Dealing with Anxiety lately.....

[Tyjos]

Been having to deal with this a heck of a lot lately [always comes during times of strain with me] but been in up/down moods that would make you think I'm bipolar.

Feels like the Anxiety attack is finally over fro now, been dealing with this for the past few months...have had lots of sleepless nights and dealing with other things.

Not sure how many of you deal with Anxiety,or even attacks of Anxiety but It is safe to say this:

The cure all treatment I have apparently is Sci-Fi....finding that's just damned relaxing.

But just have had pretty much just about every thing you can describe with Anxiety lately[well not everything but feels like it]

I'd be more active here on Gateworld still trying to figure out where I should post -active on other sites but actually stopped posting or doing much of anything due to dealing with stress and anxiety-

My brain still functions,logical reasoning has dealt with the irrational parts of Anxiety and apparently gotten me through it.

Still gotta try to get some energy back, which is coming back slowly to do things online...[interacting in discussion threads,etc like that] Just have been tired from this whole thing and now that things are finally going to be stabilizing I SHOULD be able to sleep easier.

[Been doing some gaming lately that's helped with things,so finding greater appreciation for Gaming,Music,and Science Fiction as well through dealing with this]

Glad I haven't decided to just give up for sure.

[mr_kennedy]

I suffer from this too, and i also find gaming/music/movies & T.V (doesn't have to be sci fi) help with this too

Another thing i do sometimes if i have the time is pick up a musical instrument

[DigiFluid]

Get a prescription for antidepressants, they're used to treat anxiety. Avoid Cipralex though, it puts your head in a perpetual fog.

[Tyjos]

it's just the stress and strain causing it more now these days[finances which I am TIRED of having think about] finding that when I'm not dealing with the finances of getting my own budget taken care of I'm fine.

-But I do have meds for the stuff, this is part of the disabilities I have so it's just been a long time since having to resort to going back on meds good thing I haven't needed a pill yet, but with enough mental discipline it's dealt with pretty easy...though there are the bad days-

I'm one of those people who have that belief that meds aren't the answer to everything, I have my meds nearby so at least that's a good thing in case it gets to the point they're needed.

[Pharaoh Hamenthotep]

Get a prescription for antidepressants, they're used to treat anxiety. Avoid Cipralex though, it puts your head in a perpetual fog.

And Prozac/Fluoxetine.. it made me hear voices At first it was like there was someone directly in front of me shouting.. but I couldn't see or hear them.. it was just a feeling of a presence.. but then the voice started to appear.. and gradually get clearer..

I don't take any meds now

[SF_and_Coffee]

Stress and anxiety... yeah, I've been having those myself. Mostly it's situational, and meds are definitely not the answer for me. My body chemistry is weird, so I seem to process a lot of things including medication differently from most people and upsetting that balance with additional chemicals just seems like a bad idea to me -- the only medication I take on anything approaching a regular basis is the occasional NSAID or an antihistamine if I really need one. Been trying to just kind of get things under control as best I can, and when I'm feeling totally overwhelmed I spend a few moments here on GW or do some writing. That seems to help, because I'm good at writing and it makes me feel good to do something I'm confident of my ability at. Then I can go back and deal with other things for a while before needing another recharge.

[Tyjos]

Finding that the more good sleep I manage to get, it goes away quicker.

[It is true what they say about Anxiety/Stress tied with Financial matters/other issues how it affects you]

Course with the way things are now these days I wouldn't be surprised at how many people deal with that. Mostly been dealing with changing how things have been going for a while too....lots of thinking for sure.

[SGalisa]

it's just the stress and strain causing it more now these days[finances which I am TIRED of having think about] finding that when I'm not dealing with the finances of getting my own budget taken care of I'm fine.

-But I do have meds for the stuff, this is part of the disabilities I have so it's just been a long time since having to resort to going back on meds good thing I haven't needed a pill yet, but with enough mental discipline it's dealt with pretty easy...though there are the bad days-

I'm one of those people who have that belief that meds aren't the answer to everything, I have my meds nearby so at least that's a good thing in case it gets to the point they're needed.

