Join me on ranting about how shit having anxiety is.

[ScaredButUnavoidable]

It’s so crap isn’t it?

Waking up and feeling panicked before you’ve even opened your eyes.

The sweating, the toilet urgency, the knowing you’re being paranoid and overthinking but completely being unable to stop spiralling.

Willing yourself to calm down and think rationally but it seeming impossible.

Acting/looking normal on the outside but internally feeling like you’re having a meltdown.

The waves of utter panic and dread……and then suddenly feeling fine again….. and then an hour later you’re back to panic and dread again.

God it’s exhausting ☹️

Can anyone else relate?

Or at least want to share any sympathise?

It’s not easy. I hope you are seeing a doctor and I hope you get good advice here.

It’s so exhausting, so draining. It’s really hard as well when it happens when my young kids are around because I either snap at them or I’m distracted/not really present.

I can’t remember the last time I felt fully relaxed because I’m always alert to it happening again.

I take low dose Propanolol three times a day but I don’t really “see” anyone about it.

My anxiety is centred around a health condition I have that cant be cured so neither can my anxiety really. It just means that in general I get anxious about my health a lot.

Im the opposite in that my children act as a great distraction for me! It’s when I’m on my own and left to my own thoughts that the anxiety creeps in…..

Really sorry to hear this. Yes this definitely is draining and doesn't let you work for a longer period because all the time you feel empty. For this relaxation therapy works and if not that than simply deep breathing helps as that soothes you.
Taking out time to relief helps as that is a requirement of human body and mind.

Is the anxiety doing anything useful with regard to your health condition, such as reminding you to exercise/take your meds/go to appointments on time? If is it then it's doing it's job correctly. If it's catastrophizing then it's (obviously) not being useful and therapy/CBT may help in regulating it.

As an aside, if the anxiety is highest in the morning but tapers off during the day this video explains the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR);

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It is definitely not helpful at all. I have done endless CBT courses and they make no difference.

If someone could wave a magic wand and make my chronic condition disappear then my anxiety would go too, but sadly thats not an option, so sadly I live with both.

Can I suggest a minor reframe here?

You don't "have anxiety". You quite naturally "get anxious" when dwelling on the implications of an incurable health condition. Your anxiety is not surprising in the circumstances, and you are (from the sounds of it) still functioning with your children. Would it help to tell yourself that you understand why you get anxious, you understand that the feeling is based in rational health fear that is running away with itself, and that it is going to go away soon. In other words, stop trying to get rid of the feeling, instead accept it will happen but that you aren't going to let it stop you from living your life?

@Eyesopenwideawake- that video was really informative and helpful, thank you.

It is so draining!

I start yawning, so I go to bed at night. As soon as the lights go out, PING! LOOK! There are all of these things that you need to think about, worry about, and I can go on and on and on for hours. In the meantime, I'm pleading with my head to shut up and go to sleep, as I need to be up soon. I wake up every other hour as it is, and then fret about sleeping through my alarms.

Work? Oh, look at all of these things that could possibly go wrong today! You can know everything about how to deal with the problems, but as soon as it happens, everything useful goes out of your head and you start to panic, because it's going to make you late, and your manager will have a go at you.

Driving in an unfamiliar area? Look at all of the things you could possibly crash into/kill! And oh, look, someone's coming the other way on a road that's only wide enough for one car at a time. Panic while you reverse. Driving lessons and tests were horrendous, because I struggle with being observed.

I fret about seeing people that I vaguely know, and don't feel entirely comfortable with, in case I say the wrong thing. I panic about being late. I do not cope well with changes; I like routine and planning. I have to stop my hands from flexing so that I look normal in front of people that I know. People are the worst thing for my anxiety, but unless I move to an uninhabited Scottish island or something, I'm going to have to persevere and put up with them on a regular basis! I can't go to so many places because they are too busy for my head to cope with.

The sweating, sudden stomach cramps and rushing to the loo, panic attacks, crying episodes (I'm recently back on medication, which doesn't help), tight chest in situations that make me anxious, etc. do not help. I'm generally fine by myself at home (thank goodness I'm off with stress at the moment), but when I'm out and about, forget it.

I'm desperately trying to do new things to make me feel braver, but it's hard to get past the anxiety to get out and go to do these things.