Anxiety before going to sleep

[katelynn]

Every night lately before I go to sleep, I get very claustraphobic. So much that I think about how my mind is stuck inside my skull. I've only off and on suffered with anxiety throughout my life since the age of 15 when I had my first and worst attack in my life. I think I was on an antidepressant and it felt like my spine was being electrocuted and I literally lost control of all my feelings. It was right after an appointment of me being officially diagnosed with bipolar. It traumatized me so much that ever since I have anxiety about potentially getting anxiety again. Therapists never seem to help me. They just ask me to "feel" the emotion I'm feeling when I talk about my life. I'm looking for answers that I cannot find on my own that have wired my brain this way. Anyways, I thought it would be helpful to connect with others on here so I don't feel so alone in this, and hopefully find some answers I can't get through therapy. Any help would be appreciated. I try to avoid taking my anxiety medication as much as possible.

[Chiliphil1]

You know, the "fear of fear" is one of the biggest challenges we face. Anxiety is very easy to get out of control and worrying that you may get anxiety only forces it to happen.

The best solution, at least for me is acceptance, I just tell myself I'm going to have anxiety, so what. At first this was useless but over time I told myself that enough to where I believed it, and a couple of things happened. First I no longer feared having anxiety or panic attacks because I no longer feared anxiety and panic attacks, I realized that they wouldn't hurt me they were just an inconvenience. Second I stopped having as much anxiety and panic because not being afraid of it my body did not get hyped up worrying if it was going to happen.

Like with anything else anxiety related this is a slow process and has some bumps, but over time it works at least it did for me.

[tic]

I get when get to sleep my brain just keep me up thing that are worrying and I just can't stop think To point I to try think some else to stop and even that does all work I get point where I just get back for while again I seen to worst at night

[AceParadox]

Yeah, I got better overtime as well like Phil. Accepting is powerful though, and it worked for me too. I still get anxiety here and there, but I've learned to control it. I can say No to it and it will fade away. I used to get the claustrophobic feel before sleeping too, and boy did I hate that. Sooo annoying. It's like, you want to sleep because you got crap to do in the morning but here's anxiety pounding your head, and then you start going "Ahh I gotto be up in the morning, I got stuff to do, omg look at the time, this is hopeless, why do I feel this way, wait I feel kind of sick now, am I coming down with something or is it anxiety, ow what was that sharp pain in my chest, what if it's... or it could be.... Ahh it's been an hour already."

Maybe try some relaxing tea before bed. Or aroma bath.
Bomb ass movie?

[katelynn]

Yeah that helps a lot. I also have a deviated septum that I need to get surgery for. I unfortunately batted heads with my mother since I'm on her health insurance. I notice when I can breathe properly, the anxiety stops and I feel calm again. I have no way of knowing if my insurance can pay for this or not because my mom refuses to call insurance. It's very disheartening. I can only breathe right if I move my septum with my finger to the left, and I obviously can't do that all day. Nor remember to breathe through my mouth. Sometimes I think if I could breath, the anxiety would not be there in the first place.