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...

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Health update I guess?

Frogsoup
Frogsoup

My anxiety was really bothering me today. No only do I still feel sick but for some reason every time I was around people I felt so much worse. Usually I'm not anxious around my cousins but thankfully they're leaving tomorrow so maybe ill be able to relax a little bit. They've been here for a whole week and it feels like I've barely seen them. I've been so focused on just keeping myself afloat. The main symptom I was worried about is seeming to go away thankfully and I'm hoping it stays that way. But I've been having some pretty annoying upper back pains and weird headaches. Like it's sharp pains in random parts of my head but mostly around my eyes and in the back of my head. The dizziness comes with the gas which is normal (for me at least ) but the fact that it's lasting so long even though I've heavily reduced eating what usually makes it happen is scary. All I've eaten the past two days is crackers and Apple sauce. Had some chocolate animal crackers and a few goldfish crackers too but had to stop eating them because it made the gas worse. Once everyone leaves tomorrow I'm gonna try to eat more real food and see how that goes but I am terrified to do it. I don't want to feel sick anymore I hate feeling so awful. This isn't necessarily a new thing either it's just a lot worse than usual. My whole body has just been aching and my ears/throat has been hurting feels like my head is gonna explode. I don't even think it's allergies because I've barely been outside lately. Idk honestly I'm just not sure what to think. Just hoping tomorrow will be better. Every morning lately I wake up and am instantly filled with dread scared to even move because the pain will probably start when I do. The pain isn't terribly bad but it just scares me a lot and slows me down. I'm definitely not as freaked out as I was the other night when I made the first posts but still very anxious about it and just everything else as well.

GirlinCalif
GirlinCalif
Thanks for the update. Hopefully you will have more peace in the house when your cousins leave.

My opinion is the mind and body are very much connected. I firmly believe in the phrase "you are what you eat." I used to eat crummy, and I also am lactose intolerant, have lots of food allergies, etc. I finally worked with a nutritionist in my 20s to get a good, healthy diet going.

You need to eat protein. At least once a day. Look online for a list of foods that have protein, and see which one catches your eye. Lots of good stuff to eat has protein in it. I like almonds, chicken, steak, a hamburger.

Do you eat a lot of vegetables? Need 3 times a day.

Eating crackers and cookies is too much sugar and they will make your anxiety act up. Also, applesauce is difficult to digest. There is a lot of sugar in it, and it could cause stomach upset.

Try these things, give it a try for a few days, and I have a feeling your anxiety will get better overall.
Frogsoup
Frogsoup
I definitely need to eat better that is for sure. It seems when I eat fruits or vegetables they upset my stomach which I really don't understand. I have a pretty small diet I guess you could say. I eat pretty much the same things over and over. The applesauce I was eating was unsweetened and I've read it is helpful to eat when you're really naseuas (look up "brat diet"). It's seeming to be easy to get down even though it's not my fave thing to eat. My mom thinks I need to take vitamins bc I really don't eat the best at all. Since so many foods make me feel sick I just don't eat a lot of new stuff as I am really scared if throwing up. I also think the mind and body are connected, especially your gut. When my stomach is upset I get anxious and when I get anxious my stomach gets upset. It's a very lousy cycle. I really do need to change my diet though honestly.
GirlinCalif
GirlinCalif
Yes, what you are saying is very common. Anxiety makes my stomach upset, too. But I think if you did a Google search, you could find some mild foods that you could eat.

I do know the BRAT diet. But that is mainly for people recovering from a gastrointestinal infection. Not meant as a daily diet. And, are you eating the banana part of the Brat? :)

A multi vitamin, like your Mom said, is a great idea. Take it with food though! Oh oh… lol. You can do it!! I take vitamins every day. B vitamins give you energy.

You need some protein. Do you like chicken, turkey, steak, a hamburger, pork, milk, yogurt, cheese, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pistachios? You can't survive on just crackers and goldfish crackers :) I know they taste good, but think how much your body will thank you for eating more healthily.

Try to eat something more healthy and I guarantee you will feel better. For me, I can not go even one day of eating poorly. I definitely feel worse when I have one day of bad eating.
arfie
arfie
Am I remembering rightly that you were suffering agoraphobia before agoraphobia was mandated by marshal law and first reacted to the marshal law with a sense of relief that you were less alone with ^it^? Could you be suffering repercussions from that unexpected *blessing*?

