Anxiety
RAJ
tenacious local 7,779 Posts
I've been suffering from a lot of anxiety lately. It hasn't been this bad in a lonnng time and it's basically effecting my well being.
The root of it is obviously my f'd up childhood and I have been able to suppress it for years, but now that I am making some major financial decisions that could end up messy if not executed right, I'm stressed.
I refuse to touch Xanax... probably should go see a shrink.
Any other strutters battle with anxiety?
The root of it is obviously my f'd up childhood and I have been able to suppress it for years, but now that I am making some major financial decisions that could end up messy if not executed right, I'm stressed.
I refuse to touch Xanax... probably should go see a shrink.
Any other strutters battle with anxiety?
Comments
First of all, let me say that I truly empathize with what you're facing. Please know that I am here to support you and others who face issues with anxiety. I too have dealt with anxiety, particularly as it pertained to achievement-related pursuits. Initially, I faced anxiety in relation to my doctoral program, worrying about whether I was up to the challenges involved in doing well in my classes, serving as a research/teaching assistant, and completing my thesis, dissertation, and other research projects. The second occasion that I dealt with serious anxiety was going through the tenure-track as an assistant professor, having to publish a sufficient number of research papers, earn adequate teaching ratings, and perform required departmental/university service activities. During the tenure-track process, I would stay up working until 1AM or 2AM, and then go to bed ruminating about research and other work activities I needed to complete. As a result, I suffered from serious insomnia for years. Eventually, this culminated into me spending a week in the hospital as a result of the stress. This served as a wake-up call, led to a turning point in my life, making me question the value of placing so much stake in achieving "success."
In both cases, it help me to put the various achievement-oriented activities in a larger life perspective. What I found is that it didn't make much sense to put so much stake in such matters, to the detriment of my well-being. I realized that at the end of the day, peace of mind and well-being should matter far more than the things to which we aspire. Because, if we are not well, and stress/anxiety will cumulatively result in poor health, and potentially, mortality, what we have achieved doesn't matter much. Think of the terminally-ill rich man who would give up all of his worldly possessions to enjoy good health.
Another thing you can do is to focus on doing the things that bring you joy, as these will make you well-rounded and help you to not put all your stake on what you're trying to achieve. Our identities should not be wrapped up solely in the pursuit of wealth, achievement, and the like. Instead, our identities should be comprised of varied activities that bring us joy, benefits others, and leave a legacy of a life well lived and a contribution to humanity. I credit this perspective to my father, who taught my brother and I that we should strive to leave a mark on the world before we die. I wish you well, Raj, and I hope my words give you comfort and perspective.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Yoga
Ginger
Avoid anything that comes from a cow
Google a bit, dont search too deep, you might start filling in things and diagnosing yourself.. so if you have a doctor you can trust , then speak with him, tell m your symptoms and tell m you dont want no quick talk and at the end pills..you just want to know what's up..with whats happening.
Anxiety itself , normal anxiety is a part of life, but like you said, its really affecting your day to day life too much that can be a sign that there is something wrong, doesnt have to be a big thing, but you gotta know though.
Just giving my two cents on this.
Big Stacks is the man btw.
Big_Stacks, as a current grad student, I can really relate to much of what you said. I, too, wonder if I'm really cut out for this, but at this point, I can accept that if school doesn't work out the way I want it to in the end, it wasn't meant to be. I also can't sleep through the night; what's up with that?
Raj, if you can afford a shrink, I suppose it's worth a try, and the anonymity factor eliminates the fear of being judged by a loved one. But I'd prefer talking to a good friend, instead. No matter what happens, your kids, records and the Strut will still be in your life--the important things.
Honestly, a big help for me was learning to say "fuck it" sometimes and not feeling guilty about it. Like today, I've had a busy work week, I have tons of shit to do, but I'm not emotionally or intellectually up for it. So guess what? I've declared "fuck it"!!! I'm not doing it today, and instead, I'm chillin', listening to music, and soothing my psyche instead. I can get to that work shit another time.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
This is key. You just have to stay motivated enough to not say "fuck it" all the time!
Exactly!!! You should only say "fuck it" during those extreme moments when you just can't deal. Everyone should take a 'mental health day' once in a while, but it can't become a way of life.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
And......ban.
Are you obliquely referencing Styron's Darkness Visible to somehow suggest that R*** is going through "depair beyond despair"? Or perhaps likening his anxiety to that of the character Sophie in Sophie's Choice? Or just tossing in some random bullshit again? Any way you slice it, this is his house, his very real problem, and you're an ass. Fuck off.
let it out and move on.
meditation.
