How do you deal with anxiety other than with medication?

[jlcb24]

I find myself very interested in what everyone has to say here. I feel like I worry nearly every second of everyday about the most trivial things in my life. It tends to interfere with school and work and because of that I use anxiolytics to make it through.

On to the main topic, what do you folks do besides take your medication? My anxiety seems to disappear when I golf, play basketball, go bowling or spend time with my lady.

[poohluv]

my bicycle, fixed gear, recently been through a lot and it gets me through a lot, although the anxiolytics help tremendously from gaba defenciency biking and trying to get better at it is great, I think exercise in general. I used to really enjoy school but that fell off when I started having the anxiety issues.

[_jenny_]

exercise is very good for anxiety as it releases endorphins in the body which act as natural anxiolytics. good diet is also very important. getting a good night sleep on a regular basis also seems to help me, of course that's not always possible when i'm feeling anxious! sigh.

sometimes just a simple distraction from my worries like curling up with a good book will do it.

[jlcb24]

I can't stress enough how much exercise helps. My biggest issue of all is living with GERD (acid reflux), which has forced me to completely change my lifestyle. I stress a lot, but that is by far the worst trigger. However, it seems every time I take one of my benzos my nerves settle and my chest stops hurting. I have no idea if my issues are related to stress or an actual physical ailment. Anyone have any medical knowledge on that one?

[MattMar]

Exercise, primarily swimming, and meditation. Even a simple exercise like taking a walk and letting your mind enjoy the landscape or the season can really be beneficial. Practice living in the moment. future tripping or thinking about upsetting events in the past are not useful and consume so much of one's time and energy, when it would be better to let life unfold and do the next thing in front of you. I avoid benzos these days because I become too much like a zombie and tired. Go slow, concentrate on the positive elements of your life and remember to breathe!

[snowangel308]

My most used way to deal is avoidance...I wouldn't reccomend it. I think exercise and cognitive behavior therapy are good things. Taking about 20 deap breaths with eyes closed and visualizing your 'happy place" works okay too. Still, I mostly just avoid the trigger. Definitely don't do that though.

[Lynx4]

Years ago before I even knew I had anxiety I would lay down on the bed, pull a pillow up against me and go back to my favorite day on the beach; standing in crystal clear water about 2 feet deep and watching fish swim around me gave me a huge amount of joy. I stayed in one spot for a solid hour. That day was wonderful...no one was at the beach, it was 95 degrees but low humidity, no waves at all, my kids were having a ball, my sisters were there. That's my happy place. I had a couple of really bad things happen in my life and that one particular day on the beach saved my sanity I think.

[tsolworldwar3]

I just try to breath, it doesn't work but shit nothing works for me.

[northstar77]

I used to to worry about everything. I mean after I would talk to someone I would go over everything in my head and which I had done something different. And I did that with several things in my life. The thing that has been the most helpful to me is to hand it to God. I live by two sayings.
1)Whatever your worrying about is gonna come about either way, so there is no need to worry. Worrying just makes things worse.
2)Life isn't about how many times you get knocked down, but how quick you can lift yourself up.
I know alot of us try so hard and do good for a while then feel horrible when we do fall back into depression or anxiety. And thinking about that just digs a hole deeper and deeper. So when you do get down or worried, just think about what you can do to lift yourself up. Don't let yourself feel even worse just because you got scared or down. Over time this helped me to deal with situations better, and made my life so much easier and calmer.

[Mecha]

It is extremely difficult to deal with stress without medication. Perhaps since your brain rolls around with worry about what has happened with your daily life it might be good to take up a hobby. The easiest hobby I found is reading, you can live in other peoples lives which should calm you down somewhat and then go on to other things and get involved. I know this sounds stupid, but give it a try. Hope this helps. By the way you can live in a book but for the short term it will help.

[halfpast2]

Movement, any kind of movement, helps lower my anxiety. Whether that be going for a quick walk, a brisk walk, a long walk, a jog, a swim, or a paddle in the kayak, shooting around the b-ball court, bike . . . . you get the point.

As the Nike slogan says, when it comes to exercise, Just do it!

One thing I have found regarding exercise and anxiety is that no matter often and how much I benefit from exercise in decreasing acute and chronic anxiety, I STILL have to sometimes give myself a pep talk to get out and do it. Exercise, unlike popping a pill, requires work. But the endorphins that it releases are very real and are the best anti-anxiety med going.

Other things I do is read, play with my two wonderful cats, and tend to my garden. Its amazing how just pulling weeds (again, movement), lowers my anxiety. Does it eliminate it? No, not usually. But it does get it to a level manageable without medication. And frankly that's all I ask.

But if I do feel like I need a quick fix, I brew a double cup of Triple Leaf Tea called, appropriately enough, "Relaxing". Its got a highly potent blend of herbs (no caffeine) including valerian, passionflower, and skullcap. A really bad day?? How bout a cup of "relaxation" to go in a thermos to make my walk/hike even more beneficial

FYI for those interested, I buy the tea at vitamin shoppe.

[Binky]

As everyone has already said, exercise, is the best thing you can do for anxiety.I garden & all the planning, planting & physical exercise that goes into a garden really helps me with anxiety.I also read a book everyday to get my mind off myself.I get enough sleep & eat well.These things help me to avoid taking Xanax.I find that the busier I keep myself the less I have to take.I'm down to .5mg at night before bed.I haven't had to take any Xanax during the day, since I've been working in the garden.