Get a prescription for antidepressants, they're used to treat anxiety. Avoid Cipralex though, it puts your head in a perpetual fog.

And Prozac/Fluoxetine.. it made me hear voices
...
I don't take any meds now

Anxiety and stress -- because of various factors influencing each will unfortunately be with many of us for a very lonnnnnnnnnng time. Drugs are not the answer. However, there really is no helpful answer on the secular (non-spiritual) levels.

I used to have to update patient *care* plan files, when I worked in a medical facility..
where anti-anxiety meds were handed out like candy. An entire floor was devoted as the psycho ward. When the effectiveness of the anti-anxiety meds wore off, doctors would increase the dosage and often combine the prescription with anti-psychotics to make the effects last longer.. oh goody!


Anti-anxiety/anti-depressant meds are part of the psychotropic medicine group.
People who did manage to lower their medicine dosages, were usually the healthier folks in for short physical rehab stays. Sometimes, those folks returned in later years for elderly care.

I've seen people as young as 30 years old being put on anti-depressants to help cope with their physical ailments. If their bodies became too addicted to the dose, they'd develop an immunity to the drug's strength, and the docs would eventually increase the dosage. Once that path continued, most folks ended up getting higher and higher dosages, until they had to be restrained because their personality would alter so drastically bad, they required being sedated some other way (short of a straight jacket!). They often never came down or off of those psychotropic meds, and often ended up on anti-psychotics in addition to the anti-depressant/anti-anxiety; and that always led to worse and worse things for the person trapped in that type of medical cycle.


So, probably the best advice is to avoid taking such meds as long as possible. In addition to finding a relaxing moment to take the mind off of current real-life stress, try natural food remedies instead.
Below is a possible list of better known food items from a food and vitamin site I frequently refer to. I'm not saying the food versions work, but they're always worth a try (short of getting spiritual, seeking God's help, or using meditation / inner peace techniques).

These are a list of probably the more tolerable foods listed in order of the strongest strength/help to the lesser strength of that particular group. If anyone chooses supplement vitamins, go with the lowest available dose.
NOTE: One item that was on the list that I removed, was the herb Black Cohosh. When taken in higher doses than 160-mg/day, Black Cohosh can cause excessive sweating. The only cureall after that is to STOP it immediately, and seek PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL help--FAST. The same is probably true of any other foods, herbs or whatever is on this list, as well.

Seek PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL help anyway, regardless..

If the doctor is willing to listen and try the natural food route, a person might find themselves having cravings for those foods more than junk (comfort) foods. I've only found myself taking many of the foods on the below list for other reasons, which may be helping to bring my anxiety levels down, but I'm also finding I don't have room for many of the junk foods -- which I keep available, just in case!
I'm putting the list into spoiler brackets for space--

Spoiler:

Healing foods for stress--
Sea vegetables (like seaweed?)
Celery seeds (can be added to salads?)
Oats
Yam
Wheat

Healing herbs for stress--
Hops
Lemon balm
Licorice root
Cinnamon (mmmm, yummy! but it's also a blood thinner, so be careful!)
Lavender (also comes in some soaps, skin lotions)

Healing nutrients and phytochemicals for Stress--
Pantothenic acid (preferably 100 mg at 3 times a day)
Vitamin A (lowest dosage preferred, because vitamin A builds up in the body and stays there, until it is used up.. overdose usage can cause the skin to thin out, until it feels raw and possibly bleed)
-------------

Relief for anxiety--
Healing foods for anxiety--
Lettuce (did not specify which type of lettuce)
Mulberries
Apricot
Cloves
Oats

Healing herbs for anxiety--
Evening primrose
St john's wort
Ginkgo biloba
Basil (found in pasta sauces!)
Chamomile (also comes in some brands of tea)
Lemon balm
Lavender (also comes in some soaps, skin lotions)


Healing nutrients and phytochemicals for Anxiety--
Vitamin B3 (niacin--flush free variety!)
Folic acid
Pantothenic acid (preferably 100 mg at 3 times a day)
-------------

