New to here

[steve1984]

Hi

I'm not to this forum and never really posted on forums before. I think i have suffered with anxiety most of my life. I often find it hard to sleep (use over the counter sleeping pills alot) i worry all the time, over think everything and always imagine the worst in pretty much every situation. I can't stop thoughts going round my head and its hard to describe the feeling but its kind of like a constant mild panic i feel it in my chest and my head feels tight. My wife can always tell when my anxiety is bad, she says i seem detached and like a different person, she notices before i do most the time. She is out tonight and i'm feeling pretty crap so thought i'd try this forum.

Anyway thanks for reading if anyone does

[Lin]

Dear Steve 1984
I hope you enjoy the forum, I have made some good friends on here, and find it really useful.
Anxiety and depression are such horrible illnesses and cause us such difficult side effects. It is always easier for the closest people around you to notice, my husband always notices and so does a close work colleague.
When the thoughts go round and round they call it ruminating and you have to learn to break the pattern by putting a stop in the circle. I have just been on an emotion management course about how to do this and it is really difficult because we get the thoughts and emotions and urges and act on them, rather than putting in a stop in the circle so that our head stops going round in the circle.
If you are interested I have just started learning ACT - Acceptance Commitment Therapy - where you accept the bad thoughts you have and work with them. Contrary to CBT where you try to change them. ACT fits in with mindfulness and those practices. The best book to buy to get started on ACT is The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. You can download the worksheets to go with it for free on the website. You do a chapter a day with exercises. Whilst I have been off sick the past 2 weeks I have been trying it and have found it is starting to help me.

I have also started buddha meditation and christian meditation groups which help too.

If you would like to know anything about any more techniques etc, I have been learning lots and been going on courses run by the NHS, so could give you some pointers if you would like them.