Severe Anxiety

yeah it's weird to talk about anxiety issues when there's so much big bad shit going on in the world but if we can't take care of ourselves for a minute and get our ability to reason and problem solve on the bigger issues back on track, then we're even more fucked

deal w/that beer, then deal w/the world

do you see the pabst's infectious smile yet?

was thinking of making clear beer cozies w/ cartoon shades on them, "pabst glasses"

you could do a whole line of characters

Well this sucks.

Seeing a doctor this afternoon, but in the meantime tips/tricks/encouraging words are welcome. First time I've ever experienced this--it's AWFUL!

anything in particular trigger it?

although, seeing as it has been 10 hours since you posted and when i so helpfully replied, you're probably past the tips/tricks phase. hopefully the doc was helpful!

tell us yr woes quincie

Well, I had a particulary stressful work situation a few weeks back (angry client going apeshit to anyone who would listen--never fun) and that caused totally understandable anxiety for a while. But instead of it disappating like it usual does (I've been in plenty of stressful work situations before), it just kept. . . going. And going. And getting worse to the point that I felt physically ill much of the time. And at this point it isn't even that particular client issue that is making me anxious--it has kind of taken on a life of its own, including being anxious about being anxious!

Doc was very matter of fact. He said "when would you like to start feeling better?" and I replied "uh, NOW would be good." He wrote me a script and said if I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home and took the first dose, I'd be feeling better by dinner.

Turns out 1 mg xanax is too much xanax for this gal, so I'm trying half that today. He thinks a brief round of chill pills plus a change of venue (I was to be on vacation next week, anyway, and called my boss today to see if I could just go ahead and start it early) will do the trick. I asked about CBT but he didn't think it was needed? Kinda skeptical about the medication-and-vacation strategy, but hey I'll give it a go. I feel better just having done something about it, I guess.

But man, do I ever feel for my anxious peeps on this thread. I am so so so hoping that this is a one-time thing and that I can put it behind me and not have to worry about it again, because it is truly a terrible, terrible feeling with many bad sequelae re: work, lyfe, physical & metal health, etc.

Like basically my brain was working at about 50% max for the past several weeks; I couldn't remember shit that was just told to me, had trouble reading and writing and doing basic math--it's like I lost a bunch of IQ points somehow. And the physical stuff felt so so bad--the tightness in the chest and queasiness/wanting to throw up all the time, hot flashes like the kind you have when you have to slam on the brakes to narrowly avoid a bad car accident. . . I swear I could actually *smell* the adrenaline and cortisol seeping out of me 94/7.

vacation is a therapy in itself, sometimes

^^^I do believe this, and wish I didn't work in an environment where taking a week off--much less multiple weeks--is like OMG HOW WILL YOU DO IT???

this worked for me, so i'll put it out there - it may work for you too... i started a CBT course (self-learning, not group therapy) for my airplane phobia, and one of the things i found was that the CBT method of teaching you why you're anxious, what is going on in your body to make you feel that way, and some of the strategies to regulate those physical feelings rather than giving into them or getting more stressed about them, really helped with a lot of my general anxiety. so, while a proper CBT treatment course may not be warranted, it might not hurt to buy a book or two and at least go through the first few chapters to better prepare you if rising anxiety comes back after your vacation.

Any book recommendations?

i repped this up thread (it is the one ytth worked with): http://www.amazon.com/End-Panic-Breakthrough-Techniques-Overcoming/dp/1572241136/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

i think it deals more specifically with panic attacks, but the same techniques work to alleviate anxiety attacks.

thanks, ytth and just1n3--I'm basically a biochemistry dork anyway, so learning more of the physiological stuff will be interesting and no doubt helpful. As of a few minutes ago I am also officially on vacation for ten days, and a change in schedule/change in venue/time to read stuff other than work crap and hang out with people other than batshit clients is likely to give me a good dose of DEAL WITH IT

Like basically my brain was working at about 50% max for the past several weeks; I couldn't remember shit that was just told to me, had trouble reading and writing and doing basic math--it's like I lost a bunch of IQ points somehow. And the physical stuff felt so so bad--the tightness in the chest and queasiness/wanting to throw up all the time, hot flashes like the kind you have when you have to slam on the brakes to narrowly avoid a bad car accident. . . I swear I could actually *smell* the adrenaline and cortisol seeping out of me 94/7.
this is my normal state of being in the months of august-october basically
does this indicate that i have a problem?

well do you like it or no

not really
sometimes i can make it work for me but usually it just makes me feel like i'm choking
i have trouble asking for help :-/

Xp to quincie - imo situational needs are great for dealing with the actual anxiety attack, but cbt is better for dealing with the anxiety-about-getting-anxiety

Isn't that when your job is winding up for the season? I think that it could be a good idea to figure it out.

fwiw, I grew up thinking that a lot of anxiety was normal and this wasn't really disproven by my "I'm so worried about work that I'm throwing up due to nervous stomach in the morning" father and my socially-anxious mom.

Severe anxiety had me all fucked up earlier this year. Too much school on top of my full-time job and new experiences in professional life (all-expenses-paid trip to a national conference) were stressing me out which started to really mess with my multiple sclerosis symptoms.
It created a horrifying feedback loop of stress, symptomatic flare-ups, and terrible anxiety over all of it (surely not helped by my overindulgence of w33d). Being in a long-distance relationship has had some effect on all of this, too.

I had to drop six of the seven hours I'd registered for (not such a huge loss as I am University staff and most of the expense is covered). I took advantage of the free counseling service for university staff, which has really helped a lot.

