Anxiety

I worked Tuesday/Wednesday this week. They were the most stressful days I've had in a long time. The sad thing is it's not the inmates I work with that stress me out. It's a supervisor who is targeting me since OUR big boss told her she was wrong in a situation she called HIM about. So she made the last two days pretty hellish. And in usual fashion when super stressed I get chest pain. I used to take Valium for it but I havent renewed it for years bc I haven't needed it. So my question is does anyone have any over the counter remedies for this level of stress and anxiety. I tried the rescue remedy and it didn't work.

I don't know if this will help, but I am finding that when I get stressed the overstimulation portion of Fibro hits me pretty hard. I end up smelling everything, and hearing everything to the point of being overwhelmed.

My therapist recommended finding one thing to focus on. Something soothing. We talked about hugs and things that relax me, but she pointed out that I can't always guarantee that the two people I always am willing to have touch me will be there. We came up with the idea of hand cream, although it could be anything that works for you - sound, music, anything. The idea is to have one thing to focus on and just relax and breathe for a minute.

For me, it's my Bath & Body "Nourishing Hand Cream". I have a couple of scents I like and the act of putting on the hand cream and smelling it while I do so. I just concentrate on that and rub it in over and over.

Being a nurse, I know you may have to watch scents, but there are other similar things that may not have scent. This was just the one I hit on. I take a couple of minutes by myself, close my eyes and ears and just smell and rub the cream in while I try to clear my head and think about nothing.

Another idea my therapist had was a rubbing stone of some sort or a small object that I could focus on. It just needs to be something that means something to you.

Good luck. I've been there with the jerk supervisor. It's always a tough one to work through.

Jenni

I used to wear a bracelet with small decorative stones on it. I would rub them to relax myself. Some people carry relaxation balls, chinese balls, or worry dolls.

I have had to work on my adrenals to address my anxiety and one herb that really helps is Rhodiola. Also, you might try GABA.