Pigeon
25-04-19, 15:58
*Edit - title should say *avoid another etc etc...
Hello I'm wondering if any of you have advice you can offer to help me avoid spiraling out of control ? In my later years (I'm 61) I have come to recognise that I have a chronic anxiety disorder. Usually it's manageable but there was one occasion 5 years ago where it became acute and affected me quite badly. It made me quite ill and unable to function normally for a few months. In fact, I shut-down almost completely. It was triggered by some family and work issues - some serious, some not so much - that eventually got resolved. Perhaps surprisingly , I do think I am quite a resilient person having coped with lots of trauma before and since this, but that time I really couldn't cope.
Fast forward to now and to my horror I can feel the horrendous anxiety symptoms starting again, triggered by mainly family, or my own personal worries and the horrible stuff on the news. They are pretty typical - physically, nausea/stomach problems, feeling weak and jelly-like, exhausted, sleepless, loss of appetite etc. I also find myself obsessing and ruminating on the problems - some of which are beyond my control or not strictly my problem at all, but a family member I feel responsible for and who I worry about a lot. I am trying to help myself by distraction and focusing on the things I can control, but its not easy as some of them are quite difficult. And the exhaustion etc doesn't help as my appetite's gone and so energy levels are low.
I can feel myself starting to shut down and I want to stop it before it gets out of hand. I would appreciate any ideas/tips you have that would help me.
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies
x
Hello I'm wondering if any of you have advice you can offer to help me avoid spiraling out of control ? In my later years (I'm 61) I have come to recognise that I have a chronic anxiety disorder. Usually it's manageable but there was one occasion 5 years ago where it became acute and affected me quite badly. It made me quite ill and unable to function normally for a few months. In fact, I shut-down almost completely. It was triggered by some family and work issues - some serious, some not so much - that eventually got resolved. Perhaps surprisingly , I do think I am quite a resilient person having coped with lots of trauma before and since this, but that time I really couldn't cope.
Fast forward to now and to my horror I can feel the horrendous anxiety symptoms starting again, triggered by mainly family, or my own personal worries and the horrible stuff on the news. They are pretty typical - physically, nausea/stomach problems, feeling weak and jelly-like, exhausted, sleepless, loss of appetite etc. I also find myself obsessing and ruminating on the problems - some of which are beyond my control or not strictly my problem at all, but a family member I feel responsible for and who I worry about a lot. I am trying to help myself by distraction and focusing on the things I can control, but its not easy as some of them are quite difficult. And the exhaustion etc doesn't help as my appetite's gone and so energy levels are low.
I can feel myself starting to shut down and I want to stop it before it gets out of hand. I would appreciate any ideas/tips you have that would help me.
Thanks in advance to anyone who replies
x