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Cures for Severe Anxiety?

ELCHawk

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Sep 3, 2019
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I have been suffering from it for about two years now due to trauma I see a therapist, am taking a lot of meds, doing the breathing things, etc. But it just is not working. Taking the quality of life out of my life. It is getting worse. Any ideas?
 
From trauma that happened a few years ago. I don't want to say anything else as that is private. But, it has really affected me.
 
I have been suffering from it for about two years now due to trauma I see a therapist, am taking a lot of meds, doing the breathing things, etc. But it just is not working. Taking the quality of life out of my life. It is getting worse. Any ideas?
Read this book:

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Three MAJOR things that can help right away, at least to notch it down from being debilitating:

1. Tell yourself and believe the way you feel now is temporary. It will change. Sometimes maybe for the worse, but also for the better. You will not be anxious forever.

2. Counterintuitively, the harder you fight against it, the worse it will be. You have to accept it. You must accept that RIGHT NOW - and maybe for some time , but not permanently - you feel like shit. Lean into it, accept it. Weirdly, the more you accept that you feel like shit, the sooner you won’t. Sounds insane - but it’s true.

3. Don’t “wish” you’ll feel better or feel sorry for yourself. This feeds anxiety. Wishing doesn’t work - acceptance is literally the only thing that will. You KNOW you aren’t actually dying or spiraling out of control or going crazy - that is anxiety f——-ing with your brain. Let it. It just is what it is, don’t let it have the power of making you say “ohh, I just wish I felt better!” You don’t! You feel like shit right now and THAT’S OK. It is not a permanent situation, so let yourself feel like shit for awhile! It ain’t gonna kill ya. 🙂
 
I have been suffering from it for about two years now due to trauma I see a therapist, am taking a lot of meds, doing the breathing things, etc. But it just is not working. Taking the quality of life out of my life. It is getting worse. Any ideas?

EMDR therapy is highly effective.

In the meantime, reduce caffeine/sugar intake, avoid alcohol, exercise, drink water, and try CBD.
 
Two MAJOR things that can help right away, at least to notch it down from being debilitating:

1. Tell yourself and believe the way you feel now is temporary. It will change. Sometimes maybe for the worse, but also for the better. You will not be anxious forever.

2. Counterintuitively, the harder you fight against it, the worse it will be. You have to accept it. You must accept that RIGHT NOW - and maybe for some time , but not permanently - you feel like shit. Lean into it, accept it. Weirdly, the more you accept that you feel like shit, the sooner you won’t. Sounds insane - but it’s true.

Correct. Embrace it. It loses its power. Also use grounding techniques, like identify things you can see, touch, hear, taste, and smell.
 
Exercise and diet. Cut out the processed foods. Look into an anti-inflammatory diet.

I had a bought of anxiety that had lasted a few months. Doctor prescribed me meds but I found that they were interfering with my f#cking and that was not going to work.

I did research and changed my diet. Got out and walked more. This is especially nice when you are out surrounded by the green of nature. Hiking trails and bike paths.

There is also mindset. For many anxiety is because they are projecting some sort of scary future that is unlikely to happen. When you are anxious try to be in the moment. Is everything ok in the now? Then if so there is no need to fear the unknown and the unlikely.
 
That can have the opposite effect for anxious people.
It’s definitely not something to do when you are in a bad place mentally in the moment. When you are extremely anxious, cannabis can get the heart racing and the brain spiraling negatively- no bueno!!

But once you are in a better place, I do think it can help keep it from coming back strong. Works for me, anyway. 😉
 
I have been suffering from it for about two years now due to trauma I see a therapist, am taking a lot of meds, doing the breathing things, etc. But it just is not working. Taking the quality of life out of my life. It is getting worse. Any ideas?
What meds are you on and for how long? Sometimes the meds end up making the anxiety worse. I was on a lot of it for a long time and didn’t start feeling better until I got off everything.
 
1. Avoid stressful people. There are some folks who
produce stress when you interact with them. Your
friends should be people you can relax with and have
some fun.

2.Do not worry. Start to live one day at a time and
enjoy the moment. Plan for the future and do not
fear the future. Life is too short to become a worry-
filled person..
 
It’s definitely not something to do when you are in a bad place mentally in the moment. When you are extremely anxious, cannabis can get the heart racing and the brain spiraling negatively- no bueno!!

But once you are in a better place, I do think it can help keep it from coming back strong. Works for me, anyway. 😉

Oh, I totally agree. I take edibles where I basically am doing 2:1 CBD to THC. In the event I feel a little too high, I have straight CBD to bring it down.

However, I would never use THC for a panic attack. Lol. We agree.
 
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Check out the book The Happiness Trap. It’s based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)—which is to embrace your thoughts and feelings rather than fighting or feeling guilty for them. ACT may seem counterintuitive but accepting where you are at and still choosing to build a life of contentment (which is not the same as happiness) around it can help alleviate anxiety.

