Discussion Anyone else have super high anxiety?

[I’vehadenough]

How do you control it without medication?

 

[Lena]

Probiotics

 

[Lena]

Probiotics

Gratitude

 

[scales]

How do you control it without medication?

Docs like to give the "exercise, meditation" route. If you want to try a psychological route then there is exposure therapy.

From personal experience, all of those actually do help if you don't want to go the medication route.

 

[I’vehadenough]

Docs like to give the "exercise, meditation" route. If you want to try a psychological route then there is exposure therapy.

From personal experience, all of those actually do help if you don't want to go the medication route.

Yeah, those don't help me. I was facially disfigured, so my anxiety is very intense

 

[Stepda]

Avoidance.

The text book says 'face your fears'. Trust me it don't work.

 

[scales]

Yeah, those don't help me. I was facially disfigured, so my anxiety is very intense

So if you want help with that a real psychologist can probably do it. My understanding would be to first try to figure out what thought processes you have relating to your disfigurement and then to address to specific fears.

For example, if you're worried about what others would think of you, it might revolve around addressing the social anxiety aspect and self esteem. People have researched this for years to come up with solutions like cognitive behavioral therapy. Given the right trained individual this is very effective, but finding the right trained individual is so difficult I don't even think it's worth it, and it's going to cost a fortune if you live in the US, and be near impossible in third world countries.

If you're really serious about addressing it, I would recommend reading about exposure therapy, phobias, behaviorism, and happiness as studied by psychologists (not some random blogger or something).

 

[LifeSick]

and be near impossible in third world countries

Fuck. but it's still possible, right? give some hope.

I like your answers as I'm trying to avoid taking medication for my anxiety. I'm only doing regular therapy and it barely helps me. It only reduces my anxiety on the same day i do therapy, the next day I wake up almost in panic again. I'm thinking about doing yoga, meditation and exercise. How was your experience treating anxiety without meds so far?

 

[Essie]

I had a severe panic disorder for 2 years a decade ago. After a severe life-threatening reaction to a medication prescribed, I used inositol and choline supplements in a very small amount. They helped maybe a bit with the physical symptoms of panic, and I had hundreds of things that all those lists say occur (sweating, heart rate, vision changes, etc... depending on the day).

But what cured it (and it never came back as a disorder, but an attack here and there over the years is easy to get under control right away) was first total avoidance of any thought that bothered me. Literally reject it from the mind right after it was thought. It was so bad I listened to birds chip outside all day because my mind got nasty and did dumb things like turn the thought of a stuffed animal into a lethal weapon you could potentially choke someone with (for example). So I got scared to think at all but found birds chirping just never scared me. So first a ton of that to get control of myself physically with the symptoms and gradually mentally.

Then I tried to reprogram my mind to be normal again by remember how I used to think and doing that. Sort of like how at night after a scary movie everything seems menacing, but in the day, that thought seems silly and you feel safe. So in that same way, make the new thinking that is scary not scary anymore (like in the day) if it is actually not something you deem to BE scary (like an attacker). I hope I am explaining this okay.

It took 2 years of this, and then a lot of reassessing what I really feel about actual possibly dangerous/bad/scary things and choosing what I believe now if what I used to think is no longer valid (such as, I used to think doctors could not hurt me, but after the Rx mistake, I will be more cautious).

It was really quite simple to do in technique, and virtually impossible in practice at times, but it did work over the 2 years, and it dwindled down to a nonexistent thing for me except for in actual scary things, when I do notice a panic attack can come on, but I can get physical control. Such as when a stray cat I took in one freezing night I found him in my garage and he vomited worms in my basement, and I panicked. That is valid to be scared, but I needed to get the physical symptoms under control to handle the cat and the worms and be able to think straight. So I was able to do that much better than before because I trained myself how to deal with scary things and move past that to think better and cope with the situation.

 

[scales]

Fuck. but it's still possible, right? give some hope.

I like your answers as I'm trying to avoid taking medication for my anxiety. I'm only doing regular therapy and it barely helps me. It only reduces my anxiety on the same day i do therapy, the next day I wake up almost in panic again. I'm thinking about doing yoga, meditation and exercise. How was your experience treating anxiety without meds so far?

