New to Anxiety, Old Friend of Depression

I have a chronic illness and have had since I was a child. Over the past several years have come to the realization that I have been depressed for years and left it untreated. I am now in both talk and drug therapy and it has made a world of difference in my life. But over the past several months I have been introduced to a constant feeling of anxiety. The doc put me on Xanax for it and it helps take the edge off, but I still feel like I am always walking on egg shells. Not a paranoia that something bad is going to happen, more of what will I mess up next. There have been some changes at work and I report to someone that is controlling and treats all mid-managers at my level like we are children. I know this contributes to the anxiety at work, but wonder why it continues when I am home.

Thanks for letting me vent. I hope you all find the peace in your life that I am searching for.

Welcome, I know that feeling of walking on egg shells as well maybe trying a different med may help.

Hi CheerDad,

I think anxiety is a component of depression. One, unfortunately,  can lead to the other. Xanax is a good medication for anxiety but it has a shorter half-life than some other anti-anxiety meds like valium or ativan. It may well be that it is wearing off to soon..just a thought.

I find that once I am really anxious it takes a while to wind back down again..if you get really stressed out at work then it sometimes follows you home for the evening. I try (on the way home) to mentally take off my work hat and put on  my home hat. It's just a mind trick, but it helps me relax. I know nothing bad is going to happen at home!

I hope the therapy helps you out, and you can get some control over those 'eggshell" feelings. No one should have to live with that feeling. I wish you all the very best. I hope we all find that magical peace

Meg

CheerDad,

Sometimes anxiety is caused by our own negative self-talk. It may be that your situation at work is taking your mood and self-confidence down, and combined with your day-to-day depression, the self-talk "what am I going to mess up next?" seeps its way into your subconscious and follows you home. Just a thought, but I sure hope you find some relief. This forum is a fantastic support, as I'm sure you know from the others you're in.

Welcome!

percycat

Hey,

I like to call that kind of thinking "catastrophising"...everytime my brain starts throwing up those questions I try and mentally roll my eyes and say "here she goes again!" and try and laugh at myself. IMHO it's one of the best way to deal with negative thoughts. You really just have to laugh sometimes!

Meg