Healing foods for depression--
Brown rice
Brewer's yeast
Oats
Cabbage
Okra
Mustard greens
Oily fish
Brussels sprouts

Healing herbs for depression--
Saint john's wort
Lemon balm
Oats
Spearmint
Lavender

Healing supplements for depression--
Bee pollen
Royal jelly
Blue-green algae

Healing nutrients and phytochemicals for Depression--
Vitamin B6
Selenium
Vitamin B12
Omega-3 fatty acids
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Amino acids
Folic acid
Vitamin B3 (niacin-flush free)
Magnesium
Pantothenic acid (preferably 100 mg at 3 times a day)
Vitamin B1

I've also heard that people who suffer from depression might have a vitamin D deficiency (the *Sunshine* vitamin). Not getting enough sun (up to 10 minutes daily is supposedly safe without any sunscreen lotion) or not getting enough supplemental Vitamin D also causes bone losses adding to more aggravated stress on the physical body. D-3 is considered the best of the vitamin D-group (average dose of D-3 is usually 400 I.U.).

Spoiler:

(link below is broken--it sometimes has a pop-up survey attached! Please remove B L A N K spaces in beginning of web address to access article/link for complete details)

for article details on vitamin D deficiency, check out--
"Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Depression"
By Denise Mann, WebMD Health News, June 27, 2012
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
http : // www .webmd. com/depression/news/20120627/vitamin-d-deficiency-linked-to-depression

Finding that the more good sleep I manage to get, it goes away quicker.

[It is true what they say about Anxiety/Stress tied with Financial matters/other issues how it affects you]

Course with the way things are now these days I wouldn't be surprised at how many people deal with that...

yep. Sadly, true. Especially with the world news situation escalating out of control, and on a more local venue--
severe drought/floods = crop failures, which means prices of foods will go UP -- cattle raisers are considering sending their animals to slaughter sooner, which means less meat later.. not to mention the zillion other things affecting each person drowning in their own "world" of woes.

[DigiFluid]

Wall of text

Drugs seem to be working for me. But please, dole out more unqualified and possibly dangerous medical advice.

[jeri]

I find getting into absorbing book or reading interesting forums helps me break the cycle of anxiety and depression. Getting a walk in and going to a yoga class regularly really helps me get out of the loop. It's tough for sure and requires discipline for me to fight the urge to melt into a sad state at times.

Yes, and that financial stress isn't going away any time soon for many of us.

[SGalisa]

(this is why my inner instincts advised me to stay out of this topic, and let everyone else just run around and around into oblivion..)

Originally Posted by SGalisa (View Post)
Wall of text

Drugs seem to be working for me. But please, dole out more unqualified and possibly dangerous medical advice.

Gee, did you actually *read* what I wrote? (*sigh*)
specifically -- this part--

So, probably the best advice is to avoid taking such meds as long as possible. In addition to finding a relaxing moment to take the mind off of current real-life stress, try natural food remedies instead.
Below is a possible list of better known food items from a food and vitamin site I frequently refer to. I'm not saying the food versions work, but they're always worth a try (short of getting spiritual, seeking God's help, or using meditation / inner peace techniques).
...
Seek PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL help anyway, regardless..

What I said was based on personal experience. I had the vitamintosis (thinning, raw skin result) from too much vitamin A. I can no longer take a supplemental vitamin A. Same with the Black Cohosh causing excessive sweating -- remember that whole hot flash discussion in the RHD topic that went in endless circles for pages and pages..?


As for medical drugs being used -- I've also seen the psycho wards--they're not a pleasant place to work in. It takes a special personality and a lot of patience to stay calm for 8 full hours in that working area. It also provided a---
Preview images of (H E L L) "weeping, and wailing, and knashing of teeth" kept coming to my mind every day I had to listen to the screaming (from the patients) in there.

I'd try the natural food route first over the "drug" route any day. Natural foods are also much healthier for (generic) us. Problem is finding a doctor willing to work with one's diet and dietary needs, while also dealing with (avoiding) the psychotropic medical end.

