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[Spangles]

Hi Ladies
Does anyone inadvertently talk themself into feeling anxious, I think I do sometimes and before I know it I've concocted a whole 'what if' scenario in my head and bam I'm experiencing horrid anxiety. I feel like a freek, it's isually worse in the run up to and first few days of my period.
Thanks
Shellb
xXx

[Rebelyell]

You'll find plenty of ladies here who do exactly that.   Read some anxiety threads and you'll see it is one of the major issues on this site.    Mine is health anxiety and I find that when one symptom goes, it's only a matter of hours before I find another. 

I am trying mindfulness, yoga and meditation. Yoga helps but I find the rest a bit 'new age' despite the obvious logic of living in the moment.   Being busy is best.   

Have you had any change in circumstances recently?  I have just realised that part of my problem is not working full time anymore so I miss people and routine, as well as having far too much down time to let my mind do its stuff.

Good luck, you are not alone.  Try upping your exercise and making sure you spend time with cheerful people.   And if that doesn't work, tell yourself that like happiness, this feeling will pass.

[Dancinggirl]

Shellb - Yep, this can easily happen.  This is where Mindful Meditation can help. I know it takes a lot of practise and it needs to be done regularly but I do find it helps to halt these negative feelings in their tracks. I have learnt to be far more objective and let go of silly anxieties that plague me. If you haven't tried this then I highly recommend you do.  DG x

[honeybun]

Yes, me too. I can talk myself into anxiety easily. It's a learned thing.....something has happened so therefore it will happen again and again.
Trying to retrain your brain not to respond like this is very hard.

One thing I do which helps a bit is to tell myself nothing bad has ever happened so it's very unlikely that it actually will this time and then try and let the feeling wash over me.

Not easy at all.


Honeyb
x

[Kathleen]

Hello Shellb.

Anxiety is an issue for me as well. I feel as if my basic mood setting has been turned up to " on edge " all the time and the slightest pressure, or perceived pressure and I escalate into " meltdown mode ". It is all very annoying and distressing. Menopause has made me so much more jittery and situations that simply didn't worry me in the past now send me into a panic.

All very horrible but I think not unusual, so you are definitely not a freak!

Wishing you well and take care.

K. 

[GeordieGirl]

I am trying mindfulness, yoga and meditation. Yoga helps but I find the rest a bit 'new age' despite the obvious logic of living in the moment.   

At hospital yesterday my consultant was overjoyed at how my tumour has shrunk - he asked a number of times if I'd been meditating. New age perhaps, but obviously recognised as having benefits.  (I haven't by the way, I still haven't managed to get the inane chatter in my head to shut off)

GG x

[Greenfields]

I have a lot of anxiety as I'm not working due to recovering from a breakdown and I'm not eligible for benefits at the moment because I have too much savings (which are my pension savings and not that significant and rapidly going down) and my housing situation is precarious too - I may be homeless if I can't get better.  Also, my separation agreement is up for renewal early next year so if I don't get back to Canada this year then I will probably be struck off my husband's health plan (which would be a huge blow with respect to medical costs) and I'm unlikely to get anymore spousal support.  My tenancy agreement is up for renewal mid- Sept so if I can't get better by mid-August and deal with the stress of an international house move and the stress of living as an immigrant in another country and the stress of not having a job or a university course place to go back to (lost the latter when I got ill) then I face the prospect of having to stay in the UK another 6 months assuming my landlord agrees to the renewal of my tenancy - but that will mean my savings go down even further.  And we won't go into the stress of trying to get a job in Canada ....

All this is by way of saying that I have a truck load of stress under which to heal.

What's helping me is exercise, meditation, and specifically loving kindness meditation (metta practice).  These are making a huge difference.  When I feel overwhelmed, I consciously shift my attention to the present - often repeatedly - to help me.

