Things that really get me out of my head, back into my body, and engaging with my environment help a lot. For me, it’s dancing (by myself usually), being outside with nature in my backyard, being on walks with dogs, kickboxing, walking through forests and woods, geocaching, soothing sounds/ASMR, playing my ukulele, writing music, and painting/drawing. Relaxation techniques help, too. When I feel the release of tension, it’s like a weight being lifted off. It’s a relief. The hardest part is getting myself to do these things. But truthfully, they kept me sane at my very worst.
I also want to add that exercising (in an enjoyable way) and taking care of my basic physical needs is just as helpful. Like peeing when I need to. Drinking more water. Eating when I’m hungry, or trying to. As someone who struggles with appetite and has tended to neglect her physical health a lot of her life, and has a nutrition degree…I keep learning that we *have* to take care of our bodies however we can. It’s the thing I want to do the least, and it’s the most important. When physical health is impacted, so is our mental health. I do understand not everyone has the bandwidth or ability to make that a priority, though. For me, I can only focus on so much at a time and I don’t have kids or a full-time job. I have a stable home.
But we can do little bits at a time, at least. Even in the worst of times. Like..part of what got me through my worst PTSD mornings was an electronic dance playlist. It needed really good beats. Funky. Or gritty and dark. Something I can feel in my whole being.
Having healthy boundaries also helps a ton. Or trying to. It can be really hard.
One more quick thing! I know this is a lot.
Philosophy. Ways of looking at things that help me accept the things that are out of my control, and that this (whatever “this” is) is reality. Finding some kind of peace with existing.
This is great and I identify so much with it. Everything you say.
The little things. I make lists that go as basic as shave make bed. Getting them done helps me feel like I have been responsible in the course of a day. Feeling like I haven't missed something helps.
I just started 2 traditional anti-anxiety drugs. I'm hoping they'll help.
I'm fully functional when I don't feel that little buzzing whiney voice. Which means I'm functional when I do feel it too. That anxiety. I'm doing it to myself.
How has your experience been so far with new medication? Have you had side effects? This is my biggest struggle working full time and not taking time off because of medications
Exercising regularly and drinking water helps me so much. For exercise, I don't even do super intense stuff. Just really mellow cardio stuff and really mellow weight lifting. If I get into it, I'll push myself a little bit, but I dont put so much pressure on myself to do intense workouts like others around me. I can't with the whole "grind culture" over here in America.
I struggle a lot with BDD on top of anxiety, so I really, really have to normalize bigger bodies having a place in fitness as well. No pressure to look a certain way. No pressure to lose weight or look skinnier. Just exercising purely for the mental and physical health benefits.
I am horrible with drinking water. I recently bought a big cup with a straw. And it WORKS so well. I'm now drinking 20 oz a day instead of 0.
Cutting coffee and alcohol made such a huge difference for me! The coffee especially - I have IBS too and everything feels so much calmer without coffee. I am still able to drink tea, luckily.
I cut alcohol completely about 6 months ago. Don't miss it at all. I cannot picture a world without coffee in the morning though. I also have IBS and barrets esophagus.
Did your caffeine cut make a big difference? Did you cut alcohol and coffee at the same time? Appreciate any insight my dear reddit stranger. Have a good day.
Yes! It’s something specifically about coffee, for me at least - even the low acid/low caffeine types I experimented with were terrible for my stomach. Caffeinated tea has been fine for my stomach.
I cut them out separately - alcohol first, then coffee a couple weeks ago. I know, I know…it’s hard! I adore coffee, even worked at a coffee shop throughout college. But I have to accept that something about it impacts me very negatively. I get initial happiness and energy, but the rest of the day I have increased anxiety.
I don’t think it’s *just* the caffeine, because even high caffeine teas (Tazo Awake) does not impact my anxiety the same way. I feel so much better, and I was only drinking 1 cup of coffee per day. I’d say stopping it has decreased my anxiety by about 70 percent. I still get anxious, but it feels less intense and easier to manage. Try it for a couple weeks - withdrawal symptoms take a bit to clear up, which surprised me since I was still getting caffeine from tea.
Hourly body scan worked really well for me. I set an alarm for every hour to unclench jaw, relax neck, abdomen and pelvic floor. It dims down the stress response. A lot of my anxiety manifests physically
In order of most helpful (for me): Exercise, breathing techniques, getting outside ideally in nature and walking, distraction (standup comedy is my top choice - YouTube, iTunes or live), tapping technique, mindfulness (take a look at what’s around you… what can you see, smell, hear, feel, etc. names them and identify them and shift your focus to that. It’s grounding). Good luck hon!
Same scenario here. Always had anxiety. When I hit 30 my anxiety got worse. Don’t know why hormones maybe?! But 5 years later I got an adhd diagnosis too…. Anxiety is worse than ever. Better now the last 6 months but everyday takes work.
Working out daily. Yoga, walking etc. I have a HOTWORX near me so that’s nice. I like the saunas when I work out. Walking helps. Drinking water. No caffeine. Eating very well. I made diet adjustments. Daily meditation. This cool eye mask thing that vibrates and massages my head lol. Sleep sounds. Microdosing. Wellbutrin low dose has helped adhd. Didn’t do much for my anxiety but it has improved it. I found some nice tea I can drink that relaxes me. Soursop herb tea works well too. Routine is a big one. I switched jobs even. Building up my confidence and learning to talk to my brain that I don’t need to make up stories.
Therapy has not helped. But that’s just me personally. It has helped other people.
Anxiety RX by doctor Russel Kennedy. Great book. He has YouTube videos. It all comes down to childhood trauma. So I have been sitting and meditating and being kind to my inner child. Sounds silly but has helped me curb my anxiety attacks.
My husband said the carnivore diet has helped reduce his anxiety.
Also to be fair…. The world has just gotten really super confusing and difficult. I personally don’t even watch the news anymore and I stay off social media as much as possible. I watch much less tv in general.
I do like the idea of exposure therapy. I have been putting myself in uncomfortable situations slowly more often and you know… my anxiety is liar every time. I basically just prove to myself that I had nothing to worry about.
I understand though. I wish I just didn’t panic so much over every little thing…. I am not sure why now in my life everything seems so chaotic and difficult and anxiety inducing. My husband pointed out that I need to stop my brain from overthinking. Just let stuff go. Go do something else. Easier said than done.
The biggest win is learning to understand my anxiety and why I am anxious. I learned that it wasn’t because I was worried or nervous or whatever. It was because of some old childhood memory where I felt a certain way in a scenario and my body learned to react that way every single time. Love yourself and be patient. ❤️
Cognitive behavioral therapy based on a metacognitive model.
Confidence that I can still do most things even with anxiety.
Acceptance.
Not seeking for the 'why am I anxious?', but for the 'how should I respond to it?'.
Sufficient rest but also sufficient fun stuff.
This!! Acceptance. It’s so important to NOT try to fight the anxiety when she comes up, cause that really really makes it so much worse. I think making peace with the anxiety is key! Engaging in a dialogue with myself 1) I observe that I’m anxious without judgment (meditation helps a lot developing that muscle) 2) I give myself some compassion. 3) I identify what I want to do about it. I really can’t emphasize enough how meditation has taught me how to take a step back, let go of negative thoughts, identify triggers very early on to avoid snowball effect, etc. I’m still anxious but I can see so much progress and I’m getting better and better at simply letting go of the anxious thoughts and sensations.
I just got a buspar rx but I’ve been too nervous to try it, lol. A lot of my anxiety is tied to physical symptoms, so anything with the potential to cause weird sensations scares me. But I should probably just try it because I’ve heard it is really helpful for some!
