Dealing with anxiety?

I take tablets from the doctor which I can honestly say changed my life, although I still get anxious sometimes, it's no where near as intense as before. Xxx

Once my dad told me what I had, the panic part went away but I dealt with anxiety feelings for ten years. After a 14 year absence, it came back. Still no panic. I just use mind distractions like gaming, cleaning. Light a candle, use a warming bag around my neck. That gives me good feelings. Try to get enough sleep. Exercise helps alot. Having goals to work towards. Which is kind of a mind distraction. I don't like pills but I'm sure if I had panic, I'd probably get on a prescription. Seeing a therapist would be great.
It feels like a sickness, like a cold. I just have to ride it out. Most months now go pretty good with just pms and that time of month being a bother.
Find what works for you. Seek help through a doctor.

I do on occasion.
Had more severe anxiety 3-4 years ago. Took medication for a while, but I found that it just lead to dependance.

Try learning your triggers (what gives you panic attacks) and learn to recognize the small signs that you're getting ready to have one. Then practice methods that will stop the attack. Deep/slow breathing always helped me a ton.

I started having panic attacks in March of 2006. I've taken lexapro ever since. Breathing exercises and relaxation tapes are also very good. I have a couple on my ipod that I listen to when I go to bed sometimes.

I do on occasion.
Had more severe anxiety 3-4 years ago. Took medication for a while, but I found that it just lead to dependance.

Try learning your triggers (what gives you panic attacks) and learn to recognize the small signs that you're getting ready to have one. Then practice methods that will stop the attack. Deep/slow breathing always helped me a ton.

^^^ I 2nd this. Once you find your triggers it helps you to stop them from happening, or having huge attacks. I didn't want to be dependant on medication, so I went to therapy and learned to listen to my body. I went from having anxiety attacks every day to have them once every 6 months or so. Exercising also helps me keep my anxiety levels low. That rush of good endorphins from working out, helps to block the receptors in your brain!

I too am on Paxil, and I have only had one major anxiety spell (back in March) since September of 2010 which was when I started Paxil. I also bought a book by Joe Barry that teaches you to completely eliminate panic and anxiety. So, a combo of med, the book, good diet, and tons of exercise = one happy girl

The other thing ... is it anxiety/panic attacks... or just more low level constant anxiety?

i've had OCD since i was a kid. have been medicated on and off, although not since 2006. did some therapy in 2008; it was ok. did a lot of reading on the disorder, and have found effective ways to deal with it behaviorally. i'm leaving the door open to future medications if it ever gets to be too much, but i'm functioning fine.

I too am on Paxil, and I have only had one major anxiety spell (back in March) since September of 2010 which was when I started Paxil. I also bought a book by Joe Barry that teaches you to completely eliminate panic and anxiety. So, a combo of med, the book, good diet, and tons of exercise = one happy girl

Paxil made me weird/crazy and gave me tremors. It killed my appetite and didn't eat for like 5 days. It was weird.... O_o

I have meds for it I always had it but after I had my daughter it intensified.

I would suggest talking to a doctor or even a counselor if you have anxiety. You can learn behavioural ways to manage it, some of which have been mentioned like learning your triggers and avoiding them OR prepping yourself for it (creating a plan) if there is a trigger that can not be avoided. Some people need medication to help with their anxiety; there are things you can take daily, and there are "rescue" medications for when things are reallly stressful. What works for some people DOES NOT work for others. Some things have the opposite effect than intended, so if medication is the route you need to take, listening to people's suggestions is not that helpful. You may need to try a number of medications before you find what works for you. Exercise, sleeping properly, and eating well are often helpful.

When you are in the replaying tape of anxiety over and over do a STOP-THINK. Put your hand in front of your face or imagine a hand or a stop sign and say STOP either really loudly in your head or if you're by yourself yell it at yourself. Then focus on something else.

Use a timer-say from 8pm-8:15pm you can obsessively worry about things, but set your alarm or your stove timer and at the end you have to focus on something else. Reading a book is great because you have to think about it, as opposed to watching a show or a movie where you can tune it out and still focus on anxiety.

Try visualization-think of your favourite place in the world. It has to be a place you know very well, because you need to picture it in your head, including what you SEE, FEEL, SMELL, HEAR, and if there is a TASTE (like salt water). When you feel anxiety coming on, start picturing that place, build it in your mind, using ALL of your senses.

Try distraction-ask yourself a question. Make yourself pick out all of the blue or green or whatever colour items that you see. Recite multiplication tables. Recall your favourite quote. List family member's birthdays in your head. If you are focusing on something ELSE, you are not focusing on your anxiety.

Oh, and make yourself focus only on things you CAN change, not what you can't. When you are having anxiety and focusing on something, ask yourself, can I DO anything about this? No? use one of the above techniques to take your mind off of it, and then identify a problem you CAN work with and start looking for solutions to it. For example, last year my boyfriend went a little nutty and started acting really bizarrely and kind of ruined his life. I was VERY anxious about this and very focused on it, however I then said to myself, Can I do anything about what he is doing, how he is acting, etc? NO! But I CAN control how I react to it. Can I change the fact that it affects my life in a big way? NO! But I can use the changes to evaluate my own behaviour and discover ways to manage that.

Measure your anxiety level when you feel good-so when you are not having anxiety and things are good, it's a zero. When you're having anxiety but you are FUNCTIONING assign it a number (say 50) and then when you are having more severe anxeity think about "How can I get back to that level of 50 anxiety instead of the 75 I am at? Sometimes working on having a functional level of anxiety is less stressful than working at ridding it completely.

I wonder if I have anxiety sometimes. I worry a lot at work. I don't get panic attacks though. I am going to look into some of these self help techniques and see if it does some good.