Newly diagnosed and having trouble with terrible anxiety

[AngelHealing]

How do you get through the anxiety that is neverending? Meds? I have been doing meditation, mindfulness, music, journaling, but the anxiety is always there. It keeps me awake at night and I need to know how others deal with it. This to me is the hardest part of PTSD. Living and walking through the fear. The anxiety and panic attacks have caused me to withdraw and stay home afraid. Feels like life is passing me by.

 

[ILoveLife]

In my case, meds did the trick. It's not that it went away, but I can manage now.

 

[bellbird]

I have been doing meditation, mindfulness, music, journaling, but the anxiety is always there.

All these things are good strategies, but they might just not be the best fit for you. You could try some other strategies and see if they are more effective :)
-EFT (tapping), exercise, drawing/colouring, taking a walk (if you are able) are just some ideas I thought of off the top of my head.
Maybe a project like diy or anything that requires a lot of thinking and could act as a distraction from anxiety. I find that one helps me sometimes.

Meds have helped me, to a certain extent, too. They haven't been a miracle cure by any means, but I know for sure my anxiety has been reduced through their effects. Perhaps see a doctor to discuss options?
Also, are you in therapy? Therapy has helped me as well.

Anxiety is rough; it's one of my most challenging symptoms too. But there are things out there that can help, it can just take a bit of time figuring out which approach is best for you :)

 

[Still Standing]

I agree with the distraction ideas. I try to immerse myself in something I really like to do. I will also get in the car and go for long drives, while listening to an audio book or I go fishing, or I work on some of my art projects. Whatever, brings you pleasure, I would suggest you focus on. When I am designing and creating art, it affords me time to process my thoughts and it helps me to calm. Are you in trauma therapy? Having someone to talk with about this, exploring the sources of anxiety, is really helpful. It sounds like you are familiar with some distraction ideas. I am sorry your are so anxious. Perhaps an anti-depressant would be a helpful option. I hope you are able to find something that helps you relax.

 

[AngelHealing]

All these things are good strategies, but they might just not be the best fit for you. You could try s...

Thanks for offering suggestions. I have been in therapy and as a result of the non-stop panic attacks, I now have agoraphobia. My T is counseling me by phone till I can get back in the office to see her in person. I have recently been given meds to help with the anxiety but I HATE meds so I guess I will have to bite the bullet and see if they will help.

I agree with the distraction ideas. I try to immerse myself in something I really like t...

I also like to go for long drives but since i now have agoraphobia I don’t get out much. I am working with a Therapist to figure out what caused the trauma. Possible multiple things going on in my life. Thanks for offering suggestions.

 

[Sweetleaf]

I feel the same way. I try to use grounding techniques, and other tools like yoga and EFT, various other things like sucking on hard candy, to help try to at least tone down my panic/anxiety symptoms when they're getting really bad. Scented things like essential oils can be helpful, too.

Sometimes trying to distract myself can help, other times the anxiety is too overwhelming for me to be able to really focus on anything, even my favorite or most distracting things.

Sometimes I feel like I just have to curl up an a ball and ride it out, which really sucks and feels horrible.

You're not alone in having to struggle through that shit >.<

 

[Tinyflame]

@AngelHealing please bear with me, I am not good with words, anxiety is the worst for me but I've had it back far as 5 yrs old as I can remember, likely my whole life. Definitely pre-ptsd.

I find there are several animals, likely of the same species:

-fear, related to ptsd, past history
-anxiety, re: managing symptoms
-anxiety, re: Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (may be related to adhd but no one knows for sure)
-(neuro)biological basis (likely)
-self esteem; learned helplessness; fear of the future and present (partly related to ptsd)
-they think there's a gut connection
-being too conscientious; unrealistice expectations of myself
-feeling powerless (huge for me, and both incapable and not resilient)
-being too soft-hearted
-(I'm sure there's more)

Cognitive attempts only get me so far, though being reminded of context helps immensely; feeling I have help/ supportive words helps most of all; super-focused (usually required) focus defers a bit; super-strenuous exercise helps a little; I would try drugs for it for myself if possible- blood pressure lowering ones were what works sometimes for RSD (alpha-antagonists, but they didn't work great for lowering blood pressure which is what they were originally designed), also pre-surgery relaxant worked great as a kid (Sodium Pentathol- sp?, more so to slow me down, I think. But I would be addicted quickly to Valium if prescribed, I fear, though Diazepam worked wonders) ; oddly, sticking my nose in a rose and smelling it when needed/ every few minutes plus walking helps (I know it sounds bizarre, but the combination of the softness and smell I think. Even if I'm walking in the rain).