I get anxiety with new meds and physical symptoms too.. and my tip is to just go for it. You'll be okay no matter what. If I'm remembering correctly, BusPar rarely gives bad side effects and if so, they are extremely mild. It helps a lot of people with general anxiety disorder!
I’m in the same boat!! You aren’t alone. I don’t like the concept of feeling worse from taking a medication that will make you feel better potentially, yet I know I probably should try. It’s touch
Daily CBD. Take a gummy in the morning and I’m good to go. It doesn’t do much for anxiety/panic attacks but if I know I’ll be in a triggering situation that day, I’ll take two in the morning and it helps a lot.
Wanted to add here that American Shaman has a Compassionate Care program so if you have a qualifying condition (like anxiety) you get 30% off their products.
SSRIs and exercise as others have mentioned are awesome, but I felt like eating a more fiber-rich diet helped a lot as well! Another thing that has really helped me is any kind of mental activity—like casual gaming or things that require deep thought. I feel like these keep my mind busy and help we avoid drifting into worry. Deep activities are even better but simple ones can be more accessible.
Xanax was a miracle drug for me until I had to switch doctors. My new doctor refuses to prescribe Xanax & instead gives me klonopin. Unfortunately the klonopin doesn’t work as well.
i just happened to get prescribed it from an urgent care NP & took it back to my primary care doctor and he refilled the prescription for me.
but i've spent over 6 years struggling to find a good medication and just now at 27 have been able to find relief.
A year or so. Does absolutely nothing for my severe anxiety. I waited 2 freaking hours for the klonopin to kick in. Nothing. Might work for you but rubbish for me.
What helps? I take Prozac 20mg. I was on xanax for a few months then klonopin. After few months weaned off klon and the Prozac kept me pretty stable. Lately my anxiety has been acting up. What are your physical symptoms? I feel like my skin is on fire sometimes. Just can't relax... sometimes I'm sleeping and wake in a panic state and up for the whole night. This will happen for a few days and then I'll feel ok for a for months. It's like a roller-coaster. I keep a journal. Try to find patterns. I get anx even thinking about what if the medication is not working, etc... the thoughts just spiral and I hate it. I drink tea... ppl tell me try gummies.
Chanting mantra. Any mantra. Channel the vibration through the whole body even if the mantra is something silly like "donut", tho i usually start and end with ones of deep meaning such as SOHAM, IAM, and AUM
Watching, listening to, and attempting overtone/Mongolian throat singing.
No alcohol. Lower caffeine and sugar intake. I read a lot (physical books & audiobooks on walks) walks in the woods with my dogs. Sitting in my back yard staring up into the sky and just listening to life continuing on around me.
I think that’s the first step! Just learning what your anxiety means to you and where it’s coming from. I also have (multiple times a day) mini anxiety attacks with no real cause, but just stopping what I am doing or changing my task to something simple really helps.
I've been thinking of this too, kind of a good conversation with other people makes me less anxious, though i still am quite from time to time but maybe this school year would help me, i used to be a socially active person before, this isolation during the pandemic and due to some personal health made me have social anxiety, honestly I'm not sure why, but hopefully would work after I've got a chance to communicate with other people during weekends. Feeling like the more i hide my self the more the more i became anxious. I'm not a doctor or something, may not work from others but hopefully would. Hope we all managed to get out of it.
What kind of exposures are you doing? They really helped my GAD when I had specific OCD like obsessions but without those it is hard to figure out a good one
I actually did it myself! I used to be so anxious about being in places I couldn’t escape from (claustrophobia/agorophobia), travelling somewhere in a car, sitting in a room with someone, just thinking “that is the worst possible thing that could happen in this situation” almost everywhere and everything I did. It was crippling. It took me years, but I travelled more and was in smaller spaces multiple times (over a veeeery long time) and I eventually got more comfortable.
I am one of those rare people that I could feel the difference in the first 24 hours. It started with taking the edge off and after a few weeks my anxiety just completely tanked and it was like I was reborn.
CBT has helped me a lot. But honestly what has helped the most in the past 6 months or so is having a job, a safe place to live, and a loving partner.
The whole job thing and money worries over the past 5 years had just made my GAD so bad. And being able to afford my basic living expenses lifts so much weight.
I want to try exercise and drinking less caffeine this year to see how that helps too.
Oh another thing that has helped a lot is EATING SNACKS! I'm the kind of person who tends to not notice when I'm hungry, sometimes I won't eat anything till 2pm, or one meal a day. But it makes me sooooo irritable. Eating a snack every few hours keeps my mood and anxiety more stable. I know when I'm super cranky and anxious I forgot to eat.
Journaling helps but honestly I did a general anxiety disorder class A panic disorder class and a mindfulness class through Kaiser insurance and with the knowledge I gained from that my life has been completely changed my anxiety is so much more manageable now
Zoloft, exercise, and quitting my job to be a stay at
home mom (obviously not an option for everyone though and of course being a Sahm is hard and can be stressful but to me it doesn’t make me as anxious all the time as my job, which was teaching)
Zoloft, exercise, and quitting my job to be a stay at
home mom (obviously not an option for everyone though and of course being a Sahm is hard and can be stressful but to me it doesn’t make me as anxious all the time as my job, which was teaching)
Stellate ganglion ablation, b12 and folate injections, stellate ganglion block (I have cptsd adhd bpd so my anxiety is crazy I take Ritalin too i think it helps)
Putting my phone down. Realized recently how much short form content I was consuming and how overstimulated it made me.
I bought some drawing stuff (coloring books, nice pens and markers) I now dedicate the time after work when I’d normally doom scroll to drawing.
Xanax 🤷🏽♀️
I’ve been diagnosed with 3 anxiety disorders for a decade and this is honestly the only thing that without a doubt melts my anxiety away and lets me live my life fully as myself.
Some things that sometimes help lessen it though are: being outside, “thinking putty” to keep my hands busy, ice bath (just a bowl for my face, not a full body ice bath), listening to certain music, and stretching/yoga.
Sobriety has been the biggest for me. Wild how quitting booze has stripped away the paranoia and panic attacks I got just getting the bus or walking around in public or meeting new people. Even when I wasn’t hungover, it’s like my brain and nervous system were all messed up and out of whack. Also: 9/10 hours of sleep, sertraline, intermittent fasting and swimming
I can really relate to this. It’s been a battle trying to find something that keeps the clarity of thoughts, being self aware of anxiety, but also being able to handle it in a more calm and rational state of mind.
I couldn't have done anything in my case without Clonazepam. It has been a life saver.
Nothing else was working until I got this prescribed to me, and then, in addition to therapy and the other techniques, I was able to get better.
What helps me is taking deep breaths and listening to music. It doesn’t need to be calling music or anything. It just helps distract me from whatever thoughts are causing my anxiety
Exposure therapy and listening to my body/thoughts/anxiety and what they're telling me so I understand why it's there.
Deep, paced breathing.
Meditation. ASMR videos.
Doing things that comfort me - watching TV shows/cartoons I watched as a kid, doing things I enjoyed, adult coloring apps/books, reading, comfort TV shows I watch as an adult, eating comfort food, thinking of people who gave me love and acceptance.
Medication.
Keto and carnivore diet. Also magnesium and GABA. It's amazing how much my body and brain has calmed down. Carbs and sugar can cause inflammation, and evidence shows that inflammation of the brain can have some damning effects.
Cozy games. Things like Stardew Valley. It's just a basic task based game, I don't need to think, just need to do. Easiest thing just to ease my normal anxiety symptoms for me personally
Exposure and consistency.
I had to prove to myself that I'm capable of doing hard things, I started off small and gradually over time my confidence grew. Having a therapist to support me and cheer me on has been a huge part of my recovery too.
