Its back, need help

[Bulldog]

Firstly thanks for reading.

I have had up to now a fairly good year. Including a success story of me and my family going in our first holiday abroad for 14 years. But this past week has been really bad! I was absaloutly fine one minute watching tv with my wife then all if a sudden as if someone had flicked a switch it was back. I am worrying over everything and its getting worse. I cant relax it just feels like one long anxiety attack that I cant escape. I put a brave face on around my family and friends but feel like I am going to lose control. I went to my local walk in center and they gave me some propranolol. I am hoping for support on here and also any ways to stop or reduce anxiety to a manageable level. Does exercise really help? What about green tea? Any methods of relaxtion to help calm me down.

Thanks for reading.

[jayb1]

Chamomile tea ,relaxation hypnotherapy I use one by Thomas hall on you tube I find his voice really soothing. I do yoga and pilates and use an exercise bike that does help. The best thing is relaxed belly breathing . Breathe in slowly into your belly like you're trying to inflate it then exhale slowly. I used to count 4 on inhale and 7 on exhale but now I imagine the waves ebbing and flowing slowly in and out . People use progressive muscle
relaxation tensing each part of the body then relaxing it that's supposed to help but to me I find it agitating. Hope this helps

[Glasgowkaren83]

I find mindfulness helps I was very unsure if it but it works! Also just lying in a dark room with headphones on with relaxation music I hope u feel better soon remember it's only a blimp u got there before us will get there again:bighug1:

[Chocolateface]

Hi

I can relate to this my anxiety came back slowly since August and has now flared up big time, fortunately I found this site and got a lot of support and feel a bit better now.

Thinking back can you pin point a specific trigger for what happened to cause it, that might be able to help you find a way to overcome it.

Clare

[Bulldog]

Thank you all for replying.

I feel so alone so your comments really help. There wasnt an apparent trigger I was watching one of my fav shows and it just felt like someone had flicked a switch. I really do think its this time of year. I feel so exhausted and do calm down a little on a night but even that is getting harder then its same cycle come morning. I just wish I could wake up without that horrible feeling.

[Crystalhiggs]

Sorry to read this, life can seem very unfair sometimes, 2 steps forward one step back.
What has helped me massively is a combination of mindfulness and cbt. I also took up cycling and bought a nutribullet to ensure I get my 5 a day.
It isn't easy to change how you think but a little practise is all it takes. Start by being aware of what you see around you, what you can smell, hear, any taste in the mouth and what your body can feel, the chair, your hands in your lap etc. Breathe deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth. When a thought comes in just acknowledge that there's a thought. Don't buy into it. Focus on your breathing. After 10 minutes or so you should feel quite relaxed. Then just generally try to notice any negative thinking and counteract it with positives, so if your thought was 'oh what if this never goes away' think 'won't it be nice when this goes away'. It really does work, I'm living proof! Good luck!

[JamesM535]

Hey Bulldog, I personally started to feel noticeable reduction in anxiety thanks to exercises - it wasn't all at once though, it took me about a month of 3x/week gym - after that the 'bonus' really kicked off. The green tea is great but don't drink too much, theine can work similarly to coffeine so it's good to drink it in moderation. I hope you get better and congratulations on the good year

One thing that really works great for me is setting my goals and having a journal - the feeling of pride when I finish the day and write down my thoughts and little achievements makes me calm down and sleep well - the next day I feel much better and more motivated!