Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
Hello everyone. I have had several anxiety episodes in the past. I always come out of them all. I recently begin having the racing thoughts about a month ago. I began when I had to go to the doctor for high blood pressure medicine. I hate doctors not to mention they are triggers for my anxiety. The mornings are really bad. The thoughts level out during the day. It has been about 10 years since my last episode. I have forgetten how hard it can be to fight the thoughts of gloom. I have helped several people over come their anxiety, yet it is very hard for me to fight these episodes. I can usually use psychotherapy and talk my way out of it, but due to the lack of time, it can not find my way back as quickly. i need something to help me early mornings when I am awoke abruptly out of my sleep. Any suggestions?
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I did the dumbest thing today. I charged my earbuds, unplugged the block and put the block in my little bag instead of the earbuds. I wasn't happy about that when I got to the gym. What a dummy!
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Ever since I stopped doing therapy because of insurance, I've been feeling that old tense and irritable sense of anxiety and stress. I hate that. I was making so many strides and changes during therapy, my therapist would acknowledge all of my progress and accomplishments, and I miss that reassurance. Today I thought about it, and I made those changes! She would always tell me that I chose to...
You've taken the important first step in writing it out. Keep writing it out as you sort through the words, thoughts, emotions, feelings, and images.
The best thing would be to take care of what is currently worrying you or causing you stress in your life. Easier said than done. But when the stressful thing is better, you will sleep better and not wake up panicked.
Like @Mid said, write things out in a journal. Try writing at night before you go to bed, write write write. Anything and everything that comes to mind. Get it out of your head and on to paper. If it continues, try to get in to see a therapist to talk.
When (not If, but When) I get woken up with panic, I put on talk radio or a podcast, and then lie back down and go back to sleep. The podcast or talk radio helps distract me enough to go back to sleep. Hope this helps.
Anxiety disorders do tend to be progressive when treated with repression and denial. In my own herstory, muscling my way through the early episodes created backlogs of repressed emotions, etc., which proved harder and harder to contain with each go-round. When the dam finally broke, the resulting gushes broke free with tsunami-strength intensity. Ouchus maximus.
I'm doing much better with anxiety management tools which help me address my anxieties while they are fresh and pertinent, thereby avoiding those backlogs created by repression and denial. This very forum is one of my tools to accomplish that. Getting my anxieties of the day into words and sharing those words here help me sort my confusions as they arise.
But that is me and every case is unique.
Gentle support while you sort your own case. Welcome aboard. You are not alone.
I also find that sometimes I wake up a lot at night so I take Melatonin 3mg for a good night's sleep, and that relaxes me also into the next day.
Good Luck!!
Here are some other suggestion I have found that help me when I am struggling. Being aware you are struggling and positive self-talk definitely helps.
1) The 557 breathing technique is take 5 deep breaths in while thinking good thoughts about yourself like I matter, I am special, I am strong and then hold the breaths for the count of 7 focusing on those words about yourself, then let out the breath slowly for 5 seconds letting go of any anxious, self-defeating, unhealthy thoughts. I do this one to three times a sitting.
2)The gratitude journal is writing down something good every morning and night something that went well in the day, or something I appreciate about myself. Taking our focus off of the anxiety and depression and focusing on positive uplifting things really helps. What you think is what you believe. So thinking uplifting things you believe those things but the reverse is true - thinking negative self-defeating things, you will believe those.
3) Emotional Freedom Tapping - Look up the actual pressure points that you use, but you tap on those points while you repeat positive uplifting things to yourself.
I will be praying for you. Feel free to pm me if you'd like to chat. Hugs and God Bless