Agitation. Need help.

[MOJO]

Can anyone give me any tips on how they deal with this awful feeling of agitation? The knots and butterflies in the stomach, feeling like a coiled spring or that you're plugged into the national grid! I feel like if someone stuck a pin in me it would let out all the tension. I have this nearly all day every day. It drives me mad. Nothing seems to calm it for more than a minute or two. Does anyone else have this constantly too?
I would be so grateful for some replies. Thank you.
Judy.xx

[JohnLuke300]

Hi Judy, I know exactly how you feel,I have suffered from anxiety since childhood. I Pretty much felt this way nearly every day since then. The problem is usually increased by negative thinking or thinking too much about the things that make you anxious. I can only suggest that you use some form of distraction to occupy you mind. Try activities that distract you away from your normal thinking pattern. I find watching films, playing strategy games or reading often helps me to reduce my anxiety levels. This helps with the anxiety in the short term but only addressing the issues that cause the anxiety can completely remove it.
There are relaxation techniques available but I have found them ineffective when I tried them.

I know this will be of little consolation but having felt this way since childhood I have learned to cope and accept the anxiety. It can't physically harm you and I think many people like myself learn to tolerate the condition. I can not remember I time when I did not feel this way and I think that might be a blessing in a way.

I hope this will prove some help, I empathize with you plight and wish you the all the best. Remember you are not alone, I and other here are more than willing to help you. :hugs:

Regards John.

[MOJO]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I can't begin to imagine how it must feel to have suffered like this for most of your life. You must be a very strong person to deal with it. I admire you for being able to do that. I hope that I don't have this for the rest of my life as I don't think I could survive like this.
Thank you also for the tips and ideas.
I wish you well.
Judy.:hugs:

[gtrgrl3369]

This is exactly how I knew an anxiety attack was coming, I would get so irritable so fast. It was like I could feel it coming and there was nothing I could do to stop it and then it became a vicious cycle. I felt so knotted and there felt like there was a bubble of madness caught in my throat that needed to come out. I told my doctor and this is what he came up with and it works for me. Get yourself a stereo or a private music player and play something mellow that you like to listen to. It will calm you so quick. I still caryy around a player just in case I need it. It worked for me and I hope it works for you. Remember the saying that music "soothes the savage beast"P.S. not that your a beast......think of it like that...calming whatever is inside waiting to burst out.My favorite song to calm is Somewhere over the Rainbow...go figure.:D

[MOJO]

Thank you for that tip I will definately try it out. You can call me a beast if you like! I'll answer to anything if your suggestion works, it will be worth it!! lol:roflmao:

From what you say I guess you are recovered. It's reassuring to know that there is a light at the end of this black tunnel.

Judy.

[kathee]

if you do not have a player with you ... singing your favourite song out loud works too ..... if you cant sing out loud just sing it in your head .... helps with the breathing thingie too x x x

[MOJO]

Thanks for that Kathee.:) I will keep all these ideas in mind.

I'm open to any more suggestions too if anyone has any?

[JohnLuke300]

A question? Do you have any structure to your day? Do you have a daily routine you follow?

I noticed the days that I am more active and I have planned out usually coincided with days that my anxiety seemed lower.

When I was doing CBT and spoke to my therapist, she told me that people who have structured days or daily routines tend to suffer less from anxiety or depression than those who have no routine.

I believe this is because you spend less time thinking about the things that make you anxious. Again this is a form of distraction.

P.S. Thanks for the kind comments regarding my experiences with anxiety:yesyes:. I suffer from social phobia and I find that my avoidance is what causes me the most difficulty.

