Average day...

[Lanayoung]

Hi,

Just curious to what your average day is like having anxiety?

Whats are your fears, frustrations and what helps you get through the day?

[Kort2634]

Honestly, every day is different. Some days I hardly have any anxiety at all. Other days it is so all-consuming that I can hardly function. Mostly it is a mix of the two. I feel it creep up every now and then, get a racing heart and start to have trouble breathing, and then slowly it goes away. Repeat. What I focus on during these bouts of anxiety can differ. Right now I am laser focused on my son's friendships and emotional well-being. Other times it is struggles with neighbors or anxiety over my kids' success at school. Spending time with safe people helps a lot. My husband travels for work and those times are the hardest. When he is home, just being with him helps a lot.

[nobot87]

Chest pain.. racing heart... more chest pain.. sad that i've been going through this for so long and not getting better.

[Dahila]

hi nobot saying this above will not help you with anxiety, how long have you have it? I am dealing with it for 40 maybe more years.................... gym, dates, fun, dog, tennis will help you with anxiety then meditation but not complaining

[nobot87]

almost a year now.. but everyday feels like I'm on the verge of a heart attack.

[JustaGal]

Hi,

Just curious to what your average day is like having anxiety?

Whats are your fears, frustrations and what helps you get through the day?

I am doing really good the last couple of months. I will describe a typical day when anxiety was at its peak.

• wake up late dreading getting out of bed - take a half a ativan maybe a hour before I got ready for work..
• insomnia - adrenalin pumping about 2-4 am, freaking me out
• Adrenalin pumping constantly
• go through the day and night in survival mode just waiting for the worst to pass and feel "normal again"
• sitting at work wondering if people think I am weird
• intense fear attacks
• decreased appetite
• way over stimulated, could not relax
• ruminating about what could be wrong with me, the future looks terrible, always in my head
• had some light derealisation
• low dose of Ativan to get through the day/night
everything just seemed weird, I did not feel like myself at all....


Now my Lexapro has me feeling "normal" I still have anxiety issues, but I am way better and able to work on what is at the root of it all

[Lanayoung]

Honestly, every day is different. Some days I hardly have any anxiety at all. Other days it is so all-consuming that I can hardly function. Mostly it is a mix of the two. I feel it creep up every now and then, get a racing heart and start to have trouble breathing, and then slowly it goes away. Repeat. What I focus on during these bouts of anxiety can differ. Right now I am laser focused on my son's friendships and emotional well-being. Other times it is struggles with neighbors or anxiety over my kids' success at school. Spending time with safe people helps a lot. My husband travels for work and those times are the hardest. When he is home, just being with him helps a lot.

Thanks for the reply Kort2635 :)

Do you find yourself at it's worst when your alone?

[Lanayoung]

JustGal, Did you find yourself in a situation when you were at your worst? e.g Driving, loneliness or was it just consistent anxiety?

[Lanayoung]

hi nobot saying this above will not help you with anxiety, how long have you have it? I am dealing with it for 40 maybe more years.................... gym, dates, fun, dog, tennis will help you with anxiety then meditation but not complaining

Have you tired meditation as a solution? I've heard a lot of promising things and have been trying it for a week now. I feel better but it's hard to calm your thoughts when it's racing at a million miles per hour

[Lanayoung]

Chest pain.. racing heart... more chest pain.. sad that i've been going through this for so long and not getting better.

What things have you been trying to keep them under control so far? Natural, books, medication etc?

[Kort2634]

Thanks for the reply Kort2635 :)

Do you find yourself at it's worst when your alone?

Yes, Lanayoung, it is definitely worse when I am alone. I can sit and fret over the same thing all day long. When I have trusted people around, it's easier. I can express my fears a little and get some reassurance. Or, just having another person as a distraction for a while helps.

[nobot87]

Ive tried zoloft for a week, but the side effects were horrible. I only take benzos if i feel like going to the ER. I meditate 10min. daily, it helps alot with my negative thoughts, but not so much my physical symptoms. Hobbies help keep my mind off of the chest pain, but i still kinda feel it.

[Dahila]

Sorry but ten minutes of meditation is not enough, maybe it is when you do this twice. Meditation probably keeps me sane :) what meditation do you practice Nobot87?
http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?27912-Guided-Meditation&highlight=guided+meditation that's thread is about guided meditation, which is the meditation, even most people think it is not. Maybe you can find something interesting there:))

[nobot87]

I sit in a comfortable position, close my eyes and just focus on my breathe.. and if i catch myself thinking of stuff I return to the breathe.

