Coping with anxiety

[Whycantgiraffesdance]

How do u cope with anxiety day to day? I have PND and generalised anxiety disorder. The later I suspect I’ve had most of my adult life, stemming from childhood. I thought I’d come out of the other side of the PND but I have a good few weeks and then I just nosedive again and the anxiety is so bad I can barely breath, I worry about EVERYTHING and I just get so tired of life. I try to keep thinking positive that’s it’s just a blip but it just feels so awful while I’m going through it.

im on ADs, I take promithazine for calming the anxiety, I’ve had years of counselling yet I’m still suffering.

is this just my life now? 😥

Anxiety is an emotion, not an illness but it's fair to say that if you have one or more parent who is prone to worrying about things that wouldn't normally arose anxiety (most probably because they learnt it from their parents) then you'll learn that that is a natural and normal way of thinking.

It's not a matter of getting rid of anxiety - you wouldn't live long without it; you wouldn't see the value in looking both ways when you cross the road, for example - it's more about understanding the way you think and using the rational part of your mind to decide if what the emotion is telling you is right or whether it can safely be ignored. So @Whycantgiraffesdance might still worry about other people's behaviour and moods, because she learnt growing up that they can be unpredictable (for example), whereas she's now an adult herself and that is no longer a threat to her safety so there's no need to worry.

SSRIs and ADs can lend a helping hand to fix the problem. I too am just an uanxious person, and runs in the female side of my family. Sertaline helped to boost my Seretonin which lead to me feeling much more at ease to manage my anxiety in a healthy way, without it, I would still be struggling and overwhelmed by it all.

I agree eating healthy and exercise can help a great deal. Meditation and focusing on breathing can calm your mind also. Here's a good guide I've read before on dealing with anxiety you might find helpful. https://woundedhealer.co.uk/dealing-with-anxiety/

I listened to a brilliant podcast with Dr Chatterjee the other day which really helped me, is this one

open.spotify.com/episode/4dssfcA8pin8hHxwE9gFKM?si=kAeOLUYeQ3qf6zDLxkGPSA

@Whycantgiraffesdance

Hey OP! Just checking in...

How are you these days? Xx

Thank you so much for thinking of me @anxious247 im doing better than when I originally posted… I tend to have a good few weeks where I feel quite composed and ‘normal’ and then I might have a dip again, I’m trying to not let the bad days spiral and just try and not let the overly anxious periods get me down. How are u doing?

@Whycantgiraffesdance So glad you are feeling better. Yeah, i still have bad days too, but knowing it’s just a bad day is key, and be extra kind to yourself in those days 🥰 How has the sertraline been? Any side effects?

I just wanted to add to what people have already said, as a fellow anxiety sufferer. Medication and therapy helped a huge amount, but I also added things to my day to day life to help too. So I take my dog out for a long walk in the countryside, I make sure I put music on every day and if I'm having a really anxious day then I put my favorite albums on. Doing something that involves a lot of concentration like cooking something a bit more complicated than usual, or a jigsaw helps on some days too. When I was going through a really hard time a good friend brought me a wellness journal and though that wasn't really my thing, it did actually help on days where things felt hopeless. It asked questions such as "what are you grateful for" "what good thing happened to you today" which definitely took me out of my ruminating and made me think of something positive. None of this is a replacement for medication and therapy, but it all helps and gives you things you can be in control of when everything else feels out of control.

@laddersandsnakes12 I found writing things down helped too, even if you just scribble out words, whatever comes out is helpful 👍

Also, YES to jigsaws. They really help me to calm my mind. A nice warm cup of herbal tea, some nice music/something easy watching, and a jigsaws!

TBH, i do that even when im not anxious 😎 My rock n roll weekends!

Hi OP

Fellow GAD sufferer here, you're not alone! I'm probably a bit older than you as my childbearing years are over.

I've found changing job to something a bit less stressful has helped. Also I've tried with increased exposure to fears - for example building up to busy spaces if they are a concern.

I still find that every few weeks or so I have a day or two I'll really struggle. I'll get fixated on an issue - a problem with my car or perhaps a colleagues behaviour who is very unpleasant/difficult for example. Issues that most people may grumble about then wait to resolve, whereas with GAD I'll be awake all night researching and googling legal points in case the worst happens!

I agree with pp, music, jigsaws, work, gardening, any distractions are good! I also like to walk a lot (often with a podcast) as it seems to help me to relax.

I was prescribed Pregabalin when I had extreme anxiety. It was situational anxiety and after the situation resolved I could stop it. It really helped.

Now I am probably perimenopausal and my anxiety is high. I don't have any other perimenopause symptoms but at the same time there is no reason for me to be anxious. I don't want hrt so I will ask psychiatrist to prescribe Pregabalin again.