Beating anxiety without meds

[Tea1Sugar]

Who's with me?

I had a god awful trial of Citalopram last week. Two words - never again. So I'm awaiting CBT, I'm now taking vitamins, I've bought self help guides and I'm going to (attempt) start running. Anyone fancy joining for moral support?

Well done Tea and girliefriend and hello to Goood

I have been for a 9.5 mile run this morning which should keep me calm for the rest of the day even if my legs are tired.

I need to read more of Ruby Wax book too.

Meant to say it's good the prop is helping you Goood.

I dragged myself out too last night despite having hardly slept for 2 nights and coming down with a cold. Glad I did as it was good to be distracted for a while and my anxiety was definitely reduced. I also slept better.

There's a lesson there for all of us!

I cut my thumb a tiny bit but the sight of even that tiny bit of blood sent me into panic overdrive. Must conquer this phobia, especially with two small kids it's inevitable I'll need to deal with it. I freak out at my own period fgs.

Do you know where the blood phobia came from Tea? I think some cbt type exercises would prob help you, maybe start with pictures of blood and work out ways to change your thought processes around it?

Things like that don't tend to freak me out, just as well really as I am a nurse!!

I have had an alright day, my stomach is still awful but will talk to the dr about that tomos. Managed to be out most of the day which is good, am back in my flat now and some slight anxiety but not too bad.

Hello everyone

how are we all

I'm feeling down. I cancelled my counselling session today as I couldn't face it. My partner is off work today and for some reason I absolutely hate it when he takes the day off work. I automatically do not want to do my usual housework routine. I want to lie in bed. I expect him to do stuff. Then get angry and upset when he doesn't do them.

I'm on my period, and am still hungover from Saturday (my way of coping at my sisters is to drink a copious amount of wine). Anxious and down. Hoping it'll pass soon. The annoying thing about it, is that my partner will not have it. He takes absolutely no notice of me when I'm in this mood. I don't blame him. When my son is having a mare I ignore him too. I suppose it's the same. But it just makes my mood worse.

Should have gone to counselling. Trying not to beat myself up about it.

Sorry, just need to vent!

For those who went out and had fun at the weekend...well done! Long may it last

Oh dear Urchin sounds like a combination of things have thrown you out, don't beat yourself up re the counselling session.

I'm okay, saw the dr again today as stomach still not right, he took bloods and signed me off for another week. Dd came out of school having had a bad day so we are watching Ice Age now am making the effort to cook some tea as even though still feeling so nauseous fed up with feeling so sick all the time.

Have any of you tried Mindfulness?

Mindfulness, yes. I forgot about that! I've begun to practice it, and found it helpful. I will take it up again for sure. I've got a good app called head space. The guy's voice is beautiful I think I love him

ha yes I have been reading about it and need to find some time in the day when can practice it (shouldn't be too hard now not at work for another week!)

I have begun to notice how certain thoughts adversely effect my anxiety, which I knew already but am starting to pay more attention to whats happening in my body and just allowing it rather than reacting to it iyswim?

Hi, can I join?
Wish I could do more exercise but my cfs does not respond well to over exertion! Such as a nice gentle hike this morning, it was lovely but my legs are now killing me!
Anxiety levels are high at the moment, firstly because I am pre menstrual and then when I went in today, it was a lecturer who graded me (unfairly, I feel) really badly last term.
And then there is this guy, who I have been seeing on and off for over two years. We agreed no contact back in december, until february and then he would leave it to me to get in touch. He is bad for me and I have no intention of doing so but I want to, get in touch with him. Or I want him to get in touch with me, except he won't but he might, but it would be bad if he did!
And I have bookwork to do tonight, from stuff we did today except I am so tired.
Please someone, stop the world, I want to get off!

Anyway, I did some praying when I got in and I have a meditation planned for later and there is a meditation group thing that starts tomorrow that I am planning to go to...

My negative thoughts seem totally subconscious. Like I'll think of something and have to tell myself off! Is that just me??

Brains throw thoughts out, it is what they do.
I'm following the smiling mind meditations and they talk about the fact that our brains are' thought machines'.
I wish mine would just shut up sometimes!

Yes the mindfulness is sort of teaching me just to accept thoughts as transient and also that I control my thoughts not the other way round!!

Last week when I was really not feeling well all my thoughts seemed overwhelming, when i feel really anxious I feel like Im dying and my mind goes into overdrive!! Am hoping with the mindfulness I can just allow the thoughts but not allow them to make me feel so bad if that makes sense?!

Got my 2nd counselling session this Thus, quite looking forward to it really- about time I sorted me head out

Welcome Arabella

I finished the Ruby Wax book, I quite liked it but it is def aimed more at people with depression and I found some of the scientific stuff went on a bit. However it is interesting looking at how the brain works and what you can do to help yourself.

I have just booked myself on a course called Redesign your life its on Friday morning, am anxious about it but hoping thats the point!!

Have also ordered a book and cd on Mindfulness as thinking that will help, I guess you have to invest in yourself sometimes.

