Something to take the edge off

[Boujisboo]

I suffer from anxiety
racing thoughts and a busy quite chaotic mind
often I calm this down with a few glasses of wine but it ends up making me feel worse - what else can I do to feel calmer ?

Alcohol doesn’t help, and it will make things worse long term.

You don’t need to “take the edge off”, you need to get professional help.

Have you tried speaking to the GP? It sounds like you maybe trying to self medicate anxiety with alcohol which is a slippery slope.

Proper targeted intervention.

But in the short term, whilst seeking that, physical activity, ideally outside, ideally vigorous.

Therapy

Iv gone to the gp so many times and they never ever help in any way.
onvioisly i recognise that it’s not good which is why I’m posting here

Make an appointment with your GP.

Do you take any medication? Have you seen a gp?
I didn't get on with anything until my gp prescribed amitriptyline. I take one at bedtime and it's stopped my anxiety/panic /attacks completely.

Antidepressants were the answer for me, they completely removed all the anxiety, racing mind and depression once I’d got my dose right. Counselling or cbt is another solution.

You could look at things to keep your mind busy, such as bubble games, Sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, adult colouring books, meditation or hypnotherapy videos to help you sleep or relax, knitting, exercise classes, whatever it is that’ll float your boat and make you concentrate so there’s not that busy voice whirring in your brain that won’t shut up. Booze is not the answer.

Try looking for mindfulness and relaxation techniques online. Gp would be your best bet rather than alcohol.

Change GP. If your not getting any help despite trying numerous times and explaining exactly your symptoms and your own self medication you need to do this.

Lots of good advice from PP about exercise, counselling and mindfulness.

It's good that you recognise the alcohol doesn't help, it's a depressant and never the answer to anything.

Medication. Just go to your GP and request to trial some SSRIs. Citalopram works for me, I believe sertraline is more popularly prescribed.

Ask to see another GP , there is lots of help that they could offer you, you shouldn't be feeling this way , it's horrible

Sertraline.
That was after years of therapy and counselling on and off. Antidepressants (prozac, fluoxetine and most recently mirtazapine) I had been diagnosed as having depression but the anxiety side was never looked at. It is the anxiety that makes everything else unmanageable in my experience.
Does sound like you need to try another GP though x

Stop drinking. It makes it worse. Same goes for smoking, excess caffeine.

Walking, meditation, yoga - all these things can help.

I how old are you op? X

You could try propranolol, any of the benzos, gabapentin is brilliant as it makes you feel slight tipsy as well as happy.
I just vape cbd in the evening now, I need quite a high strength but it works.

Therapy, even if you have to go private (I know, easier said than done sometimes.)

Diazepam for when things are really bad or knowing you've got a particularly shitty day ahead.

Like @TockClicking said, how old are you OP?

Cbd oil, ashwagandha, look at the natural options before antidepressants

Please please don't come on here staying your One Size Fits All (Sertraline. As if it's the wonder drug of the day. It CAN and DOES make some people suicidal).
If people would RTFT they would see that the OP has indeed been to the GP and it doesn't help. They do nothing. This is the experience of many.
Things which may help you OP, but you will need to try them and work it out which is best-
CBD oil/ capsules
When really having a bad anxiety attack, Phenergan
Rescue Remedy/ Kalms
Mindfulness (there are journals on Amazon that are good for self driven CBT)
Grounding when anxious (name 5 things that you can see- ground, table, chair, door, window etc). This held calm the anxiety.
Hope you can find something that helps!

I have anxiety and I've cut out alcohol almost completely because I like it at the time but the next day or two I feel more anxious than I did before so I'd recommend reducing your intake and see how that goes? I also cut back my caffeine and it helped me sleep better etc. I like to have a nice bath with my favourite smelling products (you can get really lovely aromatherapy shower bombs now too if you don't have a bath), generally doing my nails/tan bit of self investment makes me feel good, making sure my house is clean and I'm fairly organised, sometimes I'll step back from things if I feel like I've over committed to give myself a rest, getting to bed early and listening to music and meditation and yoga all make a big difference for me. I also make lists like nobody's business- I don't need to keep the thought in my head or stew about it if it's on my list in my phone notes and I know I'll deal with x tomorrow. Also helps when I feel like I've a huge amount to do seeing it written down I can decide better what to prioritise and what can actually wait. If I'm reaaaally stressed I might splurge on a wee trip for a massage/ facial if I can afford it or just go get my nails done to feel fancy and give myself some time to myself. Walking also helps massively even if it's only 30 mins in the evening I notice a huge difference in how I feel.

If you're doing self care things already then you can always chat to the gp to see what options they can offer or sign yourself up for counselling. I've done it a few times and I will say that it's important to get the right counselor- I went and hated it and didn't stick at it but I didn't gel with the person, next time tried again different person and had a brilliant experience even though it is hard work and you can initially feel worse before you feel better. So shop around for who you click with if you decide to do that.

I know it sounds silly but a nice sit down with a cup of tea helps me calm down. I’m not bein facetious, it really does. Have to be sitting down, proper armchair, relax.

A lot of people who suffer stress or anxiety do self medicate with alcohol. But of course this can be a slippery slope and lead to dependency and other issues. For your own sake and those around you, speak to your GP and get ahold of appropriate medication.

A walk before bed helps. Or anytime really.
Have you tried meditation, yoga etc? That kind of thing helps a lot of people.

Yes - walking, exercise, yoga (Kassandra is good on YouTube).

Exercising is an underrated tool for helping with anxiety