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No Energy...Lots of Anxiety...What should I do?

fivelinefury

fivelinefury

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 25, 2006
Messages
1,171
Location
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Hi everyone. I know the title may seem like a bit of a silly question, but since being clean from benzos (mostly diazepam addiction) for about 1 month now, I still find myself doing basically nothing every day lately compared to heaps and heaps I used to do when on valium!

I suffer from diagnosed General Anxiety Disorder, Social Phobia and Depression which I take medication for. Since being off the valium i'm anxious nearly all the time (less anxious when in bed), suffer from body aches from tension, and have no energy, etc.

I'm just wondering about other peoples ideas or from experiences what I can do to help myself basically with energy levels and anxiety? Is there certain vitamins, foods, exercises, etc.

Thankyou!
 
My advice is diet-related. What we eat has a surprisingly enormous impact on our mood. What we choose to eat or not eat, I think, it far more impactful than the vitamins we choose to take.

For example, cut out sugar. Fruit is okay, but sugar can be related to anxiety.

Also, eat raw veggies and fruit. Eat light meals. Meditate. This will help with your energy level.

Also, I would recommend reading some Eckhart Tolle and the book "Calming Your Anxious Mind."
 
+1 on cutting out sugar. I would also limit the amount of fruit you eat though. Fruit has a lot of vitamins and anti-oxidants, but it can also have a lot of sugar. It's definitely not as bad as eating regular processed sugar, but it's still sugar. Try to stick to fruits lower on sugar like berries, green apples, and kiwis. You may also find cutting out all grains, or at least all wheat/gluten, from your diet helps a lot.


I would also recommend looking into the GAPS diet - a diet designed to help with psychological diseases like anxiety/depression, autism, etc. It's a big commitment if you are going to do it, but just reading about it will give you a lot of information about the physical processes in our bodies that are linked to psychological problems, and provide you with some smaller steps you can take.
 
Why did you come off the valium i know its only a short term medication did they ween you off or what?
 
There's several adaptogenic herbs you can use. I've got pretty bad general/social anxiety myself, so I use many of them. My favorites..

Kava - Great for being more social, makes you relaxed but still alert, very cozy feeling
Rhodiola - Whips depression in it's ass. Antagonizes MAO and COMT which degrade serotonin, dopamine, etc. Really rhodiola is something you just need to read about, there's so many benefits it's unbelievable. Make sure to get a kind grown in Russia though or it won't be the same. http://www.herbalremedies.com/readmorabamh.html
Panax Ginseng - One of the more popular ones. A whole host of benefits from more physical/mental energy to anti-anxiety to bronchodilation (great for asthma).

There's also a medicinal mushroom I love called cordyceps sinensis. It's a bit pricey but it's one of the most healing things on the planet for the entire body & mind.

http://www.buy-medicinal-mushrooms.com/health-benefits-and-medicinal-uses-of-cordyceps/
http://www.chinese-herbs.org/cordyceps/benefits.html
 
Magnesium malate, siberian ginseng. after taking Magnesium for awhile ive found i had more energy

even though you say you have very little energy try light exercise, i find all round exercise improves anxiety, depression, and gives me more energy overall
 
+1 on the Rhodiola Rosea. I use it and it makes a big difference.

And yeah, don't replace cookies with bananas, that's just more sugar. Replace cookies with berries, green apples, etc.
 
Get yourself into a routine of going to bed at the same time every day and waking up at the same time every day. Exercise is extremely important as well. I've been in your shoes, dude, and I know reality seems nowhere in sight. You don't feel like yourself. But let me tell you, you are ALWAYS yourself. You will get back there, it just takes time. Rome wasn't built in a day, it was built everyday.
 
Hey, I read this because I'm in a similar situation. No energy ... it sucks ... on my days off of work, I feel like I do nothing! :( And I have anxiety too. I've been taking GABA which I think has been helping my anxiety. Well, my anxiety got better after I had been taking it for a while, so I think it's worth trying anyway.
 
^ Good luck m8. At least ur working to keep a bit busy. I don't have a job 8)

Diet wise i've started to cut back on coffee the past couple of days since I admit to being quite a big coffee drinker, which is no good for anxiety I guess. Someone mentioned magnesium, which I found too.
 
ah i'm trying to cut caffeine as well. its a total energy suck. and it also makes you irritable and anxious as well, but I don't need to tell you that! just quitting coffee temporarily should help you out a noticeable amount. hope you feel better soon <3
 
fivelinefury said:
^ Good luck m8. At least ur working to keep a bit busy. I don't have a job 8)

Diet wise i've started to cut back on coffee the past couple of days since I admit to being quite a big coffee drinker, which is no good for anxiety I guess. Someone mentioned magnesium, which I found too.
Click to expand...

If you're supplementing magnesium, it's a good idea to also supplement calcium, as too much magnesium can deplete your calcium levels, just an fyi. Making bone broth is a good and delicious way to get both :)
 
What other meds are you on, and how long have you been on them? This is important.
 
I'm going to suggest exercise. Being fit and active in of it self seems to make you more energetic and vigorous feeling.

Force your self up and out of bed at a reasonably early hour and go for a decent (for whatever fitness level you are at) jog or bicycle ride or swim if you got a pool
close by and then do weight training or similar (i.e. push ups, chin ups, sit ups) exercises. Try doing some exercise before bed as well, you'll sleep better and thus feel more energized in the morning.
 
^ Yeah thats it, exercise certainly makes a big difference. Its just a matter of forcing to do it 8)

I've been on 200mg Sertraline in the morning and 25-50mg Seroquel at night, both for somewhere around a year i think (memory isn't the best).
 
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