Metta phrases are: may I be safe, may I be well, may I be peaceful, may I be happy - or variations of them:

eg. May I be safe in body, mind and spirit
May I be well and enjoy good health
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be happy

-if you google you'll find many variations - just pick phrases that resonate with you and silently repeat them in the mind even as the mind chatters a back story about anxiety and things to worry about.

Also when I don't feel that great I still go to exercise classes because I know I will feel better afterwards than I did before.

I also do relaxation exercises and regularly nap as part of them.

I saw my Dr today and she said I am so much better than when she saw me 6 weeks ago - so that was really helpful to hear.

All this is by way of saying that its possible to work with really difficult situations but you just have to constantly refocus the mind until it stops escalating the anxiety - and sometimes that means just being with the anxiety and still practicing the techniques to shift the mind's focus - it's not easy but it is possible.

I don't know when I'm going to be fully well again but I know I've made progress over 6 weeks that others have noticed - so I'm trusting that as more weeks pass, my body and mind will heal more if I treat it with kindness and just do my best to support it.

Sending hugs xxx

[GeordieGirl]

What's helping me is exercise, meditation, and specifically loving kindness meditation (metta practice).  These are making a huge difference.  When I feel overwhelmed, I consciously shift my attention to the present - often repeatedly - to help me.

Metta phrases are: may I be safe, may I be well, may I be peaceful, may I be happy - or variations of them:

eg. May I be safe in body, mind and spirit
May I be well and enjoy good health
May I be peaceful and at ease
May I be happy

-if you google you'll find many variations - just pick phrases that resonate with you and silently repeat them in the mind even as the mind chatters a back story about anxiety and things to worry about.

I'm rubbish at meditating - too much inane chatter going on in my head - but I strongly believe in affirmations. The only difference is, rather than asking, the affirmation is stating. I AM happy, I AM peaceful and at ease, I AM in good health.  My consultant asked yesterday if I was using meditation (I'm not), I am however using affirmations !"My body IS destroying the tumour and healing itself"    I'm not entirely sure what, if any, role that plays in general health (I'll ask my consultant next time), but it can certainly help alter mindset.

GG x

[GypsyRoseLee]

Yes, I'm the master of taking myself into all sorts of nonsense and I'm very persuasive. When I'm anxious I have a constant litany running through the back of my mind telling me 'You won't get better, this is how you will feel until you die, HRT won't work for you, infact nothing will work for you, you will be anxious and miserable every day for the next 45 years, and your husband will definitely divorce you and your children will disown you.' And so on 

Incredibly hard to break the pattern. In the past when I was put on ADs for pnd I noticed they quickly stopped this horribly negative thought pattern. But they failed to lift my low mood particularly. I just felt quite detached and robotic.

[Dancinggirl]

If it's any consolation I think many men get bad anxiety when they reach their 50s.
My lovely pharmacist told me the other day that when people come in asking for laxatives, he will ask how long it's been since they have opened their bowels - women will admit to 3 or more days whereas a man will look really anxious and state that they didn't 'go' this morning!!!!  DG x

[Spangles]

Thank you so much ladies xXx
Your comments make me feel better xXx

[MrsMopp]

I listen to a Paul McKenna relaxation cd.  It helps because it wards off the inane internal chatter in my head.  I also have a Louise Hay cd which has both spoken and unspoken tracks on it.  I cant remember the word for the unspoken one - it means she is still saying the words but you can't hear them!

[Melly]

I, too, am on the anxiety train and want to get off but can't seem to find the station! It's ridiculous and embarrassing.  Any ache or pain or symptom I get, I stupidly Google & the panic skyrockets.  I know I shouldn't do it but I do anyway.  What is wrong with me?  I have just purchased a book about escaping anxiety and have started keeping a health journal to see if I can find a pattern with things occuring during what part of my cycle.  Hopefully this will help me make sense of what's going on with my body and help me handle things better.  Oh and having a release valve installed so I can let the air bloat out when it gets too bothersome!