connected with? Read any books? Did the 'homework' the therapist would give you, like thought experiments and worksheets? Pills will only treat the symptoms of anxiety, not the root cause of fearfulness. I had moderate GAD a couple years ago and after over a year of therapy I was much better. I still go back from time to time if I feel myself sinking back into negative thought-patterns.

CoffeeNBooze

I have the same problem. I'm starting to go to therapy and see what comes from it. Maybe you would find it helpful too.

girlykate143

an anti-depressant and maybe combined with an anti-anxiety. Also, cut way back on caffeine.
Working out *should* help.
Sleep helps a lot. (I can relate to the whole, gotta crawl into bed and things will be better in the morning).
Eat vitamin c and almonds in moderation. They are naturally helpful in reducing stress and depression.

BurtHuttz

Wil Wheaton said this:

I haven’t ever felt suicidal, but I do have Depression and Anxiety. I suffered for no good reason for decades, until I couldn’t reconcile my awesome life with feeling terrible all the time. Talking therapy wasn’t ever enough for me, and I was very resistant to medication, because I believed (and continue to believe) that we are an over-medicated culture.

But, still, I wouldn’t just sit around and suffer if I had a treatable non-mental illness, so I went to a doctor, and I got better. Now, I take some medication every morning, and it has made all the difference in my life.

I remember the first week after I started meds, Anne and I were out for a walk. I felt her hand in mine, and realized that I didn’t have any lingering tension or unhappiness just buzzing around in my skull. I was just enjoying a walk with my wife, and holding her hand.

And I began to cry, because I was so happy.

“It’s like I was in a loud room for so long, I didn’t know how loud it was,” I said, “and all I have now is the ringing in my ears.”

She squeezed my hand and I said, “I’m going to remember that ringing in my ears, so I never go back into that room again.”

That was about four years ago, and I’m happy to say that I’ve stayed out of the room. I can actually enjoy my friends, my family, and my life. I have bad days from time to time, but I know they’ll pass, and — most important of all — I may have Depression, but Depression doesn’t have me. I know that’s sort of corny, but it’s pretty accurate, too.

So, please, if you or someone you know suffer from Depression — with or without thoughts of suicide — please talk to someone, and get help from a doctor. As Jenny says, Depression lies, and you don’t need to let it control your life.

PamelaDe1323

Have you sought a therapist that you really connected with? Read any books? Did the 'homework' the therapist would give you, like thought experiments and worksheets? Pills will only treat the symptoms of anxiety, not the root cause of fearfulness. I had moderate GAD a couple years ago and after over a year of therapy I was much better. I still go back from time to time if I feel myself sinking back into negative thought-patterns.

I had the pills for the depression, they were suppose to help with the anxiety, but I'm always worried about going to a new therapist, I had such bad experiences with previous ones that I worry about finding someone I feel really comfortable talking too.

songbyrdsweet

Have you sought a therapist that you really connected with? Read any books? Did the 'homework' the therapist would give you, like thought experiments and worksheets? Pills will only treat the symptoms of anxiety, not the root cause of fearfulness. I had moderate GAD a couple years ago and after over a year of therapy I was much better. I still go back from time to time if I feel myself sinking back into negative thought-patterns.

I had the pills for the depression, they were suppose to help with the anxiety, but I'm always worried about going to a new therapist, I had such bad experiences with previous ones that I worry about finding someone I feel really comfortable talking too.

Many pills treat multiple symptoms and depression and anxiety often go hand-in-hand. I had both as well and was put on an anti-anxiety SSRI as well as an anti-depressant SNRI; the bottom line is that it took a long time to really work through the actual issues so I wasn't just treating the symptoms. I have also been to many therapists and it takes a long time to find one you really feel comfortable opening up to. Just sitting around worrying is obviously ineffective, and pills will only take the edge off. If you ever want to live life happily without relying on medication, CBT is really key.

Odiliawine

There have been plenty of studies (I'm sorry that I don't know any of the references) that state that when you become upset you become hyperaroused. When you go and work out that just forces your hyperarousal even higher. By going and doing something that gets your blood pumping you're making the problem worse and ruminating about the problem while being active is even worse. If you want to calm down you have to distract yourself and lower your blood pressure somehow. I'm not saying that you should sit down, but go for a walk instead of a run or a punching bag. Lower the blood pressure and your mood will follow.

dave4d

There are many different pills out there that do different things. It may take a while for your doctor to find the right one for you.

I was severely depressed about 5 years ago. Working out wasn't helping for me, either. Sometimes the anger helped me with certain lifts, but my workouts quickly fizzled, and I lost interest. My depression was so bad that I got thinking, "Why am I punishing my body like this? It will be in a casket, soon, anyway."