Ooh that sounds interesting, girlie...did you have to pay for the course? Where did you find out about it? Can you elaborate on what it involves please?

You are right, of course, we should invest in ourselves. Only we can better ourselves after all.

My mum forwarded me an email about it, I think it is looking at ways of finding calm and peace in your life! It cost £25 which I thought was reasonable, will go with an open mind and see what its like!

I am finding that I am still waking up anxious not sure how to improve that? I can't even tell you why it seems very non specific!!

Got my counsellor lady tomos so maybe she can shed some light on it!!

I had a meltdown today ahead of having my braces tightened (yep I'm nearly 27 and have braces, hidden ones I might add). I digress. I'm petrified of dentists. But the orthodontist literally I could have hugged afterwards. He was so calming and reassuring and I had such a feeling of "I did it!!" afterwards. He's right. Regular exposure to things we're afraid of.

I do the Headspace mindfulness app & have the book 'finding peace in a frantic world' which really helped. It definitely calms me down a notch and relaxes me. I have noticed that I am more conscious of my thoughts but some days are better than others, sometimes my mind just goes on a negative rampage!!

Well done for getting through the dentist Tea. It's a good feeling afterwards to accomplish something.

That sleep book is defo helping me. I'm full of cold but sleeping better. I've ordered her next book too.

I'm going to try and start a yoga DVD too. The jogging has ground to a halt as I feel really rough. Such a shame as I was getting into it.

When I did CBT, the lady made me mark out of 10 how anxious I felt at times throughout the day. Interestingly, I always woke up feeling anxious but by the end of my sessions, that feeling had passed. I think it was because I was doing something about it.

What is the name of the sleep book? My mum struggles with sleep as well so it may help her.

I have had an up and down day but pushed myself to meet a friend for coffee, did an exercise dvd and walked (normally drive ) the 10min walk to dds school to do a reading thing with her. My stomach is still really bad, i have IBS and am sure most of it is psychological but it doesn't help when you are running to the loo every 5 mins!!

Well done tea on getting to the dentist, they make me anxious as well and me and dd are now overdue a routine checkup. Might try and get an appointment for half term.....

Just quickly...so glad the book is helping, Bellini12. It has helped me hugely, and I do not say that lightly, as someone who has spent my entire life obsessed with sleep. I have a project I made in primary school still, it's under the stairs. First question was "what is your favourite thing" and I answered "sleep".

I've had 15 years of feeling anxious about sleep and worried about it, I'll never get my full quota, if I don't sleep tonight I won't function tomorrow etc etc. I was totally neurotic. Didn't sleep with my partner for a very very long time. Now we sleep in the same bed again and it's no problem. It's a bloody miracle!

The book is called The Effortless Sleep Method, by Sacha (can't remember surname)

I would recommend it to everyone

So have been to my second counselling session, was good I think. Was anxious before I went in but was fine once I got talking was interesting I came out feeling quite calm and it does make you look at things slightly differently.

Am sleeping better as well, still waking up early but not waking in the middle of the night.

Back to work next week - eek!

I have always been anxious and nervous about things. My mother had terrible (undiagosed) sociophobia and that impacted on all our lives.

The problem is now ds, who is 16. He has the most dreadful IBS - at least after quite a few tests that's the likely diagnosis. It is so bad that he is missing a great deal of college. The doctor says she is going to put him on the waiting list for CBT (so that'll be when he's 37...).

I noticed SirChejin's dd has a similar anxiety issue - are beta blockers of value? Would exercise help?

I feel very to see his life curtailed so badly by this.

Hi Brenda IBS was what triggered my agrophobia whenI was a teenager, it is an awful cycle where the is symptoms make you anxious which worsens the ibs in fact it is still haunting me now and I am 36yo!!

The panic about panic book by Joshua Fletcher is very good and I would think CBT will help your son. Exercise would help, I am not sure about medication as it does help with the initial symptoms but won't help with the underlying thought processes iywim? He may find some general counselling useful as well, the college may be able to offer some?

Thanks, I'll look into that book. I understand about the agoraphobia. I too become nervous about going to places and feel convinced that I'll be ill. Now ds is on the slippery slope and is beginning to measure out his life in public conveniences...

It is known as toilet phobia and actually more common than you would think!! I know several people in real life as well as on mn that have it. I am still working on not thinking either 'where is the closest loo' or 'do I need the loo' every time I go out. It really is very debilitating

As a teenager I eventually got better when I left college and worked in a very boring shop for a year. This gave me the chance to work on my confidence and stop worrying so much. I read several self help books around that time as well such as Feel the fear and do it anyway and some of the Louise Hay heal your body books. They helped in challenging my thought processes and resetting some of them!

Unfortunately my anxiety has got worse again recently, a lot of it is still around the fear of needing the toilet when out and not being able to get there in time. I really try not to give this thought any power though as I know through experience that avoiding situations does not help in the long run. I am currently having some counselling and have also started reading about Mindfulness which I am hoping will help.

Does your son have loperamide to take if he is getting a lot of diarrhoea? This is good at calming things down and giving some confidence in going out.