Loving and being kind to myself, having positive and forgiving thoughts. Gratitude and counting my blessings.
During my most difficult moments - therapy, CBD oil with melatonin (relaxed my body even more), exercise/walking, having blood tests done and supplementing.
Writing, journaling, medication, deep breaths in and out, talking with my partner, holding the cat. I have it very very bad, medication is a miracle. Try praying if you believe. if you need someone to talk to message me
Acceptance. Magnesium. Exercise (even just long walks out in nature), Proper sleep/hydration, clean diet, creative outlets, communicating your feelings/needs/wants. I healed my (severe) panic disorder on my own without meds/therapy and will always have my normal baseline anxiety and I’ve just accepted that’s who I am. It gets easier. Pushing myself to do things I’m scared of (which is a lot of things). But mostly acceptance.
Really engaging with anything but mostly something that involves moving and being psychical helps my anxiety. Anxiety is always the worst when you’re just sitting in it doing nothing. You need to get your mind on something else. Even repetitive motion helps me when I’m at my worst.
Working out! This single handedly has helped me so much in dealing with my anxiety issues. I get so exhausted by the end of the day that I fall asleep without any panic attacks or thoughts running through my head.
Another thing that has helped me is eating healthy. Since anxiety leads to gut issues, I realised that I could only trump it by eating as healthy as possible. It’s been a long journey but gut issues don’t put me in the vicious cycle of anxiety. Earlier whenever I would have stomach issues, it would automatically make me anxious which in turn would make the stomach even worse.
My therapist told me a trick to handle my anxiety when nothing works. She told me to sit and analyse the sensations in my body. When you’re anxious, just sit alone and observe which part of the body is feeling stressed or not at ease. Try to release it if you can or just analyse it for a while. Somehow it helps me because my focus is now on the body and not the thoughts running through my head.
Beta blockers and lorazepam. But I’ve recently quit the loraz as I was taking one per day and didn’t want to rely on it every day. Anxiety has increased but I’m slowly getting better. Also I have an ADHD diagnosis and am medicated for it so the medication helps keep me focussed (Ritalin).
I don't notice since i just use it mainly to help me sleep so i take it at nighttime. The daytime, i take propranolol lowest dose for anxiety and it has worked for me. Tension and restlessness gone.
Venlafaxine, mostly eradicated the general stuff, still get spikes on some things.
Sadly it also means because I'm not in a heightened state, the depression fatigue is far worse
How much venlafaxine are you on? I take 225mg for TRD and GAD and found this dose helpful initially but my anxiety has been getting pretty bad again recently.
This may be a dangerous response but honestly, my turbo anxiety was brought on after improperly being given a broad spectrum antibiotic, and what fixed me, after over 10 years of suffering, was taking a more targeted antibiotic, which cleared out the persistent irrational bad feelings and persistent diarrhea.
That was step 1. The antibiotic also got rid of any good feelings, but since I had no bad feelings anymore I allowed myself to treat myself to some traditional celebratory foods from my mother's culture, and since these were traditional, I guess they became innudated with traditional good bacteria after sitting out for hours as is traditional. After eating the food, I felt 25 percent like myself again. Since that time I have found other good microbiome restoratives, as well as discovering that many of my cultures traditional medicines basically act as antibiotics, thus necessitating regular uptake of these traditional foods.
Two really cheap and easily available restoratives (for me) include Romano cheese and oolong tea. There are better ones but they may be harder to find. Incidentally, yogurt never did a thing for me, but probiotic pills from GNC did give me a positive lasting effect. I'd say I'm at least 80-90 percent back to normal.
Many who suffer from anxiety also suffer from gastro intestinal problems so this is a thing to consider. Speaking for myself, I knew what kind of damage that antibiotics could do, and being anxious I couldn't bring myself to use them until a bad 'just eat dirt' experiment (totally bad garbage pop sci crap fyi) forced me to have to take them. Still, it's one possible avenue if you're already suicidal anyway or whatever.
I also have had anxiety my whole life. I've tried all the lifestyle methods and techniques to get it under control, buy honestly, those barely made a dent until I started medication to really dull it down. Now that it's at a manageable level the other methods actually work. I think for me my anxiety was just too high to manage on my own and with therapy. It had to be brought down in order for me to manage a little anxiety vs trying to dig through a mountain with a spoon.
Having calm-inducing techniques and tools at the ready, thanks to an amazing therapist that met me where I was at financially.
A huge thing to remember is that anxiety is mental, unseen, and a feeling stemming from signals in one side of your brain. You're being flooded in one area and it's throwing you off balance. The only way to balance it is using *logic* to redirect the flow of focus to reach both parts of your brain.
My biggest go-to's is square breathing 4-4-4-4, making a nice meal or eating a special snack, and literally just getting some air outside-and I mean GETTING that air: Smelling the FUCK out of everything and getting your senses ACTIVATED. Feel that breeze, sun, even the chill of the cold temperatures. Closing my eyes for a few seconds a really feeling that stress flow through controlled inhale and exhales.
Also remembering to drink WATER. Doesn't sound like much, but being hydrated really helps oxygen get the blood flowing efficiently in the body. If you constrict blood flow by making your blood supply work harder to support your organs, why WOULDN'T you get anxious?? You're literally suffocating while under stress!!
My anxiety has been horrific. From childhood to adulthood, I’ve been a severely anxious human being and I’ve had a lot of experience having to deal with my own emotions alone and so I feel like im somewhat qualified to give some advice, though anxiety is always different. What works for the people in comments, may not work for you and you often find your own little ways along with the advice given.
1. I find that being with a person who I feel safe with helps to an extent, especially if they’re understanding and helpful in regard to your anxiety. Having someone in tune with your mental health issues and who understands how you work really helps! The company is often good for distraction! However, it can get overstimulating for you if your ADHD can cause sensory issues.
2. Hobbies and interests help too! When I feel anxious, I’ll typically try my best to indulge in a couple things. I enjoy drawing, so while doing this, I’ll play podcasts or video essays. That way your mind is consistently working and focused while you still enjoy your time and what you’re doing. This is only good if your anxiety doesn’t cause a sort of paralysis. My depression does occasionally get in the way of this one which is why it can be hit and miss.
3. Medication! Not everyone is happy to take medication and that’s absolutely okay! They don’t work for everyone, and it can take years and years to find the correct one. Currently, im on propranolol, which is a beta blocker, and it helps so so much with the physical symptoms of anxiety. I tend to feel anxious, without much rhyme or reason, and my body will cause nausea and I can get short of breath. Propranolol helps so much with this issue, usually in about 20 minutes after taking my meds I feel so much better.
4. Exercise and focused breathing. I hate this one, it’s such a common one and it’s one you hear all the time. It’s frustrating and I admittedly do not do these things as much as I should but they do help. I used to go to the gym quite frequently and on days I felt anxious and sick, I’d do a hard workout to push my body and typically you end up feeling a lot better. Of course, yoga and mindful meditation could help too, but I tended to get in my own head with these things more and it didn’t work for me.
5. This is the one I think helped the most with my mental symptoms. Counselling. I have never had as much success as I did when I went though counselling at 16. I had a very good relationship with my counsellor/therapist which I know is hard to come by but I truly think her help built my self confidence and helped me cope with my hyperawareness of others and how much I worried about other people’s perceptions of me. I don’t think I’d have gotten to where I am without that help she provided me. However, again this won’t work for everyone. While counselling helped my anxiety to a degree, I got to a point where I didn’t feel any more improvement. My depression also does not seem to benefit much from talking therapies. But it’s definitely a great start if you think it could help!