[nobot87]

Thanks! I'll give it a listen.

[JustaGal]

JustGal, Did you find yourself in a situation when you were at your worst? e.g Driving, loneliness or was it just consistent anxiety?

It was consistent, Loneliness is my trigger. So when I would have a thought about having nothing to do on the weekend, or my lack of relationships, I would get reallyyy upset. That brought feelings of self loathing. I would be out eating and look at couple and feel like a freak! I know I am not when I am not in that mode, I look "normal" and I am told I have a good personality... ha

And right when I wake up, even still, negative thoughts and feelings pour out. I feel better once I get going,

Now that I am feeling better, I am trying to expand my social circle.

[Dahila]

nobot very good, as easy at it seems, following your breath is not easy :)

[aml0017]

It is up and down for me. I will have bad anxiety episodes that last for a few weeks, though as I get older those are few and far between. Otherwise, I tend to have a lot of ongoing low level anxiety from day to day. Most days, I sleep ok though I never sleep heavy. Sometimes I wake up with that hole in my chest and panicky feeling but I make myself get out of bed right away and it gets better soon. I will often feel jittery/jumpy and little worries that pop up during the day will start to take root in my mind. Usually when I notice this happening, I literally tell my mind "STOP! ENOUGH!" to stop the rumination, and I find it works. I make sure I am breathing properly and not tensing my jaw and shoulders. I also keep up with my exercise and diet and maybe if I'm lucky the next night I will sleep well and tomorrow will be a better day. I hardly even notice it anymore, I just cope with it.

Then, one day, something will trigger me and my anxiety will escalate. My mind will start racing and my heart pounding, excessive googling, crying jags. It will build up for a week or so until I have a full on anxiety attack. Then the anxiety goes into overdrive for a while where I just can't focus on anything else. My work suffers, my house gets messy, I can't eat, I am just frozen. Finally that will start to wear off and I'll start to feel more depressed than anxious. That lasts about a week, then one day I'll wake up and feel "ok". Then back to normal. Like I said that doesn't happen very often and I really don't know what causes it. I truly think it is hormonal but I can't be sure. I do tend to have bad anxiety around the holidays which would explain the recent episode I had. I am only just feeling normal after about 4 bad weeks.

[BeerNWings]

I haven't seen a therapist in 23 years and it wasn't anxiety specific, it's always been there's somethin wrong with that boy. I thought it was a big joke anyway. I've experimented with all kinds of street drugs over the years but never touch any meds since the crap docs had me on as a kid. For me I just don't see anything good coming out of meds. I'm a part time alcoholic, been in a little deep (but not too bad) with coke and I need a drug like a hole in the head right now!

Once I started reading up on GAD it clicked. Now I see what's wrong with me I can take steps to correct it. What a nightmare not knowing why I'm messed up for a long time. I almost never go to a doctor. Even after breaking into an uncontrollable sweat, feeling like my blood is no longer flowing, and falling unconscious on the floor. Nothing a beer won't fix, right? First one was as a teen, now I'm getting to the age (40) where you would worry it could be some kind of heart attack. Reading some people's stories all over the internet it's like yeah, I get it now. That extreme of passing out almost never happens but I get different degrees of episodes or attacks.

During the work week I eat right and exercise. It helps a ton but it's certainly not bullet proof. I get at least a little panicky every day. Sometimes I just need a drink, I know a drink will make it stop. Even before I understood GAD a little bit I would more often than not fight the cravings to drink and get through the day/night without drinking. Because most of the time I was committed to getting/staying in shape and taking it seriously. I dangle that carrot of there is a drink at the end of the week, hang in there. Occasionally I would screw up and just binge drink for a few days. For me alcohol is great for anxiety in the short run. Problem is the next day my anxiety is turbo charged anymore. It doesn't even take much alcohol, a 12 pack or less. Its not so much the headaches, sometimes that isn't even bad. Its crazy. I lay in bed no longer able to sleep, afraid to get up, afraid of what I don't even know sometimes. I feel kind of like my body is full of little bubbles. I need to constantly move my foot, sometimes I shiver for a few seconds at a time. Going to work or out in public like that is hell but sometimes but I have to I've made my bed and now..... I'm feeling it a little right now and checking out this form is making me feel a little better. Maybe I'll have the energy to do some laundry in a little while, than watch my Fins lose yet another football game. Shouldn't be hard to miraculously find the energy to drink later on, funny how that works.