I don't have anxiety myself, I just studied psychology and have helped people overcome it in the past. It's not my expertise though.

Yes, there is definitely hope! If you're dedicated you can definitely do it yourself and the steps you're taking show your dedication which is a big step. If your therapist isn't helping or using one of the main strategies for therapy then they might not be helpful enough. I wouldn't settle for less than someone who knows what they're doing or it could hurt more, especially when you don't get better and get frustrated.

Yoga, meditation and exercise are basically some of the best ways to combat anxiety. The next step is probably to get some community or social connection, especially through things like yoga. There are some ways you can do therapy yourself too, if you want I can point you to specific resources for your specific type of anxiety or situation. There are some self-CBT resources available online too like this: http://psycheducation.org/treatment...tcognitive-behavioral-therapy-for-depression/

 

[Limbo]

Without meds? Cold showers, dipping head in cold water, telling yourself everything will be ok, deep breathing and getting things done that are on your mind.

 

[LifeSick]

I don't have anxiety myself, I just studied psychology and have helped people overcome it in the past. It's not my expertise though.

Yes, there is definitely hope! If you're dedicated you can definitely do it yourself and the steps you're taking show your dedication which is a big step. If your therapist isn't helping or using one of the main strategies for therapy then they might not be helpful enough. I wouldn't settle for less than someone who knows what they're doing or it could hurt more, especially when you don't get better and get frustrated.

Yoga, meditation and exercise are basically some of the best ways to combat anxiety. The next step is probably to get some community or social connection, especially through things like yoga. There are some ways you can do therapy yourself too, if you want I can point you to specific resources for your specific type of anxiety or situation. There are some self-CBT resources available online too like this: http://psycheducation.org/treatment...tcognitive-behavioral-therapy-for-depression/

Cool, so we have a psychologist on board? I've been considering studying psychology too.

I think my therapist does know what she's doing, I think it's me who isn't putting in practice what we talk about.
I don't know what specific type of anxiety I might have. But thank you for the help and the resources.

 

[Rollo]

Docs like to give the "exercise, meditation" route. If you want to try a psychological route then there is exposure therapy.

Avoidance.

The text book says 'face your fears'. Trust me it don't work.

I think 'exposure therapy' and 'face your fears' is basically the same thing. Here's a problem though. From wiki page "Exposure therapy involves exposing the target patient to the anxiety source or its context without the intention to cause any danger."

But it's precisely the danger that you're scared of. So if you're not being exposed to an actual danger - what's even the point? It's like if you being scared of animals and they say - go to the zoo, stare tiger right in the eye. Sure even here there's some danger, sometimes animals escape etc. But it's minimum.

I only once read a successful testimony of somebody who faced his fears to get rid of them. That is of a guy who once had his house broken into, grabbed a riffle to confront robbers but was too scared to do something. So he just stood there while robbers went through his appartment, somehow missed him and went away. After this he decided to join military and go to a war. Just cause he wanted to become a man. And he did went to a war - he served a combat tour in Iraq.

But anything less than that - I don't know.

 

[midastic]

How do you control it without medication?

In my case I can't because my anxiety is justified. my anxiety, guilt, and OCD gets a hold of me a lot and I just can't functioned my normal tasks while having intrusive thoughts. It's the main reason why I want to CTB.

 

[LifeSick]

In my case I can't because my anxiety is justified. my anxiety, guilt, and OCD gets a hold of me a lot and I just can't functioned my normal tasks while having intrusive thoughts. It's the main reason why I want to CTB.

Intrusive thoughts really suck. I hate them. What do you mean with your "anxiety is justified"?

 

[scales]

I think 'exposure therapy' and 'face your fears' is basically the same thing.

I only once read a successful testimony of somebody who faced his fears to get rid of them. That is of a guy who once had his house broken into, grabbed a riffle to confront robbers but was too scared to do something. So he just stood there while robbers went through his appartment, somehow missed him and went away. After this he decided to join military and go to a war. Just cause he wanted to become a man. And he did went to a war - he served a combat tour in Iraq.

Exposure therapy has decades of research behind it, it is a proven method. The best way to explain it is, you start small and go up from there. Say you're afraid of heights.