I learned the Vagal nerve begins in the brain and 'plugs in' in the gut, it's respnsible for much anxiety (other than cognitive distortion, but certainly the physiological parts irregardless); you can do exercise to tone it, just like a muscle. Such as cold water exposure, etc. It's said that anxiety arises from lack of resilience to shock (maybe the link to ptsd), so exposing ourselves to shock like cold water (slowly), feeling the discomfort, and slowly building resistence is supposed to help. As does diet, maybe in ways we don't realize. I'm thinking it's possibly related to requiring a higher fat/ protein/ dairy diet than most people, but that's just me. Evidence seems to suggest that's possible, and I've craved it post-ptsd symptoms for sure, maybe longer (I can't remember).

I think mine is also worse with little sleep of course, pain, and also when ill . Mostly too it's a response to others' actions , my own following thoughts, and fear/ hypervigilance. I need others' input for different words to challenge my thoughts. Also I try to learn to breathe properly, take pain meds a bit in advance, focus on gratitude, have faith, and reach out if brave, and safe.

Please be kind to yourself. :hug:

 

[AngelHealing]

I feel the same way. I try to use grounding techniques, and other tools like yoga and EFT, various ot...

Yes, anxiety sucks! I sometimes have to go to my bedroom and lie in bed and listen to meditation CD’s or soothing music. I also have tried Tapping which works pretty good. And I do deep breathing exercises to keep me in the present moment. It takes a lot of little things to try and control the anxiety. Just wanted to see what works for others. Hope you find some relief also for your anxiety. It can feel very crippling. But I am trying to learn new ways to control it so that I can focus on feeling well and getting better day by day. I take it day by day and sometimes second by second.

@AngelHealing please bear with me, I am not good with words, anxiety is the worst for...

Hmmm.......interesting read for sure. I also believe there is a direct gut connection and take probiotics daily and I also eat a high protein diet and eat dairy daily. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing. I have heard of the Vagal nerve and heard that cold/hot showers worked. I also read that humming or singing or drinking any cold drink with ice stimulates the nerve. Thanks for reaching out to me with your experiences. We have to be a source of support to others who are going through this and share what works. Wishing you well in your healing.

@Sweetleaf Do you go to a therapist for the EFT?

 

[Tinyflame]

Thank you @AngelHealing . :hug:

Just to add, also I think (for me) it's an almost subconscious attempt to dot all i's and cross all t's and prevent future traumas from occurring, for myself and/ or others. So if something is left out or goes off the rails I feel terribly anxious. Not just catastrophizing but more so fearing the worst, as possible, and even if 'possible' is 1/10000 it still could 'be' (because it has been before. Though maybe that's what catastrophizing is, I'm not sure? :confused: I don't just default to the worst case scenario, I just 'fear' the worst case scenario.)

 

[Sweetleaf]

It can feel very crippling. But I am trying to learn new ways to control it so that I can focus on feeling well and getting better day by day. I take it day by day and sometimes second by second.

Yeah. It's evolved into panic disorder for me, and I haven't worked for months. It can really f*ck up your ability to do things and live life, that's for sure.

I'm working on trying to control it as best I can, it's not easy though. Sometimes there is nothing I can do to make the anxiety and panic go away, and then it's definitely second by second - when I'm curled up in a ball totally covered by my blankets just breathing.

I'm doing better than I was these past weeks though. I have to do some medical shit today that's really stressful and triggery for me, so I am definitely way above baseline right now in regards to anxiety. uuugh I hate this.

I just hope that I'll settle back down after it's all over. uuugh why did I sign myself up for this.

@Sweetleaf Do you go to a therapist for the EFT?

I do trauma sensitive yoga, and in there we have gone over EFT stuff many times, so that is where I picked up the EFT stuff that I use.

 

[AngelHealing]

Thank you @AngelHealing . :hug:

Just to add, also I think (for me) it's an almost su...

Hmmm.......you are not alone. I also think that way also. I’m working on changing the way I think instead of the worst possible scenario every time something happens. It’s hard to change the way you think! It’s like learning how to eat or walk again. Wishing you well in your journey to recovery.

Yeah. It's evolved into panic disorder for me, and I haven't worked for months. It can really f*ck up...

@Sweetleaf I with you there.......I have also been diagnosed with Panic Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder and PTSD. And probably a few others that are yet undetermined. I had to go on meds to help with the panic attacks and anxiety. But i am slowly but surely trying my best to get through this as best as I can. What’s the alternative, crawl in my bed and cry. Some days I have done that but my children are encouraging me to stay strong and hang in there. I hope you also get relief from the panic attacks. Good luck with the medical shit.

 

[bellbird]

Do you go to a therapist for the EFT?

I realise this wasn't directed at me, but I just wanted to chip in and say that there are some good EFT videos on youtube. If your agoraphobia is stopping you from seeing your T in person at the moment, the videos could be useful.
I really like this one at the moment:
Tapping Meditation for Morning Clearing with Jessica Ortner - The Tapping Solution
I find Jessica Ortner's style really good. Also Brad Yates has some good ones:
Needing to Worry - Tapping with Brad Yates

Hope they help, and hope you're able to find some meds that work for you if you do take that route :)