Anxiety and/or depression discussion.

Wilberto

Wilberto wrote: »

I heard somewhere that Dark Chocolate is actually healthier for you too. I have no idea if that's actually true though!! :pac:

I just googled it there and found this, and this, both of which clearly endorse dark chocolate over milk chocolate.


So that's good to know anyway!

BobCobb

Just on the diet thing, ye may already know him, but Patrick Holford has written a number of books on the impact of diet on health, including mental health.

I read a good bit of The Feel Good Factor where he talks a lot about the effects of sugar on mood. I can't really remember the details, but basically it's not very good!

One of the chapters talks about chromium and how it can regulate your blood sugar levels and keep them more stable.
I took chromium tablets for a while and noticed that my cravings for sweet things were dramatically reduced. (I took one called chromium picolinate which seemed more effective for me than just plain chromium).

He also recommended B vitamins, which seem to work for me whenever I remember to take them.

Euphoria Intensifies

greenfrogs wrote:

Yah loads of us do struggle with our eating. I find I binge eat and that it is a problem for me. However when I mentioned it to the doctors they didn't pay that much attention to it. I was thinking about over eaters anonymous but I'm not overweight so I don't know if I could go there.

Binge eating/other eating issues are really common in people with BPD/BPD traits so if you feel it's an issue for you keep mentioning it to the psychiatrist. There's a really good book called Overcoming Binge Eating by Andrew Fairbourne (I think that's his name anyway, don't have the book nearby) that my psych recommended me to get. I have full on binge eating disorder as well as the bpd traits and depression, which is a bit of a balls.

The way that I've been overreacting to insignificant things makes me realise how unwell I am. One of my friends said that to me too; that he can really see how unwell I am at the minute (it was coming from a place of caring though, not him being a prick). Just fed up.

Thanks for listening to my rants guys. This thread is great and allof you who post here are really awesome. You make a difference in my life anyway.

greenfrogs

Frigga_92 wrote: »

It's weird, I think I'm the opposite to most of you. I feel that food is one of the few things I have control over so I have a very good diet and am very strict with myself. I've lost a lot of weight over the past 18 months and that feels like the only thing I'm winning at.

Well done on the weight loss and maintaining it. Sadly sometimes the thought of chocolate is the thing that gets me up in the morning.

heyday30 wrote: »

I think it's something to do with large amounts of dopamine being release into your brain when you eat chocolate. It makes you feel soothed and content. I think anyway.

It's difficult cause food is everywhere! I'm not doing too bad, I've switched to eating plain dark chocolate kills chocolate cravings a lot quicker with smaller amounts.

Still a battle though.

I remember reading years ago that food addiction is really hard to overcome. This is due to the fact that we have to eat to survive. So we can't avoid food altogether. It makes sense.

Every day I say to myself tomorrow I'll eat better and exercise. If I eat healthy for a few days I feel way better. I think I look better as well. However if I eat a lot of junk food I feel very fat and disgusting. I must keep that in mind next time I reach for the chocolate. I think I'll start with improving my breakfast like another poster said. I usually have a small bowl of rice krispies but I'm usually starving within an hour.

Frigga_92

greenfrogs wrote: »

Well done on the weight loss and maintaining it. Sadly sometimes the thought of chocolate is the thing that gets me up in the morning.



I remember reading years ago that food addiction is really hard to overcome. This is due to the fact that we have to eat to survive. So we can't avoid food altogether. It makes sense.

Every day I say to myself tomorrow I'll eat better and exercise. If I eat healthy for a few days I feel way better. I think I look better as well. However if I eat a lot of junk food I feel very fat and disgusting. I must keep that in mind next time I reach for the chocolate. I think I'll start with improving my breakfast like another poster said. I usually have a small bowl of rice krispies but I'm usually starving within an hour.

Thanks.

That's a very good point about needing food to survive, it does set food addiction far apart from other addictions, where substances would not be classed the same.

Wilberto

Euphoria Intensifies wrote: »

The way that I've been overreacting to insignificant things makes me realise how unwell I am. One of my friends said that to me too; that he can really see how unwell I am at the minute (it was coming from a place of caring though, not him being a prick). Just fed up.

Thanks for listening to my rants guys. This thread is great and all of you who post here are really awesome. You make a difference in my life anyway.

Can I just say that it sounds like you have a great friend there if they feel that they can actually say that to you as well. Hold onto them for as long as you can!


I'd love to have a friend like that that I can pour out my heart to. Although, I probably do but I just don't know it.