[MOJO]

I don't have a lot of structure to my days, no. I stopped working about 2 years ago and I was fine for the first year. Last year my mother had a bad accident which she has made a good recovery from and also my daughter got married. Both very stressful for me in different ways. It was in November that my anxiety took off in a big way. Looking back i have suffered from bouts of it for years but didn't realize what was going on.
My day is not filled very well. I have certain days when I do go to various activities but not every day. I kind of hang about feeling very anxious and agitated looking for something to distract me and pass the long long day ahead. I feel very anxious before I go anywhere or do anything but always try to go as I quite often know I will feel better when I get there or participate in whatever it is I am doing.
Sorry to ramble, I'm sure you didn't want my life story!
Judy.

[pammy1944]

I'm just curious ..which meds are you on?

[MOJO]

Hi! Only a tiny bit of 25mg seroquel which I take at night. I was on half a tablet but am cutting right down to nothing. Tried a couple of other tablets a while ago but had horrible side effects so doctor took me off them. Am trying to do this without meds. Hope i can!!
Judy.

[JohnLuke300]

I think the fact that you have no structure to your days and you have probably withdrawn yourself from being active because of your anxiety (something that I can can completely empathize with :wacko:.) is contributing to your anxiety. Having plenty of free time on your hands tends to keep us thinking too much about the things that makes us anxious. This only fuels our anxiety and reinforces our fears.
Having an active and structured day distracts us away from anxious thoughts. We then spend most of the day thinking about the activities rather than the things that makes us anxious.

You mentioned two stressful occurrences in your life, these probably restarted your anxiety problems and with the lack of a daily routine and possible avoidance behavior (i.e. a reluctance to participate in activities, particularly when feeling anxious. Again something that I am no stranger to :doh:.) which are only going to contribute to maintaining your anxiety levels.

My advice is try to be more active, plan your days out before hand and start doing activities that you might enjoy. Reduce the hours in the day you leave to negative thinking.

Hope these suggestion are useful.
John

P.S. I don't mind it when you ramble. :D

[MOJO]

I'm glad that you don't mind if I ramble as I do quite a lot of it.....especially when I'm anxious.:blush:

You are spot on with the suggestion of planning out activities for my day. My No Panic mentor and my pschiatric nurse have told me to do the exact same thing. The trouble is I have felt so bad these last few weeks that I just can't concentrate enough to do anything, puzzles, jigsaws, cookong, reading etc. all things I used to enjoy. I feel so shaky, anxious and generally weird that although I really try, it seems impossible. I seem frozen to the spot, feeling the feelings! I havn't stopped going out though. I shop every day and go to my walking group twice a week even though I feel awful most of the time (it was a bit better until the last few weeks). I'm just hoping if I stick at it I will find it gets easier.
Thank you for your replies, John. I'm most grateful.

[JohnLuke300]

I know exactly what it is like not to be able to concentrate, focus on any activity or sit still for very long. It is a very frustrating and disabling experience. I am pleased to see that you have not completely given up on all the activities you were doing, that is important for coping with your anxiety.

If I get a prolonged period of intense anxiety there is often a specific reason for it. Unfortunately the reason is not always an obvious one, it is often a good idea to monitor your anxiety on a daily basis. Try getting a diary and writing your anxiety level down on a scale of 10 to 1 with 10 being extreme and 1 very low. Also write down any events that might make you anxious on the day. Then if you notice your anxiety as been particularly high for a while check back to when it started to rise and see if you can identify the cause. If you can, try and address it and your anxiety should decrease. But as I said this is not always easy because the causes of anxiety can be very subtle.
Using this system can also help in identifying the root causes of your anxiety (That's if you haven't identified them already!).

I sympathize with your plight, although I regularly suffer bouts of intense anxiety, the longevity of my condition as resulted in me becoming tolerant of it. I wish otherwise, but I know no quick fix to reduce you anxiety significantly.

