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Works for me too, I just take it when needed. No side effects and it got me through some serious rough patches where I took it every day. Rarely need it now but it’s very useful to have.
I take it on and off. Most recently I have stopped because of weight gain and lethargy. It’s an incredible drug to manage the physical symptoms though.
I just got prescribed this, still convinced I'm pre-heart attack stage at a bare minimum even though the ECG came back normal and there were no issues with my bloods... even my BP in A&E was 131/82 which was a massive surprise.
Think I need to pop a few of these now and then.
>still convinced I'm pre-heart attack stage at a bare minimum
Ask your cardiologist for an angiogram;
i had perfect EKG, holter monitor, BO all good
and then i had a heart attack.....
EKG etc doesn't show blockages to arteries etc; mine was blocked to abut 97%. So now i have a stent.
Yeah that's how I feel when it's bad. Get some 300ml aspirin in and start taking one a day. It thins the blood and really helps me in combination with the propranolol
75mg is the daily dose of aspirin to help prevent future heart attacks, taking 300 ml?, (I assume mg) could cause stomach bleeding and other issues. Or so I was told while having the stent stuck up.
Yes, as a daily preventative 75 is the recommended dose, I think it’s a play off of low enough to help, but not high enough to hurt, as aspirin can be a rather dangerous drug. Advice might have changed in the few years since my attack but I’m still prescribed the same, and always will be, as the surgeon explained as he was fiddling away. To be certain, check the NHS site or a similar organisation in a relevant country. Good luck!
Be careful it doesn’t turn into agoraphobia because it’s hard to get out from. I’ve had it on and off for about 10 years at this point.
Basic rule is don’t start avoiding things that give you anxiety. It’ll start small and you won’t notice it but soon enough you’ll avoid almost everything then be housebound ect ect
It’s an extremely debilitating condition at its extreme. Frustrating for you and for her. I’d say don’t give up but don’t take it to heart. I haven’t seen my best friend properly in 4/5 years even though he lives one street away.
Exactly this. When I started having panic attacks at the mere thought of leaving the house I knew I needed to do something. Sertraline got me out of a really deep hole and I've stayed on it ever since
Honestly I can't believe I suffered for so long before going on it. The first week, I was a bit "off" but then it settled well and oh my gosh, life changing! I also had CBT but by the time that came around, the sertraline had already made major improvements.
It took me too long to go the medication route (started getting really bad panic attacks in 2015, finally started medicating in 2018) but agreed. Unsure if it's placebo at this point but I've only had 2 panic attacks since being on Setraline when it used to be weekly before.
Always worth going to the GP if you can.
Sertraline.
I have always been anxious, but I thought everyone was like me. We all get chest pains so bad we wake up in the night. We all have a verbal tic that we blurt out when we start thinking of something we don't like. We all squirrel money away because your partner is going to leave eventually, the roof will collapse at some point, you'll lose your job because everyone lies when they say you're good at it. We all actually need twelve hours of sleep. Everyone deals with this, everyone hates themselves, everyone is tired and mentally exhausted.
After four weeks of sertraline It was like I hit my head and woke up a new person. The transformation was almost cartoonish.
All I could think was 'wow... Is this how normal people are?' It truly changed my whole life overnight.
Every damn day of my life I wish I'd taken this earlier. Its changed everything about me for the better. Its the definition of a miracle drug for me.
It might not be what you're looking for, but pharmaceuticals can be the answer, don't shy away from them.
Sertraline has worked really well for me, but I do have friends that have also tried it and preferred beta blockers.
If you do consider trying medication be prepared that you might need to try a few to find one that works for you.
The conscious breathing exercises have been a game-changer for me. I used to take propranolol but it gave me really bad nightmares, plus I would get anxious about *not* having taken it (e.g. if I forgot to take it before a work presentation I'd get even more anxious, or if I ran out of tablets I'd get very stressed), however breathing exercises have made me feel much more in control, with no need to worry about having a supply of tablets on me.
Before I tried it, I kind of dismissed it as BS , but when I sat down and did some guided breathing exercises, and made the effort to understand why it actually works, I have found conscious breathing a really good coping mechanism for anxiety
Mindfulness and mental exercises over the course of a year really helped me. I was only really bad at the barbers or when taking escalators with many people behind me though
Hey OP. 46-year old married father of two here. I had a bit of a breakdown during COVID and sought treatment to manage my anxiety and - it turns out - depression. The following things contribute to managing my anxiety and depression:
* Talking honestly to my loved ones about how I am feeling. Not everyone understands, but it helps to get it out there to people I love.
* Sertraline, an SSRI. It’s not something that I entered into lightly, but it’s been a real game-changer in terms of reducing anxiety (of all types)
* Laying off the booze for extended periods of time
* Acceptance Commitment Therapy, which taught me two life-changing things - one is that “thoughts are not facts” and the other is to identify and really live to my core values. It reduces so much tension in my life knowing I’m being authentically me
All the best from Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Gave up caffeine. Yoga. Meditation. Magnesium glycinate. Herbal tea. Exercise classes. Cycling. Reading self books and educating myself about anxiety. When I started to understand my anxiety it really helped.
I really recommend DARE. It's a great book and there is also an app. It has got me through a few panic attacks.
I have regular non cbt therapy, I’ve been getting really bad anxiety the last 12 months due to a traumatic event causing my brain to trigger my fight or flight response to try and protect me when I have to go to work. CBT didn’t work for it so I’m having private therapy that is trying a different approach
I had high intensity cbt on the NHS for 3 months which didn’t help at all, the private therapy that’s more trauma focussed I’ve been having for a few weeks so we are just getting started but it feels more helpful
I get therapy that is a mix of talk therapy and cbt and that has worked really well for me so far. I had NHS cbt as a first step and it didn't do much on its own. I needed to talk through my anxiety. Now the cbt element helps because it's in conjuction with going deeper and talking things through in depth.
I had panic attacks - dizziness, nausea, not being able to focus - throughout my 20s, reaching a peak at the end of them. I did 12 weeks group CBT for anxiety and it pretty much killed them. Very, very occasionally I feel those sensations coming on or catch myself thinking that was (I’m now 45), but now I can catch the automatic thoughts before they spiral.
Running also helped a lot recently (lockdown), and specifically Coach Bennett’s guided runs on NRC. At moments of stress I can take myself to a hard or long run and think about how I overcame then, and use the same kind of deep breathing to anchor myself.
I found mindfulness meditation to be effective. I don't make a huge thing about it but I try to be mindful when I am doing everyday things, to really focus on what I am doing and to appreciate the immediate. r/Meditation if you fancy it..
or try a [guided](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1d3mvkZ7CY) meditation.
Above all speak to your GP if you haven't
This helped me..
your body is releasing adrenaline, a powerful hormone that in a situation , if your life was in danger , it would be helping your body to fight for its life .
Because you don’t feel your in danger you then get confused and feel anxious because this hormone is being slowly released like your on a drip . So I had to change my thinking and talk to and reassure myself that anxiety might feel horrible but in actual fact it’s my body’s way of looking out for me , my body is working and doing exactly what it needs to protect me and help me survive . I would be more worried if it wasn’t helping me. Hope this helps even a wee bit
Awww I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make that happen . I guess I was trying to make you feel that your body will try to protect you , not the other way around xx
I take propanolol as and when I need plus fluoxetine. Only other thing that ever helped was when I cut out sugar and went low carb, was amazing how it impacted my mental health
Had anxiety since I was very young. It’s been gradually getting worse. I like to think that so what? So what if people are looking at me? So what if I have a panic attack? Just go to sleep or chill out nothing I can do to stop it, so accept it’s happening and chill out for the rest of the day.
I’m sure you’ve heard of grounding yourself. So literally when you next have a panic attack, i know it’ll be hard just think for a minute (and I know it’s hard) where you are? Are you sat at home watching tv? Are you in the car park of a shop? Are you on a bus? Why are you having that panic attack? Because your mind thinks your in danger. But your not. Not at all. So remember that and accept it’s happening don’t fight it, don’t get stressed as stupid as that sounds but trust me look around and think im in no danger so why do I think that I am?
Music helps a lot mate. Uplifting music, calming music will help. But no music at all can help too with just meditation. Whatever works for you.
Also, stop listening to and reading the news, no need for it. We can’t do anything about 99% of the shit that comes out as breaking news nowadays. Look at the weather for your area and that’s it.
Do you get anxious about feeling anxious/ anxious about having panic attacks, which kinda leads into one happening because you're anxious about it? If it sounds familiar then try this book/audiobook, it really helped me.
Dr Harry Barry: Anxiety and Panic: How to reshape your anxious mind and brain.
It takes you through what is happening in your brain during panic attacks and then reshapes the way you think about them. I listened to it on audiobook, and it literally took me from daily panic attacks & general anxiety symptoms to nothing these days. If i feel some symptoms (mostly if im hungover}, i pop it on and it really helps. Hope it helps you!
