Mental Anxiety

dgt

Hi all

First time to post in another forum on the site

First, I am 22. I have a mental anxiety and it really gets me down when it happens.

About 4 weeks ago, I was in a lecture of college when all of a sudden, my mind began to wander. The thought of death began to circulate through my head and I eventually ran out of the class to get some air and calm down. Prior to this class, this never happened.

The anxiety consists of:

• What happens after death
• What was there before I was around
• Time is flying
• Life seems too short

Since then it has been on and off. The remainder of that week was misery but once past it, it didn't really affect me as much. It still however affects me

Earlier today for example, I was gazing out the window and my mind began to wander again, these thoughts running. Driving me mad

I went to the college doctor who said I wasn't going mentally de-arranged and that it was an anxiety, possibly a phase. They reccommended I see counsellor about it. It's only one session a week but even after just the 1st one I felt better, knowing there is someone else out there trying to help me

What I am seeking from this is if any other posters have experienced a similar anxiety or experience and if possible, advice or tips on how I can deal with it positively. I just want to get back to the way I was before this happened!

Thank you for taking the time to read this

*eadaoin

Great to see you've reached out so quickly to get help for your anxiety, it's not easy and you've taken a great step! It's a good idea to work on it now, rather than leaving it any longer

There are lots of things you can do along with the counselling that really help with anxiety, I'll list a couple for you! The main aim of these things is to help ease your frazzled mind by supporting your body and nervous system. Don't underestimate how much our physical bodies can affect our mental health.

- exercise, it's very important to help raise levels of chemicals in your body that will naturally ease anxiety. Yoga is wonderful for anxiety, the breathing will help you chill out and the exercise will get your good hormones flowing!

- avoid stimulants like caffeine (including tea), energy drinks, alcohol, excess sugar, and nicotine. All of these will put your nervous system on edge which isn't good if you're already strung out with anxiety.

- try taking a vitamin B complex like Berocca, the B vitamins are vital for a calm nervous system and good mental health. We use them up quickly when we're stressed, so it's good to top up if you're having a bad patch. Magnesium can play a big role too - talk to your doctor/pharmacy or health food shop about taking supplements.

- eat regularly. The temptation with anxiety can be to not eat because it's difficult when your stomach is in a knot - but this will make your blood sugars drop which can add to feelings of anxiety. Snack regularly between meals, don't let yourself get hungry, if you're finding it tough to eat then eat small bitefulls as much as you can.

- there's a tapping technique called EFT (emotional freedom technique) that you can learn to stave off a panic or racing thoughts. If you look it up on Youtube you'll find plenty of tutorial videos. A counsellor taught it to me, and it works wonders for me if I'm feeling a bit edgy.

- distract yourself with something you like to do, keep busy. Distraction is the enemy of anxiety! Fill time you could spend worrying with the things that make you happy, laughter and creativity are wonderful healing tools for both the mind and body.

- learn about anxiety and how it works, it can really help if you understand the process of chemical reactions in your body that happen with panic. It sort of takes the scary factor out of it. There's a great book by an Irish writer called Aine Tubridy all about anxiety and panic, it's called When Panic Attacks if you want to look it up.

- I find this hypnosis CD really helpful. It just helps you to relax really deeply, something which can be hard to do if you're feeling on edge. It's very soothing, especially just before sleep or first thing in the morning!

I've been through a lot with anxiety and have learned lots of tools and techniques that help. I've struggled lately because of health issues, and finally am starting a course of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) to hopefully make the last leap from irrational worrying to normal worrying! I've come a long way (I was reading over some old journals last night, and down to therapy and lifestyle changes my life has changed so much for the better!), so I know it's possible to feel better with some hard work.

It sounds like your anxiety is at a mild level, it's not keeping you from living your life (although I know it's probably making your days difficult), so work at it and I'm sure you'll find yourself feeling better. If may help you to know that many people have exactly the same kind of worries as you do, anxiety about death and living is not unusual and you're taking the right steps to deal with it.

Wishing you all the best in your recovery

gud4u

I can't say much more than what was said above only that as soon as you find your mind wandering, that's you're signal to change you're thought pattern, The more you notice it the quicker you'll catch it and become aware of what sets off the thinking.

Take care and well done for being so proactive.

dgt

*eadaoin wrote: »

Great to see you've reached out so quickly to get help for your anxiety, it's not easy and you've taken a great step! It's a good idea to work on it now, rather than leaving it any longer

There are lots of things you can do along with the counselling that really help with anxiety, I'll list a couple for you! The main aim of these things is to help ease your frazzled mind by supporting your body and nervous system. Don't underestimate how much our physical bodies can affect our mental health.

- exercise, it's very important to help raise levels of chemicals in your body that will naturally ease anxiety. Yoga is wonderful for anxiety, the breathing will help you chill out and the exercise will get your good hormones flowing!

