How to deal with anxiety?

[Little Bird]

I have had anxiety issues for several years. Most of the time I feel like I'm always on edge, and I often have heart palpitations throughout the day. I try controlling them by breathing deeply for a moment, but for the most part, I always feel anxious, and it's worse when I have to deal with stressful things.

 

Lately my anxiety has peaked to the point where I feel light-headed as if all the blood has gone out of my head, and I also have been getting stomach pains and sore muscles. Sometimes my anxiety is so bad I get really depressed and oversleep, which only makes my anxiety worse.

 

Perhaps the best solution is medication, because I've tried things like yoga, and it doesn't help.

 

For those of you who have had or still deal with anxiety problems, what methods, medication, ect., have you found that has helped you control your anxiety?

[D-Lish]

Talk to your doc- that's the best advice anyone could give you.

 

I suffer from chronic anxiety, I'm the opposite of you in that I never sleep. I am lucky to have 3 solid hours a night because my body and mind never quit- I'm constantly "worried" to the point of fight or flight response 24/7.

 

It's amazing how meds can help. Talk to your doc, there are remedies that can help you.

[TouchedByViolet]

Seeing a doctor and getting helpful medicine sounds like the best bet for you.

 

However, what triggers your anxiety? Instead of looking to deal with the symptom (anxiety) maybe try addressing some of the the underlining causes?

[Little Bird]

Seeing a doctor and getting helpful medicine sounds like the best bet for you.

 

However, what triggers your anxiety? Instead of looking to deal with the symptom (anxiety) maybe try addressing some of the the underlining causes?

 

Sometimes nothing triggers my anxiety, sometimes I just have a general feeling of anxiety for no reason. Other times if I have a deadline to meet or have personal problems, just thinking about them puts me in a full panic attack. I feel terrified, like I'm dying or like I'm about to be attacked physically. My face gets all pale, my stomach hurts, I get migraines, or I just start crying.

 

D-lish, sometimes I get no sleep as well. I fluctuate from getting no sleep to overcompensating on weekends, and sleeping over 14 hours. At first I thought my symptoms meant something was wrong with my brain, because my reactions are so irrational, but now I know it must just be some kind of anxiety disorder.

[TouchedByViolet]

Oh dang, that sucks. See a doctor and hopefully he can prescribe a treatment.

 

Concerning difficulty sleeping, I recommend reading a book. It helps me focus on the story or topic and tires the mind. It works great for me and it might work for you too.

[carhill]

Psychological therapy helped me. Back when it was intractable, I'd use some Seroquel to numb it out so I could function. Mine was situational. I'm fine now.

 

Some tips....eat a balanced diet. No binging. Cut alcohol and sweets. Exercise. Spend time with low-drama friends. Can't emphasize that enough. Cut high drama people out of your life.

 

Good luck. I know it's a tough situation. You'll make it

[Feelin Frisky]

This depends on whether the anxiety comes from logical external stimulus or does it just happen all by itself for no reason. If it happens because of external stimulus like social exposure, the nexer classes of meds like Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil among others can help short-circuit the release of fight or flight chemistry and give you a leg up in being newly socially confident. If the anxiety feeling has no external route it may be because of a medical problem--most typically is a depressed or underactive production of gaba aminobutyric acid in the brain--the main neurotransmitter used in %80 of brain function.

 

What GABA does is it helps the passage of chloride items to and from the bain cells. When there is inadequate amounts the chloride becomes trapped and people get the sense of fear and loathing in their gut and limbs that can be socially crippling. The is a supplement on can take that does not need a precsription called simeply GABA. It works like nothing else I've tried. But it is also in the world of unregulated supplements and docotors don't have a lot of expertise tohelp if you get too dependendent upon it. Docotrs tend to prescribe medications that have manufactoring and testing behind them. But somethimes that means they prescribe medications like benzo-diazapines which only provide momentary relief and can cause addiction and the roller coaster emotions that come with it. There is nothing really to be feared in at least trying the GABA to see if it helps since GABA is already what much of your brain is floating in. Try not to over use it though--there's a posibility that artificially intruducing excess GABA into the brain can begin to depress the body's own ability to produce natural GABA (gaba aminobutyric acid).

[Little Bird]

This depends on whether the anxiety comes from logical external stimulus or does it just happen all by itself for no reason. If it happens because of external stimulus like social exposure, the nexer classes of meds like Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil among others can help short-circuit the release of fight or flight chemistry and give you a leg up in being newly socially confident. If the anxiety feeling has no external route it may be because of a medical problem--most typically is a depressed or underactive production of gaba aminobutyric acid in the brain--the main neurotransmitter used in %80 of brain function.

 

What if I experience both? More often I get extreme anxiety and panic attacks from just worrying about things or from stressful situations, but then sometimes it happens for no reason, especially at night. I've also been extremely emotional lately. I'll be watching a movie trailer that is not sad at all, and I'll start crying for no reason. Small things make me cry. It's pretty pathetic; I even started crying when I watched a contestant on the X Factor show sing "Candle in the Wind".

[shayan]

it seems like your symptoms are a result of both. I think you may need both drugs and therapy.

 

Have you ever tried examining the underlying thoughts which trigger these events. Have you always been this way, or are there times in your life you felt you were calm and relaxed for a sustained amount of time? What changed since that period, etc? Ask the right questions.

 

Or see a mental health professional, preferably a psychiatrist in your case and they'll ask the right questions for you.

[Banega100]

Exercise will relieve alot of the physical aspects of it.

 

Running is great for it. Really tire yourself. Plus it helps you get deeper sleep too.

[hART]

Meditation, exercise, diet and pills when I get panicky or get can't breathe. Breathing is good. The first three take a month of doing everyday for a month or more to see any results. Good luck!

[skydiveaddict]

Sometimes I think you need to resort to drug therapy, like I did. It's helping me. A lot of us returning from deployment have these issues. You are not alone, believe me. Talk to your doc

[Movingthrough]

I dont have it as bad as some people on here but i deal with anxiety all the time. Im somewhat lucky because when i get real bad i kind of pop back out of it and my brain is like really come on give me a break and i kind of snap back out.

 

One thing that has helped me a lot has been reading, you start reading all the books on anxiety, being calm etc, and you start to see how much time you are wasting and how much better it could be. At this point im almost obsessed with learning on how to fix it, i read a couple books a week and each time i do i will read certain things that make me think wow that makes a lot of sense. I still have my ups and downs but when you are making that effort to research it and feel better i think it helps a lot.