Managing Anxiety

[Spatsky]

I would appreciate some advice on mangaing anxiety.

As a bit of background I have low self-esteem and have always been prone to mild depression and been a worry wort but in the last year or so my worrying nature seems to have become more general anxiety. I often feel panicy for no reason that I can pin point and it has got so that mundane every day tasks make me anxious to the point where I feel I can't actually due them. It's effecting every day life and my work now as I feel incapable of making decisions and feel like every peice of work I submitt is a cock up and will get me in trouble.

I can't live like this any longer, it is making me short tempered with my children too because when i am in that stressy anxious mode I snap at them completely unfairly.

I don't really want to go to the doctor and really don't want to take anything, I am hoping someone has some tips on managing it myself. I started reading "feel the fear and do it anyway" about 18 months ago when I took my driving test but stopped reading after i passed - maybe I should re-visit it.

Has anyone got any advice for me? It would be greatly appreciated.

I am wondering why you don't want to see the GP or "take anything" - you may not be prescribed anything in any event but there are some very good drugs out there to control anxiety. The GP could refer you for counselling (it's usually CBT cognitive behaviour therapy) and you get 6 sessions on the NHS but there is usually a waiting list. CBT is about the "here and now" and its aim is to help change automatic negative thoughts that pop into our head, with more balanced thoughts. Thereis obviously much more to it than that but that is the essence. There are plenty of books on CBT on Amazon which yu might find helpful. I think what you are describing is "free floating" anxiety though I don't know if that is a medical terminology.

Can you pay to have some private counselling (about £50 per hour) dependent upon where you live.

I know exactly how you feel - things came to a head for me when work got really stressful, & it got to the point where I couldn't stop crying & felt constantly on the verge of a panic attack. When it got to the point where I felt like I didn't know what to do or where to go any more, I did end up going to my GP, who did a computerised questionnaire which I scored quite highly on, & diagnosed me with severe anxiety. He discussed counselling (inc CBT) & I've got in touch with an organisation through work, but still waiting to find out when I'll be seen. We discussed medication, & I ended up taking citalopram (antidepressant, but used for anxiety in low doses) - that, together with sleep & amazing support from my DH & friends has enabled me to rest, get my head together a bit & move on - I'm feeling on a much more even keel & it's knocked the PMT on the head too, which is an added bonus! It's not addictive & I certainly don't feel drugged up, or anything like that, just feel like it's helped me clear my head so I can think properly & feel like I can get through the day, & I'm back in control of my feelings, rather than being controlled by them. I'm hoping to come off it in another 3 months or so, when my job changes & things are less challenging. I know it's not for everyone, but I'd really encourage you to go see your GP & chat the options through with them. Especially if you feel like it's impacting on your kids, coz if you're like me then it just makes you feel bad for being stressed with them, which then makes you guilty & like a bad parent & the self-esteem spirals down & you get caught in that vicious cycle. I'd certainly see what's out there & available on the NHS before shelling out that much money for private counselling.

From some one who has suffered crippling bout of anxiety as well as living a normal life inbetween please visit ur gp. Not to discuss medication but to see if you can get some CBT which is fantastic for anxiety and panic attacks or go directly to your local CMHT as you may be able to refer yourself

Reading this thread with interest. I have started cbt due to anxiety and mild depression. I've had it before and it really helped. Not sure about this time though. I've had 3 sessions and my anxiety comes and goes.

I was thinking of trying acupuncture as that is supposed to help too. Had anyone tries it?

No sorry haven't tried acupuncture but then I'm not a great believer in complementary medicine. I think Flibbertygibbit's post is the way to go to be honest. Anxiety is the medical name for fear and panic attacks are fear++++and sometimes need specific drugs to take the edge off things.

I am a big believer in ADs for anixety and depression because they have been life savers for me, but I do appreciate that everyone is different.

As some of you guys are aware by my own thread I'm it quite a bad place with my anxiety right now. I have been having acupuncture and it does relieve some of the physical symptoms such as lower back pain but I think my anxiety us too bad for the acupuncture to help

Thanks everyone for all the replies. It sounds like cbt is an option for me to pursue. Have private health through work, not sure whether we could get cbt through it but I might take a look.

My GP recommended 'Mind Over Mood' -not sure how to link it but you can find it on amazon. It helped. It didn't cure me, but it helped, and that's better than nothing (that's the sort of thinking that the book teaches you!)

I'm effing sick of anxiety. Effing sick. Have had debilitating anxiety since birth of DC 15 months ago. Feel panicked all day with her - has effectively ruined my time with her. Feel very hard done to - and just can't get my head round what it must be like to have a baby and not suffer with it. So very jealous of women that don't get it. Today at work had to hide in the toilets several times through panic, and my day at home will be the same.

Sorry for adding absolutely NOTHING to this thread; just needed a good moan to women who understand.

OH TL surely this is post natal depression/anxiety - are you being treated for your condition. If not you should be - there are some very good drugs available now that are very effective for PND. I think you need to speak to your HV and make an appt to see your GP - you shouldn't have to suffer like this.

I totally understand you being envious of women who are ok. I get quite severe intermittent depression and I could hit people when I see them chatting and laughing etc.

I have suffered with anxiety and have had counselling (CBT to counteract some of the negative thinking as well as more in depth to deal with some of the deeper issues).

Mine is getting better all the time and while I still get the odd anxious moment, it is miles away from feeling panicked the majority of the time and I can cope with it. I now 'manage' it by looking after myself, getting enough sleep/exercise, making time to relax etc but mainly by practising mindfulness meditation which I can't recommend highly enough. This is recommended for anxiety (and depression) and some studies have found it to be as helpful as or more helpful than ADs. You do have to do it regularly though for it to be effective and I found it really hard to do when I started but it's really worth a try. You can do it while taking ADs too. The mindfulness really does help you see things from a different perspective and that the anxiety is just thoughts/feelings.

This is a really good book:
www.amazon.co.uk/Mindfulness-practical-guide-finding-frantic/dp/074995308X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341516988&sr=1-1

Thank you for caring Nana :) yes it's totally PND. Despite having a hellish 15 months I've still not been able to take ADs through fear mostly. I'm trying other things but it's clearly not cutting the mustard. I'm very lucky in that I'm having counselling on the NHS.

Oh TL why are you so afraid of ADs. They can be life savers and have for me and dozens of women on this site, let alone all the people who take them and aren't on the site!

PLEASE please see a GP and get the help you deserve. They take 2/3 weeks to kick in and sometimes you have to try a couple of different ones before you get the benefit, but it's like saying you won't have a plaster cast on a broken leg!