I'm swimming daily now and I've cut back on smoking considerably. I've never gotten any prescriptions for anxiety meds, afraid I'd just abuse them, tbh. Feeling better than I have in years. About to start another semester. I've decided to just take it one class at a time. I'm not finishing it this year, so be it. There's always next year.

beginning the semester/new AY is rough, isn't it? that's part of what's making me flip out. exercise definitely helps though. i've been walking to and from work when i don't ride my bike.

that feedback loop is v familiar to me.

i know what all this feels like, not sure i have much to add, lot of good advise here tho

if you have anxiety be sure to exercise in the morning, not the afternoon

Why do you say that? Is it sleep-related?
The pool I swim at will start opening earlier this weekend. I'd like to give morning swimming a try.
It will be less convenient than afternoon swimming, though.

For me exercising in the morning gets all of the nerves to calm down so I can face the day. Otherwise I start to stress out about getting my regular work done and WILL I HAVE TIME (or energy?) for the necessary exercise later and worry worry worry. Exercising in the morning prevents that from happening a little. For me!

my round trip walk to/from work is about 2.5 hours, which is a perfect time to listen to music, space out, and also be outside. i don't always have that kind of time, but i know that my mental health benefits when i do.

Yeah, please elaborate on the morning exercise thing if you don't mind. Ive been considering it, mOstly to free up some time in the evening after 10-hour workdays and make it possible to weight train and do cardio on the same day, but if there's a beneficial effect for anxiety as well then that would be wonderful.

like i said, i am speaking only for myself, but exercising in the AM means that i tend not to get to the point of fritzing out because i am *starting* the day at an anxiety deficit. using exercise to defritz at night means that i have to spend more time feeling fritzed out, which is generally not desirable.

My anxiety has been on the upward spiral for the last few months, having already been consistently high for, ooh, a few years, bar the 6 months I was on Prozac.

I've got to the end of what I can cope with, work-wise, and I told my boss on Monday I would leave with 15 days notice. I'm a contractor. Strictly speaking I can't give notice, and leaving early is a breach of contract, but this is an arrangement that is not usually enforced and several people have told me is legally unenforceable.

Boss has refused to accept my notice and insists I can't leave until my outstanding tasks are complete, which takes me through another 6 weeks, which is when my contract ends anyhow.

I am now at the stage where I can't breathe properly, can't sleep, can't answer my work phone without overcoming a wave of nausea, am making stupid mistakes and snapping at people all the time because I am exhausted, angry and strung out, etc. etc.

Going to the doctor asap but I know where this leads; self referral for CBT and a 3 month wait, possibly another prescription, with the 3-week stabilisation period that takes, during which time I turn into a full-scale crazy lady.

I'm so scared. :/ I cannot -can not- deal with a fight. If the doc does sign me off sick, that's not going to do great things for my reputation as a contractor, but I can't go on. Aaagh, breathe.

Keep in touch with us, OK? You have our sympathy.

if you have anxiety be sure to exercise in the morning, not the afternoon

― the late great, Wednesday, August 15, 2012 3:56 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

plz explain this

the basic is that exercise oxygenates the blood and dilates the vessels and speeds the metabolism and therefore *activates* the energetic parts of the brain (the ones that through a mental illness might be responsible for things like anxious energy and manic energy, though not "depression" per se)

if you have anxiety and you exercise in the afternoon, you are going to wake up your brain and stimulate the anxiety centers. instead of going to sleep w/ less energy, you're going to have more energy, which is going to make it more likely that you are going to have a bunch of anxious dreams or insomnia (or in my case an all-night manic episode)

if you exercise in the morning, same thing happens but your *daytime brain* (ie the one that's on at work) can process the anxiety and then when you get home from work you're more tired out and will be able to sleep better

this is all assuming you want to work a 9-5 day and get up at 6, go to bed at 10 pm etc. if you're not on that schedule (you work nights?) then my advice does not apply.

this was a big conversation i had w/ my psych yesterday so i'm just passing her advice on

i'm not really on that schedj.

tbh i find i am way less anxious after exercise, mostly cuz i'm like too fatigued for my brain/body to 'bother'

I'm going to taper off my meds (Effexor which I've been on for the better part of, oh, a decade and which I take because I have GAD and my life was basically like what Quincie described 24/7 before going on it) and I'm a little, well, anxious about it! I just really really hope that things are diff now and my anxiety doesn't return full force.

is everyone anxious? I know I am

conrad's got the anksh.

whole fucking planet is anxious, it's 2012

otm

That said, I've pretty much been anxious since 1977. My parents' bookshelves are littered with titles such as "Coping with the Fearful Child". I can't remember a time when I was never not anxious so I'm sorta hoping that either age or years of medication has altered my brain chem so that is no longer that the case.

¯\(°_o)/¯

i'm not generally anxious but situationally (esp w/ work) i can get really worked up
mostly though i'm just a high energy person who sometimes doesn't know what to do with the energy so it gets sent to the wrong place and turns into anxiety

like when food turns into smelly trash

anxiety is a thing that i've always lived with but never realized was a problem or sought treatment until last year when i realized it was and i did. and that's been helpful. got a very mild ativan prescription which i rarely use but makes me feel less anxious in general just knowing it's there as a break glass in case of emergency thing.

Yes. I have an RX for that I rarely use but feel similarly about.

for Ativan, I mean

it's difficult to gauge what is an abnormal level of anxiety

That is true Conrad, it can be.