How do YOU cope with your anxiety?

[swilow]

I don't know if this is the right spot or if such a thread exists but I thought it could be useful for us to share some techniques we may have developed to help reduce anxiety. It seems that anxious people are usually forced to become extra resourceful due to the intensity and ongoing nature of the issue and I think we all come up with different ways to help ourselves, some that we may not have considered before.

Obviously, certain medications are useful in the short term. But lets think of better solutions than that.

For me, I find breath meditation to be super helpful. It doesn't work immediately but ten minutes of slow breathing in a calm environment can feel like a mild benzo in terms of relaxing the body and slowing the thoughts. I find other, similar things, usually repetitive and simple such as drumming can help to slow thoughts too.

One of my preferred methods involves simply reading. I can be jumping out of my skin but if I grab a good book, usually non-fiction sciencey stuff, and get absorbed I sort of forget my anxiety and break the feedback cycle.

What sort of stuff do you do when you are anxious?

 

[Cosmic Trigger]

Kratom and Opiates. That's the truth. I also do deep breathing and a type of meditation but truth be told the Kratom/Opiates help best.

 

[bomber]

Small amounts of strong alcohol make great work for me.

 

[Man in the Dark]

Klonopin. I can exercise my ass of and it does nothing. Meditation but it lasts about 2 minutes than those intrusive thought creep in.
Have to agree with Cosmic opiates definitely help

 

[ChiTown62391]

I use vitamin B complex. Once when I wake up and once before dinner. Helps tremendously.

 

[bomber]

I know that b vitamin greatly limits depressing feelings but about axienty...how would it work?

 

[Nixiam]

Meditative techniques. To try and prevent panic attacks, I use the rubber band method (snapping yourself with a rubber band).

Other than that I take any drug I can get. GABAergics or Opioids. Alcohol.

Undermedicated.

 

[Moreaux]

I try to minimize stress as much as possible and to keep a "healthy" lifestyle by eating fresh whole foods, adequate sleep, and at least an hour of exercise a day. I use breathing techniques for acute anxiety and use exposure therapy on my OCD triggers to desensitize myself.

If I'm having an anxious day I may make some soothing tea - I grow chamomile and lemon balm so I'll use that. Sometimes I add Valarian root (it smells sooooo bad). If I'm particularly anxious I may run lemon balm through my cold press juicer and drink a shot, which is surprisingly strong.

If I'm having a major panic attack I will take an Indural (propranolol) which takes about 20 minutes to work, but it ensures the anxiety stays low for the rest of the day. I do my best to avoid taking the Indural as I don't want it to lose effectiveness and I feel like that is my only medication option. Kava works well too but I only use that at night in an emergency because it helps me sleep and I do t want that to lose effectiveness, so I probably take it once every couple of months.

 

[MissBehavin'_416]

Long walks down the nature trails. Takes my mind off of things 99% of times.
I also enjoy jigsaw puzzles. The more pieces, the better.

 

[15yearoldonadrugfo]

None of these methods have worked for me, I used to take tramadol regularly but recently whenever I take any drug other then pot I convince myself I'm going to die or od, I have tried prozac before but that made me have really bad gastro and it didn't even make a difference, any recommendations?

 

[Nixiam]

15yr olds should NOT be on a drug site.

 

[Moreaux]

None of these methods have worked for me, I used to take tramadol regularly but recently whenever I take any drug other then pot I convince myself I'm going to die or od, I have tried prozac before but that made me have really bad gastro and it didn't even make a difference, any recommendations?

Are you open to nonpharmaceutical options? I would recommend you consult a therapist and look into CBT or DBT. Those are great solutions, but you have to be open and willing to learn how to do them, it does take time. Now is the time for you to learn productive ways to manage stress. The more you learn now the better your adult life will be. It's very concerning that at 15 you are having these issues and are already involved in substances. Continuing down this route only make anxiety worse and life much tougher.

What have you tried so far?

 

[billthepill987]

<snip>

 

[sk3j]

Reading doesn't do the trick for me because when I'm anxious I can't concentrate on words or concepts expressed by someone else.

On the other hand, writing is quiet liberating. I write whatever I feel, doesn't matter if the thoughts are super bad or unfair or something I would never say out loud, once they are transferred on paper they are a bit less inside me.

Drawing also help. Or doing some practical activity that is not too difficult, as in doesn't require my full attention or maximum concentration, because due to anxiety of course I couldn't have it and I'd be just more distressed, but, for example, building something with lego? copying a pretty simple image? coloring a printed mandala? yes. Methodic, repetitive activities that keep my mind busy are a great copying mechanism.

Sport activity; make your body tired (not exhausted tho) and your mind will follow. Besides, it's a good way to use those energies in excess, and I don't know what chemicals are released while doing sport, but it's plenty of proofs out there saying that even just running is a great way to deal with low mood and generally bad feelings. It's true.

Breathing. I'm no expert about this nor meditation (my bad), but controlling my breathing does help. When I'm anxious my mind runs and my heartbeat is crazy, hence why focusing on breathing steadly is hard, I really have to put my concentration on it. Focus on mantaining a steady breath, or follow the "breath in counting to 6, breath out counting to 9" (there's a scientific explanation for this unbalanced breathing pattern according to it activates a different and calmer set in your mind) is not as easy as it could seem, because my mind keeps wondering somewere else and I lost track of my own breath, often not even realizing it until I am deep into some other thought. No, make your mind stay focused on the breathing exercise, force it to not go anywhere else.
It's another methodic activity and does good when I need to sleep but anxiety is eating me alive.


