How to cure Anxiety on a low budget

lucia22

I've had anxiety for years. It many ways it has been life limiting as it's prevented me from achieving my potential due to the stress it causes. But now I try not to think about what could have been and just focus on what I can do now as this is what matters. Admittedly I still sometimes overthink about things but it's nowhere near as bad.

What helped me was sessions of CBT, adding regular exercise into my weekly routine, and my own self-prescribed exposure methods. I try and stick at it and fight through although in certain circumstances that it isn't possible. I've also had to come to terms with it. Over time I have just accepted that I have anxiety and it makes it so much easier to deal with because I am not trying to fundamentally change who I am but I am just learning ways to manage it. I'm much calmer now than I used to be but there will always be an element of anxiety in my personality.

I see anxiety not as an illness as such but something that can happen to a lot of people. Some people aren't very understanding of it but at the same time a lot of people may have experienced it without being aware of it (including the people who dismiss it as a genuine medical condition!).

Hope it all works out for you . I also agree with AnnMolly's comment: keeping yourself busy does help even if you have to force it initially.

ludhiyaparker

Give a Nice rest to your Brain; ie; Good Night sleep.

Lamentation

Another quick update.

The medication continues to be effective so I'm sleeping and eating well, no nausea, feeling much more confident and relaxed. I will go to the GP soon and get a clearer idea of how long I should be on anxiety medication for and how I can come off them.

I've been meditating nearly every day, a task that used to feel like an endurance event has become an activity that is easier to complete now because my mental stillness and mood is generally much better.

The temporary job has boosted my confidence. In my last couple of jobs, I felt useless and stressed.

This one is much less demanding but I feel as if I am able to use my initiative, work hard with full concentration and that I've impressed the manager. So though its an easier job, I think I am going the extra mile on it quite happily. I find it easier to think and act and I'm not carrying around a sense of dread and fatigue with me. It's nice to be able to work without feeling foggy, nauseous and double checking everything out of fear of making a mistake.

I'm surprised that the weight I previously lost through lack of appetite has stayed off even though I feel that I am eating much better (albeit not snacking to the same degree as in the past). I don't seem to feel as hungry as I did, perhaps due to the tablets or reduction in my misery.

Jox

Good to hear how quickly things have turned around! Hope things get better and better for you, keep us updated.

fireblade28

Meditation. Use headspace app for 15mons every morning. I don't even do it consistently any more but the effects of reducing my anxiety have been permanent which I did not expect! I don't get it anywhere near as bad.
You can't cure it because it has to exisit as humans it keeps us safe you just don't want it to be overactive

robbyfine

I was suffering from a deep depression and long term anxiety issues too

mickeymouse303

I'm sorry to hear you've been struggling with it for so long, but like everyone says, there's no cure as I'm sure you know! Has there been absolutely nothing useful from all the methods you've tried?

nanny_beach

Hope you can still benefit, OH has severe anxiety and multiple phobas. Folk think anxiety is the same as a panic attack, his can last 2 weeks easily. He always had an excuse for not trying anything, usually cant afford it. He did see a hypnotherapist, which helped to a degree, but he never went back, and ironically, the next sessions would have been free. Our Gp says he isnt allowed to prescribe Diazepam anymore, Citalopram made him ill, and he didnt want to do the drug route, he had many many years on anitdepressants. Have suggested Tia Chi, meditation, NLP CBT, but he is a bloke and from Sarf london. Cannot print what he calls these sorts of therapies. Anone see the documentary BBC1 Dr Chris Van Tuliken getting people off drugs, worth a look.

Lamentation

nanny_beach wrote: »

Hope you can still benefit, OH has severe anxiety and multiple phobas. Folk think anxiety is the same as a panic attack, his can last 2 weeks easily. He always had an excuse for not trying anything, usually cant afford it...

Hopefully this thread highlights some of the cheap and free options for dealing with his issues.

That said, you have indicated a general resistance to seeking or sticking with support that could resolve his health.

I read somewhere, perhaps it was Eckart Tolle, that some people prefer to stick with suffering, which is familiar with them, rather than make uncomfortable changes.

nanny_beach wrote: »

He did see a hypnotherapist, which helped to a degree, but he never went back, and ironically, the next sessions would have been free. Our Gp says he isnt allowed to prescribe Diazepam anymore, Citalopram made him ill, and he didnt want to do the drug route, he had many many years on anitdepressants. Have suggested Tia Chi, meditation, NLP CBT, but he is a bloke and from Sarf london. Cannot print what he calls these sorts of therapies..

I do wonder whether things like Hypnotherapy can just have a short-term lift but don't necessarily tackle the root-cause so the same issue can bubble up again in future and gets added to a list of 'proposed cures that don't work'. However, not following things through and consolidating it, caused I think by restlessness, was probably a fault of mine, too.

I think the illness really sabotages and undercuts the action and effort required to resolve it. It requires changes to behaviour, attitude, routines, beliefs and regular practice when the mood of the person is really low and the outlook very pessimistic. It's easy to give up before you've really started.

How long did he try Citalopram for before giving up? I was told by the GP that it might make me worse at the beginning and would take quite a few weeks to kick in. Sure enough, in the first week, I suffered from headaches, insomnia, dry mouth and upset stomach but had positive effects thereafter. However, it's not really going to suit everyone despite the need to be patient with it.

There might well be cultural (macho/working class) reasons why some complementary practices are repellent to him, seen as girly and too new agey, for example. Then again, it fits with the pattern of feeling that it is a lifetime affliction without end and resistance to trying new things.

Also, I found pride and stubbornness got in the way, that I ought to be able to will myself better and that medication was a cop-out for those too weak to cope with upsets. There was also a degree of shame because I did not want to confide in friends and family and tended to hide the loss of my jobs and low moods from them.

Starrystarrynight1

Thanks for starting this thread, OP, and for updating it. I imagine it's been very helpful to a lot of fellow sufferers.