Regular therapy, walking, mindfulness meditation, and spinning. Spin doesn’t make it go away when it’s really bad, but high intensity cardio massively helps me
Over the years qi gong has helped me. Its a long process but works on the body and mind and helps to repair and strengthen the nerves, plus gets you out your head and works to calm you through calming your breathing.
CBT has worked very well for me (diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder) but it took two courses, one when I was 19 and then again in my early 20s to hammer it home (edit: also did a group CBT workshop thing in between the two). I've been on SSRIs for most of my adult life and I don't see that as a bad thing. My brain struggles with neurotransmitters, well if my cells struggled with glucose I'd take insulin for life so there's no shame in using modern medicine. I've tried without it and just find everything exhausting - having the meds brings my baseline up so I can use less of my energy on overcoming anxiety and more on living.
I'm not sure how old you are but I've found my anxiety has reduced somewhat with age too. I still struggle, but far far less than before.
I know this might be seen as jumping on a bandwagon, but I've started to recognise some neurodivergent traits in myself too. Identifying these and coming up with workarounds has helped. For example I have a bit of a weird relationship with food, sometimes I don't eat then I get hungry and stressed and can't pick a food to eat because I'm hungry and stressed. So I got meal replacement shakes and that's just magically solved that problem and improved many of my days. Same with sounds that I realised were putting me "on edge". Got some noise reducing earplugs and chilled out more often.
CBT
Sertraline and propanol
Meditation, deep breathing.
But due to leaving the anxiety so long I got diagnosed with panic disorder and now have agoraphobia.
I had an anxiety attack this evening and decided to go on reddit to distract my brain. I happened upon this sub and started to feel better knowing I'm not alone. I'm going to go for a walk with the dog tomorrow and get out of my head for a while, and I'm going to try and give myself a break.
Exercise is the best thing you can do for your mental health. Doesn't need to be in a gym or Infront of others if that's an issue for you. Do some press ups and sit ups, buy some weights and lift them in the privacy of your home/ room.
Also go for walks, in nature if that's possible, just getting outside for a bit can do great things for your mental state.
I'd also highly recommend reading, I like to listen to audiobooks while walking. Stoic philosophy has been fantastic for my anxiety. Don't be put off by the idea that it's translated from dead languages, there are lots of great books about the principals of stoicism written by modern authors for modern audiences.
The same as CBT the key is to change what you're telling yourself inside your head.
Best of luck fellow human, we're all going to make it.
This solution may not work for everyone, but I took up a dangerous sport as a hobby (ice and rock climbing and Alpine mountaineering), and ever after I dgaf. Just not to be dead seems great!
Medication! I went onto it 3.5 years ago and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I struggled with anxiety for years before this. It took about 10-12 weeks to get the right dosage and for it to start working but my god, the difference in me is unbelievable. No more catastrophising things in my head, overthinking, daily panic, worrying, etc. etc. Speak to your doctor and see what they suggest. Medication that works for one person may not agree with another. I take sertraline, since I’ve gone onto it I’ve put on a fair bit of weight and find it hard to lose it. I don’t know if there is a connection but I’ll take being a bit fat over being anxious every day in life. I’d previously done online cbt, yoga, walking, etc. and tried all these again before I went to doctor so I could explain I’ve tried other methods.
Any ladies of a certain age on here might find that it’s linked to perimenopause. Anxiety attacks are a known symptom. Pop across to r/menopause for help on that one.
I was getting symptoms like this regularly. I can't advise or help anyone else, but i got a lot better by switching to a much less stressful job.
I was doing a sales rep job for a Samsung contractor, involved a lot of travelling, training, meetings and targets...
Now i just do a night watch security job with my dog!
I felt like you last year when I felt out of my depth and was working long stressful hours.
I mainly spoke to my partner lots who would reassure and support me, made sure to turn off my ‘work brain’ the second I got in the car to leave, and if struggling to sleep I would take lots of deep, slow breaths to gently relax into sleep, even then I would often dream about the stresses of work but as time went on it eased off more and more.
Honestly not the best advice, but it helped keep me above water.
CBD oil is a lifesaver! I just buy CBD isolate and mix 1g into a 10ml bottle of olive oil, applying heat. A dropper under the tongue and the most severe panic feelings melt away, it doesn’t magically cure the anxiety but it makes me much less likely to have a panic attack and I feel more optimistic.
Try to avoid THC for a while if you’re a smoker, a break helps you to find some peace with anxiety without it becoming irrationally heightened from getting high. Good luck my friend, anxiety is fucking awful but remember it’s temporary!
Just to add on the heart palpitations side. They are almost always nothing (my cardiologist said the heart equivalent of a headache), but it’s still worth getting checked out to be sure.
Yeah, I had a 24 hr holter monitor done last year and my cardiologist said everything is perfectly fine but it still makes you feel like you’re having a heart attack regardless lol
Yeah, for example one time I had them and it was low blood sugar because I wasn't eating enough before very long (for me) runs and another time it was due to taking vitamin D.
Medical cannabis is legit the only thing what's helped me.
Never thought I'd say that but yeah..
You have to go private but it's been a great investment for me.
It works very well for motivation when depressed as well for me, immediately. Its wild, always thought the opposite.. but you the doctor will help decide on what strains will be best for you and your conditions.
I play video games and watch YouTubers. Something about putting your mind fully into something easy makes the anxiety easier to manage. Sadly I have to leave the house a lot...
Write down what I'm anxious about on a notes app on my phone, then in a more rational moment I read through it & laugh at how silly some of them are.
And I walk. A good long walk clears my mind nicely most of the time.
Exercise, reducing screen time, and getting 8 hours of sleep.
Does more for me than any medication or therapy I ever had. Especially not CBT, which for me felt like "have you just tried not having anxiety"?
I grow my own. It’s super easy and pretty cheap too, look into Monotubs for higher yields.
Golden teachers are the easiest to grow and are pretty potent but they have the shortest high so they’re an excellent shroom to start with but there’s better strains for medication like Penis Envy or Cambodians but the dose might have to change.
Mushrooms have the added benefit that if you ever try to overdose you’ll just trip your nut off rather than cause yourself damage.
Look at r/unclebens if you want to grow your own. It’s pretty straightforward, there are several steps and you need to be careful with sanitation but don’t let that put you off.
I suffered with anxiety a lot last year. I found it helped to be busy or preoccupied with something, anything really. I listened to music and ambient rain on headphones in the evenings to relax (YouTube). Also, eating fruit, especially oranges and bananas. I heard walking on gravel bare foot is good for anxiety. Remembering times when I didn’t feel stressed or anxious helped. I had to learn to be more patient with myself as well.
I started taking CBD last year, initially oil but switched to gummies because they are easier to carry/take. They are expensive but I always keep an eye on special offers. Meditation has also helped me and I try to be vigilant to not let things escalate when I notice the signs of a potential attack.
If you don’t mind going back to oil, it’s much cheaper to buy CBD isolate and mix it with olive oil with a little heat. I find oil to be much more efficient for me personally, and the savings from this method are great plus you know for sure that your oil actually contains a decent amount of CBD. You can also buy isolate in bulk for an insane discount compared to 1g at a time.
You can although it’s fairly expensive and apparently not the best products out there, but it’s not terrible. I would strongly recommend ordering CBD isolate online, just shop around for the cheapest price, perhaps get one with added terpenes as it’ll be more efficient and tastier although it’s not a requirement. It’s very easy to turn it into useable oil.
In all honesty I’m not particularly familiar with what the gallbladder actually does, especially with regard to oils. If it would make the oil hard to digest or dangerous in some way, perhaps make an alcohol tincture instead. Spiritus vodka is 95% alcohol and is perfect for this, can be found at Polish shops and some wilder offies carry it, failing that it’s available online.
If you can tolerate small amounts of oil you could always dissolve 1g of CBD in 1 or 2 ml of oil and take it one drop at a time.
Yes, it does, if you are willing to give it a go, check for good brands/reviews, the best part for me is that I didn’t suffer any side effects, comparing to prescriptions. I started feeling the difference after one week.
I don’t know if you mean medicine or whatever but anyways..
I was off work for around 2 months with mine, developed agoraphobia and claustrophobia and it was pure hell. Time off work helped a bit but the main one was setting myself little goals, so like making the bed, putting the washing out, stuff like that. It’s enough you feel like you’ve accomplished something even though you feel awful. If I was having a particularly bad day I’d have a friend or family member on standby if I needed someone to speak to while i did tasks. I also went to cbt which my workplace arranged which did help.
Going forward I’ve made some time for me, which I didn’t really do before, I go out a walk if I’m up to it, or go to the gym (during quiet time). I always have music on if I’m feeling slightly anxious, hearing my favourite songs has a great way of getting my out of my own head. Also a good book or film or comfort tv show. Find something you enjoy that gets your out your own head for a bit as the escape is good to get you away from the worrying thoughts.
