stuck in my own mind!!!

[acasey]

so, i was on here earlier asking for advise about cymbalta. i had one reply. and thats all i needed. everyone keeps telling me, no dont stop the meds, just keep taking them and the side effects will go away. i think i just wanted someone to agree with me that i shouldnt take the meds. so thank you! Im so done with pills, i swear to god i will never take another one. Im ready to face this on my own! any advise please! my anxiety is constant. all day everyday i think about how i feel, what i can do to get better, why i am like this. i try to do things to distract my self from my own thoughts but it doesn't work. cleaning, doing laundry, watching tv, talking to friends. no matter what im doing, it's like im not really doing it mentally, just going through the motions.... if that makes sense. i am stuck inside my head just thinking thinking thinking no matter what im doing "physically"! i don't know what to do anymore, i feel trapped! i can't enjoy anything i use to because i can't focus on it. has anyone been through this? how do i stop this cycle and make myself stop thinking about how i feel, god its so frustrating. i need hope that i wont always be "stuck in my own mind"......

[belle64]

Hey :)
I really agree that stopping the meds is the best thing you could have done. They don't get rid of the problems, if anything they make it worse I my opinion! I understand the trapped feeling, I feel it all day everyday. Have you tried self help? It really helped reduce my panic attacks. But because it dosnt seem to help with my social anxiety I have taken the hypnotherapy route. You're not alone and you can get through it! Keep posting on here, there's lots of understanding people with really good advise on here :)
BELLE

[acasey]

i have never tried anything for coping, just always turned to meds. i recently started reading some cbt books and stuff like that. it's helpful to hear from other people on here, at least i know im not alone! and that really helps. thanks for the advise! hopfeully we can all learn to beat anxiety on our own :)

[belle64]

I hope so too!
Wish you best of luck :)

[Henry2128]

I've been there, and to some extents i still am. But when your trying to find answers you think about it alot, if the thoughts are positive i.e " what can i do better" "this is the only way to sort it" "i'll try anything" " what can i try next" then keep thinking them and use them to replace the negative ones. I started worrying i was thinking about it too much and guess what worrying is, yes negative thoughts which lead to anxiety. I was like this until i started finding answers and then i started doing things without thinking about my situation. Letting go completely is the answer in the end but you will find that happens on it's own as you start to let other things go like "why am i thinking all the time" Its just my experience.
I know my cycle now, i get stressed eat badly and eventually feel anxiety usually in the evening. Mistake i made was not letting it pass and not addressing the cause. Thus ending the cycle. So i ended up in the loop which is harder to break.
Another hard thing for me was knowing when i was avoiding my anxiety, facing it or,letting go.
i faced my ultimate anxiety today for the first time in over a month, 2 weeks ago i had constant anx and panic and the thought of this situation made me panic on the spot. I've just got back and have felt completely calm and happy morning though the whole experiance. I did this by letting go. And changing the way i think about things and through notes and diarys and CBT realised i am the cause of my own anxiety. Even though i know this it's still taking time to reteach my way of thinking which will take some time. But the results will mean my life will be better than before i suffered with the anxiety.
This is me on a good day, i still get bad ones but only when i make them happen
Good luck.

[acasey]

yeah the worst part is that we cause it all on our own, so we are the only ones that can stop it. i think people who don't have anxiety dont understand that just letting go is not as easy as it sounds. and even when you do manage to somehow let it go, it creeps back in, and that alone can be so discouraging. but it sounds like you are doing great! it takes such a strong person to go through all this. and i believe that one day we will beat anxiety once and for all, and when we do we will be so much stronger. im am just starting to try and beat this without meds, so i know that it's goin to be a long road. but just hearing that other poeple are fighting it and doing well gives me hope that i can get there to, so thank you :)