Controlling anxiety

dear wolf, i m really sorry that you are suffering so badly with anxiety at the moment. i am fairly new here, and i completely understand what you mean when you say that the whole "close my eyes and count down thing" doesn t really help. my anxiety has been diagnosed as severe, and i am prescribed regular diazepam. when this stopped working well enough for me to get through the days and nights, i thought that, heck, what have i got to lose, and so i tried the relaxation techniques that are in the resource section of this ite, and, whatta you know, after a few days perseverance and practice, they actually did start helping. just be gentle with yourself but don t give up, and you just might see some results. if not, at least you gave it a go. there s a list, and the one that helps me is what to do right now when i m anxious right now. i pray that this or somethingg else that one of the people here will suggest, will really help, please tell us how you are going, blessings to you and yours

Hi BWR and welcome to the A/P!

I am sorry to hear of your sleep problems...it is miserable, I know.

You are wise to seek alternative ways of getting to sleep. Medications are wonderful tools for helping us to manage our anxiety issues...but it is good to have other options for our use as well.:)

Here are some of the exercises that M.M. mentioned above...from our Resources:

Self Help sites with breathing/relaxation exercises instructions

Panic attack relief exercises:

 

http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/73076/34334/breathing-lessons/

http://www.healthyplace.com/

http://www.stress-relief-exercises.com/

http://www.ehow.com/video_4405003_breathing-exercises-panic-attacks.html

http://www.psybersquare.com/anxiety/panic_relax_I

Give them a try and see how they work out for you.

I also second Merrida's advice about exercise...as well as turning off back-lit devices at least an hour before bedtime. This includes t.v., computer and smart phones/tablets.

Sound wave therapy, or binaural beats can be found on youtube or as an app, and promotes theta wave (sleep state) activity that some find invaluable for sleep.

Best wishes and post with us anytime!

Scaredy Cat

Here I go quoting from random movies again,...

My Husband was watching a movie the other night that featured Will Smith and his son. I don't recall the name of it, but I do recall a line spoken that really struck a chord with me:

"Danger is real. Fear is a choice."

So I thought about it for a while, and concluded.....yep. That sounds about right.

Managing our fear, and accepting that we may need to do it in steps, is always helpful. I can emphatically state that when my anxiety journey started,--which included HA,--I could not use the coping tools I currently do,...at least not successfully.

This is a journey, and at each step, we utilize what resources we need to, or even have to, to get us over that bridge, over that hill, and to a new place.

I'm with Kitt on this one when it comes to my dog and my Hubby. When I'm feeling particularly anxious, there's nothing like a cold, wet nose and a little doggy slobber to make you smile.




M.

I am someone who used to stare at the hours going by on the clock too....what I do now is leave the alarm on as necesary, but turn it to face the wall and hide the numbers so I can't seem them without getting up and checking. It's a little trick that helps a lot to keep from constantly starring at the time.

I have a white noise machine I use too. I got a basic homedic one.....it works wonders for me. Gives your mind something to focus on either than the little bumps in the night. But, they can be tricky devices. Sometimes mine goes on and off by itself, where it has a radio in it I think it picks up radio signals and gets confused about what it is supposed to do and sometimes this will startle me awake. I've friends that have them too and some friends of mine are convinced that they actually pick up paranormal activity since they go off all the time, so be aware that can happen with white noise machines and you might be in for a startle or two with them! Also with PTSD especially, be mindful of which setting you choose to listen to, IE people who have experienced a fire, shouldn't leave the fire setting on at night as it will creep into nightmares.....