Relapse! Coping, Symptoms and Tips.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Yup, I agree Mrs. M.
My husband seems to go through cycles, but only "I" notice them..... when I ask him about it he says he's never thought about it. Therein lies our problem.... we think about EVERYTHING!
Sue

[Mrsmitchell1984]

Yes spot on- My mum always says it’s the curse of being intelligent x

[Carnation]

My online shopping backfired yesterday.
I did my weekly food shop as usual handed it over to Mr C to do the necessaries and waited for it to arrive yesterday afternoon. I waited and waited and waited. No delivery. To cut a boring story short, Mr C had not put the order through. and because of that I had to go shopping late in the day and in the dark. I can go without a lot but I've got to have me toast for breakfast.
Anyway, this fiasco really affected my anxiety and as much as I said to myself, "there are much worse things to worry about than this", my anxiety was ramped up so high.

But if someone was to call out help or someone had an accident or an injured animal needed attention, I'm straight in there like some hero saving the world, but running out of bread and milk becomes the catastrophe that I can't seem to deal with rationally.

As for thinking Mrs M, I have always had a great imagination and remember as a child creating fantastical stuff to give me comfort.
I still have a vivid imagination today.
But with that comes creativity and that's stead me well through my work life and hobbies.
I don't think I would be able to draw or create music and it certainly helped when I was a window dresser or putting on theme nights when we had a pub.
So out of something created to help you through bad times can benefit you in life too.
It's good to see beyond the daily grind of routine, to create something or be different.
If you put your mind to it you can do anything!

So yesterday was what I call a fair day, the shopping fiasco was my lowest point and today is a new day.
I wake up now before the alarm, that's always a good sign.
But I'm still feeling exhausted in the evening.
I'm not putting that down to anxiety. It's winter, it's been dark and miserable days and so what if I don't feel like doing anything but crashing on the sofa in front of the tv.
Thousands of people are doing the exact same thing.

[Mrsmitchell1984]

My online shopping backfired yesterday.
I did my weekly food shop as usual handed it over to Mr C to do the necessaries and waited for it to arrive yesterday afternoon. I waited and waited and waited. No delivery. To cut a boring story short, Mr C had not put the order through. and because of that I had to go shopping late in the day and in the dark. I can go without a lot but I've got to have me toast for breakfast.
Anyway, this fiasco really affected my anxiety and as much as I said to myself, "there are much worse things to worry about than this", my anxiety was ramped up so high.

But if someone was to call out help or someone had an accident or an injured animal needed attention, I'm straight in there like some hero saving the world, but running out of bread and milk becomes the catastrophe that I can't seem to deal with rationally.

As for thinking Mrs M, I have always had a great imagination and remember as a child creating fantastical stuff to give me comfort.
I still have a vivid imagination today.
But with that comes creativity and that's stead me well through my work life and hobbies.
I don't think I would be able to draw or create music and it certainly helped when I was a window dresser or putting on theme nights when we had a pub.
So out of something created to help you through bad times can benefit you in life too.
It's good to see beyond the daily grind of routine, to create something or be different.
If you put your mind to it you can do anything!

So yesterday was what I call a fair day, the shopping fiasco was my lowest point and today is a new day.
I wake up now before the alarm, that's always a good sign.
But I'm still feeling exhausted in the evening.
I'm not putting that down to anxiety. It's winter, it's been dark and miserable days and so what if I don't feel like doing anything but crashing on the sofa in front of the tv.
Thousands of people are doing the exact same thing.

Exactly - I am supposed to be going to yoga tonight - but will probably crash on the sofa.

sorry to hear of the fiasco. But I feel the same- a worry about whether depression or anxiety will disable me forever heightens them both. But when I was followed home the other day - I had no anxiety- just hurried on home. It doesn’t make sense does it?

creativity always seems to be the key- but once I am feeling better. Otherwise,
I think what is the point x

[DustingMyselfOff]

Thanks for the reminder about online grocery shopping: I think I was the one who suggested it to you originally, but since I retired I haven't used the service and forgot about it! Today sounds like the perfect day to use it: I have to head to a dental appointment soon and I SHOULD go to the grocery store after that, but I really, REALLY don't want to. I will be hungry, it's very cold out, and I have lots of things I want to do at the house so walking up and down the aisles of a large, brightly lit store does not sound appealing to me.

