Morning anxiety

[kooley]

Hi all!

To cut a long story short I thought I was seriously ill for about a month but went to the hospital and everything came back clear - it's anxiety.

Since I found that out I've made some progress, before that I couldn't do anything at all until about 6pm, spent all day pacing around the house feeling exhausted and on edge.

It all starts as soon as I wake up in the morning, the main sensations are nausea and wanting to escape from something, with rapid heart rate which makes me on edge - I can get the feelings calmed after about an hour of waking up but keeping them at bay is the hard part. For example today someone said to me "I need to talk to you", that made me spike up again and start to get really agitated until they said something trivial and I felt pretty stupid, but still slightly on edge.

Drugs aren't something I'm interested in, managed to cut it from 7 hours a day to 2 hours a day by just changing up my morning routine and adding a bit of exercise, as well as focusing on why I'm feeling this way rather than pacing around making it worse, so with a bit of work I can hopefully get it down to 0.

Eating helps but when I'm feeling nauseous even the thought of food makes me sick, I have to force myself to make food - it always helps but I never believe it will at the time so it's tricky, lost about 10lbs from this.

I'd really appreciate some advice from people on how to manage, searched the web a lot but not really found much solid apart from the morning exercise which does help.
A lot of it is eBooks "promising" the one tip to beat anxiety forever which is just disgusting.

While it's not as bad as it was a couple of weeks ago I don't feel like I could really do anything in this frame of mind, if I had a job I would probably break down at the slightest bit of provocation.

Trying to keep my environment zen at the moment because that keeps everything stable for the most part but it's not feasible to sit around like this forever.

What should I do?
Go out and deliberately do things that would agitate me or would that make it worse?
I know this needs to be dealt with but not entirely sure how.

Thanks for reading.

[alankay]

My advise would be to see if a source can be found for your anxiety by talking with a therapist. Address the source if one can be found.
You're opposed to meds so if there's no "source" you'll need to educate yourself on anxiety, what it is, how it effects folks and develop calming techniques(proper breathing, progressive relaxation, positive self talk, self distraction, etc), adjust lifestyle(minimize caffeine, refined sugar in the diet and alcohol), get aerobic exercise and continue life after learning some things(facts and skills) about coping/managing anxiety. Then you'll have some tools to move forward to things that make you anxious to see if you can cope well. If so you should continue and those things should make you less anxious as you see firsthand you will be OK.
Now if you can't cope well you may need medication or more therapy. Sometimes for just a while, sometimes longer. You'll need to break the cycle of anxiety and then more anxiety. Sometimes this need to be done.
So in a nutshell, (1)address the cause of anxiety if one can be found, (2)educate youself on anxiety and learn calming skills (3)then move forward to desensitize yourself to anxiety queues and (4)get more help(therapy/meds) if needed as you go. You may be OK as you go and the only way to know is to try. PM me any time. Alankay

[kooley]

My advise would be to see if a source can be found for your anxiety by talking with a therapist. Address the source if one can be found.
You're opposed to meds so if there's no "source" you'll need to educate yourself on anxiety, what it is, how it effects folks and develop calming techniques(proper breathing, progressive relaxation, positive self talk, self distraction, etc), adjust lifestyle(minimize caffeine, refined sugar in the diet and alcohol), get aerobic exercise and continue life after learning some things(facts and skills) about coping/managing anxiety. Then you'll have some tools to move forward to things that make you anxious to see if you can cope well. If so you should continue and those things should make you less anxious as you see firsthand you will be OK.
Now if you can't cope well you may need medication or more therapy. Sometimes for just a while, sometimes longer. You'll need to break the cycle of anxiety and then more anxiety. Sometimes this need to be done.
So in a nutshell, (1)address the cause of anxiety if one can be found, (2)educate youself on anxiety and learn calming skills (3)then move forward to desensitize yourself to anxiety queues and (4)get more help(therapy/meds) if needed as you go. You may be OK as you go and the only way to know is to try. PM me any time. Alankay

Thank you for your advice, after reading this I looked up diet for anxiety and found that milk, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are supposed to help, about an hour after consuming some it felt like my anxiety was stifled... I could sense when it should occur but it never bubbled up, then over a few days it got more and more faint until it was just gone.
I've been eating a lot of seeds and drinking milk for a few days and I feel as though nothing can phase me. This happened for a week after I got the all clear from the hospital too, which is reassuring because it does show that the cause is most likely psychological..
I don't know if it's just a placebo effect but even if it is I am happy with it, I can actually enjoy activities now and not confined to pacing around the house.

