Anxiety

[Norman Potting]

Citalopram.

...and watching old episodes of "The Fast Show"....

"What do you reckon of that Coronavirus thing..............."

 

[pearl]

Waking early after a bad night’s sleep, unable to get back to sleep with thoughts of getting in food for elderly relatives and “Ooh I could get to Sainsbury’s for 7am opening if I got up now” then getting to Sainsbury’s at 0645, already a massive queue and none of the stuff you went for on the shelves anyway = my life the last three days, and breathe. Exercise is good, fresh air.

Yeah, life is really strange atm, everything I normally go to is cancelled/postponed/closed. I wake up a bit anxious about putting the news on, but have to. As for shopping, apart from specific items (I need shampoo) I am just buying what is in the shop(s) .... I have been eating some weird meals, but I'm eating, I have food.
Agree, exercise is very good and fresh air, and checking NSC on a daily basis of course

Take care

 

[Madafwo]

I understand, I read some good stuff on the BBC - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51873799

I've used some of these things and found them kind of useful. I'd certainly limit social media as best you can - Twitter completely, Facebook, I stick to groups where these things aren't really discussed but even that's tricky!

Cheers, I have seen that and linked to it a couple of times as it is helpful, it's just sticking to it and remembering it that can be the issue.

Fortunately I don't do Facebook and Twitter I can take or leave.

 

[highflyer]

Yup.
First time in my life (and I am not young) I have felt seriusly ike I am struggling to cope mentally. And I hate it.

I have always had sympathy with people that have mental health problems, I know it is a big, real, problem. But never really understood it as I do now.
I know once anything happens and I have to get on with dealing it, and know what I have to do, I'll be better. But at the moment I am struggling to take decisions partly as there are so many unknowns and partly because i find it hard to seperate what my brain is telling me because it is genuinely logical and what it is tellimg me as a result of high level anxiety

But not having ever experienced it before...still working out what works for me.

Let go of things you can't control.
Focus on doing the things you can do.
Talk to people - as long as it is positively. Recognise the will also be feeling similar so yu can help them, which helps you.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Think if anyone is anxious about this thing they should maybe try limiting themselves to watching the news no more than twice a day, and frequently stepping outside into the fresh air and seeing life carrying on pretty much as normal. Old ladies walking their dogs in the park. Mums pushing little kids in pushchairs round the shops, that kind of thing. And now that everything's pretty much locked down, the media are going to have to try and find other things to write and broadcast about, now that they've successfully managed to scare the crap out of the anxious

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Drink something doesn’t matter what but the brain needs to engage regarding the intake of fluids and in turn that takes the mind off whatever is bringing the anxiety on

Don’t drink alcohol as it is a depressant and makes things worse. Plenty of fresh water is good.

Exercise is the best thing I've found.

Yes, I agree. I was going through a bad time, and my doctor recommended the gym. Exercise releases endorphins which make you feel better even when the cause of the anxiety is still there.

Uncle, you can’t change the situation so go into coping mode. Look for something good every day, and as THPP says, limit the amount of news you read/watch.

 

[Insel affe]

I'm really struggling with things at the moment, it comes and goes in waves.

Not really found a way of coping at the moment, just try and avoid the constant bombardment of information and get on with daily life while sticking to the advice.

This.

When I got home from work I was talking with the wife, about things being cancelled, School issues, work issues, cancelling holidays, and the wifes season ticket from London to Brighton for work, massive ques, selfish people, homeless & vulnerable people.
It got me down, so I went to bed at 7:30 last night because it was all stressing me out so much.
I did some breathing exercises from a little app I have "relax lite" on the iphone, which helped and I finally fell asleep eventually,
Today I am trying to avoid the news or talking about it, but dropping the daughter off at breakfast club, there is hardly any children, driving to work, the roads are not as busy, drive past Sainsburys, Tesco in Southwick are heaving, knowing we need a shop, and all the these massive changes are going to alter our lives for so long, is driving me mad, I worry about the end result, work, money, health, will my elderly relatives survive, will i...

