Anxiety/Depression

[nicoletuhs]

I just need to vent a little. I have had bad anxiety this year and it's been hard to get out of. I have a lot of tension and headaches constantly, I keep crying whenever I'm alone and can't stop thinking about depressing things and "what ifs" all day and stuck anxious thoughts. Then if I do feel happy I'll get worried that something will happen and bring me back down again. I understand it's all anxiety and depressed because of being further away from family and stress from grad school the past few years. I'm just wondering if anyone feels this way also and might have advice how to deal with this.

 

[triceps]

Hi and welcome nicoletuhs. You're in a very common cycle of thinking that so many of us here have experienced or are currently experiencing right along with you. Isn't it frustrating that you can't enjoy the moments when you're feeling well? We just have to, for some reason, think something must be wrong if we're feeling that good and undermine it with negative thoughts. Drives me nuts. What helped me was getting on an SSRI anti-depressant which wasn't a cure by any means but allowed me to look at the glass as half-full instead of half-empty.

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

When I feel happy, I tell myself to enjoy the happy feeling while it lasts and worry about unpleasant feelings when they come. That's always worked for me. And that works for lots of people, although it's not that simple for some others, unfortunately.

 

[Trying123]

Welcome nicoletuhs. I also experience anxiety and depressed thoughts. When I start to feel a little better, it's like I have to remind myself there are things to worry about and things to fear. I try to stop those thoughts and replace them with affirmations or try to stay in the moment or write in my journal. I am taking buspar for anxiety and have started counseling too.

 

[Howlingvapor]

My advice is the trio of treating mental health problems: counseling, exercise, and meditation. I myself haven’t been able to get on any kind of medication for my anxiety and depression mainly because I keep procrastinating on getting a new doctor. My therapist really wants me to give it a try and so do I honestly. However I’ve been finding some success with those three things I just listed. I try to walk my dog every morning (which builds a bond between you and the animal which is also very therapeutic), I meditate once in a while when I’m really stressed, and I go to therapy sessions every other week. I’ve been feeling a lot happier, but like you said every time I feel good about myself I immediately start thinking something horrible is going to happen. It feels like my mind is constantly running at a million miles an hour and I can’t stop it. It’s like my subconscious is constantly working to find new ways everything I love could be ruined. It’s a terrible feeling, but it’s during times like that I find it best to meditate because it forces your brain to pump the brakes for a few minutes and afterwards your thoughts are a lot more clear and logical. Once you get enough practice in it meditation is honestly really nice. It just sucks in the beginning when you’re learning and worrying that you’re doing it wrong, but once you learn to be able to just play some nature sounds and meditate it can be instant relief.


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[smilingsoul]

Howling, something I found useful through meditation is discovering the difference between myself and my thoughts. The brain is a thought generating machine. Its how our imagination and creativity get sparked, and by engaging with our thoughts and relating them to memories and experience we can discover new ideas. So the constant appearance of new thoughts is entirely normal and natural - but they are a product of your mind and aren't actually you! You can choose to engage them or not, and mindfulness meditation encourages you to allow thoughts to come and go without reacting so automatically towards them. Treat them as clouds moving across blue sky. You can see the cloud, but beyond it the sky is still there and will persist even as the cloud drifts on. You neither avoid, nor encourage the thought. You just let it be, and it will fade naturally away. This is what helped me slow the whirlwind and step off the merry-go-round. Although I still need to remind myself about it all the time
I do wish I could enjoy the holiday season in the same way as the people around me though. Maybe not this year, but in future seasons I know I will again. And I can be there for my loved ones, so they do enjoy the season - one of my gifts to them.

 

[Lanchparty7]

I am not currently on meds but I am seeing a therapist. Not sure where I’d be at the moment if I didn’t see him as he is the only one I can vent to and discuss things. I daydream about the life I wish I had. Sounds weird but it actually does help some and even though I am a mess right now, a tiny piece of me still holds on to hope that I can have at least part of that life someday.

 

[Techindia]

It is a very useful tips. The anxiety, especially chronic anxiety, can definitely cause depression even a long-lasting depression. And sometimes, both anxiety and depression have roots in the same set of circumstances, leading them to appear simultaneously.