Besides, there is nothing dangerous with eating *natural* food, unless it causes an allergic reaction or toxic effect (meaning-- that it contributes to diabetes or other health issue) on what is already ailing an individual person.

I'd mention eating carrots too, because I found out they help out in many of the body's organs, they're not just for assisting in maintaining better eyesight.
ASK the doctor -- he's getting paid to help in better *care* & with the *healing* process.

Unfortunately, some doctors would prefer to medicate a person to the hilt, until the person being treated ends up in the psychotropic psycho wards.
The 30-year old person I mentioned about had MS (multiple sclerosis). She was on anti-anxiety meds for about 2 years, before the facility docs added anti-psychotics to her care -- because she complained too much and because of that, she ended up getting transferred into the psycho ward -- so the medical staff didn't have to watch / care for her as closely, any more (nor hear her complain either -- it was the proverbial "lock em up, throw the key away situation". Except, because her MS was advancing, she was bedridden / unable to move much on her own; so the staff just left her lay in bed all day/night). I heard she died less than a year later, because of an infection that didn't clear up..!
I also heard the sanitary care level for her was not what it should have been either.
She was my neighbor's daughter, so I found out from her mom, plus hearing about it thru the facility's grapevine (staff).

Now, to me, -- the proverbial medicate / drug a person until they are
"..out of sight, out of mind.." and then she went permanently out of existence, etc. -- that's going down a dangerous medical route, but the medical staff didn't seem to care!


... be careful what (generic) you (may) end up with for medical care & treatment thereof. It's not always what it's presented as.
Drugs should only be a last resort as an answer, not the beginning treatment --just because it's there, IMHO.

[SGalisa]

Not sure how many of you deal with Anxiety,or even attacks of Anxiety but It is safe to say this:

The cure all treatment I have apparently is Sci-Fi....finding that's just damned relaxing.

yeah, I used to watch Stargate (SG-1, Atlantis, Universe.. the movies)
But before SG didn't exist, in between it's viewing times, and after..

During my school years, I used to make my own clothes and other crafts. I used to design houses and decorate home interiors on paper to help me forget about the real world around me. After I got married and was allowed to watch my own TV shows (my parents were strict about Tv viewing), I found myself leaning more into enjoying fantasy / sci-fi type of programs. Comedies were okay, but few and far between.

Finding that the more good sleep I manage to get, it goes away quicker.

Getting a good (deep) sleep (without nightmares, that is!), only helps me with my health.
I haven't noticed any differences with stress/anxiety, which I've been thru enough worry-warting (tachycardia! heart palpitations -- usually from financial stress) to tell tales that are unfortunately true.

Sometimes I find myself praying for my family, or people who have asked me to pray (something specific) for them, and that helps me forget about my own stress related problems (their situations are sometimes tons worse than my immediate - at the moment situation, so I focus on them, instead of me-me-me.. or me-myself_&_i).

I try not to think about issues in the real world, because the news folks are constantly reminding me about how bad things are or getting every day I hear the radio or watch Tv news (which I've been trying to avoid lately, since the internet is already loaded with horrible things) *sigh*

I find getting into absorbing book or reading interesting forums helps me break the cycle of anxiety and depression. Getting a walk in...

My hubby relaxes (from real world anxieties) by reading books or exercising. He's almost obsessed with the exercises, but he's already had heart bypass surgeries, so exercising is a necessary *evil*..
It's hard for me to hold a conversation with him when he is exercising (muscle tone and cardiac type activities), because he's too focused on his goal of getting or staying as healthy as possible. He basically stops thinking in those moments, because he's mentally relaxing while accomplishing a *healthy* end goal perspective.

[jeri]

My hubby relaxes (from real world anxieties) by reading books or exercising. He's almost obsessed with the exercises, but he's already had heart bypass surgeries, so exercising is a necessary *evil*..
It's hard for me to hold a conversation with him when he is exercising (muscle tone and cardiac type activities), because he's too focused on his goal of getting or staying as healthy as possible. He basically stops thinking in those moments, because he's mentally relaxing while accomplishing a *healthy* end goal perspective.