By the way, you need to train your Mr. C better.... since he forgot to submit the list, HE should have gone out last night to get your bread and milk! Actually, I've got mine trained so that even if it's me who forgot something, he's the one who runs out and gets it. Took years of training, but he's finally got it.

How do you all handle dental appointments? Mine is just a cleaning but I do need to report to them that I think the last crown they put in my mouth is not aligned right so I'm worried about how we'll solve that. I'm not actually "nervous" but I HATE going to the dentist! I hate the inconvenience to my day and I hate having anyone have their face and their hands in my mouth! I guess we all do, but it's one of those necessary evils.

Have a good day everyone. Or a medium day. Or a rotten day. Since we can't seem to control that, let's just have whatever life throws at us and handle it like champs!
Sue

[Mrsmitchell1984]

Thanks for the reminder about online grocery shopping: I think I was the one who suggested it to you originally, but since I retired I haven't used the service and forgot about it! Today sounds like the perfect day to use it: I have to head to a dental appointment soon and I SHOULD go to the grocery store after that, but I really, REALLY don't want to. I will be hungry, it's very cold out, and I have lots of things I want to do at the house so walking up and down the aisles of a large, brightly lit store does not sound appealing to me.

By the way, you need to train your Mr. C better.... since he forgot to submit the list, HE should have gone out last night to get your bread and milk! Actually, I've got mine trained so that even if it's me who forgot something, he's the one who runs out and gets it. Took years of training, but he's finally got it.

How do you all handle dental appointments? Mine is just a cleaning but I do need to report to them that I think the last crown they put in my mouth is not aligned right so I'm worried about how we'll solve that. I'm not actually "nervous" but I HATE going to the dentist! I hate the inconvenience to my day and I hate having anyone have their face and their hands in my mouth! I guess we all do, but it's one of those necessary evils.

Have a good day everyone. Or a medium day. Or a rotten day. Since we can't seem to control that, let's just have whatever life throws at us and handle it like champs!
Sue

I like that last bit- yes you are right- we can’t control what life throws at us- only how we react to it.

As for dental appointments - they are a nuisance. I don’t mind them too much - I am more of a hospital hater. But I don’t like the pain it causes when they clean your teeth. However, my cousin hates the dentist and she had to have all her teeth replaced as they went rotten. I guess the only advice I can offer is mindfulness - distancing yourself from what is going on. Imagine it is happening to someone else? Imagining you are somewhere else? I’m sure people have better advice than I am offering xxxx

[Carnation]

Let's start on the negatives and end on the positives....

I had a bad night's sleep. My sinuses are resembling Niagra Falls at the moment and when I lie down, I'm constantly woken up with the tickling throat and coughing myself in to exhaustion. I've also been dealing with a gum infection and although much better, it has made me feel a bit run down. This has led me back to feeling depressed again and my general malaise has been affected.
As for the anxiety.... Its still there, of course it is, but it's just about manageable.
I seem to be going through a pattern of one or two days bad anxiety, a good day, then depression, then anxiety and depression, back to bad anxiety, then possibly one or two better days.
I can't plan anything and wake up thinking, "so what's it to be today?"

So yesterday, not my best, constantly having shivering and then a hot flush. Highly sensitised again and feeling generally yuck. But not to be beat, went in to town to keep my CBT work in practice. Headed for one of those big shops with overhead lighting like a stadium. Lots of aisles and shelving packed to the ceiling. Absolutely no where to lean, sit or grab on to. Shiny flooring in a clinical white colour, all my worst fears.
So on entering, immediately focused on the items on the shelves and slowly made my way around the aisles. Once in the core of the shop felt quite trapped and very nervous, but kept going. I could see the cash out and headed for that. My thinking was that was the way out because by this time I had no interest in anything in the shop. I picked up something cheap and paid for it, forced myself some small chat and very slowly headed for the exit.
But before I left, I stood still to not leave straight away to avoid that flight mode. I diverted and headed for a cute dog I saw with someone and spent a good five minutes chatting and making a fuss of their dog. (If only they knew).
Left feeling like I'd been in there for hours, but no panic and no anxiety reaction.
You can't thinking "why has life become so difficult to even do the most normal stuff?"
But we are where we are and we have to deal with it!