Also, there are plenty of different classes and subclasses of psychiatric medications that some people respond better to than others. Be honest with your doctor, they may want to try something else. Never stop on your own. I’d recommend against polypharmacy with THC or CBD and psychiatric drugs until you talk to your doctor—there can be significant interactions if they are metabolized by the same P450 enzymes. For example, CBD is a potent inhibitor of CYP3A4 and CYP2D6. Since CYP3A4 metabolizes 25% of all drugs and 2D6 metabolizes plenty of antidepressants, CBD may increase serum concentrations of certain psychiatric and non-psychiatric drugs you might be taking. Just make sure you talk to your doctor before trying anything.
 
EMDR therapy is highly effective.

In the meantime, reduce caffeine/sugar intake, avoid alcohol, exercise, drink water, and try CBD.
Agree with this. I have a buddy that went from successful businessman to a mess living at the Salvation Army. EDMR therapy turned him around and he’s doing great. Takes a highly qualified therapist.
 
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I had a bout of paralyzing anxiety 10 years ago and my doctor gave me two things a prescription for 3 nights of sleeping meds and gave me literature on diet. The first step for me was getting good sleep...as at the time I was getting 2-3 hours a night. That was a good start as I did get -8 those first three nights, then he put me on a juice only diet for 3 days and then had me try vegan for two weeks. No more beers for those three weeks. It worked. I’ve had a few beers since but don’t really miss it. I’ve not stuck to the diet but if I ever feel stressed out, I do increase my veggie intake and lay off refined carbs and sugar. It was a perfect reset for me as I didn’t realize how tied to mental health sleep and diet are. I sincerely hope you get to the other side of it soon as it totally sucks.
 
Do something small but good for yourself, I have a sweet little neck and back massager and also a foot massager .. nothing big, but using it will change my thoughts to the better. Reminisce about some good times in your past.

a lot of suggestions about reading ... but if you’re like me and find it near impossible to read a full self improvement front to back, get it in an audio book format... I am re listening to how to win friends and influence people and the main reason is I want to re learn some techniques to better connect with others and it really helps put perspective on how to relate to people every day. Making others feel better is the magic elixir to life.
 
I had a bout of paralyzing anxiety 10 years ago and my doctor gave me two things a prescription for 3 nights of sleeping meds and gave me literature on diet. The first step for me was getting good sleep...as at the time I was getting 2-3 hours a night. That was a good start as I did get -8 those first three nights, then he put me on a juice only diet for 3 days and then had me try vegan for two weeks. No more beers for those three weeks. It worked. I’ve had a few beers since but don’t really miss it. I’ve not stuck to the diet but if I ever feel stressed out, I do increase my veggie intake and lay off refined carbs and sugar. It was a perfect reset for me as I didn’t realize how tied to mental health sleep and diet are. I sincerely hope you get to the other side of it soon as it totally sucks.

A lot of serotonin is produced in our gut, so diet is extremely important. It's no surprise that there has been a rise in anxiety and depression disorders since chemical and processed foods have now dominated our diets.
 
I’m not a doctor or therapist, but I experienced a traumatic incident while in college. It was important to identify my triggers and avoid them. It also took my awhile to find the right therapist and to commit to therapy. It’s important to find someone that works for you and don’t feel like you have to stay with a therapist if it’s not working for you.
 
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I take an SSRI and have a good therapist. Several of the posters have good advice. Alcohol is a problem for me and I need to be very careful with my intake. It increases my anxiety.

Eating healthy Whole Foods helps. Sleeping enough helps. Exercise helps.

I also have something tactile to touch like a squeeze ball. I have to stay in the moment. You senses help to ground you in the moment. I also have a list of things that are rational reasons why the things I worry about are unlikely to happen.

Believe me, anxiety and depression is a lifelong battle, but you can make it better. Oh, check out the Apollo device, this has helped me.
 
I have been suffering from it for about two years now due to trauma I see a therapist, am taking a lot of meds, doing the breathing things, etc. But it just is not working. Taking the quality of life out of my life. It is getting worse. Any ideas?


Did your therapist tell you to work on unpuckering your sphincter? It is the absolute God honest truth. I'm sure the MD's here will corroborate. A ton of nerves go through there.

I've been where you are. I feel no shame in going to the V.A. nor do I think I should. It is better to get help than not to.

Exercise. Walking with a podcast was my way. Drink tons of water. For some reason pissing all day worked for me with the walking.
 
Know your triggers and learn how to manage them. I also had a dna study done to see which meds my body absorbs best. As explained to me your brain has like six to 8 doors to let these meds in. With almost all meds going through one door. Turns out the dna turned out that the meds i was on wasn t wrking because the door to my brain that absorbs those meds wouldn t let them in. They have new meds out that go through diffent doors. I pay 1500 a yr for one med. But it is life changing . This is over simplifying it but the dna study is what made the difference.
 
I had anxiety/PA fairly bad back in my 20s. The best thing I did was meet a group of friends that showed me to stop caring so much about the things I was hung up on. The other was desensitizing myself to whatever my triggers were at the time. Push yourself to do the things that you are worried about over and over.
 
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