The Dealing with Anxiety/Panic Disorder Thread

[The 12th Commandment]

Since being diagnosed with MS I have had to deal with anxiety on many occasions.  Particularly when an exacerbation was gearing up to start or symptoms were presenting that mimicked the start of an exacerbation.  Did the xannie thing for a while but I also found that the anxiety is much worse when they wear off than it was when you decided to take them in the first place.  My best solution has been meditation.  Making sure I eat and sleep right has also been really important.  Much more so than you might think.

[skinsmarydu]

9 hours ago, LadySkinsFan said:

I found this OTC herbal preparation called Formula 303 Natural Relaxant.

YES!  Chiropractors in GA can't prescribe, they sell it in my doctor's office.  Absolutely awesome stuff. 

[codeorama]

I am dealing with so much anxiety now, it's almost unbearable. 

I have court tomorrow because my ex is trying to increase her visitation and my son hates her. He deleted her from his phone and didn't answer any texts from her. She finally texted me and he told me when I said he had to call her. 

My lawyer is excellent. But that's money I wish I didn't have to spend. I have a great case. He just wants no part of her. 

What really set him off was that we requested as GAL to represent my sons wishes and his moms lawyer opposed it. They don't want his voice heard. 

[Kosher Ham]

@codeorama, these days...you can block people from your phone. I blocked my ex...she kept trying to peer into my life. 

Heck, the tech has been around for years. I blocked an ex gf 20 years ago. 

Texts, calls, pretty much anything. 

I have no advice otherwise. 

What is a GAL though ? 

 

[codeorama]

Just now, Kosher Ham said:

@codeorama, these days...you can block people from your phone. I blocked my ex...she kept trying to peer into my life. 

Heck, the tech has been around for years. I blocked an ex gf 20 years ago. 

Texts, calls, pretty much anything. 

I have no advice otherwise. 

What is a GAL though ? 

 

 

Its a Latin name for a lawyer that represents a child's best interests. This allows the child to testify without being in court. My son is only 11. 

 

He wants the GAL because he wants to have a say. He wants to tell why he doesn't want to visit his mom. He doesn't like talking to her because she guilt trips him. In his words, she makes him feel like a bad person. 

[LD0506]

GAL= Guardian Ad Litem, an advocate for the child's best interests.

 

I wish ya luck code, been following you on this for a while and I can only imagine how difficult this must be.

 

My first reaction to this thread was a sarcastic "Oh, another trump discussion" thought, but I let that go and have read through it all. Strange, I'm an old fart and grew up in a time where there was no awareness of PTSD or anxiety disorders or anyone saying anything about how someone else raised their kids, it simply wasn't done, taboo.

 

I know I was broken at an early age and have kinda suffered from some of the issues mentioned here, as have my siblings, and I absolutely praise anyone that has found ways to overcome it. After awhile it just becomes the norm and you don't even consider altering it, it is just the way things are, yanno? But it is weird to think about this and wonder what if?

[LadySkinsFan]

2 hours ago, skinsmarydu said:

YES!  Chiropractors in GA can't prescribe, they sell it in my doctor's office.  Absolutely awesome stuff. 

 

Amazon

[codeorama]

1 hour ago, LD0506 said:

GAL= Guardian Ad Litem, an advocate for the child's best interests.

 

I wish ya luck code, been following you on this for a while and I can only imagine how difficult this must be.

 

 

 Thank You. I appreciate it. It's rough. I can handle it though. But my son is struggling with anger and sadness. I feel helpless. 

 

Im so scared for him. His mom is hateful and doesn't care about what's best for him and he sees that. 

[LD0506]

35 minutes ago, codeorama said:

 Thank You. I appreciate it. It's rough. I can handle it though. But my son is struggling with anger and sadness. I feel helpless. 

 

Im so scared for him. His mom is hateful and doesn't care about what's best for him and he sees that. 

 

I know and I sincerely do sympathize with ya, but in the long run, when he grows up, he'll know what you did for him. You are investing in him and his future by the struggle you have right now.

[Taylor703]

I have awful social anxiety disorder. I developed it around 11th grade and it's been a nightmare since. Basically I have a hard time doing anything by myself. The other day for example I placed an online order at Starbucks and it wasn't ready when I went to pick it up so I stood by the wall waiting. As more and more people started filing into the store my heart started pounding and I began sweating. This basically happens to me in any situation where I'm by myself out in public. It's horribly embarrassing. 

 

Mind you, I'm not a recluse or anything. I do go out but it's always with friends or family. I ended up building my own gym at home so I wouldn't have to go to the gym by myself. I saw a shrink as a teen and he basically just kept asking me if I was going to kill myself lol. It sucks and it's embarrassing but I just live with it. 

