<p>I believe that we all have anxiety, but lately, I have really been trying to find ways to deal with mine better. I don’t have the full blown panic attacks, but my best friend does and is on several medications in different doses that have not been very successful and she is not questioning if medication is even worth it, because of the side affects.</p>
<p>My family is facing so many stressers right now and my own anxiety has gotten much worse. I also think I have been depressed, but not to the degree that I can’t pull myself up, just feeling more emotional and saddness, with crying at times as well, for not particular reason, just so many things going on at once. </p>
<p>The issues causing the stress are completely out of our control and there is nothings we can do to make the situation better, we are completely dependent on others to either do their jobs or make positive choices, which is sooo hard for me to do. Therefore, I feel so powerless over my own happiness.</p>
<p>Done rambling…my question is how do you deal with anxiet? Things I have been focusing on are prayer, exercise, talking with my husband and trying to think things through and focus on a good outcome, but frankly, none of it is helping. So, I’m hoping all the wisdom that is shared here will give me and perhaps some others some relief. I know I can’t be alone, but it sure feels lonely and scary sometimes. :(</p>
<p>If it weren’t for exercise, I don’t know where I’d be today. It has kept me from going off the deep end during some pretty horrible times in my life.</p>
<p>Also helpful have been hot baths, listening to my favorite music on my ipod, reading or watching something funny on TV, playing my musical instrument, taking extra care with my nutrition, and getting plenty of sleep (which can be a challenge when experiencing lots of anxiety). </p>
<p>And on a few occasions, medication. I don’t use it as a first line weapon, but I have sometimes used it when nothing else worked.</p>
<p>Get out in the sunlight - it will help with depression. I use a special indoor light during the winter months to help with mine. Don’t know where you live…</p>
<p>You need to either take care of an outstanding issue causing the anxiety if possible (i.e. make the decisions, do the tasks, don’t put it off), divert your attention from your focal points causing the anxiety, burn up some of that energy through vigorous exercize, or convince yourself mentally that there’s nothing productive you can do at the moment about this situation causing the anxiety, i.e. it’s beyond your control, and try to achieve some peace of mind that way.</p>
<p>Some of this is easier said than done but if you focus on trying some of these you might be able to decrease the anxiety.</p>
<p>Cognitive Behavior Therapy with a good therapist can work well for some people. It trains you to change your pattern of thinking, better evaluate the odds of different outcomes and cope with the anxiety that arises through various strategies.</p>
<p>Having said that, medications work well for many, many people. I would suggest finding a good therapist and exploring your options. You do not need to be unhappy and there are ways to make these feeling more manageable.</p>
<p>OP here…thanks for the suggestions, have also tried to get some vitamin D, but haven’t done the light box, may have to look into that. I have tried St. Johns Wart and noticed no difference.</p>
<p>All great suggestions, but like already stated, easier said that done…guh!</p>
<p>There’s an increasing body of scientific evidence that meditation and yoga are very effective for reducing stress. See if there’s an MBSR class in a hospital, outpatient center or religious organization near you.</p>
<p>One chapter is amazing, about a women that was just falling apart during a difficult divorce case. The doctor testified for he in court about the turnaround based on excercise.</p>
<p>Medication isn’t all that effective against anxiety. For some reason anxiety really resists medication. Probably, because unlike depression, it is, in fact, a survival instinct…just we don’t need it the way we once did.</p>
<p>The best method for anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy, which works with changing your responses and your thoughts and the story you are telling yourself. Also DBT is a bit more subtle but very effective for intelligent clients. get a recommendation from your local hospital or from your family doctor for a therapist who practices these.</p>
<p>ETA: yes, excercise. Also vitamin D and fish oil, though the studies on those two are still ongoing. Anectdotal evidence is positive so far.</p>
<p>Anxiety may be caused hyper-adrenalism: your adrenal gland cannot stop sending out adrenaline. It is the fight or flight system gone awry- into overdrive or under constant pressure.
