Insomnia, Anxiety & Depression

[SDFoundGirl]

I used to have panic attacks and was constantly anxious. I now very rarely have any anxiety at all. These are the things that, collectively, solved my problem:

1. Counseling--My IC gave me great strategies to use when I was anxious such as rescheduling my panic attacks for a later time (strange, but it worked), breathing exercises, and meditation. I also dealt with a bunch of stuff that led to the anxiety being triggered.

2. Temporarily, anti-depressants and Xanax. They put a floor under my feet so I was able to function and do the hard work of therapy. I went in with the intention to do whatever I needed to do to get off of the meds ASAP.

3. Exercise!!! When the anxiety hits, go for a walk, clean your house, go to the gym, etc. Also, having an exercise routine keeps anxiety away much of the time. This was a huge thing for me.

4. Acupuncture. I went in a skeptic long after my sitch was resolved for other health reasons, and along with curing my original complaints, it's also gotten rid of my anxiety. For example, the weekend before school resumed (I am a teacher), my laptop with all of my handouts and lessons for the coming week CRASHED. I had to send it away for two weeks to be repaired. In the past, I would have had a full on panic attack and been unable to function for days. Instead, I didn't even raise my voice, just sort of cursed under my breath and then figured out what I needed to do. Because I stayed calm, the repair center pulled my data for me so I could load it on to my husband's computer.

5. Eliminate caffeine or drink it very rarely. This is hard, but it is essential. Caffeine aggravates anxiety. Even now if I overindulge, I can feel the icky butterflies and tenseness of anxiety. Drink lots of water instead...it flushes out toxins and will make you feel much better.

6. Limit alcohol. It feels good in the moment which is why a lot of people with anxiety self-medicate. However, the flip side of the buzz is anxiety at a higher level than you went into the situation with.

7. Hypnosis. Again, I was a huge skeptic, but I was able to reprogram a lot of thoughts and my mind is pretty quiet these days. My therapist gave me a recording that I listen to every night as I fall asleep. I'm out within a couple of minutes most nights.

It takes work, but if you're willing to put in the work, you can deal with your anxiety without becoming medication dependent for the rest of your life. Prescription drugs are hard on your liver, and there are side effects that aren't so fun with ADs. Understand that once you've had a bout of anxiety, you are more likely to have another, so developing some healthy habits and strategies is essential for your long-term well-being.

Hope that helps! I wouldn't wish anxiety on my worst enemy.

SD