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...
I've had a hard time recently. We traveled back to the states from Germany, where we're living. It was a good visit, but with my husband's family and step daughter and a little drama from ex (to be expected), so it was stressful. My anxiety spiked with all the flying and dealing with family. Now we have my stepson with us for the summer. I was surprised that this is also giving me stress, given how well I get along with him.
One thing is we're all still jet-lagged and not into any kind of routine right now. That's stressing me out. I also feel like my house and my space will not be my own for awhile, which will make it hard for me to work in my home studio. So, I've been really agitated at night and unable to sleep. My normal techniques (deep breathing, sleep hypnosis, lying with a heating pad under my shoulders, etc) aren't working so I've been taking Klonopin at night. I sleep so heavily on it I wake up completely stiff.
I don't want to rely on that all summer. Any advice??
One thing is we're all still jet-lagged and not into any kind of routine right now. That's stressing me out. I also feel like my house and my space will not be my own for awhile, which will make it hard for me to work in my home studio. So, I've been really agitated at night and unable to sleep. My normal techniques (deep breathing, sleep hypnosis, lying with a heating pad under my shoulders, etc) aren't working so I've been taking Klonopin at night. I sleep so heavily on it I wake up completely stiff.
I don't want to rely on that all summer. Any advice??
I would keep doing your yoga and the techniques at night with the Klonopin until you are feeling more relaxed at night and can stop using it.
I use klonopin every night for over a month now at half strength (.5). I do sleep a lot heavier, but that was the point for me because I was waking up 2 or 3 times a night and unable to go back to sleep. Does leave kind of a hazy dream state afterwards.
Good luck and I hope you get to have some fun with your stepson while he is visiting.
I always find after I have a good deal of anxiety, I need time to level myself out. I don't sleep well or eat well and have physical anxiety symptoms (stomach aches and such).
Give yourself a spot of time and realize no one sleeps well after traveling and stress. It takes a week or two to get back into the flow of things. Perhaps you can take a lower dose of klonopin? Or xanex may allow you to sleep but not knock you out.
Remember too that your home is yours. You get to make the rules. And it's okay to take breaks as needed - letting your family know you need to take a nap or go for a walk or something.
Let us know how you're doing.
Yoga is really helping and I was able to get to sleep last night without the klonopin, so that's a plus.
Reed, thanks for the reminder that my home is mine, too. I needed that. :)