Yes, that's very much what I experience. I feel deprived and surly if I can get my walk or yoga in. Focusing on the exercise gives the biggest benefit for relaxation, there's something very soothing about the combination of mind and body working hard towards a goal.The increased blood flow to muscles and joints give me such restorative benefits and I always feel so good after a work out. Also of course there are all those fresh endorphins in the brain to lift ones' mood. A natural high.

[SF_and_Coffee]

Drugs seem to be working for me. But please, dole out more unqualified and possibly dangerous medical advice.

Hey, stop it. Drugs aren't the answer for everyone. If they work for you or for some other people, fine. They shouldn't necessarily be the first line of action for everyone, especially if the problem in question is NOT known to be an imbalance of brain chemistry. What's my source for saying this? Oh, I don't know... I used to work in a medical school, correlating data for all kinds of studies relating to molecular biology, neurology and psychiatry, so I've seen raw data firsthand. Doesn't make me an expert and I'll be the first to admit that, but then again neither is anyone else in this thread who doesn't have a doctorate in psychiatry, which I'm pretty sure I'm safe in assuming you don't. Ergo, your blanket advice to go get meds is every bit as unqualified and potentially dangerous as Sgalisa's to do something else, when you get right down to it.

Anecdotal evidence, apropos of nothing at all: I was once in a situational stress situation that was giving me insomnia. A doctor put me on Zoloft without delving at all into the various factors in my life at that time. It was completely the wrong answer for me, as I wound up with even WORSE insomnia and a host of other problems I hadn't had before. After a month I got off the meds and found a different doctor, who was able to give me much better advice for treating my condition. I still suffer from periodic insomnia, but we figured out that a certain level of that is simply my normal reaction to short-term stressors, and that there are approximately five different things I can do to alleviate it, any two of which in tandem usually break the cycle. Far healthier for me as an individual (that is to say, one size does NOT fit all) than the Zoloft ever was.

There, now that we've got that settled....

For many people, anxiety and stress are situational, and don't require medication or at the very least, medication is not the long-term answer nor even the most desirable one. If one experiences situational anxiety/stress -- that is, if the condition is directly related to a short-term situation that can be changed rather than the result of a long-term biological condition such as an imbalance in brain chemistry (which is, of course, what psychiatric medications are designed to treat), the best solution is generally to address the situation itself and resolve it. On the way to resolving the situation, one can try any number of dietary, lifestyle, spiritual and/or other remedies to alleviate the short-term psychological effects of the situation. Anything from dietary alterations to lifestyle changes can be of help -- say, removing certain trigger foods from the diet or adding physical activity (endorphins, anyone?) and/or mild to moderate sun exposure. Even improving sleep hygiene can help.

I have several friends whose problems are a matter of brain chemistry and they have been helped tremendously by medication, but not everyone's problems stem from that source, so as far as I'm concerned, suggesting that medication is the only proper recourse is every bit as dangerous and naive as to suggest that medication is never the answer.

[Tyjos]

Part of what drives mine is the fact I analyze things allot, shutting that part off is easy enough with some good old classical music[I avoid certain types of that music since that can induce some depressive thoughts depending on things]

Just has been a rough past 2 months, since my Job Training Program spending caught up with me and to avoid that having to evaluate the source of why so much is spent just on stuff that sits around and re-evaluating my hobby since it's going to get more expensive to import figures in if the Yen decides to NOT be in my favor.

I need to avoid news channels,last thing I need to do is have the TV on MSNBC or CSPAN or Fox News where they go all about the bad stuff as it is.

Haven't been outside much,I do need to try to make the effort to get outside if it's not raining or heat.

Good thing too that helps out with this which I'm surprised no one's mentioned it: Good Friends!

Especially those you know well who you can talk with things about,that alone beats an expensive doctors visit.


Good thing I got a few, not many but I'd rather have a few trustworthy friends than a TON of friends I don't really know.