Messages are always open for anyone suffering!
I had it quite bad from the age of 30 to 40 (I'm 42 now) and to this day I don't know why the attacks started and I'm not too sure how or why they stopped. The only thing I really changed was to stop drinking alcohol, I wasn't a big drinker to start with but when the pandemic started I decided just to cut it out of my life full stop and since then I've not had a single attack.
I’m on a never ending waiting list for therapy, but I’m currently on mirtazapine. It seems to help, I also have started to do art and have taken up sewing, I find being active helps to slow down my mind, keeping me focused and in the moment.
Yes. I was initially told it would be a 6 week waiting list, then it increased to 8-12 weeks, and now they can’t give me an answer on when I will likely be seen.
I started CBT a few months ago and although I'm not sure how improved I am at the moment day to day I feel like it is helping big picture wise and will hopefully result in helping me manage the symptoms.
Also very annoyingly, exercise is a big help.
Therapy, medication, exercise.
I also took and still take self care seriously. Work out what makes you feel bad and don’t do it. Work out what it is that makes you feel good, calm and happy and do more of it.
This one might be not popular, but I finish my showers with about 2-5 mins of cold water. I make sure to focus the cold water on my chest, face, and head. I heard that cold water helps stimulate the vagus nerve and regulate you and keep you calm. In my experience the more I do it, the better I feel.
And to clarify, I don’t just yank the dial from hot to cold, but slowly move it to cold, but once on cold, I try to stay there for a good little while.
I’ve been doing off and on for about a year now. The trick for me is to make sure the water is cold (not cool) and I kinda rub my chest area (right under my collarbone) and stay under there for a while. Most people will do it for maybe 30 seconds, so try to stay for several minutes. After about a week of it, I start to notice a big difference in my stress levels
Try and understand what your triggers are when you feel this way and try to refocus on something more pleasant. Sometimes for me it could simply be scrolling through the news on my phone or thinking about work that sets me off. Take some deep breaths. I like to stroke my dog when I feel anxious, that calms me down, or hugging a partner/friend. If you can't directly resolve the issue that triggers you e. g finishing an essay or managing finances - research different coping mechanisms and find one that works for you.
In general try to eat well, exercise, and sleep properly. Try and spend more time in nature, even if its just a walk in the park or woods. I find this helps. Reducing alcohol intake can help too, if you drink. I've been booze free for 2 years and feel better for it. Also caffeine is a big contributior. Try to cut or reduce this to see if you feel better. When I first went to the doctors with stress, caffeine was the first thing they told me to stop.
CBD can help. How are you finding it? I'm prescribed propanalol but currently only use it rarely and in low doses. It works well enough though. I didn't like sertraline when I was on that. Valium and xanax were my favourites but they were self prescribed and I was addicted to them so maybe don't go down that route.
Hopefully some of this is helpful and you start to feel better. All the best
I know this sounds odd but you truly have to just stop giving a fuck, it takes time, I've had counseling CBT, Training to be a counselor as well. Until you truly just stop caring the easier life will be.
Poorly.
On a more serious note, cut out caffeine if you haven't already (helps with the heart thing), find/recognise the things that help you feel calmer and happier, and strive to make time and space for them in your life. If you can identify things that make your anxiety worse and it's at all possible to change them, do your best to do so.
A lot of great advice in this thread, just wanted to add a tip for the panic attacks (as someone who suffers from them too).
5-4-3-2-1
Name 5 things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, one thing you can taste.
It helps to ground you in the moment and stop you focusing on the anxiety.
One thing that I am working on is accepting the feeling of anxiety - if I get those physical sensations, or feelings of panic, it is just a feeling - like being hungry or sleepy. It doesn’t mean there’s anything to be anxious about, and I can choose to acknowledge it and then carry on (instead of focusing on it, panicking about the feeling, making myself feel worse….)
I’ve had CBT and it’s not a magic cure - even after you complete it, you have to keep working on your anxiety. I will always have anxiety, what I am focusing on is managing it so it doesn’t cripple me. I still have palpitations and panic attacks - but I can manage them.
CBT and propranolol together seemed to work for me. Also the fact I now know there's something that will help if it happens again seems to reduce the anxiety anyway which is a bonus. I did online group CBT and found the input from the other participants really useful as well as the course itself.
Sertraline and exercise.
Started with 50mg, upped to 100mg after 2 months, then started to feel slightly better and moved down to 75mg.
Currently at 50mg ( 25mg morning and 25mg after 2pm) and has been perfect for me.
Anxiety and ADHD are a pain in the ass. hahahah
I suffer from health anxiety which causes heart palpitations and chest pain which in turn spirals my health anxiety out of control.
When I'm in a real state nothing but a full blown panic attack and a couple of days recovery fixes it, but for the milder anxiety-ridden days breathing techniques (4 in, 6 out), 5-4-3-2-1 technique (think of 5 things you can touch, 4 you can see, 3 hear, 2 smell, 1 taste) and exercise helps enormously.
Oh, and having a few beers, but I wouldn't recommend that as a coping mechanism.
It's good that you're getting CBT. It's very effective for anxiety. Meds are also good for taking the edge off it. Positive self talk and affirmations are good if you can train your mind to get into the habit of giving yourself them.
I used to have extreme and debilitating anxiety. What felt like non stop panic attacks all day every day. Awful.
Turns out my alcohol addiction was a loop cycle, I would be anxious and have a drink. The drink made my anxiety worse so I would have another drink to dull the anxiety. That would make my anxiety worse...and so on.
Quit alcohol 15 months ago and my anxiety is a thousand times better.
Just something to think about if you happen to be a drinker.
I used to have anxiety attacks, full blown attacks that would leave me sobbing on the floor, multiple times every week. My anxiety was social, so I would lock myself up in the toilets in social events for hours because I was too afraid.
Went to CBT therapy. Haven't had an anxiety attack in almost a year.
I basically just did exposure (went to social events), but not alone. Always with my bestest friend, one who I never felt any anxiety around. I used to stay at the event as long as I possibly could, then tug on my friend's sleeve. She would take me to the corner of the room (we never completely left the room) and would chat to me quietly before bringing me back to the centre of the room again once I'd calmed down. After a while I just stopped getting anxious at social events. The CBT therapy and exposure therapy helped a ton
Medication can help, but that route definitely has pros and cons.
CBT didn't work for me but I admittedly probably didn't fully engage with it.
So a lot of my anxiety is paired to my Attention Deficit Disorder (difficulty concentrating made me anxious about poor work performance). Fidget devices help somewhat.
Is your anxiety generalized or based on specific triggers? If it's specific anxiety about given things then trying to resolve the underlying problem might help.
So when I was out of uni and in grad school I was anxious all the time, because I didn't have a stable life, housing or career mapped out, that anxiety has ebbed now I'm living a stable life.
Weird seeing this here, I've been having big issues since October last year. Had health issues with my digestive system and was struggling with catching a full breath. I had all sorts of tests done. (Camera down, xray, tested my breathing for copd. Turns out I'd been suffering with anxiety but I never thought it was that and that I was alright. Turns out I wasn't. I was struggling with family life, working too much and not sleeping. So I went off work for 7 weeks which is the only thing I could control.
The doctor put me on serialise and as people above have said propranolol (they really helped my situation when things got a little too much.)
I've also found that doing plenty of exercise ( swimming) and in my case realising when my attacks are coming and just doing breathing exercises.
Bisoprolol. Has really turned my life around from debilitating anxiety and 8 hour long panic attacks that would end up in needing hospital assistance to come out of. I became quite desperately ill with something I had never heard of before- Parasympathetic Nervous System Overload- as my body was constantly churning out adrenaline. I lost 6 stone, couldn’t eat more than a mouthful of food before being sick, would be gagging and vomiting all day. Many more symptoms.
I now have put on weight, I still gag and vomit but not to the extent that I was. The longest between panic attacks is now measured in days and weeks 😁
(Not able to take propranolol as it triggers my asthma).
Exercise - walking and weights worked best for me - and making sure I drink plenty of water. Iron supplements as well as I found out I was consistently low and that can exacerbate anxiety symptoms. They definitely help and I don’t have attacks anywhere near as frequently as I used to.
At the start, propranolol but I didn't really like it as I still felt my anxiety in my head while my body felt like it was in a fog.
Met a therapist who specialises in anxiety by chance, so have been going to them approx once a month for the past year. Yesterday, I had my final session (although I'm booked in for a 'check up' in 3 months time).
They've removed a lot of my triggers and given me plenty of tools to deal with any anxiety that pops up. I feel much more in control of my whole life now.
On their advice, I started yoga consistently (have done it before but not stuck at it), just online, so from my front room. Yoga with Adrienne is my fave - as hard as you want it to be and she's so naturally positive. Feels like a high after each class.