I'm going to visit the doctor anyway when I'm home, my overall body hair seems to have gotten a lot thinner and brittle over the past few years which could indicate a metabolic disorder, and on my hand there is a dry rash that only seems present when I'm anxious, as well as some nail ridges. I suppose it could also be a deficiency or thyroid problem.

[SleeplessInPA]

Hi Kooley,

I agree with Alankay's post. I would definitely look into therapy. Other things that have helped me is yoga and meditation. Also, I can't have caffeine, it raises my anxiety,

[Lin]

I think trying anything is worth it - medication, herbal remedies, and therapies.
I have recently started hypnotherapy and am impressed so far, after only a week of practising with the CD given to me after my session, my husband and psychiatric nurse have noticed that I am calmer and my nurse even said I smiled yesterday! It was expensive but you get a personalised CD each time you go to listen to every day, so if it is going to work it will be worth the money.
I have also bought loads of books and been on lots of courses about ways to overcome anxiety and depression - some work for me and some don't - but I think it is is worth trying anything because we are all so individual that something might work for you which does not for someone else.

[SleeplessInPA]

Hi Lin, I am going to look into hypnotherapy! How many sessions have you had? Also, could you tell me the names of the books you found helpful? I am always looking for good reading material.

[Lin]

Hi Lin, I am going to look into hypnotherapy! How many sessions have you had? Also, could you tell me the names of the books you found helpful? I am always looking for good reading material.

Only had one session of hypnotherapy so far but you get a CD to bring away and practise every day. My husband and my psychiatric nurse think that I have been calmer since I have been practising it since last Monday. My next session is on Wednesday. She said she will decide how often/frequently she needs to see me as we go along.

Books, I have got loads so thought would list them for you:

The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris - this covers Acceptance Commitment Therapy (opposite to CBT because instead of changing your thoughts you learn to accept them)
Buddhist meditation books:
Your True Home
8 Steps to Happiness
Transform Your Life
The Art of Happiness
Meditation Handbook
How to Solve our Human Problems

Hand therapy:
Jin Shin Jyutsu
The Touch of Healing

General:
You Can Heal your Life
Essential Help for your Nerves
The Selfish Pig's Guide to Caring

Mindfulness:
The Mindful Way through Depression
The Art of Mindfulness: Mindfulness of Daily Life
Living Well with Pain and Illness The Mindful way to free yoursefl from suffering

Self help psychotherapy:
Change for the Better

Not read all of them, but have dipped into most of them, and some have worked quite a lot with. Using the Happiness Trap (ACT) at the moment - a chapter a day.

I find I can't concentrate when not at work so I dip into these books and try to do a chapter a day, or even if not just a page, some of them like the Happiness Trap and Your True Home you are meant to read really slowly anyway.

Hope any help you if you decide to get them.

Lin
Mi

[SleeplessInPA]

Great, thank you for sharing!!!! Let me know how you do at your next session. I am going to start researching tonight :)

[Paul123]

Hi Kooley ,

Some great advice on this thread.
Somebody mentioned the book "self help for your nerves" by Claire Weeks. I can't overstate how much this book helped me.
Give alcohol a miss if you haven't already . Especially vodka !
Try swimming as well it's a really calming form of exercise .
Definitely no caffeine !
Good luck !

[Lin]

Exercise is another good thing as mentioned by Paul above - swimming especially if you have any joint etc problems. I have also got an exercise bike so that I can exercise whilst watching the TV and is great for days when I don't want to go outside at all, so I still manage to get some exercise.