Anxiety help

[Suzesnooze]

Hi, it’s been just over two weeks now so yes you’re right the full effects won’t have started yet. Thank you I’ll have a look x


Health visitors put so much pressure on you don’t they. She’s gaining all be it slowly. It’s absolutely destroyed my mental health though.
Edit to add I also give her a gentle poke to check she’s still alive. To be fair I think all mums at some point are guilty of that one the anxiety they give you about SIDS is unreal

My anxiety went through the roof when I became a parent. I worried a lot and panicked when I was on my own with them but I got through it and you will too. Try to sleep when baby sleeps as honestly being tired makes anxiety a thousand times worse.

Don’t stress too much over the weight gain as I was told the centiles are based on bottle fed babies so breastfed babies always show lower on the centile. I breastfed two of mine and the third was breast and bottle. The third one definitely weighed the most due to the bottle feeds and was always spot on in the centile charts (before anyone jumps on me, I’m not saying bottle fed babies are fat!).

Hopefully in another few weeks your medication will kick in and you’ll start to feel less anxious.

 

[lozzapaloozza]

Hello! Haven’t posted in a while. I’m feeling really anxious and down recently. I feel like I don’t know what I want to do with my life career wise. I have a job already and I have savings which helps but I don’t particularly love my job anymore and I don’t see it as a career. There’s a lot of changes happening within the job too which has heightened my anxiety and the feeling that I should leave and look for a job that’s more of a career. I feel so much pressure from people around me to have a career that pays more and to do more hours per week. More money would be great but I don’t think it’s essential in terms of my outgoings. I find that if I do too many hours at my current job it triggers my anxiety and all the symptoms which stops me from doing more. I don’t want to waste my life working 5 days a week, having 2 days off until I’m 70 and just “ticking along”. I don’t know what to do. I feel like nothing screams out to me as to what I’d want to do. I’ve looked at the Open University but none of the courses interest me. Changing jobs is my top anxiety trigger as is learning to drive, which would help in being able to travel further for work. I feel stuck. My boyfriend is usually really good at supporting me but I think he’s a bit fed up of giving me solutions that I feel like I can’t do. “Get another job”. “You need to pass your driving test”. It’s not that simple 🥲 He’ll never understand what it’s like to have anxiey so I feel alone in that sense. I just want support but I know I need to work on my anxiety. I feel so lost and don’t know what to do!

 

[Prince fan 1999]

I'm really struggling at the moment. I know I need to go.back into my citalopram but whenever I start up again,I don't sleep for 2 or 3 days

 

[Cupcakeapple]

Hello from a fellow anxiety sufferer
I have been on antidepressants for anxiety since May 2019 and they have made a huge difference. The first few weeks were hard (increased anxiety along with some initial side effects!), so it does take a while to start working but it is worth it.
Having said that, there are different types of antidepressants available and you may have to try a couple before you find one that works for you. I did have a relapse at the end of last year and had my dosage upped.
I have previously taken beta blockers for anxiety but these didn’t help.
Best of luck- as I said, it may take a little while to feel the effect but for me it has been a life changer I am happy to answer any questions you might have.

thank you so much! I’m nervous about going to the doctor about it. I feel like I’m going to have to kind of plead my case to get them but I don’t know I just feel nervous about it

 

[Bananabadger]

Hi all, just wondering if there's anyone else out there who might welcome a bit of an anxiety thread and mutual cheerleading over Christmas. I know mine is sky high right now!

 

[Lifeisarollercoaster]

I read this article the other day and was skeptical especially given where I saw it. However after having been asleep for an hour tonight and waking up having an anxiety attack I tried this and it actually worked! I I feel calmer and tired again so hopefully I will get some sleep I did some further reading and I think I'm going to be getting myself some ice packs . https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thesun.co.uk/health/17458025/struggle-sleep-frozen-pea-hack/amp/

 

[Bananabadger]

Health visitors put so much pressure on you don’t they. She’s gaining all be it slowly. It’s absolutely destroyed my mental health though.

I am sure there are great HVs out there, but most of my friends have really, really suffered with them, esp with first births. You sound like you're doing really well, all things considered. I haven't got a baby (I wish I had!) but I'm sure I'd be completely the same. Everyone seems to have a "I poked my kid when she was a baby to check she's okay" story about their really healthy six-year-old.

