Anxiety

Kayalana99

General thread.

I don't tend to go on about it but I am 100% sure I have anxiety issues, some people on this forum have commented on my tendency to 'over think' and I do think this is the main reason.

I was just wanting to hear some confidence boosting about how people counter it? I am applying for jobs atm and tbh I am feeling low...because I just don't feel good enough. It's probably a load of crap but I just don't 'click' with people(woman mainly!) very well and it scares me like mad the prospect of starting a new job!!

My general way is I keep score...as silly as it sounds. I force myself to do things and in my head I'm just like 1-0 to anxiety.

FBaby

I don't suffer from anxiety but only because I manage it. My way of dealing with it is to see any anxious event as something to get over with knowing that just being over it will feel wonderful.

I also hold on to the fact that I do have control over almost everything over my life, so if the event/person that is making me feel anxious becomes overbearing, I DO have the option of getting out of it, however hard it might be. There is always a way out.

Carl31

My wife suffers from anxiety, it's lead to depression etc... I cannot praise cbt enough, although it sounds simple to someone that doesn't suffer, cbt explains how anxiety works, it's really just a confused version of fear. You are then taught how to manage it

there are some good books. Look up Dr claire weeks on amazon, and the books she's wrote

[Deleted User]

Yup, CBT is great

Get more sleep, make sure you do some things for you, learn how to recognise negative thoughts, maybe try a bit of mindfulness meditation.. All good stuff

PurpleSkies

I suffer from anxiety and I have to say that if you find it having a negative effect on your life then you should definitely go see your GP.
It's been quite a long road for me and unfortunately there was no quick fix but I have found a variety of effective treatments.
The key is to try different things until you find something that works for you. Sometimes a combination of treatments can work best.
For example, I have been on medication and received therapy, which worked really well for me.
There are lots of websites which are aimed towards helping people with mental health issues that are really useful and give you lots of advice on how to cope. You could look for one that focuses on CBT and will give you some mental exercises to try. I also got a book from the library on CBT which was helpful.

When my anxiety was really bad my GP referred me to a stress management course run by the NHS. I was quite apprehensive about going but when I got there I was amazed at how many people were there! (It was a lecture type course rather than group based so I didn't have to interact with anyone unless I wanted to and there was no need to explain why I was there). It was a really great starting point for me so perhaps you could ask if there is something similar in your area.

Another thing my GP recommended was the Positive Mental Training programme. http://www.foundationforpositivementalhealth.com/
I would often have trouble sleeping and listening to these audio tracks really helped me to relax. I still use them today when I'm having trouble sleeping or feeling particularly anxious.

This is turning into quite a long post but I hope you've found some of this info helpful. If you want more info or want to ask me about anything feel free to send me a message.

Quizzical_Squirrel

Just don't think about these things. Just get on with it without thinking.
As soon as you catch yourself, switch to something else. Learn to do that.

Don't give these thoughts power because it will magnify any problem to the stage where it's out of control.

FBaby

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

Just don't think about these things. Just get on with it without thinking.
As soon as you catch yourself, switch to something else. Learn to do that.

Don't give these thoughts power because it will magnify any problem to the stage where it's out of control.

That's the essence of cbt, training yourself to control your thoughts rather than letting your thoughts control yourself.

It's very hard to do though, exhausting and can take some time, but if you stick to it, it does work.

I use this with my fear of flying. It works. It's still a very unpleasant experience, but I can just about manage it. Knowing that you can control your thoughts and fears rather than the other way around is in itself helps to feel less anxious as anxiety - fears- is very much about control.

DKLS

There are some great free CBT resources online for anxiety and mild to moderate depression.
Have a look at Living Life to the full which has a bunch of free resources (funded by NHS scotland)

Faith177

Kayalana I suffered awfully with anxiety after a mental breakdown 5 years ago I was a nightmare alienainted nearly everyone around me I go so bad I couldn't even let workman/repairmen into the house. I couldn't go with my friends or go and visit I would try but more often than not would bale out at the last minute. I was convinced I was going to be sacked every time my line manager spoke to my team leader. I was exhausted as I couldn't sleep with the anxiety

It got really bad last year and my mum begged me to get help I went through a session of CBT and was diagnosed with general anxiety which meant I worried about everything this meant that my brain was constantly stressing about something as a result this caused the exhaustion which meant I couldn't rationalise anything any more I was trapped in a massive loop.

After 10 very intense sessions with a fantastic counsellor she was able to give me methods to be able to start being able to figure our if something was just a worry and I couldn't do anything about that or a problem in which case what did I need to solve it.

It helped me immensely and now I feel so much better I still get moments but I am much better equipped to deal with it and my life is so much better because of it. This has been my best year since my breakdown and I'm reaping the rewards

Good luck for the future and I hope you re able to get the help you need

Raksha

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote: »

Just don't think about these things. Just get on with it without thinking.
As soon as you catch yourself, switch to something else. Learn to do that.

Don't give these thoughts power because it will magnify any problem to the stage where it's out of control.

Like telling somebody with a cut not to bleed :-(

Emmamumof2

This is a very popular online CBT resource:


https://moodgym.anu.edu.au/welcome


As others have said it may help you tackle a change in thought process...its tough and it does take a lot of work but if you get there and can control it, life will become easier to handle.