To ask how do you deal with your anxiety?

[BadLuck2023]

Ive got really bad anxiety right now, I keep ruminating on things that are no big deal, or cant be solved just yet.

Sometimes I have to drive back home to check I locked the door and if my DH/DC dont reply to a text within X amount of time I assume something terrible has happened.

Aby advice? I couldn't sleep last night and today I feel like Im in the trenches

The not being able to sleep at night because I'm ruminating on something I deal with by forcing myself to daydream about something else.

Nothing too exciting, because that'll stop me sleeping too, but usually something pleasant.

At the moment it's an upcoming holiday. So, we get off the plane at X time, transfer to the hotel takes about an hour. We'll check in head straight down for lunch.... How the fuck am I going to fix that sink in the ensuite, nope not thinking about that, so, transfer to the hotel takes about an hour, we'll head down for lunch.

Soon enough my brain gets bored enough of repeating the same bits of daydream that it's gives up trying to think about the sink and let's me go to sleep instead.

I take 10mg of Citalopram daily; if my anxiety gets on top of me I do that exercise where you name something you can hear, see, smell and taste. Had my first anxiety attack when I was 37 and thought it was a heart attack. Citalopram saved me.

My husband deals with his with beta blockers.
I find being rational works best for me although I appreciate it is not possible when anxiety is more severe. So whereas he starts worrying if eg a train is delayed and creates all sorts of scenarios, I refuse to start worrying until I have the full facts to base any scenarios on. So I wait to see how long the train is delayed for and whether or not we miss our connection or if it is held before I really engage with it.

If you operate according to the principles of “control the controllable” and “act on the facts, don’t speculate” it eliminates most anxiety-inducing thoughts.

After years of CBT and talking therapy I saw a different GP who encouraged me to try SSRIs. I was scared of medication… but it has transformed my life!

Writing every worry down in Notes on the ipad, has helped hugely, adding to it daily - once it’s logged for the day, it seems to calm me.
(e.g. neighbours kids playing football at my window at 0545 - again!)
Sort of, it is what it is, factual, neighbours won’t change, so I just “log it” to reduce my anxiety.

For checking the Iron - a mantra I say out loud - “It”s switched off at the wall, it’s unplugged from the wall, it’s removed from the board and away from everything else”. Adapt this for the front door similarly.

Also any jobs on my mind, I just send myself multiple emails which I “flag” as important.
Then can forget about tasks till the next day.
Each day I just pick up the important ones for the morning, and a few random less pressing ones that I fancy doing.

Also writing jobs in an A4 desk diary, things I don't want to do today, write them as a task for one day next week or next month - feeling more in control, less anxious.

Repetitive exercises at more difficult times - walking and deep breathing, yoga, or swimming to music.

I’m currently signed off work with it, pretty certain it’s my age so hoping HRT will help. I’ve gone from being quite capable to a stressed out knackered wreck 🤦🏻‍♀️