I had to remove from my life the things that were causing my depression. Once I separated from my wife, (ex-wife, now) my depression quickly went away, and so did the suicidal thoughts.

Keep working on it. Seek counseling from good professionals to find out what is causing the anxiety/ depression, and get the proper medication if you need it.

Lleldiranne

This sounds like you need to see a specialist. There are a couple of things that your symptoms could be, and only a specialist (psychiatrist and/or LCSW) can properly diagnose. In addition, working with a counselor (LCSW for example) and help you not only find what works for you but also get to the root of the issue so you can work on reducing the problem. In the mean time, what works for me are exercise, meditation, time-outs (yep, mommy gets a time out too - only it's not so much a punishment but a calming), and sometimes mindless t.v. or computer games.

As far as pills, they only do so much - they make it possible to function but you also need to learn to identify triggers, deal with underlying issues, etc. (Which pills won't do! Only a therapist). I understand your hesitation - it took me 3 years to try to be seen again after a bad experience. But now, I'm glad I did. It really does help.

CrazyEye88

I'm the exact same way. In fact, I'm in that state right now. Some things that help me are:

- Singing, either to my favorite CDs or when I go to practice with the choir I'm in. Singing is one of the few things that I can completely get engrossed in, taking my mind off of everything else.

- Running - when I run, my negative thoughts often churn. But, if I listen to an engaging podcast (RadioLab is my favorite) while running, then it becomes a way to focus away from those thoughts.

- Going for a walk in the woods on a beautiful day. (I did this at lunch, and it helped temporarily.)

- A long hot bath/shower, feeling the water against my skin. (I think I'm going to go do this now.)

Good luck... I know how you feel.

PamelaDe1323

Wil Wheaton said this:

I haven’t ever felt suicidal, but I do have Depression and Anxiety. I suffered for no good reason for decades, until I couldn’t reconcile my awesome life with feeling terrible all the time. Talking therapy wasn’t ever enough for me, and I was very resistant to medication, because I believed (and continue to believe) that we are an over-medicated culture.

But, still, I wouldn’t just sit around and suffer if I had a treatable non-mental illness, so I went to a doctor, and I got better. Now, I take some medication every morning, and it has made all the difference in my life.

I remember the first week after I started meds, Anne and I were out for a walk. I felt her hand in mine, and realized that I didn’t have any lingering tension or unhappiness just buzzing around in my skull. I was just enjoying a walk with my wife, and holding her hand.

And I began to cry, because I was so happy.

“It’s like I was in a loud room for so long, I didn’t know how loud it was,” I said, “and all I have now is the ringing in my ears.”

She squeezed my hand and I said, “I’m going to remember that ringing in my ears, so I never go back into that room again.”

That was about four years ago, and I’m happy to say that I’ve stayed out of the room. I can actually enjoy my friends, my family, and my life. I have bad days from time to time, but I know they’ll pass, and — most important of all — I may have Depression, but Depression doesn’t have me. I know that’s sort of corny, but it’s pretty accurate, too.

So, please, if you or someone you know suffer from Depression — with or without thoughts of suicide — please talk to someone, and get help from a doctor. As Jenny says, Depression lies, and you don’t need to let it control your life.

Thank you for this, I honestly loved reading it, I want so badly to get to that place, I wish I could go just 24 hours without feeling upset, down, or mad. people have been telling me for years i will get past it, or its a faze, but I'm still waiting for that. I think the worst and hardest part is... I dont know what I need, or what is fully wrong

Workoutsahn

Well, this is corny, but deep breaths. I used to (more often than not) get severely pissed off, even from simple matters. (examples: accidentally getting bumped into, when innocent pranks are played on me, and when people argued with me. For the instant anger relief I took very deep breaths and let them out slowly. To reduce the total amount of stress and anger, I wrote down what made me angry and why. Then, I thought of solutions to keep me from overreacting, like I so often did. I actually have a friend who had the exact same problems as you. She ended up finding a person she was able to set up a relationship with. She talks to that person ALL THE TIME, but it does keep her level headed and happy. In the end... I don't know. people have there own problems and sometimes, they have to find a unique solution that works for them. The key is the mindset.

maz_z

I have anxiety and anger issues also, and like you i sometimes find it hard to calm down once i get a bit worked up.

what iv found helps is to remove myself from the situation which is making me anxious / angry, a bit hard in public but often i find going to the toilet so you can be by yourself helps.