Typically after 2 consecutive nights of drinking I am dying for a run. I run at night and find a way to survive the day. It's unbelievable, I feel awful, haven't slept too much and I know as soon as I start putting one foot in front of the other I will feel better. Not only feel better but sometimes turn in an amazing physical performance considering my level of ability. This kicks starts a week of eating right and working out and feeling better. It's far from perfect, there are periods of depression, anxiety and what not. I can't say its all unicorn farts but I usually feel like I can manage.

From the outside looking in I'm a productive and responsible adult. I somehow made it through college and I have a normal middle class job that I've held down for over a decade. I've only recently started to focus my issues with anxiety. Some stuff I read about. Little things like controlling my breathing, trying to relax my muscles, trying to figure out what really makes me angry or happy. It felt like I was getting a little better. Then the other day, bombs away. Something awful happened at work. One area in my life that is stable. That I dedicate so much too. Now I want to leave after all these years. Right after I found out what was going on I could not sit still. I know it's tough for even normal people to get stressed out but I am about to lose it. Can I find as good of a job? I'm angry about it and I'm scared. Plus there is a few hours left in the day and I have to find a way to keep my cool and continue to work. My thought is even though I'm upset keep doing my best job at work and take some pride in myself and my work. To my surprise I was able to control myself and force myself to get my thoughts lost on the task I was working on. I not only continued to work but I did well as far as the task I was completing. I wanted to just get up and walk out right there. Then I got home and it was anxiety time. Immediately started drinking! Now the holidays are coming up and I have tons of time off. Its really tough for me to stay on my workout schedule when I'm not working. Work keeps me out of trouble! I actually put together a couple sober days and got some resumes out. I'm totally in a panic though. My life may get turned up side down. Will I end up staying here. Can I find a decent job. I would love to relocate. The fear of going somewhere new. The fear of what if nobody ever hires me. Or I can't make enough money. Will I lose my car, will I have to move in with my mom at my age. Should I live on the street. I'm shaky with interviews, sometimes I nail it, many times I get all nervous and blow it. That suit and tie crap, what if my suit isn't all perfect and it costs me a job. I really got knocked backwards dealing with anxiety. I plan on surviving the holidays, get out what I can in resumes and at some point I'm going to have to man up and figure it out. My career, my next step in life, how I'm going to get a handle on this anxiety business. I'll figure it out.

[Im-Suffering]

I would love to relocate.. (The truth slips out. The real feelings out of that whole post).

I'll figure it out.

You already have. Long before the 'incident' or 'opportunity' at work. Truth is you've been toying with the 'idea for some time. Dismissing it as fantasy and not practical, until that 'disruptive' day changed your life forever.

Coincidence? No. The 'universe' doesn't work that way. You are still teetering, dipping your feet in the kiddie end rather than jumping 'hell or high water' into the deep without a vest. (symbolizing confidence) So your playing it safe (doubts), but better for your psyche to have a smooth adjustment rather than (immediate) shock, say, if you were fired on the spot.

Yes, things will work out. You do have a new future ahead, with all the excitement of rejuvenating possibilities and fulfillment.

You created that. You see, below the surface mind chatter, lies the structures of beliefs, your building blocks of truth. That is what life presents to you (reality) faithfully.

And.. Often in direct conflict to what you think you want.

You say (conscious mind) "I will not leave my job of 10 years to go make mud pies of sand at the beach" but if you believe strongly in it (imagination, subconscious/beliefs), it is at the beach you will soon find yourself.

But you will struggle at the beach, at least for a short time, because you hold the belief "I must work and pull my weight" you see. There are many things to learn. The first is to awaken somewhat from the coma of ignorance.

By examining your beliefs against your direct experience, you can see what is working well in life, and what needs to change. The belief changes first in all cases.

[1Bluerose68]

My average day is like this:

I awaken round 6AM.

I pick out what to wear, based on the weather for the day.

I go wash and put hair product in my hair, and induce a style for work.

Then I have a bowl of Cheerios w/ soy milk and 1/2 banana.

Then I drive to work, or wait until I get a last minute job assignment for the day.

If I don't get a job that day I do chores at home 1/2 the day and shop for misc things the other 1/2 of my day.

Then go to the gym round 5 pm ish.

Then come home and take a bubble bath w/ a relaxing scented bubble bath.

Then take an rx to calm me down so I may sleep and get up early to do exactly the same thing for the next 4 days of the work week.

Sat and Sun sleep in until 9 AM ish.

Do chores, pay bills, shop, cook dinner, gym, bubble bath and chill pill....

Boring and exhausting as hell, ha???