Also you're TOTALLY fine to join in! This is a space for being kind to each other and venting!

 

[Cupcakeapple]

SAME! I hate that you've gone through that but it does make me feel a bit better that it's not just me. Did you do anything to ease the physical pains?

no I never did when it comes I know it’s all in my head so I just have to ride the wave

 

[DoctorWho]

Hi does anyone get anxiety after drinking on a weekend ? I drank with my partner yesterday (Sunday) in a pub and we got a bit carried away, we had a great time but I’ve woken up this morning working from home today absolutely hating myself and riddled with anxiety/hungover. My hearts been beating fast and feels like it’s been pounding all day. I think because I’m in a new job role and I ended up getting carried away it’s made me feel bad but I beat myself up so much over everything wrong I do Now today I’ve ended up binge eating, having a bad day working and will have stomach pain through to tomorrow now. It also makes me not want to ever go in that local pub ever again even though I know I didn’t do anything wrong.
Does anyone else get this?

yes hangxiety is a real thing! I get it horrendously but never bloody learn

 

[Bananabadger]

There's these threads if they're of any help?

Mental health safe space (for support and sharing)

I wanted to create a thread for people to share what they might be struggling with and for peer to peer support to help provide advice/ a listening ear and coping techniques. I recently suffered a mental health crisis, it can feel very lonely and sometimes a kind stranger offering reassurance...

tattle.life

Anxiety around christmas support thread - financial, family situations etc.

Is anyone else worried about Christmas this year? My money situation has changed so I can’t buy my children a lot and it’s making me really worry, I know it’s not about the gifts but I don’t want them to feel let down. I feel like a failure to be honest 😣

tattle.life

Thanks, will check them out!

Good idea! I’m working all week from home and my boyfriend who’s away 90% of the year is back for Christmas and the change in routine is making me feel so physically ill and unsettled Does change make anyone else feel sick?

Ugh, yes! I feel like lots of people have a particular symptom which their body gravitates to under stress, and mine is definitely stomach/nausea type stuff. It's so unsettling, isn't it? I feel like the build-up goes on for so long that I'm exhausted before it starts. We are going to stay with relatives and that's very stressful.

 

[Cupcakeapple]

Hello everyone, I hope you're ok and getting through at the moment I'd like a bit of advice if anyone's had these symptoms before.

I've suffered from anxiety for ~5-6 years with 2019 being the worst and most physical due to a break up. I'm currently anxious the moment I wake up where I have a base level of nerves all day and certain times it'll shoot up and be a pain in my chest, nausea and also loose bowels (need to be 100% honest here haha!). I know it's not a bug as it's only at random times in the day, for example right now I feel alright, just nerves.

Since around Christmas eve it's been like this every day and I'm constantly attached to a hot water bottle. Unfortunately this has happened before and is very physical anxiety, I reckon it's triggered by the impending UK lockdown measures to be heightened + going back to work today (dread!).

Does anyone else suffer from these physical aspects of anxiety/has medication helped? I've had CBT for about 5 months in 2019 and done the usual deep breathing, tea, hot presses etc. I'm very uneducated on anxiety medication and I'm wondering if it'll help reduce the physical aspects?

Oh my god yes 100%. I suffered with loose bowels all through my childhood and teens and I know looking back now it was 100% nerves and all in my head. I also get aches and pains in the muscles and shortness of breath. I also get bladder pain. It’s crazy how powerful your mind can be

 

[georgiecait]

Alcohol is a well known stimulant for anxiety. If you didn't have it before, perhaps it's the change in job and now anxiety is accelerating it to be full-fledged anxiety?
What sort of alcohol was it out of interest.

