Hello World

[Snowdog]

Hello everyone,

New to this forum, but not new to anxiety ;) Thought I would see whats happening here and maybe make some new friends. I have a generalized anxiety, don't take meds, never have never will. I like to use natural ways to battle the anxiety.

[Amy1981]

Hi!

I am new here, and new to anxiety :(

I don't like the meds, although I have accepted them for now, because they do help me, and I don't know how to control this any other way right now....what are some of the things that you do?

Amy :)

[fisher]

Hello and welcome,i started with anxiety yrs ago and never took meds,what herbal ones have you tried?x

[Snowdog]

I use breathing exercises to calm down when I need to. I also exercise a fair amount now. I find exercising really helps if you keep doing it. I take a vitamin B complex, and also omega-3, but the omega-3 is for other benefits. I tried L-theamine ( a green tea extract) but didnt get any benifit from it. I am really hesitant to take anything, I believe that anxiety is all in the mind and can be controlled using the mind. I know this is not for everyone and sometimes you just need relief from it, been there. I actually had a paxil prescription being filled for me, but at the last minute I cancelled it.

One thing that really helped was CBT. I totally recommend reading When Panic Attacks if you want to try using CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) I learned to think about things differently, and how I see my anxiety. I admit it does not always work, but it does work a lot of the time and in general it helps to reduce the over all everyday anxiety. The author of the book also makes some really good cases on how anxiety meds may not be anymore successful than placebos.

Amy, if you are new to anxiety then anything that will help you get it under control is good. You can work on finding the root of the anxiety and overcoming it. Talking about it with people who understand where you are coming from is great to. It really sucks when you are talking to someone about it and they just don't get it because they have never gone through it. They don't understand how really anxiety is and how real the symptoms are.

[Meggieliz]

Hi Snowdog. I suffer from GAD, Hypochondria and Agoraphobia. To me, I sound like a crazy person... but the real key to being apart of this forum , I think, is to realize that you are NOT crazy. It's amazing how many people suffer with this every day. I've only been this way for seven months, but it seems much longer, and it's every single day. For the longest time, and on occasion, still believe there is something physically wrong with me. I have not started on any meds, but like to drink soothing herbal teas (like ones with passionflower and skullcap leaf) and it helps before bed so my mind doesn't race with dark, weird thoughts. Please add me as a friend if you'd like to send a message my way sometime. Always helps to talk about it to someone willing to listen.

[orachahalion]

Hey there, you are not alone in here, thats one thing for sure.

I hope that you find the help and support to get well again.