Persistent Anxiety

[Sol]

I've been going to therapy once a week for a few weeks now, and my anxiety issues have died down a lot since I started. It's been super helpful getting everything out instead of holding it in all the time, and also finding some coping mechanisms I haven't tried. I've been improving a lot, but I've still got some issues.

But some of the anxiety I experience isn't going away, and it's for no reason and it just blindsides me out of nowhere sometimes. I feel shaky, achy, and anxious and a little sick and it feeds back on itself so I tend to stay anxious and tense for a while before it stops. I'll distract myself, rationalize, and even list off best case scenarios but those only offer a temporary relief to the general anxiety. The problem is that I don't know what causes it, it just happens. 

Any tips on dealing with it that I haven't already listed? I'll bring it up at my next appointment anyway, but I want to see if there's something I can do before then.

[Charlize]

One thing you might want to try is to look for something to be grateful for at this moment.  Doing that has often helped pull me back from worry about the future.  I know that once that cycle of worry starts i almost seemingly enjoy "riding it".  I get into a cycle that grows on itself.  Thinking of the warm covers of my bed, the wag of a dogs tail or simply the play of shadows often seems to break the cycle.  

Hope that helps.  I use that and a short prayer that sometimes i have to repeat like a mantra.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Delcina B]

Oh my, I think I got a double, maybe triple dose of it when they were handing it out, & they won't take it back. Often mine tends to be fear based. 

  As Charlize said, prayer is a big help, I use the Serenity Prayer. My therapist told me about breathing, 7 seconds in, hold 4 seconds & exhale 8 seconds, repeat as needed. It helps. Another thing I've found too is regular exercise. Someone told me it releases endorphins.

 

Hugs!

Delcina

[Janae]

Hi @Sol.  I have found tapping very effective.  If you search “ tapping solution” you can find more info.  
Hope this helps

 

Janae

[KayC]

Hi Sol!

sticking with gender therapy has been the best thing for me.  Not only in coping but I think the big thing is I now recognize my anxieties much more clearly and it makes them easier to deal with.

My anxieties caused some sleeping issues, but I found 3 deep breaths would let my body adjust and I would naturally drift off back to sleep.  Regular exercise also helps.

 

The one anxiety that gave me the most problem was my anxiety over the wife's anxieties.  My therapist told me there is no point in taking ownership of somebody else's anxieties.  She was right.  Not easy, but easier now.

Wishing you the best!  Deep breaths ... one step at a time.

[Vidanjali]

I found learning about the physiology of anxiety/fear helpful. If you look up "lizard brain", "limbic system", or "fight or flight response", you'll find lots of resources to help you understand the physical phenomenon of anxiety in the body. For me, this knowledge along with spiritual practice is what helped the most. When I feel most anxious, I remind myself that I am not this body and this nervous system. I endeavor to distinguish between the undesirable physical sensations I'm experiencing & who I truly am at my core. It doesn't make the anxiety go away, but one suffers less from it when one can manage to disengage from identifying with it so much. It's not easy!! But, there are practices you can do routinely to train the nervous system to calm down when you do find yourself suddenly in the grip of anxiety. One practice that I would say has saved my life is yoga nidra, the yoga of sleep. It's practiced lying on your back. It's an awareness practice during which you focus your attention on different senses, sensations, and locations in the body. Thereby, you realize your power to direct your attention away from the identification with anxiety when it comes on because you'll learn to experience it more as physical sensation and realize you can choose to direct your attention elsewhere to provide some relief. The practice also focuses on planting a mental seed of some deep desire stated in a positive sense in the present tense. For instance, if freedom from anxiety is the goal, one might state, "this body and mind are blissful and free". If you're interested, I recommend checking out videos of Richard Miller's irest yoga nidra.