Perhaps I am only projecting. I know for certain I feel like I am being force fed poison within the mandates of Coronaville's marshal law to isolate, etc. 40+ years of psychotherapy invalidated in a single swoop of a legal eagle. Some will rob you with a six-gun and some with a ballpoint pen. How ironic that the ballpoint pen thieves are the ones wearing the masks in Coronaville.

Setting that ramble aside for now. . .

Baby food is my go-to nutrition when anxiety has my digestive system tied in knots. It is solid, easily digested nutrition in a convenient package. The cereals are especially gentle on my own digestive tract. When my stomach is too agitated to handle milk, I mix the cereals with water and/or fruit baby foods.

Continued support while you find what works for you.
Community LeaderMid
Mid
In a private journal, you will do well to write about each sentence one at a time.

Take a ten minute walk outside every morning and every evening. Write about what you see in a private journal.

The reason I say private journal is to help you sort through your thoughts and put them in order in a way that makes sense to you.

When it comes to food and drink, you have to decide what you're willing to do to help your self.

Best wishes as you find your better balance.
Frogsoup
Frogsoup
To girlincalif, I do wish I had some more bland easy foods to eat but we really don't have a lot of that we mostly have junk food or things that make me feel sick. I don't use the brat diet for longer than a few days usually and once everyone leaves I'm planning on trying some real food. Right now there are 8 people in my house and one bathroom so if my stomach gets upset again I want to make sure it's open because it gets really painful. And we don't have bananas currently but usually they make my stomach hurt too. They also give me a lot of gas. I know I probably sound difficult saying I can't eat so many things but sadly that is just how it is lately. I really think after I got over my eating problems (an eating disorder but I was not diagnosed so I won't call it that) my stomach problems got a lot worse like I've only gained probably like 5-10 lbs back and it's been years since I've restricted my food in a bad way. Obviously I have to do it sometimes when I'm feeling really sick so I don't throw up but Im fully out of that mindset I had. And I do like chicken and cheese and milk but I cant eat much dairy because it also upsets my stomach badly. I'm also just really picky in general haha. Nuts are okay but sometimes they make my mouth feel weird and I get anxious and think I am having an allergic reaction so I don't eat them a lot. Same with a lot of fruits.
Frogsoup
Frogsoup
To arfie, I still am dealing with it and haven't had any therapy to reslly combat it yet. So I have been feeling a little bummed that even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't but I don't really want to leave much anyway. I really don't trust the world very much so going out is not very appealing to me. I can definitely see how it would be very upsetting to feel like you are losing so many years of therapy and work all because the virus. That sounds pretty tough to deal with. But for the baby food, that is actually a good idea thank you for that too. I definitely wouldn't use it as a main source of nutrition because I tend to get very dizzy weak and just overall more sick if I don't eat enough throughout the day. But I will have to see if I can get some of that. And I also never thought of adding something. Besides milk to cereal and though adding water to it sounds kind of weird I'm sure it would make it easier to get down so I will also have to try that too.
arfie
arfie
There has been considerable discussion in my therapy support groups on whether agoraphobia and my peculiar brand of claustrophobia (fear of entrapment) are two sides of the same social isolation coin. Fear of social interaction is the common denominator. I can no more close myself into a building than a donkey can fly, but I can and have stayed in the wilderness and evade human interaction indefinitely. Even with all those decades of marshal law invalidated therapy, 6 feet of social distance still is not enough for me unless it is 6 feet under.

I'm with you on not using baby food as a primary source of nutrition for my adult needs, but check the labels on baby food. Those labels hold that it is a nutritionally sound food on any day. Far more nutritious than the adult foods my stomach can handle on a high anxiety day. On my high anxiety days, there is no telling which end the adult foods are going to shoot out of, but I am guaranteed they will not run a healthy course.

Baby cereals are quite different from child and adult cereals. Give 'em a sniff before you judge the water and/or pureed fruit option.
GirlinCalif
GirlinCalif
I understand what you are saying about the food. It's like a vicious cycle where you feel anxious to eat the food, but if you don't eat the food you feel somewhat in control... but you know you really should be eating food, and your body gets weaker and it needs food to function. So if you don't eat, you will be more sick, physically, mentally, etc. I have been there, I understand.

