success stories from people who suffer with anxiety

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i work with my anxiety
i accept i have anxiety and ask what can i do to make myself feel better. also, breaking things into smaller problems/situations make it easier. I am not going to a party, I'm going to get into my car, i'm going to drive for a bit, i'm going to walk from my car to a door. i'm going to knock. etc

same can be done with the gym. you can also ask for a tour and tutorial to make you more comfortable with the equipment

dieting is just for today and nothing to worry about-that and i don't really diet. i just count calories.

Exercise has certainly helped me with anxiety and depression. So does yoga and breathing exercises.

As for diet, I do feel better when I limited added sugar but I think that's more about having better energy than less anxiety.

I found walking to be the best stress reliever for me. It helped me settle my thoughts etc and released all those great feel good chemicals, I think that if I felt going to the Gym was the only option exercise wise I would have baulked.

I also found that the higher the intensity of the work-out caused me more issues with rising anxiety.....I ended up quitting do DVD's at home that were fast paced because I just felt more panicked afterwards and interestingly the weight loss that I had going fine just stalled out.....now that may have been due to changing my routine and water retention etc etc....but I had a look at the effects of increased cortisol levels on weight loss and thought it was best to go back to what had served me well in the past and it worked for me.

For anxiety management the best tools I have found for me have been in being diligent in getting into daily meditation, learning and employing mindfulness when I start to feel overwhelmed, reducing my caffeine intake (I was a coffee fiend), deep breathing and getting back into kind of my version of Yoga/Tai Chi/stretching motions which I "try" to incorporate regularly.....

Good Luck....

Anxiety (and depression) is something I've dealt with my whole life. Sometimes, like now, it gets really bad. I get anxiety attacks and can't work.

Running made a huuuge change in my mental state. I started running every morning when I was in a bad place, and it helped me push past. Now I run or workout almost every day, and I notice that the days I do are typically much easier to manage than those that I don't.

Getting into it was difficult. Social anxiety is a *kitten* and literally the only reason I started running was because I could go out at 5:15am before the rest of the world was up, and no one had to watch me puff along :P It does get better as you gain confidence, though. I'd recommended making a game plan before you get to the gym so you know exactly what you're going to do, then just plug into your music and get 'er done. Don't overthink it, and don't let yourself stand around feeling awkward.

You will feel so much better after - endorphins are a magical thing.

(I also agree with checking your vitamins and whatnot. I get really out of whack and sad when my iron levels are low.)

I had a difficult time leaving my house a year ago because of anxiety and depression. Since January I have been eating better, lost 30 lbs, and exercising outside almost daily. I feel like a new person! Walking, running and yoga have been great. Just take that first step and know that you are worth it!

Most of my anxiety has lifted since making a habit of walking a minimum of 45 minutes daily. Shedding the excess fat from maintaining a calorie deficit, and exposing the little muscle development beneath is really great for my depression. For me, my attention to my physical appearance is a good indicator of my emotional state.

Similar to another post on this thread, I also find it easiest to get out really early in the day to walk and run. Fewer people around when I'm feeling vulnerable to scrutiny and criticism about my exercise and fitness has helped me adhere to a consistent exercise schedule.

Good luck to you. I hope you find the strength to take your first step.

I am diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder and I have been suffering from panic attack and derealization for 12 years now. In the past it was so bad that I had to either stay in bed or go to the hospital, every day for months at a time.

I tried EVERYTHING. The only thing that works are medicines, in my case paroxetine.

Exercise doesn't help at all. If I am going through a bad period, in which I have panic attacks every day, it's impossibile to exercise.
On the other hand, if I am having a good period (thanks to the medicine) I can exercise and do almost anything.

When the crisis is bad there are only 3 things that help me: painting, playing the piano and playing simple repetitive games (like frozen bubbles).

Mindfulness meditation helped me a bit.

I suffer with anxiety and i have really found that exercise does help, even if for that hour a day i dont think about what is making me anxious

Today is Mental Health World Day, and I want to thank everyone who posted. I live with too much anxiety on a daily basis. I am so happy to see people posting and talking about it.

I too struggle with anxiety which leads to depression. I take have taken medications for almost 20 years and I have had several periods where I saw a therapist regularly. I can't overstate how important a good nights sleep is in coping with anxiety. If you are not sleeping well due to medication side effects or possible sleep apnea, get that treated. Walking has worked for me very well. It helps in the day to clear my head and give me time alone with my thoughts. It helps at night because I am tired and sleep better.

dm1372 wrote: »

When you exercise your body releases endorphins. Endorphins are great for lots of reasons but the main one we think of is that it lifts your mood. Exercise scientifically makes you happier! It helps with my depression immensely.

This.

last_jennifer wrote: »

Today is Mental Health World Day, and I want to thank everyone who posted. I live with too much anxiety on a daily basis. I am so happy to see people posting and talking about it.

Such a positive thought, and I completely agree. It's great to see people open up, and doing so reduces the stigma of the attachments people make to mental health issues. They are a great deal more common than we think, but have been hidden for so long that people just ignored the issue.



I went through a period of stress induced anxiety, depression, and PTSD related anti social behavior. It was a toxic soup made in hell. I was stressed about being stressed, anxious about being anxious, and angry about being angry. I went to a number of outpatient type groups and learned a great number of things to help pull me out of it, one of them being proper diet and exercise.

And most important for anyone... do what works for you. Seek resources, understand what you are dealing with, and if needed reach out to get assistance in getting professional help if you need it. This can be a difficult task, and having someone by your side makes it much easier.

For me personally, proper diet and exercise was a great factor in my recovery process. In my case I tended to get out and bike when possible as it was a "best fit" type exercise for what I was dealing with. I got my exercise, got outdoors, and was moving quick enough to avoid most unwanted human contact. One of the common PTSD issues is being in a hyper vigilant state, potentially perceiving just about anything as a threat. On the bike I could blow past people, not go into that mind set, and reduce any possibility directing any anger at anyone who didn't deserve it.

And also for me, being in group environments was very helpful. When you are with a group that at least somewhat understands you situation it makes it easier to vent and share ideas about what works and such. I really still don't quite understand why, but for me it was also very therapeutic to help others even when I was at rock bottom. I guess it was just some assurance that my inner nature still existed somewhere in there, and helped me reconnect with it.



And a sincere offer to anyone reading this thread. If you ever find yourself reaching crisis mode and don't know what to do, seek immediate help. Have numbers for local to you crisis lines, police, or any other appropriate resource. I wasn't aware of this until I went through my issues, but there are quite a few first responder types with specialty training in these situations. If you can't do it yourself send me a message and I'd gladly help anyone through it if I know about it. There are just too many people who struggle to reach out for the help they need, and nobody should feel that isolated.