Action Item: Anxiety.
I’m in the midst of hitting a wall that needs to come down once and for all.
Anxiety is that wall. I don’t remember when there wasn’t some kind of anxiety in my life. And now frequent panic attacks have been affecting my work, my health, and my life the past few weeks.
I have been avoiding alcohol entirely since early February and have been limiting caffeine the past week or so. I’m making an effort to get enough sleep and exercise and to limit carbohydrate intake – all things that usually help anxiety issues in addition to aiding in blood sugar control. Still, the anxiety is there and it’s time to deal with it.
I’m scared because of how psychiatric medication affected me in the past. However, I’m willing to give anything a try to kick start some sort of relief from the anxiety which plagues me. So, I’m seeing a new psychiatrist this week. As far as alternatives, massage helped yesterday and I’m looking into acupuncture for the acute panic attacks. Counseling is already happening.
Living in constant fear is no way to live. Trust me on that one.
Posted on June 21, 2009, in Anxiety. Bookmark the permalink. 14 Comments.
Rachel,
I’m glad you’re seeking help and I hope you will find it, soon.
I’m far from expert but it seems you’re taking all the right steps.
You’re in my thoughts.
Thank you, I truly appreciate it. :)
As a former student of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I’d say that you may get good results from acupuncture. Try to find an experienced provider, not just a chiropracter who took a weekend course. And, be prepared to need some ongoing treatment – not likely that you’d get an instant fix.
Since I started taking antidepressants 6 years ago, I’ve found that they are constantly coming up with new drugs, or drug combinations to help us deal with brain imbalances. A new psychiatrist is a good idea. Always helps to have your case viewed through new eyes.
Good luck and best wishes.
Wow, I didn’t know (or remember?) that, K. Thank you for the advice!
Oh man. Anxiety is my big issue, too. I briefly took Zoloft for claustrophobia-related panic attacks when I was a public defender, but I quit after a few months because of the side effects. The good thing was that the side effects and having to be on mediation that had crappy side effects got me really pissed off — somehow, the anger effectively prevented any more panic attacks for the rest of the time I had that job.
Now I find that working out helps a lot, but I definitely need something more than that, especially because I’m anxious about being pregnant (and the thought of giving birth). I probably should start meditating and looking into self-hypnosis. Hypnobirthing is a big thing for child birth preparation, and I suspect it could be very useful in other parts of my life, too (elevators, ugh).
I was on Zoloft for a little while after I gave up on Paxil. It wasn’t bad except for one particular side effect that was just nasty.
I did some self-talk exercises with the counselor I had before, but have kind of lost myself since.
Oh, and I bet by November, you won’t be wanting to climb those stairs ;).
Good luck Rachel.
Glad you are looking into all options and taking the next step.
Wishing you the best.
Thank you :)
Rachel,
Check out this book: the UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman, MD. My naturopath recommended it.
I just got off (another) bad stint with mind-altering drugs. This time, Wellbutrin, and it almost caused me to lose it. As in the ultimate loss.
Good luck and I hope you feel better!
Lynn
Ugh – wellbutrin for anxiety? That’s awful, not from experience but from what my old psychiatrist told me.
I’m definitely open to anything right now – alternative or traditional – so thank you for the recommendation!
I also have a book recommendation – The Chemistry of Joy. My therapist recommended it to me. (Don’t know the author but it’s widely available.) Has some really good points about prescription meds vs alternative treatments.
Another one I’ll have to check out for sure!
Glad to hear you’re seeing a new psychiatrist.
Rachel,
I suffered from anxiety attacks myself and they are no party! Ultimately, I found that completely eliminating caffeine and sugar really helped. Also staying well hydrated made a big difference. It’s amazing how many of us are actually walking around dehydrated all the time and not even knowing it. Dehydration causes stress, and stress causes dehydration…it’s a crazy cycle one can lost in. I know I did. I always drank a lot of water, but i also drank quite a bit of caffeinated drinks throughout the day which basically took all that good water out of me.
Also, I don’t know if you practice any kind of deep relaxation exercises but they can do a WORLD of good for people who suffer from anxiety. I do a deep relaxation practice twice daily and really stay on top of keeping my nervous system calm and balanced…that has really made a huge difference for me, maybe it will for you too. Whatever we can do to calm our mind and our body is a big plus for anxiety relief.
Please feel free to try a deep breathing meditationdeep I have on one of my sites and see how you feel after using it. If you scroll down to the bottom of the article you will see the audio link. I also have an audio meditation for releasing anxiety, shock and trauma on another site. I hope this helps, and wish you fast relief from your anxiety.
Diana