….to think that anxiety is an evil fucker and if we all share hatred for it….

@BabbleBee Looking back at your OP you say Not coping with illness and minor change

Could the illness be causing your physical symptoms (assuming it's you that's ill)? Try to break down the anxious thoughts to see which is troubling you the most and therefore the likeliest to be the one making you feel sick - it could be trying to stop you taking a course of action that you are dreading.

Don't fight it. Try and just sit down somewhere safe. Trying to power through is so draining 😞

Great strategy. As you've found, anxiety is trying to protect you and steer you away from a danger that it believes you can't cope with, probably because at some point in your life you genuinely couldn't. Thanking it and letting it know you're now capable is often all it takes.

Anxiety is also the emotion that draws our attention to things that are too important to ignore. I have a suspicious patch of skin on my nose at the moment (waiting to hear about a dermatology appointment) and anxiety is making damn sure I put sunblock on it and remember to wear a hat.

OP sorry to hear you are so bad at the moment.

I tried a different tack with it, instead of being angry and seeing it as something hateful, I viewed anxiety as a helicopter parent. I tried to think of it as something well meaning but unnecessary. I would say things like "I know you think you are protecting me from danger, but I am safe now and I really dont need you. Off you pop for a walk, I am just fine here, thank you".

Instead of seeing it as something I had to fight and be strong against, I saw it as as a nice old aunt/mother who was just worried for me and who I nicely cajoled into leaving me alone.

Its working great for me!

Yes, it's pretty horrible when it's in full swing. Anxiety, ocd, ADHD, ND, agoraphobia.

Years of therapy, meds, cutting out toxic environment, and people has mostly made it subside

I'm the same! Watching real crime stuff soothes me, especially those real life murder ones. I'm not sure if it's relief that I haven't been murdered or that I'm not a murderer or something else 🤔 My family laugh at me and think it's odd so good to know I'm not the only one!

I find it helpful to see my anxiety as something I am experiencing, rather than 'me'. So a bit like a worried friend visiting. Then you can acknowledge the feeling but not let it infiltrate every part of your thought processes.

Ahh well done! That’s great and sounds like you are doing amazing! I would definitely try have another day or two off if you can
a bit more time to even out and get yourself back together! I hope it is all starting to get easier

Woke at 2am this morning absolutely shaking - still am - just filled with dread. Have a lot going on which should resolve irself in a positive way in a couple of days but I'm so anxious I seem to be frozen stiff. It is centered around another person and I'm trying not to dump on him but it's really hard to cope. Fucking hate it!

@Fallenangelofthenorth I’ve decided not to go for a diagnosis as I’m in a place where I don’t feel it will help or make any difference to me as I’ve come to terms with who I am as I am. Lots of others I know have described the relief of understanding as an adult what caused so many of their issues and knowing that they are not broken or bad. Others would like to access medication for ADHD (although good luck with getting any right now).

For my DC the actual diagnosis has been essential in getting them support. And we needed it so we could understand them, the eldest in particular who has really struggled.

I was diagnosed with anxiety a year ago and put on 10mgs of Lexapro which luckily, gave me my life back. I am still on it now.

However, it is still there but nowhere near what it was. I can still feel the occasional knot in my stomach, I am just better at ignoring it.

Anxiety is a liar, it tells we are not good enough, not capable enough, it tells us that good opportunities are not for people like us.

It's also a thief and likes taking away the good stuff from us.

I compare Anxiety to those annoying bullying bastards I knew at school and try my best to pretend it's invisible.

Anxiety can cock off, it's taken enough from us.

100%

I write them down either on my phone on notes, or on my laptop on a spreadsheet, or a notepad. It helps because then I feel I can "let go" as I've noted them.

It depends what the obsessive thoughts are really. That dictates where I write them. If it's "you're shit on excel and you need to get better at it" then I tend to write those sort of thoughts on a notepad otherwise I'd end up doing 4 hours of tutorials on excel and still thinking I'm shit.