 

[Lifeisarollercoaster]

Ah it’s awful, you can’t sleep for the anxiety and lie awake, making you exhausted which just increases your anxiety. I have anxiety, it’s bad atm as I’m pregnant which seems to have made it 1000 times worse and I’ve never been on meds for it so I really don’t want to start now as it will make me worse (you can take some in pregnancy). My partner and few of my friends are on medications though which have helped. You could also look at referring yourself for counselling, waiting lists are quite high so refer you’re self when you can. Really hope you get some support xxx

That's exactly it, I managed to get an hour last night. I will probably look in to the counselling like you said my friend has told me to try rescue remedy night cause it helps her. Its weird cause I can go for months and I'm fine then just hits me again . Congratulations on the pregnancy xx

 

[georgiecait]

Hello everyone, I hope you're ok and getting through at the moment I'd like a bit of advice if anyone's had these symptoms before.

I've suffered from anxiety for ~5-6 years with 2019 being the worst and most physical due to a break up. I'm currently anxious the moment I wake up where I have a base level of nerves all day and certain times it'll shoot up and be a pain in my chest, nausea and also loose bowels (need to be 100% honest here haha!). I know it's not a bug as it's only at random times in the day, for example right now I feel alright, just nerves.

Since around Christmas eve it's been like this every day and I'm constantly attached to a hot water bottle. Unfortunately this has happened before and is very physical anxiety, I reckon it's triggered by the impending UK lockdown measures to be heightened + going back to work today (dread!).

Does anyone else suffer from these physical aspects of anxiety/has medication helped? I've had CBT for about 5 months in 2019 and done the usual deep breathing, tea, hot presses etc. I'm very uneducated on anxiety medication and I'm wondering if it'll help reduce the physical aspects?

 

[paulstoothgap]

Anxiety kicked my ass yesterday. I’ve been on Sertraline and Promethazine sleeping tablets for 2 months and I’ve felt amazing since taking them… but yesterday I took a nose dive.

Isn’t it funny how it can creep up on you, out of no where and completely immobilise you. It’s the sick feeling in my gut and not knowing why. Scratching my brain thinking ‘what are you trying to tell me’.

Not everyday is going to be a good day, that’s what I have realised. Even though the medication is wonderful and helps, I’m still going to have those days where I feel defeated. And that’s okay. Just got to ride it. I told myself last night before I went to sleep ‘tomorrow is a new day’ and it was. So far my day has been productive and fantastic!

For years I said no to medication. I didn’t want to numb myself- I wanted to feel it and to overcome it on my own- not rely on little white pills to feel happy. It sounds awful but I’m glad I reached that point because I finally said ‘fuck this, I need help’. So if any of you reading this are apprehensive about taking medication or seeking help, that’s absolutely okay.. but just know if there is ever a time you need medication and help, you aren’t being weak and it isn’t embarrassing. You have to do what you have to, to take care of yourself because you matter!

anyway- I’ve drivelled on enough. Anyone battling this every day is a warrior, not a worrier.

 

[Bexybest]

After a very unfortunate incident I developed severe anxiety that I was (just about) coping with a year later. Midway through lockdown I realised how awful my anxiety was and self referred for CBT. I also called the Dr who was super friendly and diagnosed me with PTSD and 10mg Citalopram, which I am still on now. Its a low dose so I didn't have any side effects or worsening symptoms at the beginning and BAM at week 5 I felt sooooo much better already. It was mad it was an overnight switch.

I am planning on coming off them soon but need to work out how to do it first.

Good luck.

 

[lozzapaloozza]

Aw this is such a lovely message, thank you

I have thought about counselling or something, I'm just not sure how to go about it. I finally plucked up the courage to go to the doctors about it last week, spilled my heart out and cried and all sorts, and all the doctor did was chuck me some Propranolol and told me it's probably hormones

I'm just worried I'll tell my manager about the anxiety tomorrow (she knows I suffer with it, just not the extent) and feel like she'll tell me that's no excuse for not doing my job to the top standard she'd expect I can't sleep I'm so nervous about it tonight. Mehhhh

You’re so welcome

Ugh what a nob. I remember the first time I went the GP was horrible and useless (a man). I went a second time and the lady was so lovely it made me cry! She gave me the same to try first and then Sertraline, then counselling. I would make an appointment again to say you want counselling and don’t want to go down the medication route. I told my GP the same. You may have to be put on the waiting list but I’m sure I waited less than a month. Don’t be fobbed off!

