To ask for your anxiety cures?

[LikeACowsOpinion]

I'm a big ball of anxiety today.

I'm reacting physically (diarrhoea, nausea, restlessness, heart palpitations, general nervous feeling in stomach) as well as mentally (overthinking, being snappy, feeling like I'm going to burst into tears, feeling like I've done something wrong, being scared that I've forgot what I've done wrong...)

I haven't had a really bad panic attack yet; but if I don't control the symptoms I'm having now and earth shattering one is on its way.

Please talk me down.
I've taken my meds (sertraline and propranolol), had a big glass of water and am working through some breathing but I cannot straighten my mind at the moment.
It's gotten to the point that I'm hearing my abusive ExPs car outside my house -it had a very distinctive engine- and in curtain twitching every few minutes; even though he's not there.
My finger is hovering above my panic alarm, which was installed because of him, but I can't trigger it purely for anxiety.
My body is terrified, yet there's nothing to be terrified of.
It's absolutely exhausting being scared of nothing.

Please, if you have any tips at all, please help me. I'm not even sure what's triggered this.

If you're up to going outside, I would recommend a good long walk.

Walking helps calm me down when I'm anxious!

Sorry, just seen your other messages. I guess indoor exercise would be equally beneficial.

I think you definitely need to get your body moving. Any way you can x

A hot shower or bath for the physical symptoms always helped me, plus a hot drink (not caffeinated - even if it’s hot water and lemon) held to my sternum always calmed me down

I find the 7 11 controlled breathing technique useful for calming myself. Basically sit back in a chair, in a relaxed position, and breathe in steadily through your nose for a count of 7, and then out through your mouth for a count of 11. Concentrate on your breathing. Keep going until you feel more relaxed.

I suffer quite badly with anxiety myself, and find that this can calm me down to a place where I can start to talk myself down a bit, with some cbt techniques.

@Claudia1980
Actually anxiety is thought to be linked to suicides.
If you can’t comprehend what would lead a person suffering with anxiety to commit suicide then you’ve not had severe anxiety. Several years back I had it on the severe end & believe me it leads to many feelings of hopelessness, helplessness & isolation. All things linked to suicide. When I say severe I mean I would be in a constant state of fear, day in day out. Barely slept. Had chronic panic attacks that led to vomiting, joints locking, numbness of limbs. & there was no trigger- I had no worrying thoughts or anything I was afraid of, it was like my body was just ‘set’ that way. Luckily, for me it seemed to be a side effect of medication I was taking for PMS and once I stopped the medication it mostly went away.
However, there will be people going through that now, so please don’t trivialise anxiety.

In my personal experience, Anxiety is far, far worse than depression. And of course people are suicidal with anxiety

I have to do something, get the vacuum out, wipe down the skirting boards, something physical but not to difficult, and pop spotify on and find something I can sing along to.

I finally pulled myself out of it, using a variety of all your tips; so thank you.

Took the best part of today to start to feel normal again and now I'm feeling like shit for wasting the day.
Depression and anxiety together are just an utter bastard.

Very new symptom for me has occurred today also.
Since calming down from the anxiety I've been hypersensitive to everything sensory.
The feel of my clothes is irritating me, the dog barking is going through me, DD playing in a normal voice sounds as though she's shrieking.
Everything is amplified by 100.
Could do without it, if I'm honest.

I think I need to go back to my GP with this; it's really disconcerting - it could just be exhaustion though. I don't know

Go and see the GP OP, he wil probably give you something to help calm you down, if you are willing to take it.
I also with bipolar so get the depression and also GAD, and I’m useless when my anxiety kicks in.
Well done, you done really well to being yourself down and back together today.

@Fightingfit2019 thank you.
The solidarity on here is amazing; proper support when you really need it.
Sorry to hear that your fighting the battle of the mind on a daily basis too.

I already take a low dose of Sertraline but I think I need something more for when I have the periods of anxiety like I had today.
Willpower and brain strength alone wasn't enough

Abusive ExP and my mum passing away in traumatic and sudden circumstances has well and truly whooped my arse.