How can I enjoy life with so much to worry about?

[mary91]

I just don't know how it's possible. I just can't seem to enjoy anything and spend all my time worrying.

How can I enjoy life without worrying bad things will happen?

I've been like that most of my life. I'm now taking medication (Sertraline) and it's made a massive difference. I still get a bit anxious but i'm able to enjoy life too.

All the best, it's horrible.

Can you tell us a bit about what worries you? I found CBT very helpful for anxiety and I would say confidently that I no longer worry excessively. I’m sure it doesn’t work for everyone but worth a try.

I think I'm coming out of the other side of this. Things that have helped :

• I no longer watch or listen or look at the news. Obviously this means sacrificing a fair bit in terms of being up to date etc but I noticed that 95% of news is negative, scary and actually written to worry us. There is NOTHING I can do about it. It had an almost immediately good effect on me.
• Got interested in wild birds. I have feeders and water tables and so enjoy just watching different birds visit. Each week I seem to get a new species. It reminds me that they just get on with their lives regardless of who is in government / whether my job exists or not or what the weather is doing.
• Bullet journal stuff and keep a diary. My GP said I could allocate a short time to spend worrying (sounds like weird advice) write it down, worry about it, look at it and figure out any actions I want to take and then stop and move on.

I've gone from almost nightly panic attacks to being able to feel relaxed enough to sleep a bit more. I have MILES to go yet but I am seeing progress.