You might start small by just thinking about heights and learning relaxation techniques to learn that thinking about heights isn't so bad. When you are ready and comfortable, you might try going up a reasonable distance that doesn't cause too much anxiety (even if it is just one step up the stairs). You practice relaxation techniques until you are comfortable with this.

Even people with extreme phobias have benefited with this therapy which can be augmented through various methods such as virtual reality.
(http://vrphobia.com/ )

I can't find peer reviewed articles that aren't behind a paywall for you, a failure of science at this point. Here is something though: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/anxiety/exposure-therapy-anxiety-disorders

Obviously, exposure therapy isn't for everyone and depending on the situation might even be worse for some people. I mentioned a few other possible treatments such as CBT, exercise etc. and also mention that there are different types of anxieties and different situations or comorbid disorders, any treatment should be tailored to the individual and I'm not a professional.

Science has many ways of dealing with anxiety but nothing is a one size fits all. At the very least, I wouldn't take anecdotal evidence or personal biases and give them more credence than proven methods. I get the failure myself, I've seen countless people helped by some treatments and many more not helped, but if it didn't work for you, it doesn't mean it won't for others.

 

[I’vehadenough]

I'm

So if you want help with that a real psychologist can probably do it. My understanding would be to first try to figure out what thought processes you have relating to your disfigurement and then to address to specific fears.

For example, if you're worried about what others would think of you, it might revolve around addressing the social anxiety aspect and self esteem. People have researched this for years to come up with solutions like cognitive behavioral therapy. Given the right trained individual this is very effective, but finding the right trained individual is so difficult I don't even think it's worth it, and it's going to cost a fortune if you live in the US, and be near impossible in third world countries.

If you're really serious about addressing it, I would recommend reading about exposure therapy, phobias, behaviorism, and happiness as studied by psychologists (not some random blogger or something).

thank you, I'll look into that. The therapists I've been through so far are horrible

 

[I’vehadenough]

In my case I can't because my anxiety is justified. my anxiety, guilt, and OCD gets a hold of me a lot and I just can't functioned my normal tasks while having intrusive thoughts. It's the main reason why I want to CTB.

Me too. So nothing helps it? Is your anxiety so high that you want to jump out a window?

 

[millefeui]

Yes. I don't even leave the house anymore, save for going to the supermarket every two weeks or so. Sadly, anxiety still messes me up even when I am home. Thinking about death, for example, is very anxiety-inducing because I don't know what comes next, if anything.

 

[midastic]

Intrusive thoughts really suck. I hate them. What do you mean with your "anxiety is justified"?

I say that because it just seems that anything I feel anxious about ends up happening anyways. Whether it's a coincidence or not, it just feels aweful. I already am guilt ridden with several other stuff too. So that combined with anxiety just makes life really terrible.

 

[scales]

I'm

thank you, I'll look into that. The therapists I've been through so far are horrible

I'm sorry that sucks. I hope you find the help you need or something that works for you. I'm here if you ever need it, at least until I ctb.

 

[midastic]

Me too. So nothing helps it? Is your anxiety so high that you want to jump out a window?

I haven't tried therapy or any medications, but even if I did, I still don't want to continue living a shitty life. It is indeed bad to the point I will just jump off the window but if I'm going to do that, i want to ensure death than face a ton of pain.

 

[Stepda]

As stated I faced my fears every day. Anxiety sufferer and being the centre of attention being my worst nightmare. I was a manager for five years and felt just as uncomfortable after five years as I did on day 1. I'm no longer a manager but I'm happier and not having multiple panic attacks every day. I don't believe that face your fears bs. But sure, it must work for some. But certainly not me.
That was five years wasted for me.
Thankfully I'm on a better path now.

 

[Gainax]

the last time i became anxious to the point of i just froze and stopped doing anything.

ive dealt with by changing my surroundings, simply get up and go away, went outside look at the sky, the birds, the clouds , the dogs, the people in their daily routine..basically empty my mind and think of nothing

eventually i calm down

 

[I’vehadenough]

Yes. I don't even leave the house anymore, save for going to the supermarket every two weeks or so. Sadly, anxiety still messes me up even when I am home. Thinking about death, for example, is very anxiety-inducing because I don't know what comes next, if anything.

