Need help understanding my anxiety

[tangotime123]

Hi everyone,

I've been having a lot of difficulty sleeping the past 2 weeks. There have been some nights where I'm still up while the sun is rising. I'm also starting to realize how I'm constantly having racing thoughts. When I sleep, read, take a shower, pray, my mind never stops thinking. I'm studying for a very important test in the next couple of weeks and am not performing to the best of my abilities because I can't concentrate. In addition, when I am studying I am getting very nervous and having a lot of thoughts of hopelessness and unworthiness. Also, my anxiety also stems from issues with the people in my life. Is there any advice you can give me with a) the racing thoughts b) sleeping and c) anxiety during studying.

Thank you very much!!!

[Nowuccas]

Hey tangotime123,

Practise a relaxation method, daily, and when needed, such as: (free) http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate or Yoga Nidra, (a series of easy mental exercises only; no flexibility required) at http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34171-Questions-relating-to-troubles-with-meditation&p=224951#post224951 ).

They will enable you to emotionally centre yourself, when practiced regularly, and are valuable methods of helping you through life's bad patches. Learn them at least a few hours apart, and preferably on different days, in the morning, or early afternoon. Use the one you find most effective. A minimum of 10 mns is recommended; 15 is better, and 20 is ideally preferred.

Some previous posts follow:

Nearly everyone has negative thoughts sometimes. Negative thoughts often occur before negative emotions*. It's important to regularly monitor, and deal with a negative internal monologue (self talk), or mental process, such as disturbing thoughts, images, impulses, etc., by the process of (a): recognising it, and (b): challenging it immediately. Use the "Technique For Re-Programming Negative Thoughts" - When you notice something negative, such as: "I can't do this/ am never going to get over this!" or: "Why am I always so useless/such a loser?" or even an image, emotion, or a memory; recognise that it is being generated from the negative part of your mind.
After identifying and labelling it, visualise a large, red, flashing, "STOP!" sign, and/or possibly a stern faced person wagging an index finger at you in a negative manner, then say to yourself as forcefully as you can, even aloud in a big voice, if alone: "I know this tactic: GO AWAY FOR A WHILE !!!" You may want to use either: "ruse", "ploy", "game", or "trick". In the case of an image, visualise a large "STOP" sign, or your preferred version.
Some people go so far as to keep a wide rubber band in their pocket, then put it around their wrist, when they catch themselves backsliding, stretch and release it, as a method of reprogramming their mind sooner, but I don't regard it as being strictly necessary. Remember to remove it, afterwards, if you use this method. Try replacing a negative thought with a positive affirmation of your choice, like: "I am a unique individual, with my own set of skills, and good points", or "I may not be perfect, but I'm doing the best I can, right now", or "I choose to be more positive". I prefer: "Focus only on what to do now/next". Recommended reading: Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive by Barbara Fredrickson, & Negaholics: How to Overcome Negativity and Turn Your Life Around by Chérie Carter-Scott, from your bookstore, or amazon.com

"Even if we have some vague idea that we are not our feelings or our thoughts, when we are experiencing painful feelings or painful thoughts, we believe we have to feel them or think them just because of the fact that they are occurring to us. But painful feelings can be indirectly controlled by physical action, and changing our present thoughts for different thoughts (since feeling occurs as a result of thinking.) Painful thoughts can be directly controlled by choosing replacement thoughts for the ones that are troubling us. Sure, it takes some practice to change a habit. But it can be done. Of course it can't be done if we choose to believe that it can't be done. But, since the choice is ours, why not choose to believe it can be done, and do it?" Read: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think by Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky, & Change Your Thinking by Sarah Edelman, & "Feeling Good." The New Mood Therapy. Harper Collins.1999. ( updated sequel to his US bestseller about treating depression & anxiety; very comprehensive), by David D. Burns, M.D. Hypnosis is merely a heightened state of suggestibility, in which you are better able to communicate with your subconscious mind; view http://myfavoriteinterests.com/hypnosis/ about what it is, and isn't. 85% of people are suggestible to some degree; 15% - 20% highly so, and 15% - 20% aren't much at all, so you could either preferably seek professional hypnotherapy, or, if not an option, hypnosisdownloads.com has reasonably priced ones about stopping negative thoughts, meeting people, making small talk, etc. Professional advice is to use preferably only 1, or a maximum of 2 at any one time.

Check out http://www.wikihow.com/Special:GoogSearch?cx=008953293426798287586%3Amr-gwotjmbs&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=negative+thoughts such as: "How to Get Rid of Negative Thoughts: 9 Steps", & "How to Use Switchwords to Clear Negative Thoughts: 5 Steps".
"I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside" - Dr. Wayne Dyer*.
The key is persistence; over time the frequency and power of the negative thoughts will lessen, but will always recur occasionally, which is normal, and healthy.

