Severe Anxiety. Other than pharmaceuticals, what do you do to lessen?

:scared:

YMMMV

I'm addicted to it and I need my fix today.

I love the way I feel afterwards. Ahhhhh! I'm in :loveya: with the world again. ;-)

Work out and then come home love your pet and drink some wine.

If you can get away with it.

Yoga has many helpful techniques for coping.

with steady doses of




I have done the Rx thing, but far prefer hitting a heavy bag for stress and/or anxiety along with taking time to get away from it all, even if that means simply walking in a nearby park.

I started using kava last year. I find that it quickly helps to quell (within 15-30 minutes) surges of anxiety/frustration.

The reason everyone says to exercise is because deep breathing is cleansing. Practicing deep breathing alone is beneficial to our emotional states. Find a quiet place to sit, and draw long slow breaths for 3-5 minutes. Then check in with your body and see how you feel.

med that helps at least take the edge off. Also sometimes a hot shower helps. Getting your blood pumping throughout your body seem to help the chest pain aspect, which is why the exercising & hot showers are good. Chronic anxiety SUCKS.

because of the way it smelled. Has it improved in 2-3 decades? : )

the capsules & have to hold my nose when I open the bottle. I can't imagine drinking that nasty smelling stuff! But it does take the edge off...

My dad smelled like a mixture of Valerian, hickory from the fireplace, pot and a hint of really amazing French cologne. I open his cookbooks and these scents just burst out. Damn, I miss him. : )

Might make me really smile too - because we teased him UNmercifully... : )

Mix it in their catnip sock, you’ll have one crazy cat. That being said, herbs mixed with pharmaceuticals can cause side effects so one must always check with their doctor.

the comfort of slipping into clean, soft PJs, and then in between cool, fresh sheets on the bed with a cat on your chest, purring and making muffins.

Works every time.

:hug:

calming. For example, the color indigo.

and I work a 12 step program. All that serenity talk really helps, if you really try to put it into practice.

Music also helps, bot listening and playing.

Be well, BV.

mark

learned it in college years ago (over 20) as part of a way to deal with phobic situatuions

Severe might be too much for it.

The biggest one for me was to stop eating wheat, that has helped significantly.

Other than that, wine, weed, exercise (especially w/sunshine), and yoga. Oh, and hugs. Hugs are really good.

:hug:

It's why people smoke.

If you can handle the side effects
of cancer and emphysema...

In terms of diet, avoid coffee and alcohol, including wine. Chamomille tea is very good but very subtle.
Magnesium and calcium are mineral supplements that might help. I take them at night to help me sleep. (Do a little googling to see if you want to take these supplements)
As for exercise, it really helps me clear my mind. I go for aerobic type exercises, that make me breath harder, like jogging, roller blading, ice skating, fast walking. Yoga is good too.
Finally, acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can help. Acupuncture and herbs are far less expensive than pharmaceuticals and do not have the side effects that most drugs seem to have.
Good luck.

Some alternative therapists believe that carbonated beverages affect the flow of oxygen to the brain. Of couse, I don't know of any substantiation for this but it wouldn't hurt to try it. See if being off soda and carbonated water for a month makes a difference.

I've been trying to find ways to deal with it for about ten years and this is probably the best. I just imagine that with each breath the anxiety (even pictured as a color) is draining from my body. Kind of new-agey, but it helps. :) :hug:

Better living through chemistry. But chemistry isn't coming through for me these days.

I have taken many different kinds of anti-depressants in my life at different times and I never met one that was effective whatsoever.

The medicine for the panic attack/anxiety can do it's job. But if medicine isn't available, you might really want to try the valerian...

If you're too stressed or tired to exercise, do you have access to music that you love that you can listen to without bothering others - even sing along if you're inclined?

When I was driving 4 hours a day to see my kids and moving everything out of our house, etc. (a lot of time in the car) music kept me sane - and even made me feel cheerier. Sounds corny, but when my kids were in the car (and younger) we listened to a lot of Beatles... their music is so innocent somehow, and familiar - they can be cathartic. I like singing along with Pavarotti and laughing at myself in the process. And singing with Ella Fitzgerald trying to emulate her (it's really really hard). But the breathing and exertion can be a workout and calming at the same time. I might not suggest Gregorian Chants or Beethoven much, but we forget about music sometimes when we get older and it can have an immediate affect on your mood...

It's worth a try...? I've forgotten to - and it's dumb because I know how important it is. I've been doing the avoidant thing and immersed myself into politics - I can escape from my pain and anxiety for a while in that. But I need to do more healthy things and take some risks... it's hard!

Humor, too. I would be much worse off if I didn't deliberately look for humor in my life...

difficult for you, but low doses of medication can help enable you to go exercise and walk a dog...

I'm struggling with that now and it's not working. I've had difficulty with panic attacks for years, and I take a low dose of anti-panic medicine at night, and I don't have panic but I've developed into a full blown case of agoraphobia - and it's really troubling me. And I have a dog and I've had to depend on my housemate to walk him.

I wish I could help you, but taking baby steps, maybe mild medication or herbal (valerian) tea and MOVING every day will help - its just getting over that hump (for me).

I used to run 4-5 miles a day, did the Race for the Cure every year, etc. and I truly believe that there is no cure for depression, anxiety, stress, agitation, etc. than exercise. And music. It works. It really does.

I just can't get to it... and that is frustrating.

I hope one or more of these suggestions helps you! I know how debilitating it can be. Really.

((hugs)))

I wish I could say I don't understand how it is, but I do. :hug: :hi:

on some level... even when what we empathize with is our pain.

((hugs)) : )

diet - cut sugar/processed food/stimulants
exercise - has scientifically proven biochemical benefit for anxiety & depression
therapy - many of us are left with a form of ptsd after prolonged psychological and/or physical abuse - from parents, spouse, or other traumatic situation - left with free-floating anxiety & fear that once felt & connected to its source can be resolved. Not a quick fix, can take years to work thru but it can be done!!!

all the best to you as you work thru this!!!!

one stimulant I can't avoid is my asthma inhaler. :(

http://bachflower.com/

Your local natural/organic food store should probably have the Rescue Remedy blend.

I live next to preserve land so I just go off there with my Sasha and sit on a rock and sob till I feel better.

The key to anxiety is to put yourself back in control.

You do that by figuring out what action you will take in response.

You may decide to do nothing, that it is not important enough to worry about.

You may decide to do something (that itself is a decision even if it takes a bit of thought to determine what).

The key is to focus not on what's troubling you (that may be hard or immpossible to control) but to focus on what you will do in response (that is under your control).

And if it continues, I remind myself that I've already made my decision and decided my response, that no decision can be perfect and that I'm going to live with what I've done in response until I need to make a new one.

I've found this to be very effective.

I'm not sure what I can do about my growing fear of driving. But the other major anxiety trigger - that can be brought under control, with time.

Thank you

Omega 3 oils, Vit E, sex . ....ONIONS in your dinner....

Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) helped tremendously with my anxiety. It is a subset of cognitive therapy created by Albert Ellis. Here's a link to one of his self-help books:

http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0806521368

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerian_(herb)#Oral_forms.2C_usage_and_adverse_effects

http://www.anxiety-and-depression-solutions.com/articles/complementary_alternative_medicine/herbs_supplements/valerian.php