Anxiety and Depression

I have generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder, diagnosed in 2014. Have you talked to your Dr about this? I recommend that you do if this is at a level that is beyond the normal type of anxiety people feel when under stress, etc.

CBT helped me quite a bit and I still use those techniques when I feel something coming on. If you have something like GAD then most of your anxiety is completely irrational and CBT techniques can help you put that into perspective. I also have a prescription for lorazepam which I've only used when things have gotten really bad and my fight or flight response has gone completely off the rails into unmanageable panic for no good reason. Fortunately these kind of full blown episodes are pretty rare these days, but when they happen I have to be sedated. They are narcotic, so I'm very careful about not abusing them. I only take them when absolutely nothing else is going to bring me back down to reality. My state also recently legalized a certain plant that is very beneficial and non-narcotic and much more appropriate for regular use.

Other than that, managing stress is very important...but also easier said than done considering high stress is also an occupational hazard of mine. But I do the best I can. Regular exercise goes a long way for me...and I'm not talking about super intense workouts. I mostly bike (MTB and road), walk, and hike. Being in nature and recreating in nature gives me all kinds of warm fuzzies and feel goodz and it keeps me physically fit and healthy.

I've also taught myself to leave work at work. I no longer bring work home with me...I either stay late or determine that I can just take care of it the next morning. Looking back, a lot of what I was brining home with me was unnecessary and wasn't really adding to any kind of real benefit. I do not take work calls or look at or answer work emails after I've left the office...this includes vacations and the like.

To that end...and I know it's not possible for everyone, but if and when you can, get the hell out of town for a bit, even if it's just for the weekend. I am very busy in the summer so I do not usually have the opportunity to take a significant amount of time off for a vacation...but I typically take the family camping once per month for the weekend from May - Sept just to get away for a couple of days. It is much different being off work and home vs being off work and away somewhere. When I'm at home, I still have to deal with the daily grind of yard work, house keeping, fixing this or that, etc...and before I know it I've worked all weekend and not relaxed at all and then it's back to the office. I also take one good vacation annually of about 10 days and a long weekend trip somewhere a couple of times per year. Just getting away from the normal for a bit is huge for me in relieving stress and anxiety.

Self medicating with alcohol is also something common to people with GAD and/or depression as well as bipolar disorder. This was a huge issue for me and just made everything worse and fueled the anxiety and panic attacks. When I cut way back on alcohol, my anxiety levels dropped and my anxiety and stress in general became much more manageable.

I've also tried meditation, but frankly it has never taken...about as close as I can get to that is yoga.