I wouldn’t think about she thinks, you won’t know until that very moment so try not to worry about something that might not happen and might be/might not be said. She also has a duty of care to you, and given you’ve been great so far I don’t think she would be negative. Anxiety is much harder at night, there’s no distractions, it’s dark and the mind wanders. A few things I do to try stop it:

1. Write down all your worries in a notebook, sometimes the physical action of writing them down helps get the thoughts out of your head
2. It sounds silly, but it works for me! I always imagine this huge pinboard in my mind with all the worries ect I have pinned onto it. I then imagine taking each one off, one by one. And tell myself it’s time to sleep, not worry about xyz, until the board is clear!
3. Imagine your worries are on a train coming into the platform, you can chose to get on the train with them, or you can let the train go and watch it fade into the distance, taking your worries away with it
4. Just doing something as simple as, all girls names from A-Z. It gets so boring you fall asleep

Some of them sound daft but I’ve been using them for years. You have to practice them and stick with it but now for me the worries literally fly out of my mind! Hope this helps! Xxx

 

[GamerLlama87]

First of all, hello and welcome

Thank you so much for telling us your story. You’re not alone in your anxiety, so many people and many of us here also feel the same, and have also felt like you. Not to make it about me but I know how you feel in terms of family understanding. Not that mine ever made comments ect, but I just never felt like they would understand mental health, the old “you’ll be fine” bla bla. Imagine that, telling someone with anxiety they’ll be fine, we’re cured! What you’re doing now is kind of, I guess, asking for help and that’s amazing and something to be proud of! When you’ve grown up feeling a type of way for so long you don’t sometimes realise that you are suffering, you just see it as normal!

I’m so sorry to hear about your loss and other health issues you are dealing with, it’s no wonder you are feeling this way, it’s completely normal, especially during a pandemic! Just shows you are stronger than you know! Have you considered counselling/therapy? You are greiving aswell, and must put yourself and your health first. You deserve to feel better and to be happy!

As for your job, you’re doing amazing there it seems! And you can toot your own horn! You know you’re good at it so be proud! You never know work might help bring back some form of routine, normality and help keep your mind distracted. Is there anyone there you can talk too? It’s normal to feel anxious and doubt yourself after being off for so long, everyone I know says they feel the same when being off, it’s like being off sick one day at school and the next day you feel left out and that you’ve missed everything. Right now there’s nothing you can do to change what will happen tomorrow. It’s hard to do but when you start to have these thoughts, ask yourself “Is there anything I can do right in this moment to change what will happen tomorrow?” If the answers no, save those worries for tommorow, you may even forget what those worries were!

Just know there is help out there if you need it. And this thread is always here if you need to vent. Good luck tomorrow, you’ll smash it!

Aw this is such a lovely message, thank you

I have thought about counselling or something, I'm just not sure how to go about it. I finally plucked up the courage to go to the doctors about it last week, spilled my heart out and cried and all sorts, and all the doctor did was chuck me some Propranolol and told me it's probably hormones

I'm just worried I'll tell my manager about the anxiety tomorrow (she knows I suffer with it, just not the extent) and feel like she'll tell me that's no excuse for not doing my job to the top standard she'd expect I can't sleep I'm so nervous about it tonight. Mehhhh

 

[georgiecait]

Thanks, will check them out!



Ugh, yes! I feel like lots of people have a particular symptom which their body gravitates to under stress, and mine is definitely stomach/nausea type stuff. It's so unsettling, isn't it? I feel like the build-up goes on for so long that I'm exhausted before it starts. We are going to stay with relatives and that's very stressful.

Mine is exactly the same When my anxiety is really bad it triggers IBS symptoms and it's hell. Also physically sick and my sleep schedule gets messed up which is a recipe for disaster.
I think the best thing is to really insulate and shut off those triggers that's making your anxiety worse. Easier said than done but tiny little tricks.
Also for a quick fix - mints (Trebor if you can get them) when you have nausea as it tricks your mind into thinking you're eating and the nausea is pushed to the side temporarily. Really helps me

 

[Suzesnooze]

Hi all, just wondering if there's anyone else out there who might welcome a bit of an anxiety thread and mutual cheerleading over Christmas. I know mine is sky high right now!

I would say just use this thread which is titled 'anxiety'. No need to set up another one.