MD’s are not really equipped to deal with this. You need to do a 24 hr saliva test to see what your levels are. Look for an integrative practitioner in your area to help you.</p>
<p>Vit D- have you had your blood level tested? Start with that. Many are walking around with low Vit D levels without knowing it. The RDA for Vit D was created for babies, so they are now adjusting it upward. Vit D is basically a hormone. It can really help.</p>
<p>Last, have you had your thyroid checked (T4, TSH, T-antibodies)? It could be high; or going high, then low, then high , then low… If so, it may be inflamed, caused by auto-immune situation or by an outside factor.</p>
<p>Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn is a book that explains the techniques used in the UMass program mentioned above. A classic in stress reduction/mindfulness theory.</p>
<p>If you can get some sunlight and maybe some time in a hot tub, great. A tasty red wine ALWAYS takes the edge off. A spa visit for a massage or facial is wonderful. A good friend to talk to, frankly, is a lifesaver.</p>
<p>In lieu of that, go out and run your ass off. You can never stay stressed or angry after a good, hard run.</p>
<p>I wish you the best. We’ve had some difficult times too. It has been very useful to prioritize things. For example, first priority—stay alive. What do I need to do for me and my family to survive? And that includes taking care of yourself, mental and physical health. Because after that, the rest of it is just not that important.</p>
<p>I understand you are saying that what you have been trying is not helping, but I am guessing your efforts are just not helping enough. I bet they are indeed helping. (I am trying to encourage you). You sound to me to be slightly depressed. I am saying this based on the tearfulness that you are experiencing and the feeling that there is little that is in your control. That may well be true, but depression tends to heighten that feeling. How about finding a good therapist who will do CBT and talk therapy with you? Therapists can be very helpful.</p>
<p>I also second vballmom’s comments about meditation. I have been following the growing body of research about it. The trick is, however that it takes practice, just like exercise. Chi gong (I don’t know how to spell it) is another form of meditation that combines it with physical movements. Some people have more luck with that—the ability to move as you meditate. Try a good yoga class that is more than just an exercise class. Unfortunately, if your body’s alarm system is on the “hyperactive” side, you will tend to be bothered by anxiety, especially as you age. Developing good habits to manage it can really help.</p>
<p>Cognitive behavioral therapy also helps many people. It will give you tools to help manage it. </p>
<p>I had another thought. Performersmom listed the physical imbalances that can contribute/cause anxiety. Another contributor can be pre-diabetes (borderline diabetes). Have you had your blood sugar tested?</p>
<p>Go to your internist and get checked out. It may be caused, or partially caused, by a physical problem, in which case getting that corrected will help considerably. If there is no physical problem, then try these non-medication alternatives that have been suggested. If you have only limited relief, then get a referral to someone who can prescribe meds and monitor you.</p>
<p>Two things from my own experience:</p>
<p>When I was in my twenties and extremely anxious over everything – mind churning, not making decisions, constantly worried – my friend asked me, “What’s the worst thing that could happen in this siutation?” Literally thinking through what the worst possible outcome was gave me some relief that, even if the worst happenned, I could handle it.</p>
<p>Second: Meds do help. I speak from experience.</p>
<p>I was very resistant to meds for anxiety but finally I gave in and am on a very low dose (50 mg) of Zoloft. It has helped ENORMOUSLY. I’ve never had a panic spell since I went on it which is amazing considering I used to have 2-3 per day. </p>
<p>I will admit there were side-effects at first including dizziness and trouble staying asleep. But, those side affects disappeared after about a month. </p>
<p>I would highly recommend at least giving a medicine a try. If it works it’s such an easy fix and if it doesn’t then just go off it.</p>
<p>I couldn’t do it. I can live with anxiety, but when it is severe I end up with a migraine that lasts four days and that’s what I can’t live with. The first prescription was for a drug the name of which escapes me. It not only made me grouchy but can’t stay awake to save my life sleepy. So now I’m trying Xanax. I took one before an MRI and it worked well. But I’ve taken one a couple of times since then and I notice no affect. Maybe I was just thinking about relaxing before the MRI and that is what worked.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this applies, but a couple years ago, I found myself with an increased level of anxiety which exacerbated insomnia among other things. I ultimately discovered it was tied to menopause. I learned that many women suffer from increased anxiety as they enter peri-meopause, the period of years prior to the official menopausal state. I was very late (read old) before this all hit, and although I consider myself fairly well informed, was surprised by the impact of the hormonal imbalances on many aspects of my health.</p>
<p>As others have recommended, it IS worth checking with a physician. In my case, due to multiple physical problems including heart palpitations (!), I am on hormone therapy. It felt to me like it gave me my life back. There is no doubt that hormonal therapy significantly reduced all my symptoms, including the anxiety “attacks”.</p>
<p>Certainly all of the issues out of your control that you mention can contribute but may not be all that’s going on. Best wishes to you–I understand how you feel!</p>
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