[Keith K Stone]

On to the main topic, what do you folks do besides take your medication?

Continue to do the things that you are doing that work for you.
You may also want to try a free online cognitive behavioral training course.
here is a link for a FREE online course;http://ecouch.anu.edu.au/welcome

I hope someone finds this helpful

[jlcb24]

As everyone has already said, exercise, is the best thing you can do for anxiety.I garden & all the planning, planting & physical exercise that goes into a garden really helps me with anxiety.I also read a book everyday to get my mind off myself.I get enough sleep & eat well.These things help me to avoid taking Xanax.I find that the busier I keep myself the less I have to take.I'm down to .5mg at night before bed.I haven't had to take any Xanax during the day, since I've been working in the garden.

The worst thing is when you do all the right things and the anxiety is still there. I'm not an expert in psychology, but I do know that the harder I try to suppress a thought the more I actually end up dwelling on it. I've completely revamped my diet and started putting a lot more time into exercise and schoolwork recently; that has truly helped a lot. However, sometimes the world gets to me and that's when my Valium finds its use. Benzos would be perfect if it weren't for the massive abuse potential.

[_jenny_]

Years ago before I even knew I had anxiety I would lay down on the bed, pull a pillow up against me and go back to my favorite day on the beach; standing in crystal clear water about 2 feet deep and watching fish swim around me gave me a huge amount of joy.

Yes, I used to do something similar. What I would do is go into my room, pull all the drapes, turn off all lights and sounds, then just get into bed and curl up in a ball. IOW, sensory deprivation; removal of as many outside stimulus as possible. Then I would just concentrate on breathing ... inhale one two three ... exhale one two three.

It worked, though obviously not to the extent that popping a pill does.

[aperry2]

so how bout that exercise? JK.. but seriously aerobic excersize releases endorphins, reduces cortisol "the stress hormone" decreases fatuige in the long run/ increases energy, wight loss which improves self-esteem and reduced risk for chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes and psychiatric illness. Exercise also promotes restful sleep, unless you excersize really late at night just to name a few benifits. In addition to aerobic exercise nutrition can play a major role in long term weight reduction and weight maintenence. many foods can also increase stress levels such as anything with lots of caffeine, salt, sugar and highly processed foods. Great nutrition, meditation and exercise can make or break a person. IT is also possible to meditate before and after workouts which increases rate of recovery ect. A diet high in whole grains and veggies will reduces anxiety in someone to a point were they no longer needs the meds, also a high veggie and whole wheat gives you a constant energy level.

[miffytherabbit]

As other poster's have mentioned, exercise can be a great way to bring anxiety levels down, but for me this does the complete opposite. My panic disorder is so "embedded" that I am terrified when then there is a sudden increase in my heart rate, which of course is a perfectly normal physiological reaction to exercise. However, my "incorrectly" trained brain perceives this increase as a panic "alarm bell". Sweating has the same effect. If the weather is hot and I start sweating, this in turn can trigger panic in me.

Because my anxiety disorder tends to revolve around panic, I try doing some of the things I was taught when I've had Cognitive Behavioural Therapy:

1) When I'm in the middle of a panic attack: Making my body feel as "heavy" as possible - ie, let all my muscles drop and relax, and if I'm sitting down I slump back into the chair and try and let my musculature system switch off.

2) If I'm have a panic attack, I try (if possible) to not fight it. Pretending it's not there, or battling against it is one of the worst things a person can do if they are panicking. I try and acknowledge to myself that, yes, I am very frightened. Mentally, I say to myself "You are frightened right now, accept this and know that it is temporary and that it will pass".

3) If I'm out of the house when this happens I try and put myself "on a cloud". What I mean, is that I try and float through it. Rather than scan around to see if others are aware of my distress, I attempt to "bubble" myself and imagine that I am floating through the street / shopping centre / supermarket etc. The more attention I pay to how other's are perceiving me = a very large increase in my anxiety.

4) When I'm out and I panic it's hard to do the stuff they tell you about with regard to breathing exercises, but it can be done whilst your'e standing up. I calm my breathing down by letting my stomach "drop", instead of the usual "man" thing of holding it in. I consciously try and make it as droopy and un-tense as posssible. Then, I imagine my lungs are in my tummy, and it's from there I have to breathe. I know this sound's a bit wacky, but once you've practiced it, you'll know what I mean!

Good luck folks!!

[DaneV]

I really recommend you listen to the audio recordings of claire weekes. She was a briliant doctor who went trough bad anxiety herself, but came over it. I think her method (applied by alot therapists nowadays) is the only key to recovering from anxiety conditions:

Relax

And then there`s meditation, breathing techniques and CBT that can help.

[MattMar]

Another thing which helps is to do anything which gets me out of my head (sometimes my mind is not exactly a playground). Getting out with other people, helping others especially works, learning to live in the positive and not the negative, realizing that there are many people who are suffering and that my life is fortunate. When I am consumed with negativity, it can linger the whole day, who and how does that help? 2 of it's components for me are stress and anger which harm me physically and mentally. Of course turning one's thinking around takes time, awareness and practice but that's a better road.

[Alternate]

This is a great thread with free things to help people.

The type of stuff a therapist (at a high hourly cost) would hand over to you to study at home.

These are usually the basis of therapy for anxiety and Clarie Weekes is especially good, thanks for the link @DaneV. Her method is considered by her and many others to be a cure for anxiety. There are also paperback books available about her method.

DBT is a newer therapy used in coping/problem solving for people and lots of good books on that.