how on earth do you beat anxiety..

[bike mad]

Hi all... Can anybody actually beat anxiety..

How do you diminish the symptoms.. Mine are now numb head, kinda lightheadedness, very dull thoughts as if my brain is mush... Poor sleep for months, no energy, tingles and shakes in arms and legs, vision distortion, slight nausea and ringing ears, feel terrible every day..

Antidepressants are a definite no go for me as I get every rare side effect there is Having tried a few...

So how do I get rid of all the horrible symptoms and get back to being me, this is by far the worst hurdle I've encountered in life and I've had many ups and downs but never felt or been like this..... It's awfull..

Any ideas would be greatfully received because I don't want to live the rest of my life like this...

Many thanks, Chris.

[Lady21]

Hi Chris,

I understand as I have similar symptoms. Originally my doctor advised that I go on anti depressants but I refused as I was determined to get through my disorder by myself, few months passed and I was getting worse. I eventually went on them and they helped me to feel better but anti-depressants are not the only help, regular exercise is very good for the body and mind.
When you feel all these symptoms i find it helps to write down the things that bother me to off load them from my thoughts so that I dont need to keep thinking about them.
Try to relax, take a nice bubble bath, go for a nice long walk, listen to relaxing calming music.

I felt better in time.

Hope this helps

Michelle x

---------- Post added at 21:48 ---------- Previous post was at 21:41 ----------

Oh yes and Therapy helps too. Ask your doctor to refer you for therapy.
They teach you how to re-train how you think.
The anxiety is caused by worry. I know this because I had therapy. If you can stop the worry or learn how to worry less then the anxiety symptoms are less. Everyone gets anxious but you need to learn how to cope and stop it from getting too much.

Michelle x

[Dazza123]

Have you been offered Pregabalin? Its very different to AD's. I cannot take anything that is usually offered as they made me feel like I was going insane, but Pregabalin is an easy one to take on the whole, and Sertraline is not bad either.

[bike mad]

Thanks for your replies, I think the medication route is definitely a no go for me.. The anti depressants and the side effects I had have scarred me, petrified of them now... My doc gave me diazipam 5mg to help me sleep but with my fears of meds now I've only took half the tablet for a few weeks and then down to a quarter for a while... I'm now on day four with nothing and seem to be sleeping for around the same period of time Which is around five hours...

I'm currently giving therapy a go and trying something called emdr which is used for ptsd.. Hopefully this will help me...

I just want to get back to me and get rid of all these symptoms...Life's hard enough without all this...

Just hope there's light at the end of the tunnel because this anxiety crap is crippling... Chris..

[one day at a time]

You don't beat anxiety ;) you learn to first live along side it and accept your symptoms , it's your thought process towards anxiety . You will find hat the symptoms and sensations you feel will get less . I have also chosen the no medication route and educated myself on anxiety and why the body reacts the way it does , fearing my symptoms less and accepting them slowly . It's a long journey re training the mind

[MrAndy]

One day is correct you cant beat anxiety but can learn to live alongside it,as soon as you do this it loses its power and very slowly starts to fade.It takes time and patience but it can be done :)

[one day at a time]

We as sufferers think we are controlling the anxiety but in fact it's controlling us , learn to accept the symptoms and as poster above said , it loses its power and no longer controls us . Do the opposite to what your currently doing . I avoided situations that caused anxiety symptoms living in fear of them , I've withdrawn more and more over the years to the point of agoraphobia, now I push myself and do what I need to do with the symptoms , it's very hard but the symptoms are harmless , baby steps all the way .

[Tela44]

Bike Mad-your post sounds like me. Very similar constant symptoms.

I am in therapy and trying EMDR and not sure if it will work but hey, why not. Keep me posted on your progress.

[bike mad]

Thanks so much for the responses, I'm so grateful..

I can handle the body stuff it's the head stuff what's concerning... Ive gone from really strong intrusive thoughts to very numb distant thoughts.. As if my brain has shut down... I carnt think properly and started to get headaches which I've never suffered from before.. Seems I'm going through stages as things change every few weeks...

On the plus side, I seem to have more energy and don't shake as much..maybe things are starting to get better..

I understand what you're all saying about living along side it, it's just real hard to do... Many thanks for the support though... Chris..

[MrAndy]

Thanks so much for the responses, I'm so grateful..

I can handle the body stuff it's the head stuff what's concerning... Ive gone from really strong intrusive thoughts to very numb distant thoughts.. As if my brain has shut down... I carnt think properly and started to get headaches which I've never suffered from before.. Seems I'm going through stages as things change every few weeks...

On the plus side, I seem to have more energy and don't shake as much..maybe things are starting to get better..

I understand what you're all saying about living along side it, it's just real hard to do... Many thanks for the support though... Chris..
your brain shutting down is a result of a tired and over stimulated brain,it does it to protect itself
have you read this book http://www.anxietynomore.co.uk/the_book.html its really worth a read to make sense of what you are going through

[SarahH]

Time/rest/medication/mindfulness/understanding/education.

Sarah