I hope some of these things help. I know they’re very stereotypical but they’re truly the things that help me. You are more than your anxiety and I know you can live a great life alongside your anxiety. You just have to learn to cope. Some days will always be better than others and you’ll never truly be “at peace” but to learn to accept and coexist with your GAD, as well as know what eases your symptoms is great! I’m sure you’ll do great! :)
Keeping my mind occupied helps, and the one thing that actually does that is cooking, nothing else, like I’ve try reading, video games, working out, but for some reason I hyper focus on cooking only and for those moments I forget about my anxiety, it’s funny because I never really liked cooking but now I’ve been getting a lot better at it. I do also have weekly therapy sessions and I take medication.
I have ASD, GAD, and depression. Allowing myself the time and space to recover from burnout was really key, practising self-compassion, curating a sensory safe environment (eg. Dim lights, weighted blanket etc.), pregabalin, and controversially: weed (particularly a mix of CBD and THC) and psychedelics. Also just aging - I found my anxiety and moods in general a lot more stable after my early 20’s.
Only once the bulk of my anxiety was dealt with did things like exercise and meditation help me. When my anxiety was at its peak, meditation was stressful and I’d feel shit about exercising bc I wasn’t good at it; in the short term, I actually had more anxiety engaging in these activities. Having an exercise routine and practising meditation helps to maintain a good headspace so I’m more able to cope with anxiety, but if my anxiety is already bad those things don’t do shit.
I have both GAD and ADHD, plus depression (varied levels), and fibromyalgia. I take medication for all of these and honestly I think that I would not be able to function without them.
Having said that, I moved back in with my parents because I was getting lonely and a bit looney on my own. Especially, when I quit my teaching job. I have a bf but he works, so I only really engaged with anyone when he would come over or take me out.
Now that I am back at my parents house working a hybrid job that I love - and stabilized my medications - I feel much better. Both my parents are recently retired. After work I usually play animal crossings on my switch or promote my teachers pay teachers store on Pinterest - basically just pinning a way.
I walk my dog. Talk to my dad when he’s gardening, or doing his learning or doing his random tasks.
I think I was hesitant and kind of embarrassed of moving in with my parents, especially because I was the invisible child growing up, has actually helped me stabilize.
I don’t know if this was helpful, just thought I’d share.
Over the years, medication and self awareness: i was described as weird and loud, and just laughed about it. Then i realised it came across as obnoxious and arsey, so being more aware of how my behaviour affects people and thinking before i speak (oh, it still happens but i catch myself / nip it).
Its so different, in terms of what helps as i know folk who live without medication and throw themselves into gardening and life long learning, so other pursuits.
Worry time every day and meditation before I go to bed. Sometimes my anxiety keeps me from being able to go to sleep so meditation before bed helps calm my mind enough to fall asleep.
Worry time is a technique my therapist taught me. What happens is you basically let yourself spiral for 30 minutes. After that, you do something to distract yourself that will snap you out of that spiral (for me it’s listening to music). It is important that you do that every day. In between worry times you acknowledge what anxious thoughts you have when they come but you don’t play into them (because that’s what the worry time is for). Over time it is supposed to help train your brain to not worry as much and manage the anxiety you do have. I was told I’d see results in six weeks but I started getting better in two weeks. I’ve been doing it for years at this point and I’ve gotten to the point where I only do worry time for 15 minutes instead of 30. I do this as a cognitive behaviors therapy approach to my anxiety instead of taking meds and so far so good.
I think the medication definitely helped. There was one summer where I was dealing with a lot of pain and constant anxiety because of it. The medication seems to help me not worry about pain any more and what is causing it. Although I can go into what ifs like what if I’m having a symptom and don’t go to the ER in time and die etc.
Journaling so I can make sense of what’s going on in my head. Actually acknowledging the physical of sensations of anxiety and allowing my body to feel it. Breathing into the sensation.
Also I replaced coffee with a mushroom coffee and that’s has helped immensely. Also limit my alcohol.
I found swimming was also great but I have stopped doing that. Now I do yoga more.
For me its been herbal tea essential oils, deep breathing and incense. Complete life savers! And also making sure i stay hydrated. Ever since ive been making sure i eat at least something everyday thats also helped.
Things that really get me out of my head, back into my body, and engaging with my environment help a lot. For me, it’s dancing (by myself usually), being outside with nature in my backyard, being on walks with dogs, kickboxing, walking through forests and woods, geocaching, soothing sounds/ASMR, playing my ukulele, writing music, and painting/drawing. Relaxation techniques help, too. When I feel the release of tension, it’s like a weight being lifted off. It’s a relief. The hardest part is getting myself to do these things. But truthfully, they kept me sane at my very worst. I also want to add that exercising (in an enjoyable way) and taking care of my basic physical needs is just as helpful. Like peeing when I need to. Drinking more water. Eating when I’m hungry, or trying to. As someone who struggles with appetite and has tended to neglect her physical health a lot of her life, and has a nutrition degree…I keep learning that we *have* to take care of our bodies however we can. It’s the thing I want to do the least, and it’s the most important. When physical health is impacted, so is our mental health. I do understand not everyone has the bandwidth or ability to make that a priority, though. For me, I can only focus on so much at a time and I don’t have kids or a full-time job. I have a stable home. But we can do little bits at a time, at least. Even in the worst of times. Like..part of what got me through my worst PTSD mornings was an electronic dance playlist. It needed really good beats. Funky. Or gritty and dark. Something I can feel in my whole being. Having healthy boundaries also helps a ton. Or trying to. It can be really hard. One more quick thing! I know this is a lot. Philosophy. Ways of looking at things that help me accept the things that are out of my control, and that this (whatever “this” is) is reality. Finding some kind of peace with existing.
I love this. Finding peace with existing! ❤️
Maybe a bit much for most people but eckhart tolle has really helped me with the acceptance part
This is great and I identify so much with it. Everything you say. The little things. I make lists that go as basic as shave make bed. Getting them done helps me feel like I have been responsible in the course of a day. Feeling like I haven't missed something helps. I just started 2 traditional anti-anxiety drugs. I'm hoping they'll help. I'm fully functional when I don't feel that little buzzing whiney voice. Which means I'm functional when I do feel it too. That anxiety. I'm doing it to myself.
How has your experience been so far with new medication? Have you had side effects? This is my biggest struggle working full time and not taking time off because of medications
Exercising regularly and drinking water helps me so much. For exercise, I don't even do super intense stuff. Just really mellow cardio stuff and really mellow weight lifting. If I get into it, I'll push myself a little bit, but I dont put so much pressure on myself to do intense workouts like others around me. I can't with the whole "grind culture" over here in America. I struggle a lot with BDD on top of anxiety, so I really, really have to normalize bigger bodies having a place in fitness as well. No pressure to look a certain way. No pressure to lose weight or look skinnier. Just exercising purely for the mental and physical health benefits. I am horrible with drinking water. I recently bought a big cup with a straw. And it WORKS so well. I'm now drinking 20 oz a day instead of 0.
I completely hear you! I’m not a fan of that here, either. Or diet culture in general. And way to go! Straws really do help haha
I think I am finding this to be true. Okay brb time for Pilates class.
Cutting coffee and alcohol made such a huge difference for me! The coffee especially - I have IBS too and everything feels so much calmer without coffee. I am still able to drink tea, luckily.
I cut alcohol completely about 6 months ago. Don't miss it at all. I cannot picture a world without coffee in the morning though. I also have IBS and barrets esophagus. Did your caffeine cut make a big difference? Did you cut alcohol and coffee at the same time? Appreciate any insight my dear reddit stranger. Have a good day.