Oh Jebus, where is football when you need it ?

I spoke to my dad, and he cheered me up a little, saying if he gets it and dies, I will get my inheritance before the deductions of him being sent to a care home in the future.

Not really what I wanted to hear, but it made me chuckle slightly.

I think the breathing exercises, and general exercise, keeping active are going to be key.
Good luck everyone, it is going to be hard.

 

[mikeyjh]

I'd add one thing, it's not my board, it's not even my club BUT, to help people deal with anxiety issues, maybe there's a case for a corona virus section and then everything else. This place is one I'd like to think of, to some extent, for escapism but right now with the plethora of threads on the subject, it's little different to FB or Twitter. Just an observation not a criticism.

 

[mikeyjh]

Cheers, I have seen that and linked to it a couple of times as it is helpful, it's just sticking to it and remembering it that can be the issue.

Fortunately I don't do Facebook and Twitter I can take or leave.

Good for you, keep it that way!

 

[Madafwo]

This.

When I got home from work I was talking with the wife, about things being cancelled, School issues, work issues, cancelling holidays, and the wifes season ticket from London to Brighton for work, massive ques, selfish people, homeless & vulnerable people.
It got me down, so I went to bed at 7:30 last night because it was all stressing me out so much.
I did some breathing exercises from a little app I have "relax lite" on the iphone, which helped and I finally fell asleep eventually,
Today I am trying to avoid the news or talking about it, but dropping the daughter off at breakfast club, there is hardly any children, driving to work, the roads are not as busy, drive past Sainsburys, Tesco in Southwick are heaving, knowing we need a shop, and all the these massive changes are going to alter our lives for so long, is driving me mad, I worry about the end result, work, money, health, will my elderly relatives survive, will i...

Oh Jebus, where is football when you need it ?

I spoke to my dad, and he cheered me up a little, saying if he gets it and dies, I will get my inheritance before the deductions of him being sent to a care home in the future.

Not really what I wanted to hear, but it made me chuckle slightly.

I think the breathing exercises, and general exercise, keeping active are going to be key.
Good luck everyone, it is going to be hard.

I'm hoping that at least the shopping situation will die down in a few days, supermarkets are making changes that should mean we can all get what we want, and once these people panic buying everything in sight have stocked up they won't need to replenish for a while.

My biggest concern is my parents, both over 70 and my mum has heart disease, they've agreed to self isolate but my dad suffered a brain injury 40 years ago so he doesn't really understand that he has to stay in the house and it's driving him crazy. I've kind of resigned myself to the fact that I am going to lose them because of this.

I'd add one thing, it's not my board, it's not even my club BUT, to help people deal with anxiety issues, maybe there's a case for a corona virus section and then everything else. This place is one I'd like to think of, to some extent, for escapism but right now with the plethora of threads on the subject, it's little different to FB or Twitter. Just an observation not a criticism.

Bozza has suggested, or is even working on, a sub forum for all Coronavirus related stuff to keep it away from the Big Board to help with this issue.

 

[Dr Bandler]

If you want a natural approach, rather than prescription meds, I recommend any of the following:

CBD Oil
Lemon Balm
Valerian

They are all effective and with fewer side effects than Paroxetine, for example.

Mediatation is also effective.

 

[Palacefinder General]

If you want a natural approach, rather than prescription meds, I recommend any of the following:

CBD Oil
Lemon Balm
Valerian

They are all effective and with fewer side effects than Paroxetine, for example.

Mediatation is also effective.

I know there was an earlier thread on CBD oil, but is there a particular brand, or brands, and strength people would recommend as the market is flooded with ‘charlatan’ CBD oil products it seems, especially online.