Does your Mom cook at all? Is there ever food in the house that looks appealing to you? Maybe try just one little tiny bite. If that goes well, have another bite.

Are there foods that you would like to eat, that you used to like eating?

The reason I keep talking about this, is that you sound like how I used to be about food. And I can tell you that eating more will really help you feel so much better, in so many ways. I know you can do it and I hope you will try. I want to see you be healthy.
Frogsoup
Frogsoup
To arfie, I am not necessarily scared of talking to people im more scared of something bad happening. Like I could get kidnapped or murdered or put in a really bad situation. I actually don't mind talking to new people too much though it's draining and I tend to get self conscious after a while. I can relate to wanting to be in nature to get away from the people though. Only thing is I am very scared of it at the same time. The bugs the snakes the poison thorns I'm always thinking I'm gonna die if I touch trees or plants or anything outside. I even get itchy when I sit in the grass. I love nature so much though its so beautiful i am very thankful to have a big yard and fields all around my house and some woods scattered around. And I definitely have a hard time stomaching foods that are nutritional and good for me as well. I've been wanting to get some of those drinks that are for people who have a hard time getting nutrition in. I forget what they're called but ive heard they can replace a meal if necessary (though I myself would never replace solid food for only liquids unless I had to ) but I will definitely see if my mom can pick up some types of baby foods that maybe I can eat with something small like toast or soup or something and it'll give me a boost. I'm sure I'm always so tired because I barely can ever get any food down.
Frogsoup
Frogsoup
To girlincalif, I thankfully got out of the cycle of needing to be in control of my eating years ago. It was very difficult and scary though, the whole time I didn't even realize how sick I was. I never think about calories or controlling myself anymore I am really just terrified of puking and since I have some kind of stomach problem I am naseuas almost all of the time. Thing is I really love unhealthy And greasy foods so that just makes it worse. And I actually did eat some canned fruit earlier and it made me feel better so just a couple minutes ago I had some chicken fries (one of the foods I eat pretty often) and it's not really sitting well with my stomach but it did fill me up and I don't feel hungry anymore so I'm gonna say that's a win. Hopefully it doesn't cause too much of a stir in there because I really want to eat more stuff later and if I get naseuas that's not gonna be possible. And my mom doesn't cook but my grandma does and she has made some pretty good stuff the past couple of days but all of it usually makes my stomach very upset so I'm waiting til I feel a little better to eat it. When these flare up kinds of things happen all I can really do is wait it out and eat simple things til i feel better because I've learned if I try to eat stuff I usually eat when I'm not feeling sick, I get even more sick. It's really annoying and frustrating but I just have to take my time with it.
arfie
arfie
For sure, every case of mental illness is unique and it is critical to stay true to your own path. When my own social isolation was in full force, I didn't "get out into nature." I abandoned humanity and felt the snakes, bugs, etc as some of my most effective perimeter guards/weapons against human intrusion. I was not above dropping a bag of snakes or some such on an intruder's head.

The nutritional drinks only made my digestive distress worse. They taste even worse coming up than they taste going down and the diarrhea was horrendous. It burned on both exit routes. The baby food doesn't even give me diarrhea or acid reflux.
carlyj1202
carlyj1202
arfie, if you think that I am going to put up with what you did, I am not.

You sent me a "hug" telling my friends that you blocked me? What a coward you are. Did you enjoy embarrassing me? I think you did.
Frogsoup
Frogsoup
To carlyj1202, I don't exactly know what problem you guys have but please just send a private message to arfie and not bring drama to my post. I am not trying to be mean at all but I don't really know what is going on and I don't think it's my business to be involved in it. I hope you guys work through whatever it is you have going on.
KimmyO
KimmyO
I'm so sorry you are feeling so bad! Some things that help a lot are the following: Hyocyamine sulfate is a prescription I take every time I have anything carby, grainy or corn. The wheat and corn products (which are in everything packaged) are so genetically modified and full of pesticides that kill our gut bacteria that we can't digest them well at all, so many people fighting this. Also, magnesium will help relax the muscles in your neck and back so you can get the joints back in place again, even if you don't go to chiropractors this helps a lot! It also calms the mind and spirit. Ginseng is great to get rid of sticky negative thoughts that loop too. A good multi will have the B vit and magnesium to help nerves heal and pain lessen. Hope these help you too, dear! Sorry I'm so late getting to you, I was away from pc. Blessings!
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