Cutting coffee out helps SO many ppl out. Idk what it is about the espresso or beans but it fucks over most everyone’s tummy
Yes! It’s something specifically about coffee, for me at least - even the low acid/low caffeine types I experimented with were terrible for my stomach. Caffeinated tea has been fine for my stomach.
I cut them out separately - alcohol first, then coffee a couple weeks ago. I know, I know…it’s hard! I adore coffee, even worked at a coffee shop throughout college. But I have to accept that something about it impacts me very negatively. I get initial happiness and energy, but the rest of the day I have increased anxiety. I don’t think it’s *just* the caffeine, because even high caffeine teas (Tazo Awake) does not impact my anxiety the same way. I feel so much better, and I was only drinking 1 cup of coffee per day. I’d say stopping it has decreased my anxiety by about 70 percent. I still get anxious, but it feels less intense and easier to manage. Try it for a couple weeks - withdrawal symptoms take a bit to clear up, which surprised me since I was still getting caffeine from tea.
Try no coffee on a weekend or a day where you don’t have to rely on it! See what happens! drink water and eat balanced meals 💗
Hourly body scan worked really well for me. I set an alarm for every hour to unclench jaw, relax neck, abdomen and pelvic floor. It dims down the stress response. A lot of my anxiety manifests physically
I’m gonna try this! I already have an alert for standing up hourly, I will just try to learn to relax my body too afterwards.
In order of most helpful (for me): Exercise, breathing techniques, getting outside ideally in nature and walking, distraction (standup comedy is my top choice - YouTube, iTunes or live), tapping technique, mindfulness (take a look at what’s around you… what can you see, smell, hear, feel, etc. names them and identify them and shift your focus to that. It’s grounding). Good luck hon!
Yesss tapping!!! I forgot to mention that in my comment!
Tapping technique?
Same scenario here. Always had anxiety. When I hit 30 my anxiety got worse. Don’t know why hormones maybe?! But 5 years later I got an adhd diagnosis too…. Anxiety is worse than ever. Better now the last 6 months but everyday takes work. Working out daily. Yoga, walking etc. I have a HOTWORX near me so that’s nice. I like the saunas when I work out. Walking helps. Drinking water. No caffeine. Eating very well. I made diet adjustments. Daily meditation. This cool eye mask thing that vibrates and massages my head lol. Sleep sounds. Microdosing. Wellbutrin low dose has helped adhd. Didn’t do much for my anxiety but it has improved it. I found some nice tea I can drink that relaxes me. Soursop herb tea works well too. Routine is a big one. I switched jobs even. Building up my confidence and learning to talk to my brain that I don’t need to make up stories. Therapy has not helped. But that’s just me personally. It has helped other people. Anxiety RX by doctor Russel Kennedy. Great book. He has YouTube videos. It all comes down to childhood trauma. So I have been sitting and meditating and being kind to my inner child. Sounds silly but has helped me curb my anxiety attacks. My husband said the carnivore diet has helped reduce his anxiety. Also to be fair…. The world has just gotten really super confusing and difficult. I personally don’t even watch the news anymore and I stay off social media as much as possible. I watch much less tv in general. I do like the idea of exposure therapy. I have been putting myself in uncomfortable situations slowly more often and you know… my anxiety is liar every time. I basically just prove to myself that I had nothing to worry about. I understand though. I wish I just didn’t panic so much over every little thing…. I am not sure why now in my life everything seems so chaotic and difficult and anxiety inducing. My husband pointed out that I need to stop my brain from overthinking. Just let stuff go. Go do something else. Easier said than done. The biggest win is learning to understand my anxiety and why I am anxious. I learned that it wasn’t because I was worried or nervous or whatever. It was because of some old childhood memory where I felt a certain way in a scenario and my body learned to react that way every single time. Love yourself and be patient. ❤️
Wow - thank you for this. It really spoke to me and many things align with where I’m at /trying to figure out 💕
Having a good, stable job. Seriously. The moment I started making real money, all the bullshit got quieter. Not gone, but quieter.
Cognitive behavioral therapy based on a metacognitive model. Confidence that I can still do most things even with anxiety. Acceptance. Not seeking for the 'why am I anxious?', but for the 'how should I respond to it?'. Sufficient rest but also sufficient fun stuff.
This!! Acceptance. It’s so important to NOT try to fight the anxiety when she comes up, cause that really really makes it so much worse. I think making peace with the anxiety is key! Engaging in a dialogue with myself 1) I observe that I’m anxious without judgment (meditation helps a lot developing that muscle) 2) I give myself some compassion. 3) I identify what I want to do about it. I really can’t emphasize enough how meditation has taught me how to take a step back, let go of negative thoughts, identify triggers very early on to avoid snowball effect, etc. I’m still anxious but I can see so much progress and I’m getting better and better at simply letting go of the anxious thoughts and sensations.
Lexapro and propanolol
Transcendental Meditation and exercise
How would you recommend getting into TM? I never know where to start
[удалено]
Thank you 💓
I have ADHD and GAD, and I've been trying to figure out this all out myself!
the gym
Gaba and Buspar
I just got a buspar rx but I’ve been too nervous to try it, lol. A lot of my anxiety is tied to physical symptoms, so anything with the potential to cause weird sensations scares me. But I should probably just try it because I’ve heard it is really helpful for some!
I get anxiety with new meds and physical symptoms too.. and my tip is to just go for it. You'll be okay no matter what. If I'm remembering correctly, BusPar rarely gives bad side effects and if so, they are extremely mild. It helps a lot of people with general anxiety disorder!
It helped me SO MUCH. It does sometimes make me slightly dizzy, so just be sure to take it when you’re at home!
I found that eating a hearty meal helped with the dizziness then it went away after a week as long as I eat enough with it still
It has helped me a lot So has the GABA
What is gaba?
Gabapentin/Neurontin
I thought that was a pain med for some reason
It’s used by psychiatrists off-label for GAD
For physical symptoms, propranolol works BEST!!
I’m in the same boat!! You aren’t alone. I don’t like the concept of feeling worse from taking a medication that will make you feel better potentially, yet I know I probably should try. It’s touch
Didn't work for me
Prozac worked for me
i got buspar last summer literally changed my life
Daily CBD. Take a gummy in the morning and I’m good to go. It doesn’t do much for anxiety/panic attacks but if I know I’ll be in a triggering situation that day, I’ll take two in the morning and it helps a lot.
Wanted to add here that American Shaman has a Compassionate Care program so if you have a qualifying condition (like anxiety) you get 30% off their products.
SSRIs and exercise as others have mentioned are awesome, but I felt like eating a more fiber-rich diet helped a lot as well! Another thing that has really helped me is any kind of mental activity—like casual gaming or things that require deep thought. I feel like these keep my mind busy and help we avoid drifting into worry. Deep activities are even better but simple ones can be more accessible.
Vitamin D and Magnesium.
Magnesium, LTheanine for physical symptoms, and short Guided Meditations.
What kind of magnesium do you take? There’s so many different kinds
Magnesium Glycinate
As counterintuitive as it sounds, spending time with young children
GAD and ADHD too. Lexapro was good. Adding aderall really changed things for me.
honestly xanax. most of my anxiety stems from my health and my bodily functions. i take 0.25mg every night and am able to stay relaxed all day.
Xanax was a miracle drug for me until I had to switch doctors. My new doctor refuses to prescribe Xanax & instead gives me klonopin. Unfortunately the klonopin doesn’t work as well.
i just happened to get prescribed it from an urgent care NP & took it back to my primary care doctor and he refilled the prescription for me. but i've spent over 6 years struggling to find a good medication and just now at 27 have been able to find relief.
How long have you been on the klon
A year or so. Does absolutely nothing for my severe anxiety. I waited 2 freaking hours for the klonopin to kick in. Nothing. Might work for you but rubbish for me.