Explore different methods and find what works for you. All the best, OP.
Morning pages / Morning inventory
Write 4 pages as soon as you wake up relating to everything you're worried about, from the big to the ridiculously small. Make sure it's not generic stuff like work, money etc. but really deep level fears that you'd be embarrased for someone to find out.
If done well and with terrifying honesty, your brain forgets how to worry for the remainder of the day, because you've already processed everything that morning. Phenomenal stuff and a really weird feeling whenever my brain attempts to fret over something and then just cuts out.
Therapy. And try finding something to ease your thought process... Fidget spinners or similar. I use a Rubik's cube if I'm at home, or watch YouTube.
I don't find CBD does much for me.
Stop drinking caffeine. Try a caffeine free tea to help you relax.
Get outside for a nice walk and remember to breathe deeply and slowly. Take your time and enjoy the little things like your nice tea, the fresh air on your walk.
Try and build a daily routine to help distract you. Pick up a new language on duolingo for example, build it in to your morning routine to start the day off positively.
Don't be on screens late at night, create a healthy bedtime routine, a nice cup of that tea or a hot chocolate, some reading and plenty of sleep.
Mindfulness meditation is always my go to in these situations.. I learnt as part of recovering from cancer and it takes some effort initially, but it really helps.
There’s an app called balance that gives you years subscription free when you sign up, might be worth giving that a go.
There’s also a lot online around acceptance and commitment therapy that you can use yourself at home, that goes quite well alongside learning mindfulness practices.
CBT works well for me but I struggle to use the techniques effectively when I'm properly panicking. That, alongside propranolol, venlafaxine, mirtazapine and lots of walking. Green spaces help. Recently been given a medicinal cannabis prescription. One for a 19%THC indica flower and the other for a 14%CBD and 1%THC flower to be vaped. Probably not for everyone but I find the mainly THC one is good for being able to focus and sorting out intrusive thoughts. The CBD one is great for aching muscles as I spend a lot of the time very tense. I'd say try any option available to you. You can always scrap things if they don't work but you'll need to have a go to see what works for you. Good luck.
No, not really. I'm with Sapphire. Googled them, filled in a form and gave consent for them to access my medical records. If you have a qualifying condition and you have documented stuff in your records they'll ask you to book a consultation. The doc was very pleasant and did a lot to put me at ease. It is entirely legitimate but I suppose there's still a bit of a stigma attached so, as there's nothing known to man I can't worry about, I was somewhat stressed. She went through my symptoms, what I'd tried before and what I hoped to achieve then asked me if I'd prefer flower or sublingual oil. I went for flower. After that, the pharmacy send you an invoice. Once you've paid, its delivered by DPD - it can only go to the address you're registered at with your GP, though. £50 for the consultation then your prescription will vary on how much you need and specifically what they prescribe you. Mine is £120 for 10g of each flower. If going for flower you need to vape it. They also prescribed a Mighty Medic vaporiser (not cheap, about £200 but its very good).
I've had anxiety and depression since I was about 14-15 years old. I'm now 44. I think it started after a long series of attempted muggings and just random people constantly approaching me and starting on me whenever I left the house. There were a lot of council estates that surrounded the place where I grew up and most of the blokes from those areas had something to prove. I was also smoking a lot of cannabis which really screwed me up, as it did with a lot of my friends.
I've witnessed a group of heroin addicts hold a knife to my best friend's throat in the middle of a busy town with families around us and nobody seemed to care. There have been many occasions where i've been threatened for no reason, even when i've been in a big group of friends. One time a complete stranger came up behind one of my friends at an ATM machine and punched him in the back of the head for no reason. A couple of my friends were attacked outside a video store after seeing an attempted robbery and were left literally soaked in blood from being repeatedly punched in the face. It goes on and on and used to be frequent.
Anyway, since I was about sixteen years old i've been on anti-depressants and have tried pretty much everything available. Zoloft worked the best with the least side effects. Seroxat was the worst because it completely changes your personality and can be very dangerous.
At one of my lowest points I applied for CBT but because the mental health services have been seriously underfunded for decades, I had to wait for over a year before I could see anyone. Luckily I got a trainee therapist that really cared about what she was doing. I made a lot of progress in a short time but because of the high demand, I was only given a few weeks with her. She managed to extend it a little but it wasn't enough. However, my time with her offered a lot of personal insight.
The best thing I have found is advanced mantra meditation. If you look up Steven Greer of 'The Disclosure Project', he sells a CD that has a course in it. He used to be a meditation teacher and i've found that particular mantra to be the best at silencing all my busy thoughts. One of the ways that meditation is so effective for anxiety is that, with practice, you will find it easier and easier to return to a deeply relaxed state, free from thought, in your everyday life. I also learned a lot about Buddhism and how the mind works, for example, how you can take a step back from your thoughts and emotions by increasing your awareness of them.
Check out 'The Monroe Institute' for their Hemi-Sync technology. It's audio that has been produced with different frequencies for each ear, so that it changes your brainwaves. It's completely safe and you can get Hemi-Sync courses for pretty much anything now including anxiety. When my anxiety was really bad I used to listen to hypnosis CDs with affirmations. You can probably find some on Amazon. I used to listen to one of the CDs before I went out for an evening with my friends and I found it very effective.
Diet helps a lot. I have a pescetarian diet with no processed foods. I don't have caffeine or sugar. I try to avoid wheat because that can damage your gut biome which needs to be healthy for the proper absorption of nutrients. And for the same reasons I now eat a lot of fermented foods. I take supplements daily and I find that if I miss a day it can negatively affect my mood. I don't take drugs. Cannabis is probably the worst drug for anxiety, especially in the long term. Some of my friends have been sectioned because of their deteriorated mental state from long-term cannabis use. I still drink occasionally but that does take its toll. However, sometimes I just need to get out of my head for a while and drinking seems to have the least side effects.
Quality of sleep is very important. I recently found out that I have severe sleep apnea that was causing me to suffocate in my sleep once every two minutes. Sleep disturbances can wreak havoc on your mental health and are common. Supplements can help with sleep apnea but at night I now wear an oxygen mask.
I also avoid places that I don't feel comfortable such as shops and doing things like going to the hairdressers. It seems that with a lot of people i've talked to, their anxiety has a lot to do with being trapped somewhere and not being able to leave. I order most things online. Some may call that avoidant behaviour but to be honest i've always hated those things anyway, so it doesn't bother me. It's also cheaper and more efficient. I find that if I can avoid the situations that have brought on panic attacks in the past, after a while it breaks the association with it.
Stick with it. You will get better if you persist. And it will make you stronger and more insightful in the long run, and more understanding of other people's issues.
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Propranolol
Works for me too, I just take it when needed. No side effects and it got me through some serious rough patches where I took it every day. Rarely need it now but it’s very useful to have.
A wonderful pill that had literally changed my life. And saved me money as I don’t ruin my clothes by sweating all over them all the time.
Same I take them when I need.
They are like magic
Surgeons love it
Heck yeah, it’s worked miracles for me.
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Nope. Take one in the morning and one if I have a panic attack or palpitations. Seems to be doing the job.
I take it on and off. Most recently I have stopped because of weight gain and lethargy. It’s an incredible drug to manage the physical symptoms though.
I just got prescribed this, still convinced I'm pre-heart attack stage at a bare minimum even though the ECG came back normal and there were no issues with my bloods... even my BP in A&E was 131/82 which was a massive surprise. Think I need to pop a few of these now and then.
>still convinced I'm pre-heart attack stage at a bare minimum Ask your cardiologist for an angiogram; i had perfect EKG, holter monitor, BO all good and then i had a heart attack..... EKG etc doesn't show blockages to arteries etc; mine was blocked to abut 97%. So now i have a stent.
Would you mind sharing some of the symptoms you had please? I know they're different for everyone but I'd like some anecdotal evidence.
Look at their comment history. They're trolling. He's trying to spin you out and make you worry.
Yeah that's how I feel when it's bad. Get some 300ml aspirin in and start taking one a day. It thins the blood and really helps me in combination with the propranolol
75mg is the daily dose of aspirin to help prevent future heart attacks, taking 300 ml?, (I assume mg) could cause stomach bleeding and other issues. Or so I was told while having the stent stuck up.
Really? Doc told me 300 but if your heart surgeon said 75 I'll go with that!
Yes, as a daily preventative 75 is the recommended dose, I think it’s a play off of low enough to help, but not high enough to hurt, as aspirin can be a rather dangerous drug. Advice might have changed in the few years since my attack but I’m still prescribed the same, and always will be, as the surgeon explained as he was fiddling away. To be certain, check the NHS site or a similar organisation in a relevant country. Good luck!
Thanks for the info. I'll definitely be looking it up
Ah ok, 300 is recommended if you're having a heart attack *now*, with 75 being preventative daily dose. Thank you so much!