On the long term: buy a small plant and take care of it. I know, seems stupid, but for me looking at my small bonsai having new gems or generally being alive and good, knowing that I'm the one taking care of it and I am the reason behind its wellbeing... it helps. Small things help.


But all of those are just copying mechanism. In my opinion only therapy can do miracles, because you need to dismantle your brain and whatever way of thinking you've been using so far. It takes years and it's damn hard, but worth it.

 

[herbavore]

For me the most effective thing to do is to mentally challenge the anxious thoughts with rational thinking. If there is something making my anxiety soar (like doing something new) I might ask myself if worrying will help me cope better than mentally encouraging myself. The answer is obvious but just by asking the question it usually helps me mentally re-direct. Also, as sk3j said: breathing.

 

[swilow]

Good replies thus far.

I don't actually see benzo's or opiate as a positive adaptation. They will reduce the sympoms, but I think we need to look long-term. Benzo's and opiates lose efficacy and can cause an increase in the symptoms one was using them for. Given that life itself is what we would call 'long term', I think our treatments need to reflect this.

Of course, these medications are highly useful- I employ them to date- but I feel they need to be complimetary.

Long walks down the nature trails. Takes my mind off of things 99% of times.
I also enjoy jigsaw puzzles. The more pieces, the better.

I like it. Thinking outside the box. I can see how this would be useful.

Sport activity; make your body tired (not exhausted tho) and your mind will follow. Besides, it's a good way to use those energies in excess, and I don't know what chemicals are released while doing sport, but it's plenty of proofs out there saying that even just running is a great way to deal with low mood and generally bad feelings. It's true.

I think the release of endorphins and than other monoamines like adrenaline, noradrenaline and downstream effect on dopamine are some of the physiological effects of exercise.

On the long term: buy a small plant and take care of it. I know, seems stupid, but for me looking at my small bonsai having new gems or generally being alive and good, knowing that I'm the one taking care of it and I am the reason behind its wellbeing... it helps. Small things help.

That's a nice choice, and I will second that. I have a pretty basic little herb and an 'in-need-of-TLC' entheogenic garden. Time spent out there, minimal of late due to winter, is always calming, soothing, satisfying. My actual property is quite large and so attending to the garden is both menial and calming.

 

[14YearsOfFlux]

I love Legos. And I'm 33. Depending on my mental state, I like to create custom builds or follow kits. Very therapeutic.

Here's my concern, and please don't assume I'm undermining your concerns, but...

You're 15. Can I ask what you are anxious about? What types of responsibilities do you have? Do you work, have any bills or kids, etc.? Now I'm NOT saying that these are the only things that can trigger anxiety by any means, nor am I saying that what you feel anxiety over is any larger or smaller than any "adult issues".... But hey.... You're 15. I'm just curious what is causing you so much stress?

So hard to be sincere via text but I apologize if I'm coming off as holier than thou. I'm not. I was a fucking mess at 15, but looking back, my biggest fears were blown way out of proportion.

 

[Moreaux]

I've seen some of the comments on age and thought I would add these thoughts to the discussion. I understand extreme anxiety at the age of 15 because I had it (though I'm now 40). There's stress from having to perform well in school, home life stress (my Mom was OCD and my parents had a volitile marriage), there's social stress (I was bullied as a kid and had several broken bones as a result - never fit in), possibly work stress (worked 20 hours a week from the age of 15), and also many mental illness's really begin to manifest during this time - not certain if it's all the hormones but this seems to be when it starts (my issues started much earlier, but deep depression began at 14). I was a cutter by the age of seven or eight. I know I had the same amount of stress and unhappiness back then as I do now, only the sources have seemed to change as I got older.

Age has nothing to do with it imo. Consider kids who have abusive parents who neglect and beat them (and worse). So many have a sibling they end up parenting through the process. I don't think it's fair for any of us to judge another person's stress or anxiety level, and age is not a factor. It's sad that kids have this level of stress, but many do, and many have more than we can fathom. They are more than welcome and have every right to be on this site as anybody else. I think it's terribly sad that we live in a world that places so many demands on our youth, and it's sad that mental illness so frequently is either left untreated or the treatments are subpar and ineffective so there is little hope for kids in a bad situations to be able to have that situation change without being physically removed. There are some Bluelight memeber's that have young children now and there is no doubt in my mind that their kids are stressed to the limited because of their mental health issues, drug addictions, and general instability. Yep, stress and anxiety doesn't discriminate :/

 

[MrRoot]

Moreaux, you are right that stress and and anxiety doesn't discriminate. In my childhood I often wondered how some of my friends could get through their lifes as they had so much problems around them. I too felt sometimes really anxious and those anxious moments were much worse than what they are today.

I am also hoping to get better than what I am currently mostly because of my daughter. One of the waking moments in my life was my daughter saying "Daddy get your drugs you are not like my daddy now.".

^^ I am also in my thirties and I love plastic crack but in a different form than legos. I build wargaming miniatures and play with them. I love to kitbash and have even done scratchbuilding sometimes. No matter how bad the anxiety it diminishes atleast a bit when I can start building, converting and painting these.

I am currently working with this one and my anxiety is quite low although I have reasons for being anxious.

 

[dextrodoctor]

Your imperial guard would get smacked by my dark angels but that's a nice color scheme. I also collect model and paint miniatures to deal with stress been working with forgeworld models recently tho and they are very frustrating but I get my anger out of my system cursing my fire raptor gunship for being so warped. Anything that takes focus and will take your mind off things is good for anxiety.