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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Anxiety Disorders
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starting new meds, tapering off another, insomnia

Raven3016
Raven3016

Hello, all - I am struggling with anxiety around life stressors, relationship, moved to a new state far away from home and can't afford to go back where my loved ones are but not sure about staying here. I need a job and am too anxious and underslept to feel confident getting one. So I stress about money. I have tried Lexapro, it was terrible for me. I got addicted to 1.5 mg Ativan and trying to taper off without Xanax, etc. so that is ridiculously hard and I started Sertraline 3 weeks ago and my dr is upping it again. I am scared because I was sleeping 6 - 6.5 hours a night and now am down to 4 hrs a night. I struggle to go to sleep now, never used to, and struggle to stay asleep, for about 4 months now. I'm a mess and I need encouragement that this can improve - the drugs, the sleep, the getting off Ativan, the attitude. Thanks. 

Community LeaderMid
Mid
First, journal daily. Separate the feelings apart from the medicine ritual to help you sort through the associated anxiety symptoms.

Second, practice relax breathing to allow your brain to shut down naturally. When it resets, you'll be able to relax naturally, which will you to find 'sleep' mode gently.

Third, medicine treatment is trial and error, and you display common factors involving depression associated anxiety.

I say common because moving is a life event, job is a life event, relationship is life event, and changing family patterns/traditions is a life event.

You got this! You'll find your balance and figure out what you really want for yourself! Give yourself time to breathe!
Raven3016
Raven3016
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond back to me. I will start journaling daily. I had been doing it hit or miss, but I will make it a priority. I feel like I am checking my breathing a lot, a lot, but I think I can do it more, and maybe it will become my default mode, i.e. not being in hyperventilation mode. Covid did not help this at all, being so isolated and then we thought it was a good time to make a new change, shake ourselves out of a rut. Ha. Hindsight. Anyhow, finding out what I really want for myself is the thing that keeps me up at night. I will try allowing and surrendering to the unknown vs trying to "fix" it asap. Trying to become a human being and not always such a human doing.
Seaglass25
Seaglass25
Hi Raven,

Anxiety gets so much worse without good sleep. Have you talked to you doctor about taking a non-addictivr anti-anxiety medication like hydroxizine? It is an antihistamine like Benadryl. Not only would it help the anxiety but it should also help with the sleep.

You cannot fix everything at once. It is too overwhelming. Try baby steps…maybe work on better sleep first so that you can function better during the day. Then maybe work on getting a part-time job to get out with others?

Journaling and meditation and breathing all help.
And, coming here for support is another great option.

Wishing you the best.
Raven3016
Raven3016
thanks, seaglass25 - I have gotten two decent nights of sleep with CBD. I am coming off of, tapering off the lorazepam and cannot tell what parts of my overwhelm and anxiety are this and what is just pure overwhelm and anxiety. Some days, or hours, I can do baby steps. Other times, the waves just seem to be crashing in on me. I have been looking at some part time jobs but not sure if we are staying here or going back to Colorado. I have started journaling and meditating and breathing and being online. I think I just have too much time on my hands to think scary thoughts.
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