- avoid stimulants like caffeine (including tea), energy drinks, alcohol, excess sugar, and nicotine. All of these will put your nervous system on edge which isn't good if you're already strung out with anxiety.

- try taking a vitamin B complex like Berocca, the B vitamins are vital for a calm nervous system and good mental health. We use them up quickly when we're stressed, so it's good to top up if you're having a bad patch. Magnesium can play a big role too - talk to your doctor/pharmacy or health food shop about taking supplements.

- eat regularly. The temptation with anxiety can be to not eat because it's difficult when your stomach is in a knot - but this will make your blood sugars drop which can add to feelings of anxiety. Snack regularly between meals, don't let yourself get hungry, if you're finding it tough to eat then eat small bitefulls as much as you can.

- there's a tapping technique called EFT (emotional freedom technique) that you can learn to stave off a panic or racing thoughts. If you look it up on Youtube you'll find plenty of tutorial videos. A counsellor taught it to me, and it works wonders for me if I'm feeling a bit edgy.

- distract yourself with something you like to do, keep busy. Distraction is the enemy of anxiety! Fill time you could spend worrying with the things that make you happy, laughter and creativity are wonderful healing tools for both the mind and body.

- learn about anxiety and how it works, it can really help if you understand the process of chemical reactions in your body that happen with panic. It sort of takes the scary factor out of it. There's a great book by an Irish writer called Aine Tubridy all about anxiety and panic, it's called When Panic Attacks if you want to look it up.

- I find this hypnosis CD really helpful. It just helps you to relax really deeply, something which can be hard to do if you're feeling on edge. It's very soothing, especially just before sleep or first thing in the morning!

I've been through a lot with anxiety and have learned lots of tools and techniques that help. I've struggled lately because of health issues, and finally am starting a course of CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) to hopefully make the last leap from irrational worrying to normal worrying! I've come a long way (I was reading over some old journals last night, and down to therapy and lifestyle changes my life has changed so much for the better!), so I know it's possible to feel better with some hard work.

It sounds like your anxiety is at a mild level, it's not keeping you from living your life (although I know it's probably making your days difficult), so work at it and I'm sure you'll find yourself feeling better. If may help you to know that many people have exactly the same kind of worries as you do, anxiety about death and living is not unusual and you're taking the right steps to deal with it.

Wishing you all the best in your recovery

This post alone lists most stuff I do every day! My caffeine intake is quite high (I used to take a lot of stimulants and coffee but about 3 months ago cut down a lot and moved onto tea). I have a bad sweet tooth so my suga intake per day is very high. I have a poor diet and have leave long gaps between meals, I rarely get much exercise as I drive to college...

The anxiety does get me down when it attacks but most times (like as I type this) I don't think of it and I'm alright

Thank you for that very detailed and informative post, I'll check out the links. I'm very grateful you took the time to type it up

gud4u wrote: »

I can't say much more than what was said above only that as soon as you find your mind wandering, that's you're signal to change you're thought pattern, The more you notice it the quicker you'll catch it and become aware of what sets off the thinking.

Take care and well done for being so proactive.

Thank you, I will bear this in mind too. I find that music keeps my mind occupied for example, I'll need to see if I can never be too far away from something like that. Thank you for your input

face1990

Eadaoin pretty much covered it, but one thing I'd add is to try to avoid leaving the room when you get anxious. While it makes sense to you to go outside to calm down, it can reinforce the idea that it is out of your control. You leave because you're afraid it will get out of control, but if you stay and let it run it's course you reassure yourself that you can cope with it.

That book by Aine Tubridy looks quite good (just skimmed through it on google books the other day). One thing she mentions is that trying to calm yourself can have the opposite effect. Sometimes, when the adrenaline is already rushing through your system, you just have to sit back and let it run its course because you won't be able to calm down until it has done so.

gud4u

If you've a sweet tooth and rely on sugar too much(as do I) there are some great diets you could have a look at. Mainly gylcemic ones, making sure you keep sugar levels even, eating regularly, having protein with carbs to make sure the sugar lasts longer and doesn't flood the system.

I'm just starting back on track and have found the diet and nutrition boards here quiet good. There's loads of stuff in teh stickies at the top of the threads.

Chromium is a natural mineral that can help with with blood sugars, available from any health food shop. Co-Enzyme Q10 is great for energy release in food. Enquire in any chemist or health shop first just to be sure you can have them, I work in this area and recommend them all the time.

Now if I could only follow my own advice:rolleyes::)

dgt

face1990 wrote: »

Eadaoin pretty much covered it, but one thing I'd add is to try to avoid leaving the room when you get anxious. While it makes sense to you to go outside to calm down, it can reinforce the idea that it is out of your control. You leave because you're afraid it will get out of control, but if you stay and let it run it's course you reassure yourself that you can cope with it.

