If you ve struggled with stress / anxiety before what’s helped you the most?

[C1239]

If you’ve had stress or anxiety before what’s helped you get through those times and made it easier to deal with?

I identified my trigger and then I removed it.

Prior to that I was taking Propanolol, but it was just a plaster…..covering up the symptoms of anxiety but doing nothing to reduce the stress.

I’m lucky that I was in a position to remove my trigger because I physically couldn’t cope anymore.

Sertraline

Leaving teaching

In the moment of feeling extremely low I find tackling my messy bedroom (and the mess does mount up when I'm depressed) can actually really help. Only I never tell myself I have to clean the whole room because that's overwhelming and I wouldn't even start. Instead I have to twitch at 3 categories of things before I'm allowed to get into bed or turn to my technology. So maybe put any wrappers in the waste paper basket, clothes in the laundry hamper and books back on the shelf. That's it, all I 'have' to do. But nearly always after I've done those 3 little things I can already see how the room looks better and get a little rush of endorphins, so am happy to 'just quickly do one more thing' before bed/technology, like taking empty glasses down to the kitchen. More often than not by then I'm in the swing of things and end up putting the whole room straight, I finish by running my stick Dyson over and dusting the furniture with polish, opening the window and lighting a candle. I ALWAYS feel better when it's all done. Tidying the room maybe isn't a magic cure for depression but it can lift you a few centimetres from rock bottom at least, which can only be a good thing!

Following this as also in a bad place.

Keeping a journal.
Reading a novel
Exercise
Having something to do

Breathe Out. Breath out as much as you can, just the once, then let go.

Open water swimming, relaxes my mind and I feel so much better afterwards.

It took me a long time- and the death of a friend actually- to be brave enough to start taking Sertraline. I was so determined to tackle it myself- was so sure that everything else combined, if I did it hard enough, would work. And it does work, just not enough when you’re too far gone. I was terrified taking the first tablet- and felt like I had failed where so many others had succeeded with just exercise, meditation… why couldn’t I?!
But it saved me. And now all those other things are great to MAINTAIN good mental health. But in my case, they weren’t the ‘crash cart’ my brain needed when it was self destructing. Only meds were able to be that. Xxxx

About three-four weeks. And I was extremely unlucky, as I was someone who had quite extreme side effects- those first couple of weeks were the worst of my life. That really isn’t the case for everyone, but for me it made me extremely depressed to the point I wanted to die. BUT I was open with many around me about starting the meds, and the possible side effects so I had incredible support and encouragement. I also did a lot of reading around why those side effects could kick in and it gets worse before it gets better, which really did help- because I had a scientific explanation, rather than just thinking I’d completely fucked my brain up. It was a very tough few weeks, but then the impact was massively positive. Xx

Just to add- my fear over starting was mostly in case they didn’t work- and then there really was no way out of the hole I was in. But talking to my GP I learned there were many routes if one medication didn’t work- it took the pressure of Sertraline being the solution I think.
I know some people are very anti meds like this. But I invite them into my pre-meds brain, and suggest they try to fix it with just a vegan diet and a journal… ;)

In a similar situation. How do you get access to CBT sessions? I can't afford it privately.

Googlemenot- see your GP as in most areas there is primary care counselling and cbt - or if you have a local MIND centre they may offer it -

Thank you @Hangonaminutethere
I'm on another ad at the moment which isn't working for me anymore and I may be switching to sertraline.
I am terrified of the switch because I also get significantly worse before I get better band recognise your experience. I'm glad things better for you.

Therapy
Citalopram
Singing
Running
Getting a job

Exercise, my allotment, propranolol and citalopram.