Coping with anxiety - tips?

Primrose

Try and remember the old saying "Worry is the interest you pay on events that may never happen".

Rev

I feel bloody awful tonight.

One of the things I worry most about is my dogs. One is a rescue and has fear aggression so needs to be knocked out to go the vets (it's a long long story).

There's absolutely zero wrong with him but I fixate and in my head imagine he's unwell and what will happen when he need the vets etc etc and tonight is one of the nights I'm fixating on it.

My chest is really tight. My shoulders hurt (that's where I feel anxiety) and I have a feeling of utter utter dread in the pit of my stomach.

I've tried to distract myself by reformatting my laptop but it's not working. I'm trying breathing exercises too.

I just wish it would sod off.

Rev

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

I read something once that referred to the naggy negative voices in your head as Mr and Mrs Yakety Yak and their children Blah Blah Blah - it advised you to think of them as slightly irritating next door neighbours and kind of roll your eyes at them or sort of usher them out of your headspace. I find this kind of a useful metaphor when I have a dose of negative thinking, partly because it brings up Mr Potato Head mental images and I can just imagine those voices quacking away and that makes me smile a bit but also because it sort of gets you to notice that there's a you that isn't just that voice. I hope this makes sense and doesn't sound too schizophrenic but I do kind of notice when my thoughts step up into this blah blah gear now...

No that doesn't sound schizophrenic haha!

It sounds like a good way of separating the anxiety from 'normal' thoughts. I will give it a go.

Thank you.

Huskyrunner

Thats what i am saying Rev keep yourself distracted, don't think too much. When those thoughts enter your head re the house, dogs, neighbours getting robbed gloss over them. Read those two books as i said. They will help with that trust me!! Let me know what you think of them???

I am thinking that from reading your posts you are extremley like i was ie your mind races like a lunatic and never stops, you need too learn too move over things and stop. The best mechanism for dealing with this is distraction.

ie walk your dogs
complete a journal on here and post 2-3 times a day if it helps
whack the radio on
do house work :-(
ring a friend
have a soak in the bath with books recommended by Huskyrunner lol

I changed a little bit too what i was like after a friend said i was well like a stressed out looney too put it mildly i will give you an i example.

I used too go running alot, and i would run miles and miles (google Dean Karnazes that was me) my other half would go nuts as i would be gone 3-4 hours at a time and alot of it was i was running at 3-4mph but as i was running my braining was doing 50mph the whole run does that make sense. And excuse my french but it was crap over and over ie stupid stuff from thinking about debts, too work, too what i was going too do at the weekend , too ex girlfriends, current girlfriend, yadda yadda, but it was like this the whole run.

I would come in exhausted mentally and physically and my other half would go mental as i said but a lot of it was i would start running and my mind wouldnt stop. Being in this non stop heightened state is not good for you in the long term.

Harness your inner Chimp Rev and things will get better!!!! Along the lines of Guy Martin i nicknamed mine Dave lol

Rev

Huskyrunner wrote: »

Thats what i am saying Rev keep yourself distracted, don't think too much. When those thoughts enter your head re the house, dogs, neighbours getting robbed gloss over them. Read those two books as i said. They will help with that trust me!! Let me know what you think of them???

I am thinking that from reading your posts you are extremley like i was ie your mind races like a lunatic and never stops, you need too learn too move over things and stop. The best mechanism for dealing with this is distraction.

ie walk your dogs
complete a journal on here and post 2-3 times a day if it helps
whack the radio on
do house work :-(
ring a friend
have a soak in the bath with books recommended by Huskyrunner lol

I changed a little bit too what i was like after a friend said i was well like a stressed out looney too put it mildly i will give you an i example.

I used too go running alot, and i would run miles and miles (google Dean Karnazes that was me) my other half would go nuts as i would be gone 3-4 hours at a time and alot of it was i was running at 3-4mph but as i was running my braining was doing 50mph the whole run does that make sense. And excuse my french but it was crap over and over ie stupid stuff from thinking about debts, too work, too what i was going too do at the weekend , too ex girlfriends, current girlfriend, yadda yadda, but it was like this the whole run.

I would come in exhausted mentally and physically and my other half would go mental as i said but a lot of it was i would start running and my mind wouldnt stop. Being in this non stop heightened state is not good for you in the long term.

Harness your inner Chimp Rev and things will get better!!!! Along the lines of Guy Martin i nicknamed mine Dave lol

Thanks. I appreciate the reply.


I do try to distract myself. One of my main hobbies used to be computers. I'd build and tinker with them for hours and really enjoy it but that's stopped a while back. So I got out the laptop and thought this will distract me but it didn't work.


Still I'll keep on. One day something will work!