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My previous post on anxiety and panic attacks may be viewed at http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34755-Panic-attacks-that-last-for-hours

HERBAL ANXIOLYTICS: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34269-5-Powerful-Tools-You-Probably-Haven-t-Tried-Yet&p=225415#post225415

NON HERBAL NATURAL (NON PHARMACEUTICAL) ANXIOLTYICS: (5-htp, etc.) http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?34355-Help-Please!!!/page2

INSOMNIA: Exercise, preferably 6 hours before, but not within 2 hours of bedtime. Have a warm bath, or shower, an hour before bedtime, then a glass of very warm milk, possibly with Horlicks, or one of the herbal teas, below, and use dimmer lighting. Your bedroom should be very dark, with the lights out, and a good sleeping temperature is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, or 19 degrees Centigrade. Put your mind in a position where it wants to shut itself off, and sleep. View umm.edu/sleep/relax_tech.htm The progressive muscle relaxation, http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html is very easily learned; guided imagery, or mindfulness breathing https://www.verywell.com/mindfulness-meditation-88369 is known to be effective, or www.wikihow.com/Meditate Give the EFT a tryout. It is free via http://eft.mercola.com or tapping.com (13 free videos) or eftuniverse.com or YouTube EFT. Repeat to yourself: "Even though I currently have a sleep disorder, I deeply and completely accept myself." (or choose your own wording) while you use the acupressure massage/tapping. Find out which works best for you, in the daylight hours, so you will be prepared, come bedtime. For many people, a good idea is to develop a set "wind down" routine for the last hour before bedtime, so your subconscious mind learns that it is time to put thinking aside, and prepare for mindfulness, (awareness, without cogitation/purposeful thought) or the EFT, in preparation for sleep.

The idea with mindfulness is to not even think about sleeping: just drift off, naturally, during exercising those techniques. Avoid TV, computer, or anything exciting in this hour, although reading a BORING! book is a good idea. Experiment, to find which combination works best for you. No coffee, tea, or other caffeine within 6 hrs of bedtime! Try a cup of chamomile herbal tea, an hour before bedtime. Others may prefer Sleepytime, by Celestial Seasonings, Relax, Be Sleepy, or valerian root (valerian "hangovers" possible), etc., from supermarket tea, or health food aisles. Milk, or cream should not be used with herbal tea. Get up and do something, like read a book, if you can't sleep within 20 mns. Personally, I prefer to use word/phrase repetition for a short time, changing over to mindfulness breathing; however, you may well find another method more effective. The following EMDR variant came from a book on treating insomnia for the depressed; I use it every night, and it is well worth trying. It seems to reduce distractions during the mindfulness relaxation methods, so I use it first. Keeping your head still, move your eyes first to the far left, then far right, and repeat this another 19 times. Each full sweep should take around a second. If you like, you can either subvocalise, or repeat: "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand ... up to twenty.

After this, allow your body to go limp, and relax for a short time. Then repeat the whole exercise, limpness, and relaxation twice. This may well be all you need. Others may require another round of the above. Before beginning the EMDR variant, I take a whiff of lavender essential oil in both nostrils; some people prefer a drop, or two on their pillow. This provides a strong cue to the subconscious mind to prepare for sleep. 85% of people are suggestible, to some extent, so consider professional hypnotherapy, or hypnosisdownloads.com has: Fall Asleep Fast, Drift Off To Sleep, Sleep and Dream, or Sleep Like a Child, or instant-hypnosis.com has: Beat Insomnia, Quiet Blissful Sleep, Enjoy Deep Sleep, or Restorative Healing Sleep.

Try the free sleep aid at: soundsleeping.com/ You could try melatonin (pharmacies) for a few nights only; more can interfere with the brain's natural production of it.

[Anne1221]

One thing can lead to another, but not sleeping is not good. That alone can make it hard to concentrate. I think you may need to talk to a doctor. Having anxiety during studying is not that uncommon, but insomnia, racing thoughts and feelings of unworthiness and hopelessness are things you may need some help with. Try all the natural things on your own first though, like the above advice and meditation and exercise. I can tell you this...you are not unworthy about anything. You are a very valued person.

[gypsylee]

Hey there and welcome :)

I can't write much atm because I'm in the midst of an anxiety attack myself :(

My biggest problem is racing thoughts which are so intense that I get all confused and can barely function eg. Can't drive even after almost 20 years of it. It's the most horrible feeling. Take a look at any of Claire Weekes stuff if you get a chance. She comes across as old-fashioned but I think she was way ahead of her time. She talks about "nervous illness" and basically says what we are feeling is really just a chemical imbalance but we tend to add to it (which she calls "second fear"). Once you start adding fear that adds more chemicals, and so it becomes a vicious cycle. I think I add about 87 fears ;)

Bye for now,
Gypsy x