how to deal with anxiety/bad days?

[mattg]

How do you deal with anxiety/bad days? It seems like everything's going downhill. I have been trying to deal with it myself but it hasn't helped any. I have different medical problems that have been bothering me for awhile and still trying to figure out what to do. I don't even want to get out of bed most days. I don't have anything to look forward to the next day. Most friends i have either have there own family now or they aren't close anymore. I don't have anyone that I can talk too if I need to talk. Family isn't really helpful. Most of them just look at me like i have something wrong with me and they don't really want to be around me or talk to me much. They know nothing about how i feel and they never will. I'm almost 24 and don't have a regular job. it's hard for me to find anything that I can actually do because of my back and everything else and the doctors are still trying to figure out what to do with me. It just feels like i don't have anyone. I try not to get close to anyone anymore. I was really close to someone and we grew up together, he was like a brother to me. Then when we hit high school we drifted apart. then 3 years ago he passed away and i'm still not the same anymore. We use to do everything together. His birthday is coming up and it's hard. We use to go and do things for our birthdays since we were only 2 weeks apart. It's always hard this time of year. I can't stop thinking about him. I'm not that good with people/confrontation. I've never been that good with people, seems like everyone's looking at me weird, people are always judging. At night i can't sleep well because im always thinking of things, things that I can't control. I've never really been in a relationship with anyone. I've wanted to but they didn't feel the same way I guess, found out that they were talking to other guys. I'm just not sure what to do anymore. I have more bad days than I do good. I just want to feel better. Feel like I belong somewhere.

[gypsylee]

Hi Matt,

Well some days my anxiety is so bad I find it hard to do anything, and I mean anything other than lie on my bed.

I think probably the most helpful thing on those days is what you've done here - talking to someone about it, even if it's just strangers on the internet. Anxiety absolutely feeds on isolation so if you can get the thoughts out of your head it's a good start. Sometimes even just writing things down helps.

Another thing is deep breathing because it slows the heart down, which helps stop your mind racing.

All the best to you..
Gypsy

[Xerosnake90]

Hello Matt,

Pretty rough story there. The best thing we can do during rough times is to avoid focusing on that which affects is negatively. Sure it's there. But you must find ways to effectively distract your mind in ways you enjoy. I recommend these activities for everyone that's struggling.

Meditation: the key here is to focus on yourself and not your thoughts. Through the concious effort of thought, affirm yourself with things you want to feel better about. "I'll be energized when I wake up". "I look forward to making new friends". These things will change your mind into more positive forward thinking.

Exercise: ok, so you have some back issues. Don't go squatting hundreds of pounds but do something to get your heart pumping. You'll relieve a lot of stress mentally and physically. Reducing stress is key to great loving.

Eat well: your body will respond better to healthy eating and keeping out foods that effect it negatively. Check out the healthy eating thread and start following it.

Aside from those you need to get out there. Find a job, you can do it. And along the way you'll meet new people and make new friends. Positive lifestyle is key to overcoming your mental problems. Take care.