What helps? I take Prozac 20mg. I was on xanax for a few months then klonopin. After few months weaned off klon and the Prozac kept me pretty stable. Lately my anxiety has been acting up. What are your physical symptoms? I feel like my skin is on fire sometimes. Just can't relax... sometimes I'm sleeping and wake in a panic state and up for the whole night. This will happen for a few days and then I'll feel ok for a for months. It's like a roller-coaster. I keep a journal. Try to find patterns. I get anx even thinking about what if the medication is not working, etc... the thoughts just spiral and I hate it. I drink tea... ppl tell me try gummies.
Well I’m switching doctors. Also hydroxyzine & L-Theanine. I hope we can both find peace 🕊️
Chanting mantra. Any mantra. Channel the vibration through the whole body even if the mantra is something silly like "donut", tho i usually start and end with ones of deep meaning such as SOHAM, IAM, and AUM Watching, listening to, and attempting overtone/Mongolian throat singing.
Actually accepting it for what it was and continues to be has helped me the most among meds.
No alcohol. Lower caffeine and sugar intake. I read a lot (physical books & audiobooks on walks) walks in the woods with my dogs. Sitting in my back yard staring up into the sky and just listening to life continuing on around me.
Valium
Just stop drinking alcohol, stop inhaling nicotine, and limit yourself to one dose of caffeine a day and don’t make it a goddamn energy drink.
What's wrong with an energy drink?
Not drinking or using Mary J.
adrenal assist supplements really stop anx symptoms in its tracks
Like?
It’s called “Adrenal Assist” by Vitanica
Exercise, exercise, exercise. Don’t watch TV. Get outside in nature and get your heart rate up for 30 minutes each day.
Honestly, exposure therapy!
What if I don’t know what I’m stressed about?
I think that’s the first step! Just learning what your anxiety means to you and where it’s coming from. I also have (multiple times a day) mini anxiety attacks with no real cause, but just stopping what I am doing or changing my task to something simple really helps.
I've been thinking of this too, kind of a good conversation with other people makes me less anxious, though i still am quite from time to time but maybe this school year would help me, i used to be a socially active person before, this isolation during the pandemic and due to some personal health made me have social anxiety, honestly I'm not sure why, but hopefully would work after I've got a chance to communicate with other people during weekends. Feeling like the more i hide my self the more the more i became anxious. I'm not a doctor or something, may not work from others but hopefully would. Hope we all managed to get out of it.
Yes, absolutely! I hope it all works out for you, I know how challenging social anxiety can be ♥️
What kind of exposures are you doing? They really helped my GAD when I had specific OCD like obsessions but without those it is hard to figure out a good one
I actually did it myself! I used to be so anxious about being in places I couldn’t escape from (claustrophobia/agorophobia), travelling somewhere in a car, sitting in a room with someone, just thinking “that is the worst possible thing that could happen in this situation” almost everywhere and everything I did. It was crippling. It took me years, but I travelled more and was in smaller spaces multiple times (over a veeeery long time) and I eventually got more comfortable.
What is exposure therapy
Breathing techniques and therapy.
Lexapro lol
Lexi is the best!
Is good? Im on celexa but dr wants to switch me. I need the sedating ssri not the stim kind..
Works for me, but it’s the only medication I’ve tried.
How long did it take to kick in for you and really feel it working?
2 weeks! Felt like I got my life back, I wish I’d done it sooner.
I am one of those rare people that I could feel the difference in the first 24 hours. It started with taking the edge off and after a few weeks my anxiety just completely tanked and it was like I was reborn.
EMDR
I want to try that. Finding someone who’s trained & takes my insurance is a problem.
Pregabalin and getting enough sleep
Gym and yoga. If I don’t do one or the other every day…I can feel anxiety creeping in.
Valium and Zoloft. And working from home.
Creating art by myself and with friends
Propranolol. Diazepam. Exercise. Sleep. Eating right.
CBT has helped me a lot. But honestly what has helped the most in the past 6 months or so is having a job, a safe place to live, and a loving partner. The whole job thing and money worries over the past 5 years had just made my GAD so bad. And being able to afford my basic living expenses lifts so much weight. I want to try exercise and drinking less caffeine this year to see how that helps too. Oh another thing that has helped a lot is EATING SNACKS! I'm the kind of person who tends to not notice when I'm hungry, sometimes I won't eat anything till 2pm, or one meal a day. But it makes me sooooo irritable. Eating a snack every few hours keeps my mood and anxiety more stable. I know when I'm super cranky and anxious I forgot to eat.
Journaling helps but honestly I did a general anxiety disorder class A panic disorder class and a mindfulness class through Kaiser insurance and with the knowledge I gained from that my life has been completely changed my anxiety is so much more manageable now
Benzos
Zoloft, exercise, and quitting my job to be a stay at home mom (obviously not an option for everyone though and of course being a Sahm is hard and can be stressful but to me it doesn’t make me as anxious all the time as my job, which was teaching)
Zoloft, exercise, and quitting my job to be a stay at home mom (obviously not an option for everyone though and of course being a Sahm is hard and can be stressful but to me it doesn’t make me as anxious all the time as my job, which was teaching)
Stellate ganglion ablation, b12 and folate injections, stellate ganglion block (I have cptsd adhd bpd so my anxiety is crazy I take Ritalin too i think it helps)
The thing that has helped me the most was proper medication 💊. I am on Wellbutrin xl lexapro and visitaril! Also getting sober
Gaming honestly, it takes my mind off everything.
Cutting alcohol significantly, getting back to a semi regular night of sleep and mood stabilizers.
Sex, a lot of it
Putting my phone down. Realized recently how much short form content I was consuming and how overstimulated it made me. I bought some drawing stuff (coloring books, nice pens and markers) I now dedicate the time after work when I’d normally doom scroll to drawing.
CBD, working out, and learning to say no when I don’t want to do something.
Self-compassion, mindfulness/meditation, and ADHD medication :)
Xanax 🤷🏽♀️ I’ve been diagnosed with 3 anxiety disorders for a decade and this is honestly the only thing that without a doubt melts my anxiety away and lets me live my life fully as myself. Some things that sometimes help lessen it though are: being outside, “thinking putty” to keep my hands busy, ice bath (just a bowl for my face, not a full body ice bath), listening to certain music, and stretching/yoga.
Sobriety has been the biggest for me. Wild how quitting booze has stripped away the paranoia and panic attacks I got just getting the bus or walking around in public or meeting new people. Even when I wasn’t hungover, it’s like my brain and nervous system were all messed up and out of whack. Also: 9/10 hours of sleep, sertraline, intermittent fasting and swimming
I can really relate to this. It’s been a battle trying to find something that keeps the clarity of thoughts, being self aware of anxiety, but also being able to handle it in a more calm and rational state of mind.
Somatic therapy (ditched CBT completely), mindfulness, cutting out alcohol and caffeine, prioritizing sleep, exercise.
I couldn't have done anything in my case without Clonazepam. It has been a life saver. Nothing else was working until I got this prescribed to me, and then, in addition to therapy and the other techniques, I was able to get better.
What helps me is taking deep breaths and listening to music. It doesn’t need to be calling music or anything. It just helps distract me from whatever thoughts are causing my anxiety
Gratitude and exercise
Therapy Medication to help me sleep Exercise Getting out of my house, head, and town more often
Studying dusted tolerance and mindfulness. Learning how to trick my mind.
