A few years back I suffered with depression/anxiety pretty badly, docs gave me some meds etc that seemed to make no difference and I knew what the real source of my problem was, my job, so I quit and found a new one and that almost made it all disappear.

But lately some pretty traumatic things have happened and I can feel it coming back, not so much the depression but more the anxiety and the insomnia that comes with it.

Previously i used to lie awake worrying about work and the associated problems, this time I am not sure what I am worrying about, I just constantly have this anxious feeling like I have forgot something or something bad is going to happen in a really odd way where I cannot pinpoint what I am actually worrying about but I feel like I am starting to lose control of it again.

Not much of a point to this really just want to write it down somewhere, but anyone have an experience of anti-anxiety meds? As i assume this is what I will get if I go to the docs again, last time they made no difference at all but might have been because work was the issue and meds didn’t change my job/colleagues.

Don’t really want to spend any more nights driving around aimlessly trying to sort my head out… (no bike currently available and it is P****** down)

i <3 propranolol for anti anxiety – you’ll probably get slow release ones that aren’t as awesome as the ‘pop one of these and start thinking clearly’ ones

Yawn. I just get out of bed and read until the stupid, cyclical, depressing anxiety is stilled. I’m doing it right now. No point lying awake getting anxious in a darkened room. Lots of distracting literature to turn your thoughts.

It makes the world slightly brighter, seeing the people on here who can pop up and relate to almost any situation. 🙂

It sounds like a slightly tough place to be, but at least you have a handle on it, OP, and know the signs. I’m not at all qualified to advise, except based on my own experiences, but some things can just take a while to settle down, mentally. Writing it down may help, as might talking to someone? Does exercise work for you to clear your head at all?

You’re not alone, though; no matter what time of day it is there’s always someone up on stw who can’t sleep 🙂

Agreed. The world is always a little less scary when you know others are in the same boat.

Bugger it all – just poured myself a small glass of red ( not necessarily recommended ), am enjoying my book and expect to be asleep in half an hour.

Hang in there OP and get down the GPs quick-smart if it’s an ongoing pain in the bum.

wasn’t expecting replies until at least tomorrow!

Thanks guys, recently joined a 24hr gym so go there in the evening when I have nothing better to do, but hurt my knee somehow so can’t do as much as i would like.

I am starting to think it is just a concoction of all the crap I am going through at the moment rather than any one thing getting me down.
Found out a local bike shop is looking for staff so going to focus tomorrow nights efforts and sorting CV/covering letter to head down there Friday. Will attempt to make my way into the bed now if there is room left for me…

Maybe try some melatonin to help you get to sleep?

In the same boat here, seen Doc and been put on citalopram which don’t seem to be calming me down at all. Also been prescribed sleeping tabs, which just made me more depressed, got new ones to try now, yeah, they’re working.. 😕

Just returned to work after two weeks off and have to contend with my “manager” discussing very loudly across the office personnel issues due to somebody going sick and how they as an organisation have been exposed. At no point has she asked or spoke to me about what has affected, me our is there anything they could do to ease my workload, which isn’t an issue. Felt really low and was close to walking out, but she’d have dismissed that as me being a drama queen.

Another one here! Been awake since 4:30 thinking about work issues. I find night time is the worst for me. I am restless, dream loads and it’s when I feel least in control of things. Control is probably the word here. Feeling you’re on top of a situation, or at least feeling you able to get on top of it makes the world of difference.
Exercise definitely works for me; feeling fit gives me a big confidence boost, but work and other commitments has made it very difficult over the last few years. Whilst I would never be critical of people using medication to help them, I feel that they may not address the core issues, instead acting as a suppressant which you need to continually rely on to prevent the symptoms reappearing.

I have been reading up on Buddhism which has been really interesting. I’m a happy athiest and religion doesn’t do it for me but Buddhism is more a philosophy on life and it has given me much to consider.

Another thing that helped me some years ago was to write out my values. I read a book called “7 Habits of Highly Affective People” – much of it wasn’t relevant but one key thing I got from it was about what motivates people. If you are money motivated and you have no money you are unhappy. If you are family motivated and you lose them, you’re unhappy. If you are religiously motivated and your faith goes, you’re unhappy. However, if you’re values driven, they stand the test of time and they’ll always be there whatever adversity you face.

Without wishing to bore you, these are what I came up with, probably 20 years ago and which I still fall back on when I’m struggling.

I will act with honesty, integrity and fairness

I will be polite

I will be punctual

I will be considerate of peoples feelings and needs

I will respect the rights, views and beliefs of others

I will not exploit people or take advantage of them

I will try to meet the other person’s needs as well as my own

I will help support those that cannot support themselves

I will help protect those that are vulnerable

I will make my knowledge and experience available to those who need it

I will help others develop their knowledge and talents

I will respect and protect the environment

I will respect and uphold the spirit of the laws that I am subject to

I will avoid debt

I will not be greedy

I will honour my commitments

I will not walk away from my responsibilities

I will take pride in what I do

I will pull my weight

I will take responsibility for the consequences of my actions

I will not force my values on others

I will not support things which do not match my values

I will stand up for what I believe in

I will speak my mind

Not sure if any of this helps but it’s passed half an hour writing it!