Then you have to think about something which makes you really happy, i think about my niece as she is quite literally the cutest thing going around.
It took me a while to be able to train myself to focus on her and how cute she is, all of her little quirks etc, but for some reason this always calms me down.

if i cant do this, i always try and listen to drum and bass as this tends to also calm me down.

hope this helps, but i think you really need to figure out a way to calm your self down, or figure out something which distracts you from this by yourself.

lc52820

Wil Wheaton said this:

I haven’t ever felt suicidal, but I do have Depression and Anxiety. I suffered for no good reason for decades, until I couldn’t reconcile my awesome life with feeling terrible all the time. Talking therapy wasn’t ever enough for me, and I was very resistant to medication, because I believed (and continue to believe) that we are an over-medicated culture.

But, still, I wouldn’t just sit around and suffer if I had a treatable non-mental illness, so I went to a doctor, and I got better. Now, I take some medication every morning, and it has made all the difference in my life.

I remember the first week after I started meds, Anne and I were out for a walk. I felt her hand in mine, and realized that I didn’t have any lingering tension or unhappiness just buzzing around in my skull. I was just enjoying a walk with my wife, and holding her hand.

And I began to cry, because I was so happy.

“It’s like I was in a loud room for so long, I didn’t know how loud it was,” I said, “and all I have now is the ringing in my ears.”

She squeezed my hand and I said, “I’m going to remember that ringing in my ears, so I never go back into that room again.”

That was about four years ago, and I’m happy to say that I’ve stayed out of the room. I can actually enjoy my friends, my family, and my life. I have bad days from time to time, but I know they’ll pass, and — most important of all — I may have Depression, but Depression doesn’t have me. I know that’s sort of corny, but it’s pretty accurate, too.

So, please, if you or someone you know suffer from Depression — with or without thoughts of suicide — please talk to someone, and get help from a doctor. As Jenny says, Depression lies, and you don’t need to let it control your life.

That is good to hear that you've had a good experience with anti-anxiety/depression meds. I finally broke down & went to the doctor about my own anxiety troubles & am starting on Lexapro this week. I'm hopeful that it will help me, I hate who I am when my anxiety is in control, it makes me feel like I'm not really present & it's difficult to enjoy the good things in my life.

I've tried the usual relaxation techniques (deep breathing, meditation, etc.) which sometimes help but only for a little while. When my anxiety is at it's most severe, nothing can relieve it. This is the part where having a chemical imbalance makes the most sense to me...nothing I tried worked because it's not really addressing the root of the problem.

frosty73

It's important to note that some antidepressants can make anger worse. I got all worked up when I took Prozac, I wanted to punch somebody (not my normal easygoing self). I switched to Zoloft and had no problems, but everyone is different as far as side effects and the way a medicine will work for them.

Also, for lc52820, please be aware that meds can take a solid month to take full effect. You might start to feel better sooner, but some people feel worse initially. Hang in there, good luck!

bullisnn82

I used to be terribly depressed, like took a razor to the bathtub once (and not to shave). I felt hopeless and like my life had no purpose. I met someone (ended up marrying him, lol) who introduced me to Jesus. I had heard people talk about Him, but he was the first person I had ever met that actually knew Him personally. Once I accepted Him and asked Him to come into my life and gave my life to Him it's been an upward spiral ever since! A lot of people know of God, but u gotta find Him yourself. Find a good church to start, and give Him what you are and see what He can do with it (it's amazing how far He's brought me, and I know He can do the same for you)

lc52820

It's important to note that some antidepressants can make anger worse. I got all worked up when I took Prozac, I wanted to punch somebody (not my normal easygoing self). I switched to Zoloft and had no problems, but everyone is different as far as side effects and the way a medicine will work for them.

Also, for lc52820, please be aware that meds can take a solid month to take full effect. You might start to feel better sooner, but some people feel worse initially. Hang in there, good luck!

Thanks! Today was my first day taking it & honestly I felt really horrible earlier, but now I'm doing better. I've been told I'll probably not quite feel like myself for the first week or so as my body gets used to the meds...probably won't reap the full benefits until I've been on it for a month or so. I'm going to follow up with my doctor to let her know how it's working for me.

I was kind of apprehensive about being medicated but recently I've gotten to the point where I feel like I've tried everything & nothing has worked to help me. When my anxiety gets severe, I just want to turn off my brain & stop thinking but easier said than done! It does make it tempting to start drinking more & I do not want to go down that road.

RoadsterGirlie

The term "holiday tree" annoys me just as much as those who believe in this " imaginary war on Christmas."

RoadsterGirlie

Wrong thread. Sorry!

