Help dealing with anxiety?

[Ionasky]

I had my dd 2 years ago and I feel that I haven't gotten a grip of my anxiety levels since then. We moved from the us to Scotland (although I'm English) when DD was 2 months old and we lost all of our network of family and friends. I went back to work full time when dd was 11 months partly as i was lonely but the anxiety and feeling alone hasn't gotten better. Instead I talk way too much at work and tell stupid stories, can't seem to rein it in. I think the anxious feelings make me talk, or perhaps a desire to connect.

I went down to 4 days a week recently but still feel like I'm struggling to be normal. I do drink a lot of coffee, some days 4 shots of espresso, but when I try and cut back I find it hard to function in the morning. Any advice? I don't think I'm depressed, but lonely and very anxious and not sure what to do for the best.

First of all, try to cut down on your coffee intake. This has been noted to be the cause of anxiety as well as depression. I may advice you to join a social group or a club where you can express yourself freely and share your feelings too. Interacting with people is the best way to get rid of anxiety.

Hi there

I used to drink a lot of coffee and it helped my anxiety when I cut back

Where in Scotland are you?

I'm in Edinburgh, I've found it pretty hard to make any friends - not really sure why although I haven't met many people. Thanks, I'm going to try and get rid of the coffee altogether. I'm sure you're right about interaction - I've been thinking about quitting work but it might be better to try and cut back on the inappropriate chatting at work - if I quit I won't really resolve that.

Anxiety is an awful thing. I find it difficult to meet new people, I have a tendency to appear rude at times because of this. If you fancy a chat, you can pm me. X

Dear Ionasky,

Anxiety is a terrible thing. I have been dealing with Panic Attacks and occasional anxiety for the past two years, and have practically kept these troubles to myself. I put on a brave face , and my family has no idea what I am going through.
I would feel most comfortable talking about my anxiety with someone else who feels the same way. If you are ever feeling lonely or anxious, please feel free to drop me a line:) I would love to help. We don't necessarily need to talk about anxiety either, we can just have a friendly chat.
You are by no means alone:)

Take care,
Yassmina
(btw, I am a 30 year old mum to one:)

Thanks, I will message you - it's so nice to be able to talk about it without worrying about someone gossiping about you etc! I can't believe I haven't thought about mumsnet before...