Anxiety

[Lol]

OK. Most people find meds have some side effects, the most common of which is relief from symptoms. I hope you find some releif however you can, talking in here can be very helpful and supportive. Suffering from anxiety is very difficult to manage on your own without medical intervention. I hope you find some success and can share this with others for inspiration.  :)

[Laura]

Music is good!
Have you tried stupid games like Tetris or Sudoku or minesweeper (I call it mindsweeper) that you can just get a lost in for a bit?
I know there is a risk of getting too lost in it and wasting hours watching little coloured blocks but it might help you switch off a little bit.

[matlondon]

jogging helps a lot.

[Glen53]

I found that when I get anxious I really need to be busy or I over think everything!

For me its cars or photography. I can go for a walk and take pictures of the countryside or if i want something more 'busy' I go out to my garage and try to fix a problem or simply dismantle an old carb, or gearbox just to see how they work. Then i try to put them back together. They are only old parts and I have plenty so if I cant rebuild them it doesnt matter! It keeps me busy and adds to my knowledge too so that makes me feel a little better about myself. It works for me because I get lost in it and when i do finally stop, things seem a little less bleak than they were. that and im too tired!

I also went through a phase of playing guitar. If you like music this might help if you can stick with it. It only took me a month or so to learn enough chords to play along to a few tunes. IIRC American pie is fairly simple 

I hope you can find something similar to help you - but if not, try to open up to the possibility of using meds if you can. They may help.

[HSS1982]

Music helps a bit, playing scrabble, connect 4 and food. It might sound daft but sometimes even sending a text message (i'm not a very talkative person) helps. As long as I know i'm not alone. But I am.

[Glen53]

I cant speak for everyone, but I feel far less alone when Im on here. Keeping busy is important when you feel like this I think, so whatever helps you most  :)

I hope things feel better for you soon.

[HSS1982]

Coming on here helps, its good to know we're not alone. I feel so down today for some reason, usually feel OK after a hot bath.

[dlg78]

I'm struggling with anxiety a lot at present, to the point it's making me physically edgy, only had one panic attack up to now and don't wish for more.

Have a lot of thoughts running through my head most of the time, flit from one thing to another during the day unable to really concentrate on anything at all, rushing about but achieving nothing!

Luckily I am back to work tomorrow on nights, I do 12hr shifts so once home all I want to do is sleep, it's the days off that are the problem!

[tharidler]

hello hss1982
after reading your original post and all the replies i see there are many usefull suggestions and they may help, for me and some of this will sound strange if i have the time on my own i'm married with a little boy and one on the way i will go to my shed and work on my clocks i find if i'm totally focused on something that can help when i'm driving if on my own and i'm getting panicky i find that metal played at ear bleed levels helps calm me strange i know the last and maybe strangest is when i go to bed i listen to tv through an earphone and play an rpg on a ds i know this sounds strange but i have problems sleeping as my thoughts are like a whirlwind at night and this helps me i just wanted to say in a very long and roundabout way try anything and everything as you never know what might work

[Laura]

sometimes even sending a text message (i'm not a very talkative person) helps.

I HATE talking on the phone. Hate hate hate. I use texts a lot and email quite a bit. But no one I know gets it, they all want to chat on the phone Grrrr

[HSS1982]

Hi dlg78, I also have thoughts running through my head, mostly where i'm rich (no harm in dreaming!) or my favourite where i'm prime minister. I work p/t and on weekends babysit my nephews and niece. Sometimes when i'm not with them, I get bored quite quick. I had today (Wednesday Nov 30) off because of the strike and felt tired at 3pm. I don't have many close friends.

Tharidler, I quite like jigsaw puzzles. I'm now thinking of buying an xbox (the shooting games I find are a good way of relieving stress). WHen I was younger I used to break my toys and try putting them back together. Never worked. I like listening to music but not  too loudly, years ago I did.

Laura, I also hate talking on the phone, especially if i'm on the bus or train. Sometimes I can't hear what the other person's talking about. Mind you listening to other people's conversations can be interesting.
Feel better after replying to everyone!