Hi, cjp50.
Glad you've found us.
All of us know how your feeling on here, anxiety is the pits. Doctors are so quick to give out antidepressants, mine wanted me to go on them, but I said no thanx, as I knew it was all hormonal.
I wasn't depressed as in the true sense of being depressed. I started HRT and sure enough, when it kicked in, I felt better. So I was really happy I'd refused the ADs. ( I'd had them years ago, and had bad experience on them).
What I did to help with my anxiety, when it was really bad was the breathing exercises. 4/7/8.:Breathe in for four counts. Hold it for 7 counts, then breath out through your mouth for 8 counts, it slows your breathing down. Also, when you can't focus on anything but your feelings, try and concentrate on three different things. So, what you can hear, what you can see, and what you feel. When I was laying in bed, I'd be listening to any sound I could hear, so my fan blowing, that's one, then focus on what you can see, I could see the wardrobe, that's two and three was, what I feeling laying in my bed, so if I felt my feet pushing down into the mattress, or a pain in my body somewhere, that was the third. Then start again. It's designed to get your mind off the anxiety. You can manipulate it how you want to. What suits you. It really helped me.
My advice would be to stop checking your blood pressure, and heart rate, I did that too, on my,phone app, and although I thought it was good at the time, and it showed my stress levels were in the red area, looking back, it just fuels your anxiety. I was always thinking, oh god, I'm in the red, I must have something really wrong with me! I've got 78 beats per minute,🙀 I'm sure to have a heart attack soon! 🤷♀️
It's no good. Trust what the tests have shown at the hospital, it's just your anxiety playing tricks on you.
And don't google! Google will have you dead and buried in 2 weeks! 😆 I know, I've done it! Well, obviously I didn't die, I'm still here! 😆😂
Eat and drink plenty fluids, can you go for walks anywhere, getting out helps. Without a mask I mean, away from people? Even just for 5/10 minutes. If not, play your music, whatever you like, or watch something you enjoy. Get your mind off the anxiety. Sleep,whenever you can, again, even for just a nap.
I'm not saying all this is a miracle cure, it isn't, but it's there to help. Keep at it, then one day, you'll start to feel better, more in control, even one days respite would be great. And it'll come. xx
Jd xx