I hope your anxiety subsides soon, I know your are suffering from this cruel illness. And if you need support or advice in future you need only need contact me or post on the forums. Having 30 years of experience, loads of therapy and reading numerous books on anxiety and phobias as left me with buckets full of useless information. ;)

All the best

John

[MOJO]

Thank you John,
I am aware that certain things make me more anxious than others. For example going to an appointment at docs etc. where I have to sit and wait agitatedly (don't know if that's a word or not!) or a social event or a trip away:ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: . However, I seem to be scared of everything really as I am even anxious about how I'm going to cope in my own house with these feelings. It's such a horrible thing to have to live with. I just live all day looking forward to evening time as the anxiety finally abates to a tolerable level then.
Thanks again.
Judy.

[JohnLuke300]

You do realize you have just revealed you biggest problem. I quote 'I just live all day looking forward to evening time'. This suggests to me you are not occupying you daytime with activities to distract yourself away from these thought patterns. I know how difficult it can be, but unless you create an active day plan you are only maintaining your anxiety.

We anxiety sufferers are our worst enemies. We are the way we are because we do the opposite of what we should be doing! :doh:

[MOJO]

Hi! I have really taken note of all the advice to fill my day better and the last couple of days I have made a kind of timetable to give me a bit of structure to the day. I have stuck to it although I find when I started doing a couple of activities (things that are so ridiculous to panic over, 1 was just starting a jigsaw!!!1) I suddenly felt really panicky...I'm hoping it's just the anxiety fighting back because I'm challenging it? Do you think that's possible?

[ElizabethJane]

Agitation is a horrible symptom to have to cope with. When I was recovering from anxiety and depression I was told to perform a relaxation cd at least once a day. This has helped enormously to calm and still my mind. I find that if I am waiting for an appointment or in a traffic jam (not driving) hypnosis exercises work best ie visualising somewhere calm and peaceful like being on the beach. Tensing and letting go all the tension in your body also helps. A few affirmations said quietly will also help. Physical exercise also helps but I know it is often the effort of doing it that puts us off. Walking and swimming and pilates work best for me. I hope that you find something that works for you.

[aurora]

HI Mojo,

All these suggestions are GREAT. I have another one for you that works so well for me. Get some lavender essential oil and an oil diffuser (I have one that plugs into a wall socket and gives off a tiny bit of heat, which warms a pad that I soak in the lavender oil). Also, I have lavender room spray that I use. I used to spray this in my office every morning, and I found that I stayed relatively calm all day, even with my very stressful job. I really recommend trying this. I think you'll be surprised at how effective it is. It's a temporary fix, but I've found that the calmness from using lavender oil eventually becomes "habit" after awhile, and you'll start to need it less and less.

Take care,

aurora

[JohnLuke300]

Hi! I have really taken note of all the advice to fill my day better and the last couple of days I have made a kind of timetable to give me a bit of structure to the day. I have stuck to it although I find when I started doing a couple of activities (things that are so ridiculous to panic over, 1 was just starting a jigsaw!!!1) I suddenly felt really panicky...I'm hoping it's just the anxiety fighting back because I'm challenging it? Do you think that's possible?


It's likely some process went on in your mind that triggered it, this is not always easy to identify because the anxiety can start a while after the triggering thought (often referred to as the 'Hot Thought'). One piece of advice though, never fight panic (even it does try and fight back). Just observe it and let it pass, fighting only prolongs it and makes it worse.

[rebeccad]

hi not sure how you feel about meds i was really against them but doc put me on propranalol i did take them (not willingly) but since then i have not woke up with that butterflies in the stomach at all, maybe you could talk to your doc. xx

[MOJO]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions to help my agitation. I really am very grateful and will try them all! It's so comforting to know that people care enough to try to help, and I know you all understand exactly how I feel. Family are very supportive, also friends but no one except those that have experienced this can truly understand the depth of suffering we go through. Please feel free to continue sharing as many tips as you like!:hugs:
Judy.

[MOJO]

Going through a bad spell of this again. I am always looking for more tips to help. I also thought it would be a good idea to bump up this thread as I feel a there are a lot of good coping strategies on here and that they may help someone else suffering from this horrible feeling.
Judy.x