Beckycm1971

Great stuff right there! Have you considered meditating. I have thought about doing it myself. I know it will take some time to get into it, and get where It will have an impact on my life. I just need to take the time to do it. I have had a rough time with meds, I have been off for six years and actually got a prescription recently, but I was so anxious about taking them, I took one, and that was it. I know that I will never be in a place where I won't struggle with depression and anxiety, even with meds. I have to make the conscious choice every day to get up and make the most I can out of my day no matter how I emotionally.

Wil Wheaton said this:

I haven’t ever felt suicidal, but I do have Depression and Anxiety. I suffered for no good reason for decades, until I couldn’t reconcile my awesome life with feeling terrible all the time. Talking therapy wasn’t ever enough for me, and I was very resistant to medication, because I believed (and continue to believe) that we are an over-medicated culture.

But, still, I wouldn’t just sit around and suffer if I had a treatable non-mental illness, so I went to a doctor, and I got better. Now, I take some medication every morning, and it has made all the difference in my life.

I remember the first week after I started meds, Anne and I were out for a walk. I felt her hand in mine, and realized that I didn’t have any lingering tension or unhappiness just buzzing around in my skull. I was just enjoying a walk with my wife, and holding her hand.

And I began to cry, because I was so happy.

“It’s like I was in a loud room for so long, I didn’t know how loud it was,” I said, “and all I have now is the ringing in my ears.”

She squeezed my hand and I said, “I’m going to remember that ringing in my ears, so I never go back into that room again.”

That was about four years ago, and I’m happy to say that I’ve stayed out of the room. I can actually enjoy my friends, my family, and my life. I have bad days from time to time, but I know they’ll pass, and — most important of all — I may have Depression, but Depression doesn’t have me. I know that’s sort of corny, but it’s pretty accurate, too.

So, please, if you or someone you know suffer from Depression — with or without thoughts of suicide — please talk to someone, and get help from a doctor. As Jenny says, Depression lies, and you don’t need to let it control your life.

Thank you for this, I honestly loved reading it, I want so badly to get to that place, I wish I could go just 24 hours without feeling upset, down, or mad. people have been telling me for years i will get past it, or its a faze, but I'm still waiting for that. I think the worst and hardest part is... I dont know what I need, or what is fully wrong

Starla_

I've had depression and anxiety from PTSD for over 12 years and lately I've been having the anger issues as well. After a few bad experiences with previous doctors and psychologists I am now seeing a psychologist who is taking me though exercises in mindfulness. Teaching me when to recognise when my brain is having unwanted thoughts and then acknowledging them and letting them pass in non destructive ways so then I can go back to the right kind of thinking. Some of the exercises are a bit like hypnosis/meditation and they are all very calming. EMDR is another thing he wants to take me through as well.

You don't have to suffer with this. I've suffered for way too long and now I am actually going to sort it out properly. I am not on medication but I need professional help and I am getting that from the psychologist. Whether it is therapy or medication that ultimately helps you, don't give up or shy away from them because of bad experiences.. it sometimes takes a few goes before you find the person who helps or the medication which helps.

You will be able to get to that happy place It is possible.

Beckycm1971

I went through EMDR Many years ago, it was still experimental. It was amazing for me. It took me from having daily triggers and flashbacks to only struggling around my bday. (My bday being the anniversary of the experience that lead to my PTSD. I highly recommend it. But you definitely have to be ready for it.

I've had depression and anxiety from PTSD for over 12 years and lately I've been having the anger issues as well. After a few bad experiences with previous doctors and psychologists I am now seeing a psychologist who is taking me though exercises in mindfulness. Teaching me when to recognise when my brain is having unwanted thoughts and then acknowledging them and letting them pass in non destructive ways so then I can go back to the right kind of thinking. Some of the exercises are a bit like hypnosis/meditation and they are all very calming. EMDR is another thing he wants to take me through as well.

You don't have to suffer with this. I've suffered for way too long and now I am actually going to sort it out properly. I am not on medication but I need professional help and I am getting that from the psychologist. Whether it is therapy or medication that ultimately helps you, don't give up or shy away from them because of bad experiences.. it sometimes takes a few goes before you find the person who helps or the medication which helps.

You will be able to get to that happy place It is possible.

wolfpack77

XxXWhitneyShereeXxX

Ive had issues with the same thing, and my doctors have had me on all kinds of meds that helped but usualy caused another problem so I had to stop taking them. Ive found that venting to my mother, sister and sometimes my hubby really help. Or when I get really pissed off for no good reason I just lock myself in the bathroom and crank up some music until I calm down. (Yes I have a radio in my bathroom I sing in the shower