Yes, not leaving the house gives me more anxiety though. I feel buried alive

 

[I’vehadenough]

I haven't tried therapy or any medications, but even if I did, I still don't want to continue living a shitty life. It is indeed bad to the point I will just jump off the window but if I'm going to do that, i want to ensure death than face a ton of pain.

Yeah I agree. It's just hard for me to suicide Bc of my family, but I can't live this way

 

[I’vehadenough]

I'm sorry that sucks. I hope you find the help you need or something that works for you. I'm here if you ever need it, at least until I ctb.

Thanks. What's your reason for ctb?

 

[Rollo]

Exposure therapy has decades of research behind it, it is a proven method. The best way to explain it is, you start small and go up from there. Say you're afraid of heights.

You might start small by just thinking about heights and learning relaxation techniques to learn that thinking about heights isn't so bad. When you are ready and comfortable, you might try going up a reasonable distance that doesn't cause too much anxiety (even if it is just one step up the stairs). You practice relaxation techniques until you are comfortable with this.

Even people with extreme phobias have benefited with this therapy which can be augmented through various methods such as virtual reality.
(http://vrphobia.com/ )

Well I understand the idea - I just don't understand how it could possibly work. Not saying it necessarily won't, I just don't see how. How it could possibly work without exposing yourself to danger.

If I'm afraid of heights - what I'm really afraid of is falling from height. Say I put VR glasses on and start practicing remaining calm, looking down and eventually I'm leaping from roof to roof. But during an entire time I know it's only VR. I know I'm in no danger of falling. Same with going one step up the stairs. No real danger here.

So then the idea I guess is that after doing these safe activities I become more at ease with the actual danger of falling, with doing non-safe activities. So that I will stand at 10th store open balcony, look down from there, buy a high rise appartment or maybe even go mountain hiking or rock climbing. I will become cool and accepting of the danger of falling from height. That is to say I will become cool with exposing myself to a real possibility of falling from height. Which is what anxiety is actually about.

And to me it sounds like if you're afraid to go to war - go play Call-of-Duty. I just don't see it alleviating a fear of being killed the moment you enter an actual war zone. You will just have to muster your courage, enter it, start shooting and then if you live through your first day - on your second day your fear of going into combat will be alleviated.

 

[Lra888]

Yes. Mixed with chronic depression. Makes functioning at a notmal acceptable level impossible. Cannot get any rest or escape from this constant hellish feeling. Makes it absolutely impossible to handle any life problem let alone compete in society.

Need out of this misery.

 

[scales]

Well I understand the idea - I just don't understand how it could possibly work. Not saying it necessarily won't, I just don't see how. How it could possibly work without exposing yourself to danger.

If I'm afraid of heights - what I'm really afraid of is falling from height. Say I put VR glasses on and start practicing remaining calm, looking down and eventually I'm leaping from roof to roof. But during an entire time I know it's only VR. I know I'm in no danger of falling. Same with going one step up the stairs. No real danger here.

So then the idea I guess is that after doing these safe activities I become more at ease with the actual danger of falling, with doing non-safe activities. So that I will stand at 10th store open balcony, look down from there, buy a high rise appartment or maybe even go mountain hiking or rock climbing. I will become cool and accepting of the danger of falling from height. That is to say I will become cool with exposing myself to a real possibility of falling from height. Which is what anxiety is actually about.

And to me it sounds like if you're afraid to go to war - go play Call-of-Duty. I just don't see it alleviating a fear of being killed the moment you enter an actual war zone. You will just have to muster your courage, enter it, start shooting and then if you live through your first day - on your second day your fear of going into combat will be alleviated.

You have really good points! To answer your question, I have no idea why but it does seem to work. It does seem strange at first but I don't think the war/ call of duty is a good reference because in exposure therapy you do face the actual danger itself, you just do it when you're ready. So when it comes to heights, people might be afraid of even the idea of heights, so VR can get them used to the idea.

However, if you're comfortable with the idea but afraid of the real thing, you'd go to the real deal, at the point where you begin to feel some anxiety but aren't fully panicked yet, and learn to calm fully at that point, then go to the next level.

So I suppose it works because it puts you in danger for real, VR helps for people with extreme phobias, like people who go to extreme measures to avoid a phobia.