Going to start learning some Qigong (breathing techniques kinda like yoga) now as i am convinced my breathing is the root of the issue.
Good luck to all those suffering out there,
Jay
Hey Almond,
I overcame the 'insomnia' issue by setting a cutoff time for working each day. I set it at 7PM (as a faculty member; I stopped at 9PM as a grad student), after which I refused to complete any work/school-related projects. At that point of the day, I'd focus on activities I enjoyed or were less 'mindful', thus allowing me to relax and wind down. Consequently, the ruminating while in bed subsided, and I was able to enjoy a good night's sleep.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Take time to chill, catch your breath and get perspective on things
Xanax is beneficial if taken no more often than once every 3 days. Sometimes it can be a huge relief just to gain the perspective that anti-anxiety meds can give you briefly, which in turn show you a state of mind worth working towards without them that can otherwise be overlooked.
i hate you stop responding to every post in every thread when you don't have shit to say, clown
Raj you have a lot on your plate and your days are very full, with this place, 2 kids, work and so much else. It may be time to excise some of the constant motion form your life and make time for doing less. Time without an activity of some kind really helps. Anxiety is so often brought on by having too much to do or to think about. That's all meditation is at a basic level, just clearing, creating space where there isn't any by doing very little to occupy your mind for a period of time.
Put your life on an overstimulation diet and cut out some stuff for a bit. This is specific advice for you, not for everyone here at all, but for you specifically since you have an insane amount going on in your life.
Exercise has been helping me. You definitely have a solid support network on the Strut, so don't hesitate to use that, mang.
im against pharmaceuticals on gp, but i know several people who are VERY thankful for their prescriptions. get advice you trust and dont feel any kind of bad if pills end up being a viable solution. i would definitely try other stuff too, though im sure you have
regardless, i hope you hit on something bro.
in stressful situations i tell myself two things. worst htings have happened to better people and the world will keep turning.
peace,t
Anyway I integrated that into my daily routine, both as a response to stressful situations and also as a once or twice a day "reset". It's been very helpful, along with the aforementioned exercise, dietary/consumption restrictions, etc
Breathing is really underrated. I realized I wasn't breathing right at all most of the time.
LMFAO
Carry on to GTFO
i don't have anxiety problems, but, i just tried this and it feels so good. i think i hold my breath a lot without realizing it.
fuck you
It's only since my girlfriend split with me, that I sought physological help, and it's done wonders. Being put on a shitload more medication was definitely something I didn't want to do, and was to proud to seek help for dealing with the mental aspects of having years of my life taken from me while sick, but seriously take the step towards help if you are feeling it is becoming an issue. Who I thought I was and had to be I'm just not anymore. I got so stuck in one frame of mind and thought that was me that it took talking to someone and taking medication bring me back to who I used to be. I can't quite believe how I couldn't see how I was behaving while stuck in the middle of it until now when I am back to normal. It's more than just hindsight - Depression / Anxiety changes your whole way of thinking and you deal with everything in a different way and that becomes the norm.
I'm in the UK so am not sure of the Generic Vs Patented medication names, but mental health medication has come on leaps and bounds so the good stuff has very few side effects. My thoughts processes and what have you are so much clearer than when I was in the depths of wherever I was in my head.
The councilling, feels like it has done all it needs to do now and I don't feel I am going to get much more benefit from it, but it seriously helped at the beginning, just being told No, this isn't how you always need to be, this is something happening to you and it affects you in all manner of ways and changes your way of thinking and you just need to do X & Y to change your way of thinking back to how you used to be.
Mental health still has a huge stigma attached to it, and we are conditioned to suck it up and deal, but if it is affecting your day to day life, don't be too proud to seek help. You break your leg you go to a doctor to get it fixed. If you have broken parts of your mental faculties then why should it be a big deal to go get it sorted. It took my girlfriend leaving and some of her reasons about how I was to go, actually, deep down I know I am not the person I used to be, and I need to get some help. Since speaking to my actual illness specialist he has said it's a huge problem in NHS healthcare that they have to treat the physical symptoms of whatever you get, but do not have the budget to assign physcological help for the long lasting mental effects of having a serious illness cause people
I had a very specific circumstances in that I had to process some serious health stuff and thought I had to adjust my life to it, to such an extent I stopped enjoying life and became in my head still 'sick' and issues became far bigger than they needed to be.
As said above, exercise and breathing helps loads. 'Anchoring' also helps to, which is essentially go to your 'happy place' think of a time / place you were truly happy, think back to all the feelings of happiness and the sights, sounds, smells associated with it, and just chill in that headspace for a while until you calm down.
Be well.