Thought I would start an anxiety support thread if anyone’s interested

[twiddlingthumbs69]

I can’t seem to find one so thought I’d start one.

i have huge anxiety at the moment after finding a relative dead. It was 6 wks ago and today, particularly was just awful.

finally managed to speak to a GP who was useless. Prescribed me propranolol and diazepam. No help regarding talking therapies so I’ve found my own.

seeing her Thursday in the hope she can give me help to get some perspective. Felt like I was going mad today.

so, that’s me. Anyone want to join for support?

Hi, so glad I've found this thread. I started one but it was unanswered and im really struggling tonight. GAD and OCD here. Had a
breakdown 2 years ago, been through therapy including intensive cbt. I filled with dread and guilt and keep randomly crying 😢 sorry so many others are suffering. Hope its ok i join.

Thank you for replying. It’s honestly so bad. He can’t function at all at times. If he keeps his mind occupied through playing games then it’s fine. But otherwise he always dips into low mood. - and starts listing his Symptoms. He loved exercise but unfortunately he says he can’t because he experiences pain all over his body. So he’s also scared to exercise incase it gets worse.

the strange thing is he was normal before he hit his head. And all of a sudden his anxiety came through!

I'm bad today ..I've not left the house again.
3 propropnal so far and the escitalopram..no relief yet
Hope everyone else is having a better day

Hand hold. Do you not find you feel worse being stuck in? I definitely do. Though its cold I went for a walk with dh and ds and some friends and had some dinner. Helped take my mind off things for a short time anyway

Yes I definitely do feel worse for being stuck in
But I felt ill with the side effects of the meds
Getting out does indeed take your mind of things ,I'm glad you had a better day today

Thank you. It was short lived but still a break

@Newyearsparkle
for a good few weeks I couldn’t face going outside ,side effects of new meds and anxiety itself - then felt lazy that I wasn’t helping myself
until I spoke to my mental health practioner who took that pressure away
i was prescribed a very low dose of diazepam to take occasionally so I could use it as a tool to enable me to cope and actually enjoy going out etc
it certainly has done that & has given me more confidence that I can cope
i do not use it often but
it takes away my fear of anxiety a bit -
Having it in the cupboard is a comfort

I found that facing the anxiety rather than trying to run from it / get on top of it, was what helped. Admitting to myself what I was afraid of (journalling) and allowing myself to feel that emotion (noticing how it showed up in my body, body scan meditations) and then move through it as best I could by slowing down (with time off work), focusing on my breath and soothing movement like yoga and walks; all the while reminding myself that anxiety and panic won’t harm me, it’s there to protect you / alarm you to the fact your body doesn’t feel safe, so that you pay attention and do what’s needed to regulate - it’s a physical response and requires physical interventions; you can’t think your way out of it. Hence taking action and doing what’s important eg drinking water, small bits of food and movement are necessary; engaging in the vital parts of life eg kids but keeping expectations low and not trying to soldier on and expect yourself to do everything. Being kind to yourself - it’s natural to feel this way given the circumstances etc. By taking action you prove to yourself that whilst anxiety is unpleasant, you can tolerate it and do what matters; then its grip on you does lessen. It’s not distraction it’s learning to live alongside it. This was all with the help of a therapist. Sorry to brain dump and hope this is clear and helps someone.

ps it’s helpful to learn about what’s happening in the body when panic sets in (fight/flight response) and read up on tips to regulate the nervous system.

That's helpful 😊 thankyou

I'm glad you found something that works
I have propanol as well as escitalopram

Did you ever feel like your scared to go outside due to anxiety?

thank you for the tips.
how did you personally regulate your nervous system?

thank you

Hi all, I would like to join please, though I have to catch up on the thread so apologies.

I was feeling pretty great until 2-3 weeks ago, and I've got progressively worse, to the point I've never experienced prolonged anxiety like this before. I've never had it where it's occupying my mind the entire day, affecting my work, affecting the school run, my free time. I thought the return to routine would help but it hasn't. I feel sick and haven't ate much. Switching between hot and cold.

It's like a switch has been turned and I can't look at life the same way. Then if I get distracted for a moment my mind is straight in there to remind me about what I've been thinking. I'm scared I'll never be care free again, and my mind will always now conjure this dread and fear.