Rich.

Where’s the Like button when you need it 🙂

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/anxiety-and-stress

One thing that has helped me that a CBT trainer told me

Say to yourself that you will make an appointment to think through the worries at a certain time.
Importantly, you must do it at that time whenever that is
Don’t know why it works, but it helps me.

I catastrophise which is you start with a worry and then you start thinking about connected scenarios and what ifs and before you know it it has grown to be a huge mind jabber

Have suffered from insomnia anxiety sicne quite young can remember as a teenager being awake at night fretting over arrangements to meet friends etc
I used to have ajob that kept me awake at night, usual scenerio of unrealistic expectations from above and lacklustre resources to deal with the problems. I did have some very mild sleeping tablets from my GP but didn’t want to come to rely on them.
I did find that keeping a note pad beside my bed so that I could write down what was bothering me whether I had a solution or not, was helpful up to a point but ultimately I got out of that job.
My current job is so hassle free that I am bored with it yet I still get bouts of insomnia, I find just getting out of bed and accepting I won’t sleep tonight is the only way. The tricky part is when this goes for a 2nd or 3rd night. It is deeply frustrating, good luck.

propranolol

That’s a beta blocker, it stops the racing heart, but won’t address the anxiety or insomnia. Also makes exercise very hard. You’d be better off on SSRIs as they will stop the anxiety, let you sleep and give you breathing space to deal with the underlying issues, which is always easier on 8 hours sleep rather than 2…..

NB I’m prone to anxiety and just take Citalopram. It’s changed my angst driven personality into a much more normal disposition. Personally, I can’t rate the drug highly enough.

NB I’m prone to anxiety and just take Citalopram. It’s changed my angst driven personality into a much more normal disposition. Personally, I can’t rate the drug highly enough.

I agree, I had an episode last year and it helped me get back on track. I have been off it since Christmas and so far so good,, I had some unpleasant side effects to start with but it was worth it.

To be honest I prefer being on, so will just stay on it for life.

I think that is what I was prescribed last time, took it for a while but didn’t really notice any difference. Might be worth another go

Correct dosage is important with SSRIs AFAIK, might be worth another go i was very worried about taking them but it was what i needed and there doesnt seem to be a problem if you need to be on it long term

Some very good impartial advice here

http://www.depressionalliance.org/help-and-information/treatments-for-depression.php

It sounds like you have got through this before. With that experience, you’ll get through again. Lorazepam is an excellent drug to take on those infrequent occasions where the worry starts to affect your ability to function. A good nights sleep is essential to keep the brain functioning in order to adjust the root cause.

I would echo what people above have said about giving any drugs some time to work.

I don’t generally like self-help books, but have found the book “Overcoming Worry” very helpful. Other people recommend mindfulness (a kind of self-help meditation) as very effective. CBT is / used to be seen as almost a magic cure, but while it works for some people it doesn’t work for everyone.

Above all, be patient with yourself and don’t fall into the trap of thinking “why can’t I sort this out?”. Well meaning friends can sometimes say “I tried this/that drug / CBT / a good walk and it sorted me out” and although this is meant to be helpful, what worked for them might not work for you.

I have suffered a fair bit with anxiety and periods of extreme worry/depression.

I did this this course which was recommended through my CMHT Team, after trying a few things my GP recommended didn’t really work. (For personal reasons I didn’t want drugs)

bemindful online

Its honestly changed my life and how I look at things. It helped me how to learn how to live with my thoughts rather than mask them.

Can we also extend this thread to cover disturbed sleep and nightmares? Just recently I’ve been experiencing both, as well as the wonky bladder alarm clock waking me at 04.30.

Shep – has that online course really been helpful for you? The intro seems a little… odd in delivery, although the points they make sound quite sensible.

Suffering from both at the moment. Kalms help me get to sleep easier now and have had stronger. Sleep deprivation fuels my anxieties it seems. not the happiest of bunnies ATM and this norovirus isn’t helping.

Exerise especially time on the bike helps but the majority of people know that!

Back to the bog again…..

Shep – has that online course really been helpful for you? The intro seems a little… odd in delivery, although the points they make sound quite sensible.

Yes, You get a “session” a week. Plus a few other self help tasks. I nearly packed in after the first 20 mins because it is odd, a bit like mediation delivered from the Couple in the videos. But stuck at it.

Its all about learning about your bodies actions and feelings. What’s real and what’s not. So learning how to let in thoughts of worry/anxiety accepting them/understanding them and letting them go.

I go through “spells” where I can be fine for months but then something/anything can set me off and I’m a bad place for a while with Paranoia/Anxiety etc. I think I’m in a much better place learning to deal with it.

As someone said above what works for one may not work for another. So do some research, maybe speak to your GP. I found the hardest bit wasn’t just speaking to a GP but sticking at this and so pleased I did.

Kalms help me get to sleep easier now and have had stronger.

+1 I’ve used the regular blue ones and also the sleep purple ones when needed, They don’t give you the “hangover” some sleeping aids (Like Night Nurse) do which helps.