Anxiety, insomnia, alcohol - hello!

[panickygirl]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here but sadly not new to panic and anxiety. I split with my live-in boyfriend a couple of months ago and am now adjusting to life alone again. It's really hard suddenly having to deal with anxiety and panic alone. I loved having him around for those moments as not only did he know exactly how to deal with me, but having someone else's company distracted me and made me focus less on how I was feeling.

Anyway, I know it's not great to rely on other people but one of the worst things I find about panic/anxiety is how alone it makes you feel. Like no one else could possibly have gone through this and totally isolated. I hate the fear of foreboding and impending danger I get too. I see a therapist and have been coming on in leaps and bounds but last night I couldn't sleep for panicking and crying (which made today at work almost impossible). I have a lot of financial worries which stress the hell out of me.

I just feel very alone in all this and so thought it might be an idea to meet other people online who are going through this kind of thing as maybe we could help each other? I hate feeling this way.

Today I am still exhausted after last night's insomnia but I'm half scared to go to bed in case I wake up in the scary night with long, long hours to go till day time. I love my new flat and am depressed I had a night like that as I thought I had been doing better.

Also I notice my anxiety is WAAAAAAY better if I drink? Like I have a kind of hangover consisting of unpleasant, panicky, jitteriness! Anyone else find this?

Anyway, hello I guess! It seems so unfair that some of us have this cross to bear, but I guess everyone has something and ours happens to be anxiety. I hope I can maybe help someone on here if I have something to share.

Thanks,

Panicky Girl.

[nomorepanic]

Hi panickygirl

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

[theharvestmouse]

I empathise with you, I know how lonely it makes one feel, that's the nature of it. Alcohol will only make anxiety worse, I've been there as well.

Hope you find support here.:)

[Richard1960]

Hi and.:welcome:

Yep dealing with anxiety sure is lonely at times it does help though if you have close family and friends.:)

As far as alcohol is concerned yes for a very short time it does make you feel better,but in the long term it will leave you feeling depressd more,and worse still your anxiety levels as your body needs more and more in order to make you feel "better".

I used to self medicate with alcohol and ended up in hospital,now i attend the local ADAS serivce and have given alcohol the elbow,and take Citalopram and feel great,i would caution anybody not to self medicate with alcohol been there done that got the hospital T-Shirt.

Good luck.

Richard.

[WolfieKate]

Welcome and hello

:)

I used to medicate with alcohol and it's a nightmare. It makes paranoia and anxiety worse in the long term and disturbs your sleep. I am trying to recover from alcohol and valium addiction right now and alcohol recently put me in hospital.

My next steps are to try meditation or maybe relaxation classes. And I also take prozac and I am trying pregabalin. Not saying medication is the only way to fight anxiety but it has helped me.

Hope you find lots of useful info here!

Kate

[Laura1989]

Welcome to the forum!

I find relaxing and calming music as i go to sleep really helpful at night. im still not used to being alone at night-time after i split with my ex, and that was always when i was at my lowest point.
I set my music player on sleep and it plays a cd of calming music and some nature sounds too, it never takes me long to fall asleep!

Hope you find the support you need on here and start to move forward. this forum and chat room has been a godsend for me, and ive made some brilliant and supportive friends who have really helped me....and ive only been on here about 3 weeks!
Laura x

[panickygirl]

Wow, thank you so much everyone. Just having people go "I know what that feels like," really helps! Looking forward to meeting more people who understand, and wishing you all the best with everything!

xx

[ChrisScotland]

Yeah, everything you've said is very true.I'm going through pretty much the exact same thing as yourself at the moment.

Having someone around who understands your situation drops your anxiety levels a lot.When they're gone and you haven't been on your own for a long time, the temptation to use alcohol to stop your mind ticking over, or with your anxiety is very tempting.

As everyone else has said, it's not the way to go, as you'll more than likely make yourself worse.

Hope things get better for you soon.

[panickygirl]

Thank you! You too! xx

[Rls1994]

Hiya panickygirl. (Love the name, describes me perfectly)

Let me say that you are not alone! I know EXACTLY what you are going through. My anxiety is severe and I'm constantly worrying. It affects me an awful lot and I get a lot of physical symptoms because of it, then I start worrying about those symptoms etc. It's a never ending cycle.

I advise you not to continue drinking alcohol when you are worried. It can help yes, but not in the long run.. I would say, try some relaxation techniques. There are PLENTY out there for you to do. :D Also, I found that listening to some calm music in bed helps occasionally. Make sure not to have the sound too loud though.

Anyways, welcome to the forums and hope you enjoy your stay and get all the support you deserve!