Dentist.....
No, not my favourite, but not as bad for me as a hospital.
I don't like the cleaning process. The machine has an uncomfortable tickling and the noise is horrendous. I don't like laying back for fear of becoming dizzy rising.
I don't like the smell or the awkward silence and worst still, not being able to speak.
I had a clean a year ago and plumped for the manual clean where they scrape and although I found it less stressing, it's still not nice.
I must tell the dentist 4 or 5 times "I'm nervous, really nervous, very nervous, have extreme anxiety...."
No, only go if I really, really have to.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Hi, Mrs. C.
I'm a little confused: you said you felt "trapped and nervous" when you were in the big store, but you ended with "no panic and no anxiety reaction". I would think feeling trapped and nervous and finding it difficult to do "the most normal stuff" IS an anxiety reaction, right? I'm not saying you didn't do great to accomplish what you did, but I'm wondering if your perception of anxiety and panic is different than mine.

The dentist doesn't really scare me, it just annoys the p/ss out of me. It's a chore and a task that takes up too much time where I would rather be doing something else, but I should stop whining because I'm sure there are people who would love the luxury of having their teeth tended to. But it was 90 minutes of unpleasant-ness, and THEN they asked me to make an appointment for the following week for the part where the actual dentist comes in and does her complete exam. I said "No. I'll wait until she's free." They told me she was in the middle of a long procedure and would be at least an hour, so I told them to find me an opening later in the same day because I couldn't afford to waste two days on a routine cleaning. So I went back at 5:30, and of course she wanted to discuss all kinds of things that I didn't want to hear. I don't know about dental care in your area, but the dentists here are now mandated to do quite a physical work up on our entire body, NOT just the teeth. She wants to fit me for a night guard because my jaw is slightly out of whack, and she thinks I might suffer from sleep apnea and wants me to go for a sleep study!

Anyway, I'm heading off to work in a few minutes, and will be glad to get there - it's always so busy that it's a great distraction and I leave there tired, but accomplished, and if I'm lucky I am still running on adrenaline when I leave and can actually throw in an errand or two.

For those of us who are not feeling great today (I have a stuffy head and feel too much adrenaline in my system) let's focus on the fact that our lives are SO MUCH BETTER than a lot of people in the world. It's friggin' cold outside, and yet I can sit here on my recliner with a blanket and turn up the heat. I can go to the kitchen if I'm hungry, and I can seek medical care if I don't feel well. I am blessed.
Sue

[Carnation]

Hi Sue, I should have said that although I was anxious and nervous which is anxiety as you say. I didn't go light or have a panic attack, that is why I was pleased.
I may be along way off from feeling not anxious or nervous, but I'm exposing myself to the fear in hope that it will subside eventually.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Hi Sue, I should have said that although I was anxious and nervous which is anxiety as you say. I didn't go light or have a panic attack, that is why I was pleased.
I may be along way off from feeling not anxious or nervous, but I'm exposing myself to the fear in hope that it will subside eventually.

Good for you, Mrs. C! I often tend to try and struggle through and "white knuckle" it when I feel anxiety symptoms because they are never severe like they were during my younger years. Also, I don't really have anxiety or panic anymore - when I have too much hormone/adrenaline/cortisol running through my system, it's always a PHYSICAL thing instead of mental. Today at work I noticed my pins and needles in my face and ignored it, and then started feeling really tired, ignored it, and then felt like I had been hit by a truck. I was convinced I was coming down the flu and actually contemplated asking if there were someone who could do afternoon meds for me because I needed to go home sick. But first I decided to try my old tried and true solution when I feel like that: a tranquilizer. An hour later, I got my energy back and no longer felt sick. I hate what these hormones do to me physically, but I guess I should be glad I don't freeze up or panic anymore. I started my new thyroid med 13 days ago so I'm guessing that's the problem and that I will be going through bouts of this for the next 6 weeks or so. That's always been the pattern when we change my med. If I'm still feeling that way AFTER the six weeks, then I'll have to look into another cause. Here I am, four hours later, and I'm starting to feel lousy again, so I guess it's wearing off. But since I'm home now, I can just deal with it and accept it, on the couch.... no more commitments for the day.
Sue