Hugo Stiglitz

Wilberto wrote: »

Can I just say that it sounds like you have a great friend there if they feel that they can actually say that to you as well. Hold onto them for as long as you can!


I'd love to have a friend like that that I can pour out my heart to. Although, I probably do but I just don't know it.

It does sound lovely to have that kind of support.

Euphoria Intensifies

Wilberto wrote:

Can I just say that it sounds like you have a great friend there if they feel that they can actually say that to you as well. Hold onto them for as long as you can!

Wilberto wrote:

I'd love to have a friend like that that I can pour out my heart to. Although, I probably do but I just don't know it.

Yeah I'm lucky to have a friend like that. He has suffered from similar issues in the past so he really gets it. It's good to have someone like that who you know won't judge. I do have a few great friends actually. I think I need to appreciate them a bit more.

greenfrogs

Lying in bed and feeling very sorry for myself. I'm just so sick of being sick at this stage. I feel like the depression has infested my head and it won't ever leave.

I keep thinking about the people who I considered friends who have left my life because I was too difficult to be around. I kept lashing out at them. But who is at fault? Is it me even though I wasn't able to control myself or is that them who decided I wasn't important enough for them to say around.

spudger1

greenfrogs wrote: »

I keep thinking about the people who I considered friends who have left my life because I was too difficult to be around.

I lost a few friends along the way too. Mainly due to my introversion, not being great at 'getting out'.

It gnaws at me sometimes.

Hugo Stiglitz

spudger1 wrote: »

I lost a few friends along the way too. Mainly due to my introversion, not being great at 'getting out'.

It gnaws at me sometimes.

Me too friend. It also seems to be very hard to reclaim lost ground too.

Frigga_92

Count me in too.
I find if you can't do what everyone else is doing with the same enthusiasm, you're just seen as being a drain. I suppose though if people want to put minimal effort into friendship are they really friends at all?
My sister and my husband are the only people who have stood by me 100%. I've lost count of the amount of times I've had someone say to me "but sure you look fine" in response to me being unable to participate in something and then, after a while, the invites just dry up and you have to hear about all the good times secondhand and then, if you get to a point where you're feeling better, people have forgotten you exist.
I said it before, it's such an isolating illness.

Hugo Stiglitz

I've been called a drain by many people I must admit. It seems to be such an ingrained aspect of my personality now. I've had this for way too long.

mg1982

Up until I was a teenager I was very social. But since then I have become very introverted. Burnt bridges with all my old friends a long time ago. It takes huge amount of energy and effort for me to socialise now.

Hugo Stiglitz

mg1982 wrote: »

Up until I was a teenager I was very social. But since then I have become very introverted. Burnt bridges with all my old friends a long time ago. It takes huge amount of energy and effort for me to socialise now.

Once again MG, well said. I'm sure that's the story for many of us in here.

mg1982

Hugo Stiglitz wrote: »

Once again MG, well said. I'm sure that's the story for many of us in here.

It does seem to be a common theme on this thread. What's kind of scary though is if this is permanent. It's been going on so long now I begin to wonder.

greenfrogs

My natural inclination is to make friends and have fun. However my anxiety holds me back. I can see slight improvements but still I have a long way to go. I actually have found my general mood has improved while I'm focusing on reducing my social anxiety. It's like Im creating a new life and am trying to focus on this. I do have a few blips every now and then. But they pass and I am to bring myself back from a bad place. Like last night I was upset about those people no longer in my life. It makes me feel like I wasn't good enough for them to stay around. Now though I realise that some people are only in your life for a small while. And I have to focus on the here and now. I have opportunities to go out and make friends so I'm trying to take those opportunities.

Hugo Stiglitz

mg1982 wrote: »

It does seem to be a common theme on this thread. What's kind of scary though is if this is permanent. It's been going on so long now I begin to wonder.

The social world seems to be a harder thing to break into as one gets older. I really hope we all catch a break and that it's not permanent.

Roquentin

mg1982

Roquentin wrote: »

My goals will be a little less lofty than this guy Had. Lol.

GeneralC

I had a really fun day and I want to get it out there!

Woke up arguing with the mother, she was in a pisser of a mood. I went to the gym, as I usually do. My anxiety was really high during my workout, and literally legged it out of the gym, sweating, cycling home in the rain. I got home and couldn't feel my legs, literally, I had no feeling in them! Has anyone ever experienced this? Anyway, I went to sleep for 30 mins, had a shower, then got dinner. During dinner I was having an aniexty attack, my legs was shaking/twitching. I was eating my food really fast, having thoughts like I was going to collapse, an ambulance needs to be called, no one cares etc...

