Tired of my mind

[sulmare]

sometimes I feel like it is my enemy...

not all the time, but it feels like it is the thoughts in my head which cause the anxiety for me and some days I just need to feel sedated to get by, which I hate by the way..

I am trying to give up meds, though the doctors and pscyh think I should be taking AD's.. the thing is, I am not depressed, I have been depressed in the past so I know how it feels, and I feel nothing like that, just anxious... isn't it an uphill battle somedays :wacko:

[Lilith1980]

Hi Tina,

Its interesting that you say you're tired of your mind, because I think the reason you feel the way you do is because your MIND is TIRED.

Do you have any ways that you like to relax? A hot bath, reading, music, meditation? These can be good distractions to anxious feelings whilst recharging your batteries :)

I'm sure we can all relate to it being an uphill struggle sometimes, I dont understand why there are so many ups and downs. At the moment I dont feel too bad, in fact I feel numb to the anxious feelings but I always wonder when the next low point will be :wacko:

[chalky]

Hi Tina,

Sometimes,it feels like I am pre-disposed to focus on the negative.My mind tends to follow well-trodden paths in my outlook on life.Coming to the Forum has shown me that I have to unlearn this and devote my energies to a new way of living.I accept that this will not be without its blips along the way.It is, though, down to me.I have to drag myself out sometimes to walk the dog,or do things when I really don't feel like it.Afterwards,I generally feel better for doing so.
I know this can be hard.frustrating work but I believe you can and will succeed.Accept bad times for what they are and focus your energies on the positive things in your life.
You can do this.
Best wishes,
Chalky

[monique]

So agree, it your mind thats tired. And even if part of your mind wont believe it, some pleasurable experiences will rejuvenate you. Even if you have to do it in a really unspontaneous way you can give yourself some nurturing. Can you remember a time that you felt a simple pleasure? Something easy to make happen again, like being somewhere peaceful or listening to nice music.

I know that nurturing physical touch always sends my mind a positive message. We have these chinese guys that have set up a massage business right in the middle of the busy shopping mall. At first it seemed really weird to think of sitting there getting a massage in the middle of all those people. But now I do it often. No one takes any notice, its really cheap and those guys are really good too.

Anyway, yes it is an uphill battle, so all the more reason to give ourselves nice things along the way dont you think.
:hugs: Monique

[sulmare]

thank you peeps for your replies... I was letting off steam really, sometimes it would just be nice to escape yourself for a while.

On the whole, thanks to the list of symptoms posted on this site, I really realise that all that I am really suffering from is high anxiety, and whilst that is bad enough, at least I can identify things as signs of such when they happen and that has really lessened the load. :D

[cece]

Tina all our anxiety comes from the inaccurate and upsetting way we are processing our thoughts. Have you tried CBT yet? It is what helped me get where I am today and completely off meds:yesyes:
The book we used in my group called Been There, Done that? DO THIS! by Sam Obitz is really basic and teaches you the TEA form thought countering exercise which is the key in my opinion to getting better. I still do them all the time to this day to keep anxiety under control. Take care:)

[Bill]

When we have an anxious thought, our body reacts creating our anxiety symptoms such as palpitations which we then focus on because the symptoms then scare us into thinking we're ill which then creates even more anxious thoughts and then the cycle continues until we feel worn out and "tired of our minds"!

We need to break the cycle by stopping our minds thinking anxious thoughts.

There are 2 things - 1) the mind needs to be occupied with "outside" interests rather than "inner" thoughts and feelings the symptoms create. 2) To learn not to react to anxious thoughts because they are just a "thought" which when we don't dwell on will pass onto another thought.

Often if we're stuck indoors, alone, bored and have nothing to think about, our anxious thoughts will rule us keeping us living in anxiety.

Keep the mind occupied on engrossing things and try not to dwell on anxious thoughts by "thinking" too much about them. Let them go like a breath on the wind.:hugs:

[BasilCat]

Hi Bill, Its me, Shirley and you are so right with what you say in your above post. Trouble is, I am so lonely. I am sat here now, knowing that I am only going to speak to a lady in a shop or perhaps the post man. I find these lonely days really hard to deal with.

At least I was at Slimming World a couple of hours yesterday and am back at Martin Mere on Thursday, then the Psychologist on Friday. But thats about all at the moment.

I know exactly what you mean about keeping your mind occupied and not reacting to anxious thoughts. Thats spot on. I have wondered about getting back into my French again. The only trouble is that sitting here, I cannot see an immediate use for it so I am procrastinating. I was really good at it at school (35 years ago!!) and it would be a good project wouldnt it. I would love to be bilingual but dont know if its possible at my age. Also, I am trying to get into card making - I just need to develop my artistic imaginiation a bit further I think. But I would like to be good enough to go to craft fairs and such like. So I have some ideas. I just wish I would stop procrastinating with my French.

I think though that I was doing really well to go down town on Saturday afternoon and park well away from the shops. It was the first time I had been in town on a Saturday for months and I was doing well to walk so far from the car too. So I was really pleased with that.

I hope you are ok Bill. If I just wasnt so lonely.........

Shirley

[Dave777]

I know how you feel Tina.
I am looking forward to the first signs of Spring, it keeps me going.

cheers
Dave:flowers:

[cece]

Bill, what you are saying has validity but we learned in my CBT group that those actions you suggest are helpful but tend to mask the problem and until you get to the root of those inner thoughts that cause the anxiety and change the way your mind is processing them, from overly emotionally charged to more objective realistic processing, the anxiety will come and go forever.

[Bill]

Hello Cece,

I agree with everything you say because we Do need to tackle our fears to overcome them. Fears come in different forms so there are different ways to overcome them.

Treating fears takes a long time and so we get bad days when we just need a way to ease our anxious feelings. Distraction can help on those bad days but in the longer term, as you rightly say, the issues causing those bad days need to be treated to stop the bad days from happening.

If anxious thoughts are making us low, we need a way to switch them off for a while. I look at distraction as a coping method to help us realise it's just anxiety causing our symptoms to help us feel stronger to confront our issues. I do totally agree with you though Cece.

Shirley, you're doing the right thing in getting out as much as you can. Go for anything and everything you want to do and you'll reap the rewards by meeting new friends and so feel less alone. We all need a circle of friends who share common interests.:hugs:

[cece]

Hi Bill, Thanks for the thoughtful and very nice reply:) I'm glad to see we are on the same page. I didn't mean to imply that distraction was of no use, but rather that it can be a trap if you use it too much, just like meds can be by themselves imo. Take care and keep in touch:D