I've started another section in my notebook though called "things I'm good at" to try and counter the negative thoughts. Also, I keep reminding myself that no-one is perfect. I think sometimes (always) we compare ourselves negatively to other mythical people that don't even exist.

You wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy really.
Does anyone find when they are anxious they start getting obsessive thoughts as well.
Mine comes and goes, usually appears if im stressed, overloaded etc.

It's interesting that so many of you are saying you have autism/adhd. All 3 of my kids have dyslexia and one has diagnosed adhd. We've always joked as a family that we're "not like the others" but never pushed for a diagnosis beyond the dyslexia diagnosis. I have a massive problem with my hearing and have since being a child. Apparently there's nothing wrong with my ears, I have auditory processing disorder. As well as the dyslexia and dyspraxia I passed on to my children.

Is there a benefit in being diagnosed with autism or adhd as an adult? I've always avoided it as didn't want either myself or my children being labelled.

Anxiety can fuck off to the far side of fuck off and beyond. I have stuff to be worried about, but I don’t need the panic chimp to crush my stomach and dominate my every thought. Being perimenopausal and having a teen who has massively struggled over the past few years (autism and ADHD) plus other stuff has really not helped. OP, autism and ADHD have a massively strong link not necessarily to the experiencing anxiety but to the not knowing how to process it. Not sure that that helps me (I’m almost certainly both too) but it does allow me to intervene better to help myself now.

CBT: been the rounds with it both NHS and private and thought it was totally useless until finally finding a therapist through work who explained it in a way that made sense to me, so it can help just not in the auto-regurgitation version that some produce.

Meds: like PP, not allowed propanalol as asthmatic but fluoextine has saved me twice now. Whatever works!

Other stuff: don’t think anyone else has mentioned this but Progressive Muscle Relaxation was/is a game changer for me. It’s a simple series of exercises that are done sitting or lying down and you over tense muscles then allow them to relax. It takes the edge off enough to allow for more rational thought. There are loads of videos on YouTube; the one from the University of Utah, the one from the Epworth clinic in Australia and the one from the the US Veterans’ association are all good. Obviously it’s not a cure but it can give a bit of relief.

Definitely! I have anxiety about a certain thing and it's reared its head again this week.
It is completely irrational and something most people get on with without even thinking about it. I actually hate myself for it and my dh is a saint to put up with it. On here it would be perceived as controlling and pathetic and I know that but....
I hate it and I hate that it has a grip on an otherwise perfect marriage

Haven't read all PPs but I also suffer so badly. I can't really remember a time when I didn't get anxious but I think as I've got older its started to take a real toll physically. It feels very physiological to me. Lots of physical symptoms like the thoughts that presumably trigger it are just being bypassed completely. I have no idea how to help it really. I think a lot of it stems from perfectionism and very high expectations as a child. I'm frightened of making a mistake and being completely destroyed somehow.

I would give yourself a bit more breathing space, especially while you’re getting used to the meds. I know in some situations it’s better to carry on and act ‘normal’ but I think a few days of resting and maybe doing some gentle things you enjoy would help settle your nervous system. I think it’s very draining physically when you experience the adrenaline and heart racing.

My favourite thing to do is to watch comedies. Sometimes it might be a programme like Miranda and I love old ones too, like On the Buses and Are You Being Served? I know they’re totally un PC but I can’t help liking them!🙈 Obviously you may be totally different. I have ME and Fibro and even though I often do far more than I should, there are many days when I am only fit for the sofa or bed and snuggling with a blanket in front of these is so comforting for some reason!

Hate hate hate it

kiddos bday party Friday I was so anxious.

new place, people I didn’t know, I was stuttering my words etc

🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻

I tried mirtazapine and it was wonderful for sleep but made me eat and eat and eat. I really dont need to eat any more than I do!

nor me, so was put on amitriptyline which actually suits me really well as a sleep aid and antidepressant

anxiety is horrible. I acquired it thanks to menopause. One thing I find helpful is writing it down. Seems to clear it from my mind for a bit.

Sometimes it is overwhelming. At the moment mostly focusses around DS1 going off to uni in September. Over a year I have had awful anxiety about this