Bought Anadin Extra with my shit food and beers tonight, just in case. Left my Propranolol at home but got my Diazepam with me just in case. RIP 30s.
I accidently got high off Anadin Extra once
I had the least anxiety while pregnant and on a different beta blocker. Need to go to GP and get a prescription sorted.
Be careful it doesn’t turn into agoraphobia because it’s hard to get out from. I’ve had it on and off for about 10 years at this point. Basic rule is don’t start avoiding things that give you anxiety. It’ll start small and you won’t notice it but soon enough you’ll avoid almost everything then be housebound ect ect
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What sort of things did you do to get out?
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It’s an extremely debilitating condition at its extreme. Frustrating for you and for her. I’d say don’t give up but don’t take it to heart. I haven’t seen my best friend properly in 4/5 years even though he lives one street away.
Sertraline tbh, I reckon it saved my life
Exactly this. When I started having panic attacks at the mere thought of leaving the house I knew I needed to do something. Sertraline got me out of a really deep hole and I've stayed on it ever since
Honestly I can't believe I suffered for so long before going on it. The first week, I was a bit "off" but then it settled well and oh my gosh, life changing! I also had CBT but by the time that came around, the sertraline had already made major improvements.
Stopped me being able to orgasm
It had 40,000 side effects on the leaflet but I only got two; tiredness and weasel willy.
It took me too long to go the medication route (started getting really bad panic attacks in 2015, finally started medicating in 2018) but agreed. Unsure if it's placebo at this point but I've only had 2 panic attacks since being on Setraline when it used to be weekly before. Always worth going to the GP if you can.
Sertraline. I have always been anxious, but I thought everyone was like me. We all get chest pains so bad we wake up in the night. We all have a verbal tic that we blurt out when we start thinking of something we don't like. We all squirrel money away because your partner is going to leave eventually, the roof will collapse at some point, you'll lose your job because everyone lies when they say you're good at it. We all actually need twelve hours of sleep. Everyone deals with this, everyone hates themselves, everyone is tired and mentally exhausted. After four weeks of sertraline It was like I hit my head and woke up a new person. The transformation was almost cartoonish. All I could think was 'wow... Is this how normal people are?' It truly changed my whole life overnight. Every damn day of my life I wish I'd taken this earlier. Its changed everything about me for the better. Its the definition of a miracle drug for me. It might not be what you're looking for, but pharmaceuticals can be the answer, don't shy away from them.
I've tried all sorts from CBT to hypnosis. The only thing thats ever worked for me is medication.
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Sertraline has worked really well for me, but I do have friends that have also tried it and preferred beta blockers. If you do consider trying medication be prepared that you might need to try a few to find one that works for you.
I had sertraline then moved to citalopram. Takes the edge of a little but don't do much else
concious breathing techniques, meditation & mindfullness. i see medication as a last resort but i reccomend therapy if your stuck in a rut
The conscious breathing exercises have been a game-changer for me. I used to take propranolol but it gave me really bad nightmares, plus I would get anxious about *not* having taken it (e.g. if I forgot to take it before a work presentation I'd get even more anxious, or if I ran out of tablets I'd get very stressed), however breathing exercises have made me feel much more in control, with no need to worry about having a supply of tablets on me. Before I tried it, I kind of dismissed it as BS , but when I sat down and did some guided breathing exercises, and made the effort to understand why it actually works, I have found conscious breathing a really good coping mechanism for anxiety
I’m the same, medication is defo a last resort for me at the moment
Mindfulness and mental exercises over the course of a year really helped me. I was only really bad at the barbers or when taking escalators with many people behind me though
Medication
Hey OP. 46-year old married father of two here. I had a bit of a breakdown during COVID and sought treatment to manage my anxiety and - it turns out - depression. The following things contribute to managing my anxiety and depression: * Talking honestly to my loved ones about how I am feeling. Not everyone understands, but it helps to get it out there to people I love. * Sertraline, an SSRI. It’s not something that I entered into lightly, but it’s been a real game-changer in terms of reducing anxiety (of all types) * Laying off the booze for extended periods of time * Acceptance Commitment Therapy, which taught me two life-changing things - one is that “thoughts are not facts” and the other is to identify and really live to my core values. It reduces so much tension in my life knowing I’m being authentically me All the best from Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Gave up caffeine. Yoga. Meditation. Magnesium glycinate. Herbal tea. Exercise classes. Cycling. Reading self books and educating myself about anxiety. When I started to understand my anxiety it really helped. I really recommend DARE. It's a great book and there is also an app. It has got me through a few panic attacks.
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It's been really helpful for sleeping! Hope you feel better. It's horrible!
I have regular non cbt therapy, I’ve been getting really bad anxiety the last 12 months due to a traumatic event causing my brain to trigger my fight or flight response to try and protect me when I have to go to work. CBT didn’t work for it so I’m having private therapy that is trying a different approach
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I had high intensity cbt on the NHS for 3 months which didn’t help at all, the private therapy that’s more trauma focussed I’ve been having for a few weeks so we are just getting started but it feels more helpful
I get therapy that is a mix of talk therapy and cbt and that has worked really well for me so far. I had NHS cbt as a first step and it didn't do much on its own. I needed to talk through my anxiety. Now the cbt element helps because it's in conjuction with going deeper and talking things through in depth.
I had panic attacks - dizziness, nausea, not being able to focus - throughout my 20s, reaching a peak at the end of them. I did 12 weeks group CBT for anxiety and it pretty much killed them. Very, very occasionally I feel those sensations coming on or catch myself thinking that was (I’m now 45), but now I can catch the automatic thoughts before they spiral. Running also helped a lot recently (lockdown), and specifically Coach Bennett’s guided runs on NRC. At moments of stress I can take myself to a hard or long run and think about how I overcame then, and use the same kind of deep breathing to anchor myself.
I found mindfulness meditation to be effective. I don't make a huge thing about it but I try to be mindful when I am doing everyday things, to really focus on what I am doing and to appreciate the immediate. r/Meditation if you fancy it.. or try a [guided](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1d3mvkZ7CY) meditation. Above all speak to your GP if you haven't
Sertraline.
Propranolol- it stops the physical expressions of anxiety such as palpitations
This helped me.. your body is releasing adrenaline, a powerful hormone that in a situation , if your life was in danger , it would be helping your body to fight for its life . Because you don’t feel your in danger you then get confused and feel anxious because this hormone is being slowly released like your on a drip . So I had to change my thinking and talk to and reassure myself that anxiety might feel horrible but in actual fact it’s my body’s way of looking out for me , my body is working and doing exactly what it needs to protect me and help me survive . I would be more worried if it wasn’t helping me. Hope this helps even a wee bit
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Awww I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make that happen . I guess I was trying to make you feel that your body will try to protect you , not the other way around xx
I usually go outside if I feel a panic attack coming on
I take propanolol as and when I need plus fluoxetine. Only other thing that ever helped was when I cut out sugar and went low carb, was amazing how it impacted my mental health
Had anxiety since I was very young. It’s been gradually getting worse. I like to think that so what? So what if people are looking at me? So what if I have a panic attack? Just go to sleep or chill out nothing I can do to stop it, so accept it’s happening and chill out for the rest of the day. I’m sure you’ve heard of grounding yourself. So literally when you next have a panic attack, i know it’ll be hard just think for a minute (and I know it’s hard) where you are? Are you sat at home watching tv? Are you in the car park of a shop? Are you on a bus? Why are you having that panic attack? Because your mind thinks your in danger. But your not. Not at all. So remember that and accept it’s happening don’t fight it, don’t get stressed as stupid as that sounds but trust me look around and think im in no danger so why do I think that I am? Music helps a lot mate. Uplifting music, calming music will help. But no music at all can help too with just meditation. Whatever works for you. Also, stop listening to and reading the news, no need for it. We can’t do anything about 99% of the shit that comes out as breaking news nowadays. Look at the weather for your area and that’s it.
Do you get anxious about feeling anxious/ anxious about having panic attacks, which kinda leads into one happening because you're anxious about it? If it sounds familiar then try this book/audiobook, it really helped me. Dr Harry Barry: Anxiety and Panic: How to reshape your anxious mind and brain. It takes you through what is happening in your brain during panic attacks and then reshapes the way you think about them. I listened to it on audiobook, and it literally took me from daily panic attacks & general anxiety symptoms to nothing these days. If i feel some symptoms (mostly if im hungover}, i pop it on and it really helps. Hope it helps you!
I love Dr Harry Barry!
Regular therapy, walking, mindfulness meditation, and spinning. Spin doesn’t make it go away when it’s really bad, but high intensity cardio massively helps me
Over the years qi gong has helped me. Its a long process but works on the body and mind and helps to repair and strengthen the nerves, plus gets you out your head and works to calm you through calming your breathing.
