To ask what helped with your anxiety

[Peanutss]

I have gone through some really really terrible times these past two years involving pregnancy loss.

This has developed into quite, I feel, severe anxiety regarding various and most things in life.

For example, today I am going for my routine smear. No problem. Except I am so worked up and panicked that they are going to find something wrong that I've made myself ill, shaking, sweating and nearly vomiting occasionally.

I go through this with a lot of different day to day things after losing my pregnancies. I was never like this before. I worry constantly. I am convinced that everything will go wrong and it gets me to the point where I can't sleep or eat sometimes.

For those of you that have suffered with anxiety. What helped? Was it a case of counselling or did you need medication? Did it go away on its own or should I really think about seeing my GP about this?

Good luck @nishky. Even a reduction if not total ban in some of the foods on there helps so much. And the market for free from is so much bigger now!

• drugs (sertraline & propanolol now but I've tried loads of different stuff)
• CBT - found a therapist who specialised the the type of anxiety I have, generic NHS made me worse
• no alcohol
• being aware of my triggers & vulnerabilities - I am much worse when I get tired etc - learning to let the physical sensations come & go without ascribing meaning to them

It will never be 100% better for me (I'm having a bad evening tonight) but I can mostly manage now.

Decluttering, more specifically KonMarie. Letting go of things helped me to declutter and organize my brain

For me, I really miss my ‘old life’ and have been living in the past, I always feel like I have to match up to my past self so day to day events can make me feel anxious or just generally hard on myself as I’m not living out my ‘perfect life plan’. I recommend the book The Rules of Life (Richard Templar)

Don’t get me wrong - motivational books can be eyeroll-inducing, and your mileage may vary in terms of actually how useful these books can be for you.

However with this book, I just found myself relating each ‘rule’ to a scenario in my past. It made me think about old jobs, relationships, friends etc a lot - both bad memories and great memories. At first I felt a bit shit but almost immediately I can see that I looked at my past with rose tinted glasses and that I’m really hard on myself in the present day. I’m slowly just accepting that shit events in the past and losing relationships may have actually worked out for the better. I actually feel my mindset changing now that I’ve started this book

I struggle with anxiety and have done pretty much everything everyone has already said to manage it. One extra thing: hypnotherapy CD when i’m falling asleep / waking up. Because it goes to your subconscious mind (not just your conscience one) I’ve found it to help a lot.

If you have particular anxiety around health, as it sounds you do, then having a “health buddy” for some extra support with that might help too. My “particular anxiety” is with social things and one of my sister usually helps me, just having someone who understands without judging can help

@usually helps me if I need to host / attend a major social event, I mean

OP I suffered with anxiety for many years, I would wake up with agonising stomach ache with nerves over the day ahead etc, I also experienced pregnancy loss half way through my pregnancy which sent my anxiety through the roof. I tried CBT, helped a tiny bit, propranolol which helped panic attacks but not the worrying or stomach ache then finally after years I tried citalopram and I have never looked back, honestly it has changed my life, the morning stomach ache is a distant memory and I function like normal now, I can’t remember the last time I worried over silly things, I have much more confidence talking to people instead of worrying about what I said, my only regret is I took so long to get proper medication. X

Thank you all so much I've downloaded the coach to 5k app so will give it a go.

I've never enjoyed running as I say but I think as someone suggested I've just expected to be able to do it effortlessly! And being a erm.. well endowed woman... It's never been the most comfortable for of exercise I've tried.

I have my next hospital appointment on Wednesday next week. I may discuss it with them there. They are always happy to listen and have offered counselling services in the past.

Couch*

Ah good work OP. That’s how I started (there’s a really lovely supportive couch to 5k group on the NHS health unlocked forum) as well; I ended up running half marathons over mountains for fun so watch out .

Since acquiring boobs (thanks motherhood) I’ve needed more scaffolding as well. Shock absorbers are good but size up in the band as they come up small, and the panache underwired sports bra is speedy but excellent.

*spendy not speedy!

Hi I hope you don’t mind me joining. I’ve been taking sertraline for just over 4 weeks after having a accute mental health break down- manifesting in anxiety and panic attacks every hour of every day. I am much better than I was, but have had 2 really rough days, feeling very teary and anxious again. It helps when I believe it won’t last forever when I hear advice from others and I will come out the other side. Did you experience backward steps? Randomly the last three days I’ve had severe headaches and nausea too but didn’t have the side affects at the start? I’ve taken one increased dose of 100mg from 50. Thanks so much for any guidance xxx

I don’t think my anxiety is as severe as some people who have commented but I’m going to comment anyway. I do suffer from physical symptoms of anxiety (tight chest mainly, it’s very uncomfortable). You never know, maybe I can help a bit.

I’m glad someone mentioned running because running has changed. My. Life. I LOVE it and I never, ever thought that I would say that. I’m not sporty at all - although, saying that, I suppose I am now! I just don’t think of myself that way. My tip would be to sign up for a few races to give you motivation. I do obstacle course races and I am absolutely blown away by how much I’m capable of - it makes me feel really strong. Running can be so calming and quiet too, if you want it to be (and once you get past the initial few months, which are tough).

I also love the Ted talk ‘How to make stress your friend’ by Kelly McGonigal. Basically she argues that stress (extreme stress eg war zones aside) makes you stronger, and that the harmful part is worrying about being stressed! My symptoms disappeared after watching it.

Good luck OP.

@Peanutss your reactions and worry are very similar to mine (ie that I or a close family member will die). I think it’d a form of health anxiety as well as generalised anxiety. What has helped me is a yearly full health check up at the same doctors so blood tests etc can be compared and using the calm app. In particular I recommend you download the calm app and listen to piglet in the Winnie the Pooh series. I’ve listened to it loads and when I start a panic like you I quote back from it ‘worry is normal but not when it is about a variety of things and prone to magnification, exaggeration and jumping to conclusions’. I find that grounds me. After I do that then I do the thing where you repeat to yourself 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell and one thing you can taste. In find the combination usually heads off the anxiety.

The app Unwinding Anxiety has helped me, and also keeping a period diary, as it gets much worse for one week of my cycle. As pp have said, getting enough sleep helps too.

I had hypnotherapy to deal with my anxiety which coupled with meditation practice really helped me. Regular exercise helps too

I’ve run in the past few months but stopped the last six weeks. Have put my name down again to start the 0-5k course in two weeks x great advice!