 

[Badger]

I have had struggles with anxiety over the years. Things have got much better over the past couple of years though, mainly through social contact and some counselling. It is still very easily triggered though, so these are going to be testing times. I'm already finding myself getting up and walking around my apartment and constantly trying to keep in contact with friends. I need to get outside at least once a day and get some sort of exercise otherwise I won't be able to sleep.

I find video games are a good distraction. You're fully engrossed in it (unlike watching a film), so it's a good way to escape.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

The bizarre thing is that I have had Health Anxiety for at least a couple of years and yet I am relatively calm about this. It may be because I started tablets a few weeks ago but I am reminded of an episode of The Smoking Room. There was a character who suffered all of these hangups and worries that were really bizarre. When someone pointed out that he was calm whilst dealing with a heart attack victim, he said that he was fine with real emergencies - he was more worried that a van was going to crash through the wall for no reason.

I have always known that my health worries were irrational but that doesn't make them less of a worry. Just seems strange that I am calmer about a real issue. The brain really is strange.

 

[pearl]

If you want a natural approach, rather than prescription meds, I recommend any of the following:

CBD Oil
Lemon Balm
Valerian

They are all effective and with fewer side effects than Paroxetine, for example.

Mediatation is also effective.

Valerian? Isn't that poisonous??

 

[pearl]

This.

When I got home from work I was talking with the wife, about things being cancelled, School issues, work issues, cancelling holidays, and the wifes season ticket from London to Brighton for work, massive ques, selfish people, homeless & vulnerable people.
It got me down, so I went to bed at 7:30 last night because it was all stressing me out so much.
I did some breathing exercises from a little app I have "relax lite" on the iphone, which helped and I finally fell asleep eventually,
Today I am trying to avoid the news or talking about it, but dropping the daughter off at breakfast club, there is hardly any children, driving to work, the roads are not as busy, drive past Sainsburys, Tesco in Southwick are heaving, knowing we need a shop, and all the these massive changes are going to alter our lives for so long, is driving me mad, I worry about the end result, work, money, health, will my elderly relatives survive, will i...

Oh Jebus, where is football when you need it ?

I spoke to my dad, and he cheered me up a little, saying if he gets it and dies, I will get my inheritance before the deductions of him being sent to a care home in the future.

Not really what I wanted to hear, but it made me chuckle slightly.

I think the breathing exercises, and general exercise, keeping active are going to be key.
Good luck everyone, it is going to be hard.

I'm guessing the supermarkets were heaving today because of the school closures, should settle down now (I think)

 

[Southcoast Corsair]

I look at social media only twice a day. The morning and the evening. The constant battering of information and misinformation is too much for me and I can feel the levels rising. Also, look out the window. Spring has sprung. The hedges are coming out, the birds are singing. The sun is shining. If you have a garden just look at it for a bit. Very relaxing.

 

[pearl]

Think if anyone is anxious about this thing they should maybe try limiting themselves to watching the news no more than twice a day, and frequently stepping outside into the fresh air and seeing life carrying on pretty much as normal. Old ladies walking their dogs in the park. Mums pushing little kids in pushchairs round the shops, that kind of thing. And now that everything's pretty much locked down, the media are going to have to try and find other things to write and broadcast about, now that they've successfully managed to scare the crap out of the anxious

I'm slightly anxious that with the pubs on no go and the schools closing the Yummy Mummies will start stock piling white wine

 

[pauli cee]

Yeah, life is really strange atm, everything I normally go to is cancelled/postponed/closed. I wake up a bit anxious about putting the news on, but have to. As for shopping, apart from specific items (I need shampoo) I am just buying what is in the shop(s) .... I have been eating some weird meals, but I'm eating, I have food.
Agree, exercise is very good and fresh air, and checking NSC on a daily basis of course

Take care

I seem to have lots of bottles / containers of Head and Shoulders if you want? Think I bought them ages ago when they were on special and I had more hair....

 

[Milano]

Exercise is the best thing I've found.

This