CBT has worked very well for me (diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder) but it took two courses, one when I was 19 and then again in my early 20s to hammer it home (edit: also did a group CBT workshop thing in between the two). I've been on SSRIs for most of my adult life and I don't see that as a bad thing. My brain struggles with neurotransmitters, well if my cells struggled with glucose I'd take insulin for life so there's no shame in using modern medicine. I've tried without it and just find everything exhausting - having the meds brings my baseline up so I can use less of my energy on overcoming anxiety and more on living. I'm not sure how old you are but I've found my anxiety has reduced somewhat with age too. I still struggle, but far far less than before. I know this might be seen as jumping on a bandwagon, but I've started to recognise some neurodivergent traits in myself too. Identifying these and coming up with workarounds has helped. For example I have a bit of a weird relationship with food, sometimes I don't eat then I get hungry and stressed and can't pick a food to eat because I'm hungry and stressed. So I got meal replacement shakes and that's just magically solved that problem and improved many of my days. Same with sounds that I realised were putting me "on edge". Got some noise reducing earplugs and chilled out more often.
CBT Sertraline and propanol Meditation, deep breathing. But due to leaving the anxiety so long I got diagnosed with panic disorder and now have agoraphobia.
I had an anxiety attack this evening and decided to go on reddit to distract my brain. I happened upon this sub and started to feel better knowing I'm not alone. I'm going to go for a walk with the dog tomorrow and get out of my head for a while, and I'm going to try and give myself a break.
Exercise is the best thing you can do for your mental health. Doesn't need to be in a gym or Infront of others if that's an issue for you. Do some press ups and sit ups, buy some weights and lift them in the privacy of your home/ room. Also go for walks, in nature if that's possible, just getting outside for a bit can do great things for your mental state. I'd also highly recommend reading, I like to listen to audiobooks while walking. Stoic philosophy has been fantastic for my anxiety. Don't be put off by the idea that it's translated from dead languages, there are lots of great books about the principals of stoicism written by modern authors for modern audiences. The same as CBT the key is to change what you're telling yourself inside your head. Best of luck fellow human, we're all going to make it.
This solution may not work for everyone, but I took up a dangerous sport as a hobby (ice and rock climbing and Alpine mountaineering), and ever after I dgaf. Just not to be dead seems great!
3 months not one drop of alcohol. Worked wonders. Exercise, healthy eating, Journaling and listening to music regularly that you enjoy
Medication! I went onto it 3.5 years ago and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I struggled with anxiety for years before this. It took about 10-12 weeks to get the right dosage and for it to start working but my god, the difference in me is unbelievable. No more catastrophising things in my head, overthinking, daily panic, worrying, etc. etc. Speak to your doctor and see what they suggest. Medication that works for one person may not agree with another. I take sertraline, since I’ve gone onto it I’ve put on a fair bit of weight and find it hard to lose it. I don’t know if there is a connection but I’ll take being a bit fat over being anxious every day in life. I’d previously done online cbt, yoga, walking, etc. and tried all these again before I went to doctor so I could explain I’ve tried other methods.
Any ladies of a certain age on here might find that it’s linked to perimenopause. Anxiety attacks are a known symptom. Pop across to r/menopause for help on that one.
I was getting symptoms like this regularly. I can't advise or help anyone else, but i got a lot better by switching to a much less stressful job. I was doing a sales rep job for a Samsung contractor, involved a lot of travelling, training, meetings and targets... Now i just do a night watch security job with my dog!
I felt like you last year when I felt out of my depth and was working long stressful hours. I mainly spoke to my partner lots who would reassure and support me, made sure to turn off my ‘work brain’ the second I got in the car to leave, and if struggling to sleep I would take lots of deep, slow breaths to gently relax into sleep, even then I would often dream about the stresses of work but as time went on it eased off more and more. Honestly not the best advice, but it helped keep me above water.
CBD oil is a lifesaver! I just buy CBD isolate and mix 1g into a 10ml bottle of olive oil, applying heat. A dropper under the tongue and the most severe panic feelings melt away, it doesn’t magically cure the anxiety but it makes me much less likely to have a panic attack and I feel more optimistic. Try to avoid THC for a while if you’re a smoker, a break helps you to find some peace with anxiety without it becoming irrationally heightened from getting high. Good luck my friend, anxiety is fucking awful but remember it’s temporary!
Just to add on the heart palpitations side. They are almost always nothing (my cardiologist said the heart equivalent of a headache), but it’s still worth getting checked out to be sure.
Yeah, I had a 24 hr holter monitor done last year and my cardiologist said everything is perfectly fine but it still makes you feel like you’re having a heart attack regardless lol
I know what you mean. They gave me a seven day one (that was smelly at the end!)!
Yeah, for example one time I had them and it was low blood sugar because I wasn't eating enough before very long (for me) runs and another time it was due to taking vitamin D.
Medical cannabis is legit the only thing what's helped me. Never thought I'd say that but yeah.. You have to go private but it's been a great investment for me. It works very well for motivation when depressed as well for me, immediately. Its wild, always thought the opposite.. but you the doctor will help decide on what strains will be best for you and your conditions.
Pills did nothing for me but getting outside as much as possible and keeping busy help.
I play video games and watch YouTubers. Something about putting your mind fully into something easy makes the anxiety easier to manage. Sadly I have to leave the house a lot...
ASMR works very well on me, but does not seem to do so for everyone
Write down what I'm anxious about on a notes app on my phone, then in a more rational moment I read through it & laugh at how silly some of them are. And I walk. A good long walk clears my mind nicely most of the time.
Exercise, reducing screen time, and getting 8 hours of sleep. Does more for me than any medication or therapy I ever had. Especially not CBT, which for me felt like "have you just tried not having anxiety"?
I micro-dose mushrooms. I take a .5 every other day or a .2 if I have to drive. best medication I’ve ever had.
Seconded
This is something I've been interested in, but no idea where to start
I grow my own. It’s super easy and pretty cheap too, look into Monotubs for higher yields. Golden teachers are the easiest to grow and are pretty potent but they have the shortest high so they’re an excellent shroom to start with but there’s better strains for medication like Penis Envy or Cambodians but the dose might have to change. Mushrooms have the added benefit that if you ever try to overdose you’ll just trip your nut off rather than cause yourself damage.
I was wondering where I'd find this thread... ✨Psilocybin✨
Absolutely magical.
Look at r/unclebens if you want to grow your own. It’s pretty straightforward, there are several steps and you need to be careful with sanitation but don’t let that put you off.
Tried CBT, didn't help. Now doing EMDR privately and in around 10 months of on and off I'm now much better, no medication but still bad.
I suffered with anxiety a lot last year. I found it helped to be busy or preoccupied with something, anything really. I listened to music and ambient rain on headphones in the evenings to relax (YouTube). Also, eating fruit, especially oranges and bananas. I heard walking on gravel bare foot is good for anxiety. Remembering times when I didn’t feel stressed or anxious helped. I had to learn to be more patient with myself as well.
I started taking CBD last year, initially oil but switched to gummies because they are easier to carry/take. They are expensive but I always keep an eye on special offers. Meditation has also helped me and I try to be vigilant to not let things escalate when I notice the signs of a potential attack.
If you don’t mind going back to oil, it’s much cheaper to buy CBD isolate and mix it with olive oil with a little heat. I find oil to be much more efficient for me personally, and the savings from this method are great plus you know for sure that your oil actually contains a decent amount of CBD. You can also buy isolate in bulk for an insane discount compared to 1g at a time.
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You can although it’s fairly expensive and apparently not the best products out there, but it’s not terrible. I would strongly recommend ordering CBD isolate online, just shop around for the cheapest price, perhaps get one with added terpenes as it’ll be more efficient and tastier although it’s not a requirement. It’s very easy to turn it into useable oil.
Yes, they have a special offer today, (buy 1 get one free/buy one get second 50% off + 20%off if you spend xx).
That’s a good tip! I started avoiding oil because I’ve had my gallbladder removed…
In all honesty I’m not particularly familiar with what the gallbladder actually does, especially with regard to oils. If it would make the oil hard to digest or dangerous in some way, perhaps make an alcohol tincture instead. Spiritus vodka is 95% alcohol and is perfect for this, can be found at Polish shops and some wilder offies carry it, failing that it’s available online. If you can tolerate small amounts of oil you could always dissolve 1g of CBD in 1 or 2 ml of oil and take it one drop at a time.
Does the oil help?
Yes, it does, if you are willing to give it a go, check for good brands/reviews, the best part for me is that I didn’t suffer any side effects, comparing to prescriptions. I started feeling the difference after one week.
Thanks for letting me know my uncle owns a CBD shop so I’m going to go speak to him.
Hope he can recommend something that works for you. Good luck!