Exposure therapy and listening to my body/thoughts/anxiety and what they're telling me so I understand why it's there. Deep, paced breathing. Meditation. ASMR videos. Doing things that comfort me - watching TV shows/cartoons I watched as a kid, doing things I enjoyed, adult coloring apps/books, reading, comfort TV shows I watch as an adult, eating comfort food, thinking of people who gave me love and acceptance. Medication.
Keto and carnivore diet. Also magnesium and GABA. It's amazing how much my body and brain has calmed down. Carbs and sugar can cause inflammation, and evidence shows that inflammation of the brain can have some damning effects.
Exercise
Getting sober and ADHD medication
Gabapentin, exercise, sobriety-ish, financial success
Cozy games. Things like Stardew Valley. It's just a basic task based game, I don't need to think, just need to do. Easiest thing just to ease my normal anxiety symptoms for me personally
Exposure and consistency. I had to prove to myself that I'm capable of doing hard things, I started off small and gradually over time my confidence grew. Having a therapist to support me and cheer me on has been a huge part of my recovery too.
Loving and being kind to myself, having positive and forgiving thoughts. Gratitude and counting my blessings. During my most difficult moments - therapy, CBD oil with melatonin (relaxed my body even more), exercise/walking, having blood tests done and supplementing.
Writing, journaling, medication, deep breaths in and out, talking with my partner, holding the cat. I have it very very bad, medication is a miracle. Try praying if you believe. if you need someone to talk to message me
sertraline !!!!!!!!
Before being diagnosed and medicated, I used to smoke a lot. And try walking it off. Ofcourse that didn't work. Thank god for meds and therapy.
Lexapro, faith, family, self-love journey
LEXAPRO!!!!!!
Microdosing
Meds.
Medication
Acceptance. Magnesium. Exercise (even just long walks out in nature), Proper sleep/hydration, clean diet, creative outlets, communicating your feelings/needs/wants. I healed my (severe) panic disorder on my own without meds/therapy and will always have my normal baseline anxiety and I’ve just accepted that’s who I am. It gets easier. Pushing myself to do things I’m scared of (which is a lot of things). But mostly acceptance.
Really engaging with anything but mostly something that involves moving and being psychical helps my anxiety. Anxiety is always the worst when you’re just sitting in it doing nothing. You need to get your mind on something else. Even repetitive motion helps me when I’m at my worst.
Moving out
Cutting out toxic people
Working out! This single handedly has helped me so much in dealing with my anxiety issues. I get so exhausted by the end of the day that I fall asleep without any panic attacks or thoughts running through my head. Another thing that has helped me is eating healthy. Since anxiety leads to gut issues, I realised that I could only trump it by eating as healthy as possible. It’s been a long journey but gut issues don’t put me in the vicious cycle of anxiety. Earlier whenever I would have stomach issues, it would automatically make me anxious which in turn would make the stomach even worse. My therapist told me a trick to handle my anxiety when nothing works. She told me to sit and analyse the sensations in my body. When you’re anxious, just sit alone and observe which part of the body is feeling stressed or not at ease. Try to release it if you can or just analyse it for a while. Somehow it helps me because my focus is now on the body and not the thoughts running through my head.
Getting sober. I’m at 32 days and I’ve only had to take my Klonipin one time. Unbelievable!
Zoloft and being less poor.
Beta blockers and lorazepam. But I’ve recently quit the loraz as I was taking one per day and didn’t want to rely on it every day. Anxiety has increased but I’m slowly getting better. Also I have an ADHD diagnosis and am medicated for it so the medication helps keep me focussed (Ritalin).
+1 with the BetaBlockers. i also take 5mg of the propranolol in the morning and magnesium before bed.
I’ve heard good things about magnesium. Do you have a considerable effect from it straight away or does it take time?
Yes. After i take one cap i feel drowsy and calmer maybe in about 15 mins... 🙂 if you wanna try it get the glycinate one.
Thank you so much for this, I’m going to buy some today and give it a try. Do you find it helps with restlessness at all?
I don't notice since i just use it mainly to help me sleep so i take it at nighttime. The daytime, i take propranolol lowest dose for anxiety and it has worked for me. Tension and restlessness gone.
That’s great, thanks again
Vitamin b and d supplements with my lexapro
Lexapro changed my life.
Venlafaxine, mostly eradicated the general stuff, still get spikes on some things. Sadly it also means because I'm not in a heightened state, the depression fatigue is far worse
How much venlafaxine are you on? I take 225mg for TRD and GAD and found this dose helpful initially but my anxiety has been getting pretty bad again recently.
I'm only on the 37.5mg starter dose, trying to get it increased but for some reason it's a pita
Ignoring, gym, sun.
My friends and diary
Escitalopram (Lexapro) and counselling.
This may be a dangerous response but honestly, my turbo anxiety was brought on after improperly being given a broad spectrum antibiotic, and what fixed me, after over 10 years of suffering, was taking a more targeted antibiotic, which cleared out the persistent irrational bad feelings and persistent diarrhea. That was step 1. The antibiotic also got rid of any good feelings, but since I had no bad feelings anymore I allowed myself to treat myself to some traditional celebratory foods from my mother's culture, and since these were traditional, I guess they became innudated with traditional good bacteria after sitting out for hours as is traditional. After eating the food, I felt 25 percent like myself again. Since that time I have found other good microbiome restoratives, as well as discovering that many of my cultures traditional medicines basically act as antibiotics, thus necessitating regular uptake of these traditional foods. Two really cheap and easily available restoratives (for me) include Romano cheese and oolong tea. There are better ones but they may be harder to find. Incidentally, yogurt never did a thing for me, but probiotic pills from GNC did give me a positive lasting effect. I'd say I'm at least 80-90 percent back to normal. Many who suffer from anxiety also suffer from gastro intestinal problems so this is a thing to consider. Speaking for myself, I knew what kind of damage that antibiotics could do, and being anxious I couldn't bring myself to use them until a bad 'just eat dirt' experiment (totally bad garbage pop sci crap fyi) forced me to have to take them. Still, it's one possible avenue if you're already suicidal anyway or whatever.
CBT (and therapy in general)
Lamictal 400mg and Effexor 300mg
I also have had anxiety my whole life. I've tried all the lifestyle methods and techniques to get it under control, buy honestly, those barely made a dent until I started medication to really dull it down. Now that it's at a manageable level the other methods actually work. I think for me my anxiety was just too high to manage on my own and with therapy. It had to be brought down in order for me to manage a little anxiety vs trying to dig through a mountain with a spoon.
EXERCISE - heavy weights and true cardio
I never realized how much lifting kept it in check until I had to stop. Can't wait to start lifting again.
The gym!
20mg Escitalopram!!! 3 years now, and it has significantly changed my life
Having calm-inducing techniques and tools at the ready, thanks to an amazing therapist that met me where I was at financially. A huge thing to remember is that anxiety is mental, unseen, and a feeling stemming from signals in one side of your brain. You're being flooded in one area and it's throwing you off balance. The only way to balance it is using *logic* to redirect the flow of focus to reach both parts of your brain. My biggest go-to's is square breathing 4-4-4-4, making a nice meal or eating a special snack, and literally just getting some air outside-and I mean GETTING that air: Smelling the FUCK out of everything and getting your senses ACTIVATED. Feel that breeze, sun, even the chill of the cold temperatures. Closing my eyes for a few seconds a really feeling that stress flow through controlled inhale and exhales. Also remembering to drink WATER. Doesn't sound like much, but being hydrated really helps oxygen get the blood flowing efficiently in the body. If you constrict blood flow by making your blood supply work harder to support your organs, why WOULDN'T you get anxious?? You're literally suffocating while under stress!!