That book by Aine Tubridy looks quite good (just skimmed through it on google books the other day). One thing she mentions is that trying to calm yourself can have the opposite effect. Sometimes, when the adrenaline is already rushing through your system, you just have to sit back and let it run its course because you won't be able to calm down until it has done so.

That happened at the very start, I felt I needed fresh air... I guess that's a new way to look at it if it happens again

I'll be back in college next week so I'll pop into Hodges and Figgs to see if that book is there

gud4u wrote: »

If you've a sweet tooth and rely on sugar too much(as do I) there are some great diets you could have a look at. Mainly gylcemic ones, making sure you keep sugar levels even, eating regularly, having protein with carbs to make sure the sugar lasts longer and doesn't flood the system.

I'm just starting back on track and have found the diet and nutrition boards here quiet good. There's loads of stuff in teh stickies at the top of the threads.

Chromium is a natural mineral that can help with with blood sugars, available from any health food shop. Co-Enzyme Q10 is great for energy release in food. Enquire in any chemist or health shop first just to be sure you can have them, I work in this area and recommend them all the time.

Now if I could only follow my own advice:rolleyes::)

Yesterday I kept my sugar intake down as much as possible, by the end of the day I wasn't as tired as I would be normally and more importantly I was thinking straight.

I'm glad I stood back and let others see what's going on, I'd never have seen all this myself

dgt

Just to update on this situation:

The whole death issue has now gone. I've learned to accept that when it comes, it comes and have to take it on the chin.

It has since evolved into a fear of ageing ie some days I'd wake up and feel like time is going by too quickly, I'm ageing far too fast. Other mornings I would be fine for the rest of the day I don't know if its me being shallow but it seems to intensify around old people. I often look at some of my favourite actors/ music artists and see that most of them are now old and think, they were once like me. For example, Dennis Waterman was a childhood hero of mine in Minder and The Sweeney, recently he did an interview with Piers Morgan (some may have seen it) he's withered a good bit, I couldn't watch the program, I couldn't bear to see him like that. I felt really sad deep down.

I have been visiting the counsellor for the last 2months now and I find it really helped. I was nervous at the start, talking to someone new about my personal background and issues who didn't know me was a big step. I think that helped quite a lot with the death anxiety.

One evening in the car I accidentally let it slip out to my dad about my issue. I was terrified if I told him he would end up in the same rut as me, thinking the same things, head driven mad. But it was a real eye opener, his advice really opened my mind up. He said if he thought like that he'd be driven mad himself. Simple things like "take things as they come, it happens, it happens, don't worry about things too much" and "don't try to tackle a big problem all at once, attack it bit by bit" were just some of the things that stick in my mind.

He recommended a book called "The power of positive thinking" I have yet to find it in H&F (along with the correct books, I'm probably not looking hard enough ) but I'll find them

I've done my best to alter my diet for example I'll now drink quite a lot of water before I go to bed (about an hour before) and when I wake up I'll feel much better than I did before (not as difficult to get out of bed). I've tried to limit my sugar intake by reducing chocolate intake, not eliminated but a lot lowered. I cut down on the tea and coffee but have since started back on Red Bull in the absence of tea and coffee. I'll need to curtail that or phase it down.

All in all, this very sudden attack is still with me over 2 months later, albeit in a different stage now, but I'm getting through it bit by bit

Could the mods leave this thread open? I'm determined to beat this issue and when I do, if someone has the same problem they can see how I got through it

ando

Hey I jus wanted to say that this is a lot more common than u think. I know for sure. I had generalised anxiety when I was in a rut, early twenties. I think there's a name for it but it's generally thought of as been the 20's version of a mid life crises! Its all the uncertainty. First of all just know you're not alone. You're not going mad and you're not going to die or anything, I know panic attacks can be very scary but you have to learn how to just accept it.. "ok this is happening, so what, what's the worst that can happen".. I used to imagine jumping out of myself and seeing myself from another part of the room, sounds weird but that was my own way with dealing with panic attacks. But you gotta accept that it's happening and don't fight it, that will only aggreviate it, remember nomatter what happens, it WILL pass. I still get anxiety attacks, 9 years later but I've learned how to deal with it. Breathing exercises are so excellent, calm your body. A racing mind cannot exist in a calm body! There is a book that really helped me, helped me so much that I haven't read it in about a year, basically teaches you why things happen and how to deal with it. It's called The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne. I very much recommend it, I've read so many self help books but this one was in a different league. Think u can get it on amazon pretty easily. Good luck!!

ando

Oh don't drink that red bull crap, you're only asking for trouble. Coffee and tea too. You can get de-caffeinated tea if you really want in tesco or wherever easily. Red bull will make your mind go 100mph, plus it's bad for you... basically it's a big no-no. Only you can stop drinking it. You have to if you're serious about dealing with this