Please help MN - not in a good way

[HangingOver]

Hi gang,

Can anyone else who suffers with anxiety hold my hand a bit? I'm having a 'flare up' for want of a better term....and though I know 'this too shall pass' I'm struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And it's only been three days so far. I'm trying to take a practical approach to this until it goes away, but any extra tips or advice would be much appreciate.

So I here is how feel:

• tense from the second I wake up - I feel that invisible band tighten around my chest and throat as soon as I open my eyes


• shaking hands


• nausea


• bad intrusive thoughts (bad things happening to people I love)


• cannot concentrate or make decisions


• fear that this won't go away


• derealization - everything feeling detached and dream-like


• feeling really tired


• and of course, the never ending fear/anxiety


• go to bed early every night


• meditate every day


• keep hydrated


• cut out caffeine


• go to yoga every other day, first thing in the morning


• swim in the sea


• not over-exercise (I do do this quite a lot and it sometimes makes me feel even worse)


• continue to take my pills religiously (birth control, citalopram, multivitamin)

Anything else hivemind? Thanks so much. I know this will go away but I honestly feel like I'm going out of my mind rn.

xxxx

A walk outside sometimes works for me, but I have to make sure that I don't turn it into a sport - so sticking to a slightly slower pace, stopping occasionally to sit on a bench or smth and watch people, trees, water, animals.

It sucks, but it passes and a handhold for now!

I found the exercise recommended on this very helpful. You make a fist and squeeze all your anxiety into it and then relax. The more you do it the more it helps.

Sorry you're struggling op

I second knitting, really helps when I'm tense gives an outlet for nervous energy and something to focus on that doesn't take lots of brain power. Also tactile nature is soothing and it it's productive which helps when I'm feeling stressed at being unable to get things done. Crochet is another option and some people find it easier.

Avoid alcohol. Avoid junk good, eat a proper meal a day. My blood sugars definitely affect my anxiety.

Focus on rest and don't feel bad at prioritising it.

Do what you need to to make yourself feel safe in the moment.

Gentle exercise - I'm not always up to yoga, especially if it means dressing in gym stuff, leaving the house and joining a group class. A walk in the fresh air always helps though.

Soothing music - whatever works for you. Classical, acoustic, nature sounds, whatever.

Just bought some loop ear plugs and they actually help too!

Comedy. I can't stomach anything tense or sad when my anxiety bad, but sometimes find comedy really breaks through my mood and makes me laugh, takes my mind off bad thoughts. Love YouTube for this.

Nothing to add to your list, but please have a hug from me. I have just gotten off the phone to my GP, after extending my sick note for another two weeks (been off for a month already) and I feel all the things you are currently feeling. My OCD and anxiety are usually managed well, but currently I'm not in a good way either. So I'm sending you sympathy and strength.

Hand hold from me. I find phone games like wordscapes and Seterra keep my mind on track when it threatens to veer off down a tunnel. Knitting doesn’t work for me as it gives me too much time to think!!!

Hi, really sorry to hear you're having a hard time.

I know how much the intrusive thoughts and derealization etc can worsen pre-existing anxiety. I think you've come up with a great list of things to do. For me, puzzles can help, I think they help me focus (nothing too extreme, Wordle, Quordle etc are all easy enough to focus on) as well as watching something not so serious on TV (Brooklyn 99 is my go to).

I will add, that my experiences of the above were caused by the birth control pill (progesterone only), and caused PMDD for around a week each month. I had no idea how much my hormones could influence anxiety etc. I went to the docs for anti-depressants and my excellent GP mentioned that this may be what I was experiencing. The best way I could describe it was a feeling of doom - intrusive thoughts, fatigue, an overwhelming sense of panic and wanting to curl up in a ball and hide. It's definitely worth maybe having a look at hormones as they can have quite the effect that we may not realise.

This is your internal warning signs and not your enemy. Your body is trying to take care of you.

This is so true. It’s your body telling you to slow down. Everything will be ok OP, u are taking the right steps! Big hugs xo

Have a look at this video, it might help answer some questions;

Thanks for all your help and advice guys. I'm taking it on board. Why is anxiety SO tiring? All I want to do is eat and sleep

Takes a lot of energy being on high alert all the time. You need the rest; don't feel bad for sleeping.

Little update for anyone still around for a handhold.... Things have got a lot worse. The derealization/dizzy/zoned out feeling is far far worse and it's terrifying. Imagine having the worst jetlag of your life and then having six shots of coffee....that's what it feel like. I keep getting these waves of panic sweeping through my body and my throat tightens up, my hands sweat and shake and I think I'm going to vomit.

How the hell am I going to work? Go to play rehearsals? Just function at all if these continues.

I'm so frightened 😭

@HangingOver hi OP. So sorry you are dealing with this. I have similar experiences and it’s awful. It sounds trite but I think sometimes the bottom line has to be to be kind to yourself and make sure you are spending time with friends or a friend. Even if it’s half an hour for a coffee etc in a day. Sorry that’s not much use probably but I do find any sort of interaction however brief in the day does help a bit.

(((hug)))

im so sorry to hear you're feeling worse. Have you called your GP?

how much of your own list have you been able to follow?

have you tried any of the suggestions by others?

I know it's hard to 'try' things when you're in a bad place though.

have you been getting fresh air everyday? Even just sitting by an open window?
xx

I’m sorry you’re going through this

I went through a horrendous period of anxiety that manifested very physically last year, so I can imagine how you might feel and how scary it is.

You will get through it, it won’t last forever.

You’ve mentioned all the strategies except listening to what the anxiety is saying. And in a way, although it’s a very responsible way forward, I wonder if all that focus on routine etc could be acting as a very good distraction from feeling the anxiety and processing it. You don’t need to believe the anxiety or act on it, but I think listening is really important to get to the root of it. Sometimes things like medications, hormones and external situations can heighten anxiety that’s already in us, so while all the physical ways to address it can help, the thoughts and feelings might still linger or flare up regularly until you listen.

If you haven’t journaled before or find it difficult to get going, Google for Nicole Sachs’ ‘journalspeak’ method. And recommend counselling for helping you figure out what’s going on - it really helped me recover.

Are you feeling trapped with wfh? Could this be your fight/flight/freeze response stuck on freeze when your body is telling you to run?

I'd suggest that you contact the GP, take some time off sick, turn all the work related equipment off and then 'run' - literally. Or swim. That way, your body is doing something with all that adrenaline that's rushing around and it will tell you that you've acted to escape the perceived threat. Swimming might be better if you tend to over exercise because it's less likely to cause injury, but yoga can be too passive or still have you feeling trapped (I've done yoga so know that's not all laying on the floor - sun salutations at speed are anything but passive, but it still keeps you in one location compared to running or swimming where you actually move distances).

Most of all though, it's OK. You're OK. It's chemicals in your body, made by your body in response to something stressful - you can and will get past this crisis with help from your GP and from yourself.

OP, how are u now? I feel for you. I really do. I’m going through the same thing and I’m on day 4 of taking Citropalm. I feel absolutely awful. Drained is an understatement. I just want my brain to rest. I have seen ones on different threads commenting on increasing their dose of AD, could u try this maybe?

Have a look at Therapy in a Nutshell on You Tube. Very sensible, science based strategies explained clearly.