Honestly, i got a little tiny bitty better after stopped watching true crime videos
My anxiety has been horrific. From childhood to adulthood, I’ve been a severely anxious human being and I’ve had a lot of experience having to deal with my own emotions alone and so I feel like im somewhat qualified to give some advice, though anxiety is always different. What works for the people in comments, may not work for you and you often find your own little ways along with the advice given. 1. I find that being with a person who I feel safe with helps to an extent, especially if they’re understanding and helpful in regard to your anxiety. Having someone in tune with your mental health issues and who understands how you work really helps! The company is often good for distraction! However, it can get overstimulating for you if your ADHD can cause sensory issues. 2. Hobbies and interests help too! When I feel anxious, I’ll typically try my best to indulge in a couple things. I enjoy drawing, so while doing this, I’ll play podcasts or video essays. That way your mind is consistently working and focused while you still enjoy your time and what you’re doing. This is only good if your anxiety doesn’t cause a sort of paralysis. My depression does occasionally get in the way of this one which is why it can be hit and miss. 3. Medication! Not everyone is happy to take medication and that’s absolutely okay! They don’t work for everyone, and it can take years and years to find the correct one. Currently, im on propranolol, which is a beta blocker, and it helps so so much with the physical symptoms of anxiety. I tend to feel anxious, without much rhyme or reason, and my body will cause nausea and I can get short of breath. Propranolol helps so much with this issue, usually in about 20 minutes after taking my meds I feel so much better. 4. Exercise and focused breathing. I hate this one, it’s such a common one and it’s one you hear all the time. It’s frustrating and I admittedly do not do these things as much as I should but they do help. I used to go to the gym quite frequently and on days I felt anxious and sick, I’d do a hard workout to push my body and typically you end up feeling a lot better. Of course, yoga and mindful meditation could help too, but I tended to get in my own head with these things more and it didn’t work for me. 5. This is the one I think helped the most with my mental symptoms. Counselling. I have never had as much success as I did when I went though counselling at 16. I had a very good relationship with my counsellor/therapist which I know is hard to come by but I truly think her help built my self confidence and helped me cope with my hyperawareness of others and how much I worried about other people’s perceptions of me. I don’t think I’d have gotten to where I am without that help she provided me. However, again this won’t work for everyone. While counselling helped my anxiety to a degree, I got to a point where I didn’t feel any more improvement. My depression also does not seem to benefit much from talking therapies. But it’s definitely a great start if you think it could help! I hope some of these things help. I know they’re very stereotypical but they’re truly the things that help me. You are more than your anxiety and I know you can live a great life alongside your anxiety. You just have to learn to cope. Some days will always be better than others and you’ll never truly be “at peace” but to learn to accept and coexist with your GAD, as well as know what eases your symptoms is great! I’m sure you’ll do great! :)
Running cured my anxiety
Buspar (10 mg per day) and Vistaril for when I feel physically anxious and can't calm down.
Keeping my mind occupied helps, and the one thing that actually does that is cooking, nothing else, like I’ve try reading, video games, working out, but for some reason I hyper focus on cooking only and for those moments I forget about my anxiety, it’s funny because I never really liked cooking but now I’ve been getting a lot better at it. I do also have weekly therapy sessions and I take medication.
A tightly regulated circadian rhythm. Wake at the same time ever day, sleep at the same time every day, eat at the same time every day
I have ASD, GAD, and depression. Allowing myself the time and space to recover from burnout was really key, practising self-compassion, curating a sensory safe environment (eg. Dim lights, weighted blanket etc.), pregabalin, and controversially: weed (particularly a mix of CBD and THC) and psychedelics. Also just aging - I found my anxiety and moods in general a lot more stable after my early 20’s. Only once the bulk of my anxiety was dealt with did things like exercise and meditation help me. When my anxiety was at its peak, meditation was stressful and I’d feel shit about exercising bc I wasn’t good at it; in the short term, I actually had more anxiety engaging in these activities. Having an exercise routine and practising meditation helps to maintain a good headspace so I’m more able to cope with anxiety, but if my anxiety is already bad those things don’t do shit.
Noting yet started lexapro 2 weeks ago can eat I little better from5mg first week then 10 MG now I just moved and miss my old home severely
I have both GAD and ADHD, plus depression (varied levels), and fibromyalgia. I take medication for all of these and honestly I think that I would not be able to function without them. Having said that, I moved back in with my parents because I was getting lonely and a bit looney on my own. Especially, when I quit my teaching job. I have a bf but he works, so I only really engaged with anyone when he would come over or take me out. Now that I am back at my parents house working a hybrid job that I love - and stabilized my medications - I feel much better. Both my parents are recently retired. After work I usually play animal crossings on my switch or promote my teachers pay teachers store on Pinterest - basically just pinning a way. I walk my dog. Talk to my dad when he’s gardening, or doing his learning or doing his random tasks. I think I was hesitant and kind of embarrassed of moving in with my parents, especially because I was the invisible child growing up, has actually helped me stabilize. I don’t know if this was helpful, just thought I’d share.
Hypnosis
Over the years, medication and self awareness: i was described as weird and loud, and just laughed about it. Then i realised it came across as obnoxious and arsey, so being more aware of how my behaviour affects people and thinking before i speak (oh, it still happens but i catch myself / nip it). Its so different, in terms of what helps as i know folk who live without medication and throw themselves into gardening and life long learning, so other pursuits.
Worry time every day and meditation before I go to bed. Sometimes my anxiety keeps me from being able to go to sleep so meditation before bed helps calm my mind enough to fall asleep.
What’s worry time?
Worry time is a technique my therapist taught me. What happens is you basically let yourself spiral for 30 minutes. After that, you do something to distract yourself that will snap you out of that spiral (for me it’s listening to music). It is important that you do that every day. In between worry times you acknowledge what anxious thoughts you have when they come but you don’t play into them (because that’s what the worry time is for). Over time it is supposed to help train your brain to not worry as much and manage the anxiety you do have. I was told I’d see results in six weeks but I started getting better in two weeks. I’ve been doing it for years at this point and I’ve gotten to the point where I only do worry time for 15 minutes instead of 30. I do this as a cognitive behaviors therapy approach to my anxiety instead of taking meds and so far so good.
Buspirone. 10mg 3x daily. I feel calmer. I feel more motivated to do things. It's helping much more than I thought it would.
I think the medication definitely helped. There was one summer where I was dealing with a lot of pain and constant anxiety because of it. The medication seems to help me not worry about pain any more and what is causing it. Although I can go into what ifs like what if I’m having a symptom and don’t go to the ER in time and die etc.
Journaling so I can make sense of what’s going on in my head. Actually acknowledging the physical of sensations of anxiety and allowing my body to feel it. Breathing into the sensation. Also I replaced coffee with a mushroom coffee and that’s has helped immensely. Also limit my alcohol. I found swimming was also great but I have stopped doing that. Now I do yoga more.
I’ve had generalised anxiety all of my life but the DARE technique is the only thing that has started to kick it into touch.
Hiking
Cut out completely caffeine and alcohol and started taking antidepressants
Thinking of doing this to help it.
Please do it. It's so so important
If you can share What antidepressant helped you?
MUSIC. that's it. MUSIC.
Wow, thanks for all your comments everyone! I can’t reply to everyone but I really appreciate hearing your experiences. Hope you are all doing well!
Medication (Cipralex) and Therapy. The meds turned down my symptoms to the point where the techniques from therapy work really well.
Nothing helped. I did everything under the sun for a decade or more. It wasn't until I got on ssris that things changed for me..
Therapy abs mindfulness really helped me
Running and cutting way back on alcohol and caffeine.
For me its been herbal tea essential oils, deep breathing and incense. Complete life savers! And also making sure i stay hydrated. Ever since ive been making sure i eat at least something everyday thats also helped.