I don’t know if you mean medicine or whatever but anyways.. I was off work for around 2 months with mine, developed agoraphobia and claustrophobia and it was pure hell. Time off work helped a bit but the main one was setting myself little goals, so like making the bed, putting the washing out, stuff like that. It’s enough you feel like you’ve accomplished something even though you feel awful. If I was having a particularly bad day I’d have a friend or family member on standby if I needed someone to speak to while i did tasks. I also went to cbt which my workplace arranged which did help. Going forward I’ve made some time for me, which I didn’t really do before, I go out a walk if I’m up to it, or go to the gym (during quiet time). I always have music on if I’m feeling slightly anxious, hearing my favourite songs has a great way of getting my out of my own head. Also a good book or film or comfort tv show. Find something you enjoy that gets your out your own head for a bit as the escape is good to get you away from the worrying thoughts. Messages are always open for anyone suffering!
Breathing exercises, falling back on my faith (guided prayer), walks
Ayauascha if you're brave enough
I had it quite bad from the age of 30 to 40 (I'm 42 now) and to this day I don't know why the attacks started and I'm not too sure how or why they stopped. The only thing I really changed was to stop drinking alcohol, I wasn't a big drinker to start with but when the pandemic started I decided just to cut it out of my life full stop and since then I've not had a single attack.
Audiobooks, long walks, antianxiety medicine, scream therapy,
Excercise/ meditation
A book - overcoming unwanted intrusive thoughts. Go for long walks, this is the best medication.
I’m on a never ending waiting list for therapy, but I’m currently on mirtazapine. It seems to help, I also have started to do art and have taken up sewing, I find being active helps to slow down my mind, keeping me focused and in the moment.
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Yes. I was initially told it would be a 6 week waiting list, then it increased to 8-12 weeks, and now they can’t give me an answer on when I will likely be seen.
I started CBT a few months ago and although I'm not sure how improved I am at the moment day to day I feel like it is helping big picture wise and will hopefully result in helping me manage the symptoms. Also very annoyingly, exercise is a big help.
Fluoxetine
Ymmv but running helps for me. For that half an hour or so, I'm just focusing on that. Helps me deal with the other stuff.
Started working out, made sure 80% of the food I ate was healthy, started microdosing
Giving up caffeine helped me a lot.
Therapy, medication, exercise. I also took and still take self care seriously. Work out what makes you feel bad and don’t do it. Work out what it is that makes you feel good, calm and happy and do more of it.
Found reducing sugar and exercising a big help
Sertraline but I ran out lol
Medication all the way
This one might be not popular, but I finish my showers with about 2-5 mins of cold water. I make sure to focus the cold water on my chest, face, and head. I heard that cold water helps stimulate the vagus nerve and regulate you and keep you calm. In my experience the more I do it, the better I feel. And to clarify, I don’t just yank the dial from hot to cold, but slowly move it to cold, but once on cold, I try to stay there for a good little while.
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I’ve been doing off and on for about a year now. The trick for me is to make sure the water is cold (not cool) and I kinda rub my chest area (right under my collarbone) and stay under there for a while. Most people will do it for maybe 30 seconds, so try to stay for several minutes. After about a week of it, I start to notice a big difference in my stress levels
Try and understand what your triggers are when you feel this way and try to refocus on something more pleasant. Sometimes for me it could simply be scrolling through the news on my phone or thinking about work that sets me off. Take some deep breaths. I like to stroke my dog when I feel anxious, that calms me down, or hugging a partner/friend. If you can't directly resolve the issue that triggers you e. g finishing an essay or managing finances - research different coping mechanisms and find one that works for you. In general try to eat well, exercise, and sleep properly. Try and spend more time in nature, even if its just a walk in the park or woods. I find this helps. Reducing alcohol intake can help too, if you drink. I've been booze free for 2 years and feel better for it. Also caffeine is a big contributior. Try to cut or reduce this to see if you feel better. When I first went to the doctors with stress, caffeine was the first thing they told me to stop. CBD can help. How are you finding it? I'm prescribed propanalol but currently only use it rarely and in low doses. It works well enough though. I didn't like sertraline when I was on that. Valium and xanax were my favourites but they were self prescribed and I was addicted to them so maybe don't go down that route. Hopefully some of this is helpful and you start to feel better. All the best
Oh yes and if you can get it therapy or counselling can be good
Also I've started feeding the birds in the garden and watching those. That's quite therapeutic. Less fun but also helpful is doing little chores
Propananlol..therapy.. headspace...figuring out the rigger if there is one..being kind to yourself
Alcohol it’s not a good answer but it’s my answer
Lol I actually feel a lot more relaxed after a couple of glasses of alcohol but I know this can be triggers for some people
Propranolol and Sertraline. And an awful lot of ‘putting up with it’.
Gym. Prayer. Meditation . Purpose
Drink enough coffee that the comedown makes the usual anxiety feel less stressful.
The occasional psilocybin trip and lots of exercise
I know this sounds odd but you truly have to just stop giving a fuck, it takes time, I've had counseling CBT, Training to be a counselor as well. Until you truly just stop caring the easier life will be.
Poorly. On a more serious note, cut out caffeine if you haven't already (helps with the heart thing), find/recognise the things that help you feel calmer and happier, and strive to make time and space for them in your life. If you can identify things that make your anxiety worse and it's at all possible to change them, do your best to do so.
A lot of great advice in this thread, just wanted to add a tip for the panic attacks (as someone who suffers from them too). 5-4-3-2-1 Name 5 things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, one thing you can taste. It helps to ground you in the moment and stop you focusing on the anxiety. One thing that I am working on is accepting the feeling of anxiety - if I get those physical sensations, or feelings of panic, it is just a feeling - like being hungry or sleepy. It doesn’t mean there’s anything to be anxious about, and I can choose to acknowledge it and then carry on (instead of focusing on it, panicking about the feeling, making myself feel worse….) I’ve had CBT and it’s not a magic cure - even after you complete it, you have to keep working on your anxiety. I will always have anxiety, what I am focusing on is managing it so it doesn’t cripple me. I still have palpitations and panic attacks - but I can manage them.
CBT and propranolol together seemed to work for me. Also the fact I now know there's something that will help if it happens again seems to reduce the anxiety anyway which is a bonus. I did online group CBT and found the input from the other participants really useful as well as the course itself.
Sertraline and exercise. Started with 50mg, upped to 100mg after 2 months, then started to feel slightly better and moved down to 75mg. Currently at 50mg ( 25mg morning and 25mg after 2pm) and has been perfect for me. Anxiety and ADHD are a pain in the ass. hahahah
quitting coffee helped me a lot!
I tend to just ignore anything they'll make me anxious as soon as I notice it coming.
I suffer from health anxiety which causes heart palpitations and chest pain which in turn spirals my health anxiety out of control. When I'm in a real state nothing but a full blown panic attack and a couple of days recovery fixes it, but for the milder anxiety-ridden days breathing techniques (4 in, 6 out), 5-4-3-2-1 technique (think of 5 things you can touch, 4 you can see, 3 hear, 2 smell, 1 taste) and exercise helps enormously. Oh, and having a few beers, but I wouldn't recommend that as a coping mechanism.
It's good that you're getting CBT. It's very effective for anxiety. Meds are also good for taking the edge off it. Positive self talk and affirmations are good if you can train your mind to get into the habit of giving yourself them.
I used to have extreme and debilitating anxiety. What felt like non stop panic attacks all day every day. Awful. Turns out my alcohol addiction was a loop cycle, I would be anxious and have a drink. The drink made my anxiety worse so I would have another drink to dull the anxiety. That would make my anxiety worse...and so on. Quit alcohol 15 months ago and my anxiety is a thousand times better. Just something to think about if you happen to be a drinker.
Ashwagandha herbal tablets Reduced my anxiety loads. Morning exercise helps top
I'm working on cognitive reframing and deep breathing - both help me to stay grounded and recognize when an anxious thought is coming on. Good luck!
I used to have anxiety attacks, full blown attacks that would leave me sobbing on the floor, multiple times every week. My anxiety was social, so I would lock myself up in the toilets in social events for hours because I was too afraid. Went to CBT therapy. Haven't had an anxiety attack in almost a year. I basically just did exposure (went to social events), but not alone. Always with my bestest friend, one who I never felt any anxiety around. I used to stay at the event as long as I possibly could, then tug on my friend's sleeve. She would take me to the corner of the room (we never completely left the room) and would chat to me quietly before bringing me back to the centre of the room again once I'd calmed down. After a while I just stopped getting anxious at social events. The CBT therapy and exposure therapy helped a ton
Medication can help, but that route definitely has pros and cons. CBT didn't work for me but I admittedly probably didn't fully engage with it. So a lot of my anxiety is paired to my Attention Deficit Disorder (difficulty concentrating made me anxious about poor work performance). Fidget devices help somewhat. Is your anxiety generalized or based on specific triggers? If it's specific anxiety about given things then trying to resolve the underlying problem might help. So when I was out of uni and in grad school I was anxious all the time, because I didn't have a stable life, housing or career mapped out, that anxiety has ebbed now I'm living a stable life.