I already take setraline and have done for a number of years, though that was for depression not anxiety.
I self-reduced my dose a few years ago but still receive the same prescription, so I've reluctantly increased back to my old dose, as I figured that's the first thing the Dr would suggest anyway.

Sorry you're all feeling this way. It's surprising as everyone else seems fine and I feel like it's just me.

Hello fellow anxious people, I don't know where to start really, have always suffered from anxiety, and Im pretty sure I'm nd, only thing is I'm too anxious to get a diagnosis, or to start the process. I've spiralled badly these past few weeks, my husband has spaffed all our money on a crap business venture, we can't now pay bills, I'm completely dependent on him, and I'm absolutely petrified, I've stopped eating.
I'm so so tired, I'm sleeping all day, and can't be arsed with the doctor, we have faced bankruptcy before and lost our home, I'm too old for this, thanks for listening, oh and I've previously been on every medication going, none of it ever worked and some made me feel a lot worse.

Anyone would be anxious in this situation..sounds awful and very worrying
Are you claiming all the benefits you are entitled to
Has your DH got a plan to sort this mess out

I use propropnal,and it's very good ,I can take it when I need it ,up to 3 times a day .it's worth trying x

It’s 100% not just you !
As My husband said to me if it was just you why would there be counsellors , therapists , self help books etc

@Newyearsparkle thankyou for reading and responding, he is also 100% nd, adhd, so he is chaotic and really bad with money, I can't claim benefits because we're married so you're kind of classed as a unit, I can't claim individually.

and there is money coming insometimes, but it's sporadic and the benefits system doesn't seem to work that way.also he lies. The worry is off the scale for me and I just want everything to be stable. I may try to get an appointment at the doctor Monday. Again thank you, I don't have any support irl so it's nice to read something kind.

I really hope the doctor helps you
Will he go through the accounts with you so you have a good understanding of finances,and then you can work on a plan together
Or see the bank together
Citizen advice bureau might Bedworth a thought as well

I felt scared facing the world and doing regular and basic things like school drop off. I had to do it anyway and it felt uneasy and like everyone else was happy and fine and it was just me struggling. I know now that’s not true. You never know what someone is going through.

what personally helped me was yoga (as my anxiety caused a lot of muscle tension) deep breathing (esp slowing down and breathing through whatever the task was) and guided meditations, outdoor walks, regular water and protein shakes when I couldn’t stomach eating. And therapy! Talking about my feelings, learning how to process them and taking day-to day action to function despite feeling so on edge.

Hope this helps x

So I have decided to stop taking the escitalopram,and I slept much better last night ,and I had got myself all worked up and stressed with thoughts on a continuous loop..so that's gone thankfully.but now I have to manage on propanol for anxiety so ,that's fine ,it does work when I remember to take it

Thank you so much for responding!
my husbands the same, he can’t do the drop offs or the pickups when I am at work.
had swapped around my shifts to work on school holidays, which went well. But now I can’t do this, and this week I arranged someone to drop off but can’t get help with the pick up. So I asked my husband if he can.and he said he will try. He gets extremely anxious and thinks something will happen to him while he is alone with our son. What made you anxious ? :(

do you think the more he does it would be better?

what sort of therapy did you receive? X

So sorry to hear. I know to anyone who hasn’t experienced anxiety, it seems like no big deal and it’s usually irrational fear. Avoiding whatever makes someone anxious can make the anxiety worse and you end up feeling worse because you feel like you’re not capable of doing small things; your world becomes smaller :(. I would speak to him about his specific worries / what might happen, and solutions. Also build up slowly eg could you do half of the school run with him and he finishes it? He has to prove to himself he can do the thing (whatever it is) by actually doing it, then he will feel better and more capable for the next time. There are a few psychologists offering free advice on insta eg dr Julie smith, dr kirren.

I think I had a mix of therapies eh cbt, act, family focused therapy.

Thanks. In what way does it help if you don't mind me asking? What does it do to you/your anxiety?

Hi.
I was having a read about propranolol and read that it deals with the physical symptoms of anxiety. Do you know if this helps when you have a steady ongoing anxious feeling too, not just if you're e.g. having a panic attack?
I've been feeling shaky/sick/rumination etc pretty much for 2/3 weeks. Do you think it could help me feel calmer? (I understand you're not my Dr, just after experience!)

It calms me down ,reduces the anxiety to a cope able level