Night Anxiety

[sarahvee]

Hi guys,

Tonight is not a good night for me - intrusive memories and thoughts. My recent work trauma exposed me to violence and a lot of people in distress. I felt responsible for them, but couldn't do much since the place had such an entrenched abusive environment. Complete disrespect (I would even say contempt) for women. Anyway, when I was growing up my grandmother, who took care of me and my siblings a lot, constantly told me or insinuated that I was stupid, a friendless loser and incompetent. I think my work experience triggered a lot of this. Anyway, I think part of the reason I'm stuck is that I keep trying to work my way around my trauma instead of through it.

To get to the point, how have you guys done this? Can any of you relate? I'm having a really hard time tonight. Sometimes I feel like giving up on the world. That sounds melodramatic but I don't know how else to describe it. I just feel like there's so much hurt. Thanks in advance for listening/reading. Take care.

 

[Bumble-Bee18]

I have only recently started losing sleep too, I would just lie there for hours with that horrible guilty panicky feeling in the pit of my stomach. And don't worry about sounding melodramatic we are the most likely people to understand how you are feeling so just talk to us and say what you want :) there's always good and bad days you just haveto remember it does get better! You haveto work through the bad days until there are less and less of them. Always here for you :) x

 

[Sammy]

You said you are doing trauma work. Does this mean you are seeing a therapist? If so, I would ask him/her about ways to cope with the intrusive thoughts. I can have difficulty sleeping because of this but Ambien and I are friends. Between the Ambien, a totally dark room and a CPAP machine that makes a "white noise" type of sound, I have gotten better. Some nights, even that isn't enough. Sometimes I just read a good fiction novel - it can be enough to stop the cycle of the thoughts swirling in my head.

Anyway, you are not being melodramatic. We all have our own versions of it. Good luck and good job trying to work through the issues! It is a rough road but, it will be worth it. At least that is what I keep telling myself! :)

 

[Bumble-Bee18]

I was seeing a therapist but moved house and am waiting for my solicitor to sort out a new therapist closer to home, it was such a mistake stopping it I feel that I have lost all that I have worked for and gone right back to where I started. I can still ring him when I feel I need someone to talk to but its not the same really! Thankyou :) you too I really hope it gets better for both of us x

 

[GhostedGirl]

I have a lot of night anxiety if I have to work the next day. I also had a parent who continually said I was useless, lazy and incompetent.So when at home I become hyper aware of the time. I keep fixating on, "What if I don't get enough sleep?" or worrying about over sleeping, forgetting my alarm or setting it wrong. I really struggle at work because I'm obsessed with the idea that what I'm doing is wrong, and that my boss is disappointed and annoyed that they hired me.

 

[bluemoon]

I find it incredibly hard to get through the night with sanity intact. People keep saying "get a T ", "See your GP", "call lifeline", "go to hospital,...NOW!!". I have ,...but . I still have to get through every night, & day, again & again &.....

 

[lovestopaintwithblack]

I can relate you all of you. My psychiatrist just put me on 12.5mg of Seroquel at bedtime to help with sleep and im afraid to take it. He also sent a letter to my work stating that i would be off on leave indefinately. My work has a "target" on me and not very supportive. The ironic thing is that i work for a mental health agency :confused:

 

[bluemoon]

Not getting support from work too. Ltpwb.

 

[Gamereign555]

I have been dealing with sleep problems and nighttime anxiety/panic for awhile now. At first I thought it was the lack of sleep causing anxiety, and it was. But now I'm dealing with nighttime anxiety causing lack of sleep. Go figure.

I was prescribed Restoril and Amitriptyline which helped quite a bit. I am thinking about taking Atenolol or Prazosin now.