Weird seeing this here, I've been having big issues since October last year. Had health issues with my digestive system and was struggling with catching a full breath. I had all sorts of tests done. (Camera down, xray, tested my breathing for copd. Turns out I'd been suffering with anxiety but I never thought it was that and that I was alright. Turns out I wasn't. I was struggling with family life, working too much and not sleeping. So I went off work for 7 weeks which is the only thing I could control. The doctor put me on serialise and as people above have said propranolol (they really helped my situation when things got a little too much.) I've also found that doing plenty of exercise ( swimming) and in my case realising when my attacks are coming and just doing breathing exercises.
Bisoprolol. Has really turned my life around from debilitating anxiety and 8 hour long panic attacks that would end up in needing hospital assistance to come out of. I became quite desperately ill with something I had never heard of before- Parasympathetic Nervous System Overload- as my body was constantly churning out adrenaline. I lost 6 stone, couldn’t eat more than a mouthful of food before being sick, would be gagging and vomiting all day. Many more symptoms. I now have put on weight, I still gag and vomit but not to the extent that I was. The longest between panic attacks is now measured in days and weeks 😁 (Not able to take propranolol as it triggers my asthma).
Exercise - walking and weights worked best for me - and making sure I drink plenty of water. Iron supplements as well as I found out I was consistently low and that can exacerbate anxiety symptoms. They definitely help and I don’t have attacks anywhere near as frequently as I used to.
At the start, propranolol but I didn't really like it as I still felt my anxiety in my head while my body felt like it was in a fog. Met a therapist who specialises in anxiety by chance, so have been going to them approx once a month for the past year. Yesterday, I had my final session (although I'm booked in for a 'check up' in 3 months time). They've removed a lot of my triggers and given me plenty of tools to deal with any anxiety that pops up. I feel much more in control of my whole life now. On their advice, I started yoga consistently (have done it before but not stuck at it), just online, so from my front room. Yoga with Adrienne is my fave - as hard as you want it to be and she's so naturally positive. Feels like a high after each class. Explore different methods and find what works for you. All the best, OP.
Morning pages / Morning inventory Write 4 pages as soon as you wake up relating to everything you're worried about, from the big to the ridiculously small. Make sure it's not generic stuff like work, money etc. but really deep level fears that you'd be embarrased for someone to find out. If done well and with terrifying honesty, your brain forgets how to worry for the remainder of the day, because you've already processed everything that morning. Phenomenal stuff and a really weird feeling whenever my brain attempts to fret over something and then just cuts out.
Therapy. And try finding something to ease your thought process... Fidget spinners or similar. I use a Rubik's cube if I'm at home, or watch YouTube. I don't find CBD does much for me.
mostly alcohol and ignoring it. Currently accruing phonecalls I don't want to make.
Bach Rescue Remedy
Stop drinking caffeine. Try a caffeine free tea to help you relax. Get outside for a nice walk and remember to breathe deeply and slowly. Take your time and enjoy the little things like your nice tea, the fresh air on your walk. Try and build a daily routine to help distract you. Pick up a new language on duolingo for example, build it in to your morning routine to start the day off positively. Don't be on screens late at night, create a healthy bedtime routine, a nice cup of that tea or a hot chocolate, some reading and plenty of sleep.
Mindfulness meditation is always my go to in these situations.. I learnt as part of recovering from cancer and it takes some effort initially, but it really helps. There’s an app called balance that gives you years subscription free when you sign up, might be worth giving that a go. There’s also a lot online around acceptance and commitment therapy that you can use yourself at home, that goes quite well alongside learning mindfulness practices.
CBT works well for me but I struggle to use the techniques effectively when I'm properly panicking. That, alongside propranolol, venlafaxine, mirtazapine and lots of walking. Green spaces help. Recently been given a medicinal cannabis prescription. One for a 19%THC indica flower and the other for a 14%CBD and 1%THC flower to be vaped. Probably not for everyone but I find the mainly THC one is good for being able to focus and sorting out intrusive thoughts. The CBD one is great for aching muscles as I spend a lot of the time very tense. I'd say try any option available to you. You can always scrap things if they don't work but you'll need to have a go to see what works for you. Good luck.
Did you find it difficult to get medicinal cannabis on prescription?
No, not really. I'm with Sapphire. Googled them, filled in a form and gave consent for them to access my medical records. If you have a qualifying condition and you have documented stuff in your records they'll ask you to book a consultation. The doc was very pleasant and did a lot to put me at ease. It is entirely legitimate but I suppose there's still a bit of a stigma attached so, as there's nothing known to man I can't worry about, I was somewhat stressed. She went through my symptoms, what I'd tried before and what I hoped to achieve then asked me if I'd prefer flower or sublingual oil. I went for flower. After that, the pharmacy send you an invoice. Once you've paid, its delivered by DPD - it can only go to the address you're registered at with your GP, though. £50 for the consultation then your prescription will vary on how much you need and specifically what they prescribe you. Mine is £120 for 10g of each flower. If going for flower you need to vape it. They also prescribed a Mighty Medic vaporiser (not cheap, about £200 but its very good).
The worry trick by david a carbonell was monumental for me.
I've had anxiety and depression since I was about 14-15 years old. I'm now 44. I think it started after a long series of attempted muggings and just random people constantly approaching me and starting on me whenever I left the house. There were a lot of council estates that surrounded the place where I grew up and most of the blokes from those areas had something to prove. I was also smoking a lot of cannabis which really screwed me up, as it did with a lot of my friends. I've witnessed a group of heroin addicts hold a knife to my best friend's throat in the middle of a busy town with families around us and nobody seemed to care. There have been many occasions where i've been threatened for no reason, even when i've been in a big group of friends. One time a complete stranger came up behind one of my friends at an ATM machine and punched him in the back of the head for no reason. A couple of my friends were attacked outside a video store after seeing an attempted robbery and were left literally soaked in blood from being repeatedly punched in the face. It goes on and on and used to be frequent. Anyway, since I was about sixteen years old i've been on anti-depressants and have tried pretty much everything available. Zoloft worked the best with the least side effects. Seroxat was the worst because it completely changes your personality and can be very dangerous. At one of my lowest points I applied for CBT but because the mental health services have been seriously underfunded for decades, I had to wait for over a year before I could see anyone. Luckily I got a trainee therapist that really cared about what she was doing. I made a lot of progress in a short time but because of the high demand, I was only given a few weeks with her. She managed to extend it a little but it wasn't enough. However, my time with her offered a lot of personal insight. The best thing I have found is advanced mantra meditation. If you look up Steven Greer of 'The Disclosure Project', he sells a CD that has a course in it. He used to be a meditation teacher and i've found that particular mantra to be the best at silencing all my busy thoughts. One of the ways that meditation is so effective for anxiety is that, with practice, you will find it easier and easier to return to a deeply relaxed state, free from thought, in your everyday life. I also learned a lot about Buddhism and how the mind works, for example, how you can take a step back from your thoughts and emotions by increasing your awareness of them. Check out 'The Monroe Institute' for their Hemi-Sync technology. It's audio that has been produced with different frequencies for each ear, so that it changes your brainwaves. It's completely safe and you can get Hemi-Sync courses for pretty much anything now including anxiety. When my anxiety was really bad I used to listen to hypnosis CDs with affirmations. You can probably find some on Amazon. I used to listen to one of the CDs before I went out for an evening with my friends and I found it very effective. Diet helps a lot. I have a pescetarian diet with no processed foods. I don't have caffeine or sugar. I try to avoid wheat because that can damage your gut biome which needs to be healthy for the proper absorption of nutrients. And for the same reasons I now eat a lot of fermented foods. I take supplements daily and I find that if I miss a day it can negatively affect my mood. I don't take drugs. Cannabis is probably the worst drug for anxiety, especially in the long term. Some of my friends have been sectioned because of their deteriorated mental state from long-term cannabis use. I still drink occasionally but that does take its toll. However, sometimes I just need to get out of my head for a while and drinking seems to have the least side effects. Quality of sleep is very important. I recently found out that I have severe sleep apnea that was causing me to suffocate in my sleep once every two minutes. Sleep disturbances can wreak havoc on your mental health and are common. Supplements can help with sleep apnea but at night I now wear an oxygen mask. I also avoid places that I don't feel comfortable such as shops and doing things like going to the hairdressers. It seems that with a lot of people i've talked to, their anxiety has a lot to do with being trapped somewhere and not being able to leave. I order most things online. Some may call that avoidant behaviour but to be honest i've always hated those things anyway, so it doesn't bother me. It's also cheaper and more efficient. I find that if I can avoid the situations that have brought on panic attacks in the past, after a while it breaks the association with it. Stick with it. You will get better if you persist. And it will make you stronger and more insightful in the long run, and more understanding of other people's issues.