[Destino]

I meditate, have some breathing exercises, play sports (I need an outlet for aggression once a week), and I constantly look inward searching for physical signs of stress (like tension in my chest).  My family helps when the weight threatens to crush me and I've learned to be more open with them.  Prayer helps me as well.  

 

My anxiety, if ignored, sometimes turns into anger (not violent).  I can't be an angry person. 

[LD0506]

25 minutes ago, Destino said:

 My family helps when the weight threatens to crush me

 

 

I always thought family WAS the weight that threatens to crush you, who knew?

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

@Why am I Mr. Pink? @Phantasm @Bacon @KAOSkins @Taylor703 and anyone else here I left off....

 

There's an app for the DARE book that I mentioned.  It's www.DareResponse.com/app  

 

I haven't listened to it (read the book instead), but sometimes audio books vs, real books can be helpful.  It helped me when I quit smoking.  It felt like a therapy session.  You can lie down on the couch and listen to it.

 

I know most of you are probably thinking 'what the hell can a book do to help me with this?'.  First off, I felt the same way.  Secondly, even though our experiences may differ in severity, our root issues are very much alike.  

 

The book has empowered me, and offers a new way of thinking about and approaching your anxiety.  It gives you the courage to face it head on.  In just a couple of days, it has allowed me to turn off my 'fight or flight' switch and get back out there.

 

At the risk of sounding lame and mushy, the first thing the book did was remind me that I was safe.  That my anxiety hadn't killed me yet, and that it wasn't gonna kill me no matter how rough things got/get.  I really needed to hear that yesterday.  

 

If anyone downloads the app, I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on it.  Good luck.

[LadySkinsFan]

Now that I can balance on my left leg again, I am starting Tai Chi (DVDs) with Dr permission, to help with overall health and well-being. I find that it's very calming.

[Phantasm]

5 minutes ago, LadySkinsFan said:

Now that I can balance on my left leg again, I am starting Tai Chi (DVDs) with Dr permission, to help with overall health and well-being. I find that it's very calming.

 

Exercise seems to help me too, but I've been fighting gout for the past few months.  I think I am getting that control (using meds, natch), but I have to be careful because when I really go at it (I switch between interval training on a stationary bike and hitting a heavy bag) sometimes causes a flare up.

[LadySkinsFan]

That's why I am doing Tai Chi, very calming and centering. Also, breathing exercises help a lot, as does walking, it helps develop the whole back muscles. Plus Dancer likes it. For months after my stroke I couldn't walk her except in the side yard. Now it's up the street and up a block. Every week a bit farther. This is very calming too.

[pjfootballer]

Alvin- GREAT THREAD.  Thank you for this.  I'm making a rare appearance on ES today as I've been lurking here and there and read this thread.

 

As a lot of you know, I went through a major depression for about 3 years.  I've been going to therapy for about 2 1/2 years now and it has done me a world of good. I've also joined a divorce support group and they have been such good friends and companions for what I've been through the last 4 1/2 years.

 

I am not a big proponent of medication.  I made a decision to forego using medication as I felt it would only "mask" or "suppress" the real problems that I was having.  But, I realize it's a personal choice and I have zero problems if someone takes that route. 

 

I appreciate you giving us the book title.  I will definitely find it and read it.  I have been reading a lot of books lately to gain a better understanding of my self, my attitudes and my thinking.  Meaning, why I am the way I am.

 

In addition to the depression, I too have suffered from sever anxieties.  I feel like I can't turn my brain off (like Kosher said) before going to bed.  I feel like I'm stuck in an endless loop reel. I don't like places with a lot of noise, commotion or crowds.  I get really claustrophobic, for example, when I go to someone's party at their house and it's packed so much, that you can hardly get around.  Not a big fan of going to major events with thousands of people. 

 

I tend to always "overthink" things.  I have a hard time making decisions.  I'm always worried about what "might" happen and extrapolate things. It took me months to get up the nerve to go change my phone and now I have been putting off getting a new laptop because of some stupid irrational anxiety about shopping for the "right" one.

 

I've never been "agoraphobic" or afraid to interact with people.  In big gatherings, I'm definitely more of an introvert.  But I consider myself social.

 

One huge anxiety that I have been working on is regrets and thinking about the past.  I let it dominate my psyche way too much. It's an ongoing struggle some days. 

 

Thank you for this thread.

