Anxiety problems?!
Question:
Anxiety problems?
I have GAD. Normally I have it under control with a low dose of Effexor XR, but since last week I've been feeling awful, I'm not having panic attacks, but I'm feeling alot of anxiety and missed work Thurs. Friday and today. I'm having a really awful day today. Does anyone have any advice for me? (besides taking more meds, I'm not willing to up my dose or take anything else) I'm really surprised this is happening to me because I was doing so well on the medication, and then all of a sudden out of nowhere I got hit with this anxiety. Any advice or empathetic words would be very much appriciated.
Answers:
The best way to deal with anxiety is on a one at a time basis, and staying busy helps, too. Your self-talk can make the problem worse. In other words, if you tell yourself "I'm feeling a lot of anxiety" you will probably continue to. What you have to do is focus on the moment. What am I feeling right now? Compared to the worst anxiety I ever felt, is this a 10 or a 4? If I survived a 10 before, I can definitely survive a 4. And don't let it keep you from going to work. The more you let that happen, the closer you get to agoraphobia(not being able to go out at all), and it promises that you won't stay as busy as you would have if you went to work. You may have to take it a step at a time, like OK, I feel too anxious to go to work today, but I know if I do, I'll feel better, so I'll just go to work, and when I get there, if I still feel too anxious, I'll come home. Chances are when you get there, you will already have begun feeling better and will stay at work. The other thing to do is to focus really hard on something in the present. Notice every single thing around you, the colors, feel, sound, etc. This will distract your thought processes from being obsessed with what might be and you will find yourself being able to function better.
These are just sketches of how you can help yourself, but there is some very good counseling you can get now to help you cope with anxiety, so you may want to try that, too!
Good luck!