It's funny, I have one 'okay' day and one horrific day. I am writing this now with anxiety level of about 7-8. I will be banjaxed now for the rest of the evening and probably for the rest few days - what a life to have at any age.

I wonder how I am going to have any of sort of life. My parents just think I am lazy and are caught up in my sister's and grandad's life. Absolute no focus is put on me. I know I am 28, and should be my own man, but c'mon, we all need a dig out from family.

spudger1

GeneralC wrote: »

I had a really fun day and I want to get it out there!

Woke up arguing with the mother, she was in a pisser of a mood. I went to the gym, as I usually do. My anxiety was really high during my workout, and literally legged it out of the gym, sweating, cycling home in the rain. I got home and couldn't feel my legs, literally, I had no feeling in them! Has anyone ever experienced this? Anyway, I went to sleep for 30 mins, had a shower, then got dinner. During dinner I was having an aniexty attack, my legs was shaking/twitching. I was eating my food really fast, having thoughts like I was going to collapse, an ambulance needs to be called, no one cares etc...

It's funny, I have one 'okay' day and one horrific day. I am writing this now with anxiety level of about 7-8.

I will be banjaxed now for the rest of the evening and probably for the rest few days - what a life to have at any age.

I honestly don't know what to say.. is this the first time that's happened?

Frigga_92

Hugo Stiglitz wrote: »

The social world seems to be a harder thing to break into as one gets older. I really hope we all catch a break and that it's not permanent.

I definitely agree with this. As you get older there are less opportunities to meet new people, school, college are usually done with and as you get older you're more likely to have settled into a permanent job or at least a specific career path that may limit your opportunity to meet new people regularly.

Hugo Stiglitz

Frigga_92 wrote: »

I definitely agree with this. As you get older there are less opportunities to meet new people, school, college are usually done with and as you get older you're more likely to have settled into a permanent job or at least a specific career path that may limit your opportunity to meet new people regularly.

Work pals may not necessarily want to mix outside of work too.

GeneralC

spudger1 wrote: »

I honestly don't know what to say.. is this the first time that's happened?

No, I've had that feeling before. It's like extreme tiredness. I have feeling back in them now. I don't want to start googling the smytoms as I am sure I will have 101 diagnosis for it, which could result me ending up in A&E

Has anyone else experienced numbness to legs or arms before?

spudger1

greenfrogs wrote: »

And I have to focus on the here and now. I have opportunities to go out and make friends so I'm trying to take those opportunities.

With a pretty small social circle, and coming off the back of a fairly awful date this PM, i gotta say i envy your resolve greenfrogs.

GeneralC wrote: »

Has anyone else experienced numbness to legs or arms before?

I don't know what to say to you TBH GeneralC, but i hope you take measures to isolate the cause and stop it from happening again.

GeneralC

Has anyone found any online courses/resources useful?

mg1982

GeneralC wrote: »

No, I've had that feeling before. It's like extreme tiredness. I have feeling back in them now. I don't want to start googling the smytoms as I am sure I will have 101 diagnosis for it, which could result me ending up in A&E

Has anyone else experienced numbness to legs or arms before?

I cant recall ever having that symptom but im sure plenty have. Numbness or tingling sensation is a common enough symptom with extreme anxiety. Sounds like you had a rough day but anxiety can come out of nowhere sometimes. Its sneaky that way.

GeneralC

For people who can't seem to face going outdoors, or have the funds to access a therapist, there is an online CBT course available here http://moodsmith.com/. I think it's 9.99 euro per month, so it's pretty affordable. I also believe there is a 3 day free-trial. I know it's unlikely to be the same as having face to face therapy, but for immediate therapy at 9.99euro, it's worth a go.

I am signing up myself, will post feedback after a few days....

greenfrogs

Does anyone here struggle with poor body image. At the moment I am very self-conscious of my weight. I would describe myself as pear shaped as I carry a lot of weight around my hips and thighs. I would never wear a skirt without tights. My legs actually repulse me. I genuinely think no man would want me if they saw the state of my legs. I spend a few minutes each day examining them in the mirror. I know I should do squats but I just think it's pointless. I am wondering is this kinda an extreme attitude. Should I bring it up with my therapist. I have brought it up before but she just kinda skipped past it.