 

PJ

[Destino]

1 hour ago, LadySkinsFan said:

Now that I can balance on my left leg again, I am starting Tai Chi (DVDs) with Dr permission, to help with overall health and well-being. I find that it's very calming.

that reminds me, injuries really messed up my exercise routine, that I depend on, last year.  I developed what I guess you could call "runners knee" but the kind that's a sharp pain above the knee that makes it all but impossible to do much more than walk at a reasonable pace.  Its a lot harder to deal with life when you can't work out the way you want to.  (Also hobbling after a 4 year old is less than ideal)

 

Oddly enough watching random people on youtube describing how they got rid of it lead me to something that worked.  What a wonderful time to be alive.  lol

 

 

 

 

[Kiefer]

Hi everyone. I just wanted to ask if any of you  have tried marijuana for medication purposes? I've been suffering severe anxiety for almost a year now and planning to use medical marijuana products for my condition.I've been reading some articles about cannabis and its medical properties here in https://blog.bonzaseeds.com/purple-kush/ and im very fascinated about it. Not lucky for me in my country use of marijuana is illegal but now im planning to move in Colorado where you can use marijuana without any hassle. I really wanted to hear your thoughts about this and if you can give my any advice or tips feel free to tell me. Thanks

[Weganator]

@Kiefer Yea, I have tried various strains of weed for anxiety.. Personally, I would suggest low THC, high CBD. THC sometimes makes ppl get even more anxious, but it depends on each person.

 

Only other suggestion I have it is don't let your first time be edibles. Its difficult to control the dosage and you can be left really nauseous if you eat too much and it catches up with you.

[grego]

On 2/8/2017 at 1:32 PM, Phantasm said:

 

Exercise seems to help me too, but I've been fighting gout for the past few months.  I think I am getting that control (using meds, natch), but I have to be careful because when I really go at it (I switch between interval training on a stationary bike and hitting a heavy bag) sometimes causes a flare up.

I think physical exercise is highly underrated as a way to keep one mentally balanced. 

[No Excuses]

I don't know if this will help anyone, but I dealt with a lot of anxiety earlier this year due to career and location change.

 

It was a rough couple of months until I adjusted. What ultimately helped me was keeping a personal journal that I used every night to write down how I was feeling and put my thoughts on paper. I also started doing Muay Thai which has helped me a lot. 

 

I absolutely hate going to the gym because I find it mundane, repetitive and boring. If you are like me, introducing some kind of sport/combat dimension to your workouts might be the trick. I could not be bothered to go do mundane gym workouts but I absolutely love going into my Muay Thai training classes. It's usually 45 minutes of strength/conditioning and 45 minutes of technique. A lot of fun and kicking and punching is a great stress and anxiety reliever ... lol

[Elessar78]

My wife is therapist and she sees more anxiety cases (adults and kids) than any other reason. It's very prevalent out there. Take care. I'll pick her brain later and share her tips. 

[PleaseBlitz]

On 2/8/2017 at 3:15 PM, Destino said:

that reminds me, injuries really messed up my exercise routine, that I depend on, last year.  I developed what I guess you could call "runners knee" but the kind that's a sharp pain above the knee that makes it all but impossible to do much more than walk at a reasonable pace.  Its a lot harder to deal with life when you can't work out the way you want to.  (Also hobbling after a 4 year old is less than ideal)

 

Oddly enough watching random people on youtube describing how they got rid of it lead me to something that worked.  What a wonderful time to be alive.  lol

 

 

This happened to me.  I used to run quite a lot, and then I tore my plantar fascia.  I had it surgically repaired, but was in a walking boot for so long that it messed up my opposite knee (due to imbalance).  The surgery took away the constant pain in my foot, but I'll never be able to run distances again.  Since that happened 3 years ago, I've gained about 15 lbs, which puts more stress on my feet and knee, so it's a vicious circle.  

 

I've found other exercise programs that I can sort of do, which is fine but not great.  Mostly, I have a tremendously stressful job and a 2 year old, so my key is finding positive ways of blowing off steam rather than just drinking.   

[tone_dubbz]

My first anxiety attack was when my then wife was 7 months pregnant, and driving home from work it suddenly hit me that I was going to become a father.  I didn't know what the hell the feeling was, just though I was bugging since I did just smoke some weed.  But I think the weed exacerbated the anxiety I was l already feeling and manifested itself into a physical form of pain.  I thought I was having a heart attack on I64, my vision blurred, palms sweaty, just all around confusion.

 

Fast forward 5 years later, going through a divorce, anxiety just took over my lively hood.  They put me xanax, but getting off it was bad.  Instead of weening off, I just stopped taking it abruptly and started having heart papillations.  Doctors put me lorazapan, supposed to have a longer half life.  Still on it now, and it helps a lot. 

 

Ever since I've been separated/divorced, my anxiety has gone down tremendously.  Marriage I couldn't deal with, parenthood I can.