What do you do to help your anxiety/depression?
Each morning, I wake up feeling like the world is crashing down around me. It's hard to breath, hard to face the day. But the amount of time that lasts seems to be shorter and shorter each day. When this episode first started, it was nonstop until about 7-8pm. Now, I start to come around by noon-1pm. It may not seem like much, but it's progress and hopefully proving that my treatment is working. I see my endo again in a week to have more blood work done and we'll see what it says.
In the meantime, I am trying to focus on the positive and do things to help me improve myself naturally. Currently, I take a LOT of supplements, meditating daily, exercising daily, listening to music to lift my spirits...things like that. I'm open to any suggestions!!!
Well Im no doctor but I feel this way in morning and now take perscription meds but that's just me
@Bear30044 I wish meds worked for me. At my worst, I was on anywhere from 4-6 pills a day to try and control my anxiety. Even my psychiatrist was stumped. The only thing that seemed to work really just numbed me…and sadly caused some extreme cardiac side effects. He’s a good doctor and tried his best. I still see him for the one medication I still take. But I had to seek out someone else. I saw an endo about 2 years ago who determined that my hormone levels are completely out of whack and I have some vitamin deficiencies. He started me on a hormone therapy and I saw an immediate improvement. I will still have episodes from time to time, but nothing like I used to and most can be controlled with a simple dose adjustment. This episode has been particularly difficult because it seems the delivery system I’m currently using isn’t as effective as it once was. So, getting the proper dosage to my body is difficult. We’re getting there though and I’m already feeling the difference. But between the hormone therapy and some natural supplements/minerals he has me taking, I feel like I’m finally coming around to normal. I’m not going off of my cymbalta anytime soon, but it gives me hope that some of this can be controlled. All the other stuff I do, like meditation and exercise, helps keep me balanced more than fights the anxiety. I find that keeping to a routine helps me feel more secure and comfortable and thereby eases my anxiety a bit. I felt awful a few days ago…I’m willing to try just about anything to find relief!!!
Congratulations on doing good work and making real progress! Keep building on it a little at a time and I believe that you will find that the going gets smoother. I find that making my goals actual rather than just ideas helps me to move forward. I name and list the things that I am grateful for and ponder each one, giving thanks in the morning and again at night. If I don't WRITE them down and SPEAK them aloud my ADHD riddled brain goes off in 14 different directions. I get up earlier than I used to and spend about thirty minutes reading a chronological Bible followed by another 30 minutes reading on something in my chosen field. I have become an expert in my field because I study and learn every day.
I gave my TV the boot...and likewise facebook. that's been about two months ago and I feel MUCH better about life. I never realized just how depressing some of that stuff is. We have a tendency to confuse a huge volume of information with the thing which we actually crave...wisdom. For me, the volume of GIGO (garbage in-garbage out) is illustrated by a corresponding level of that thing called "internal dialog". My brain can only process what I put in it. If I make myself busy putting in crap...I've got no time for good stuff. I know I need to step back from something when my internal dialog gets full of "I can't or I should've".
My Dad accidentally taught me these things when he taught me how to drive. Yeah, I know...that sounds kind of funny, but let me illustrate:
Don't spend a lot of time looking down. counting potholes isn't necessary or helpful. Drive with your field of view on the horizon...and back to a point that corresponds to your reaction time and speed. If you concentrate on avoiding every bump in the road you are going to swerve and lose sight of where you are going. Driving well ahead of yourself allows for reaction time in braking and steering, meaning that that your peripheral vision is available for dealing with sudden dangers. Where you are looking is also where you are going to drive. that's why rubber-neckers cause accidents...they actually steer in the direction of the accident they are observing! Similarly, if you find yourself losing control as in skidding or fish-tailing , ALWAYS look in the direction that you WANT to go...otherwise you will tend to drive right into that hazard instead of working to avoid it.
Finally, enjoy the drive and be courteous to others. It isn't always just the destination...it's also the journey.
Happy Motoring!
1 Heart
@IronJohn hi
This is very interesting and I am going to use it myself I have PTSD, severe anxiety, bipolar, panic, and more but I find this method very good thank you for sharing john
Look into a different doctor, one who specialized in hormones. My testosterone levels were pretty much zero. I get what I need through a compounding pharmacy that doesn't accept insurance. It's not cheap, but it's less than I would have paid going through insurance. I use a cream but will likely be going to a pellet inserted under the skin once every 3 months. Look for an endocrinologist who specialized in hormone treatment (my doc is actually a fertility doctor who also works with hormones). He goes above and beyond to get what he can covered through my insurance. A good doc will try to work with you. Good luck!!!
@comfortablynumb I will do that and see I don’t mind cost if I can live normal…so thank you and I like ironjohns way also…thanks
My very best to both of you. Godspeed.
@IronJohn thank you…you as well