First time I've read this thread, great to discuss these things with fellow Hibees. I've tried forums before, but have always felt too much of a distance between me and other contributors. Reading through these messages have given me a boost though.
I've suffered with severe anxiety for a couple years now, along with a delightful side of depression. The first few months were hell on earth, the anxiety literally crippled me, I couldn't do anything without feeling like I was buzzing (in a bad way) from head to toe.
The main problem I suffered with was health anxiety. Despite being a healthy 20 year old at the time, I was convinced I was about to suffer from a stroke, have a heart attack, have an epileptic fit, you name it. It was ridiculous, if I felt tired I thought I was suffering from narcolepsy and was about to fall asleep on the spot, If I couldn't sleep straight away that was insomnia and if I ever felt happy, I was losing my mind. Looking back I can laugh at these things, but at the time it all felt real.
Anyhow, here's a list of stuff that's helped me over the past couple of years:
- Exercise: It works. Just get out and run, swim or whatever you fancy if you can. Before depression and anxiety I was a lazy *******, now I've ran half marathons, climbed umpteen munros and trekked around some of the biggest mountains in the world. This also shows that despite the *****ness that comes with depression and anxiety it can have its positives, I'd have never done that stuff before it all happened.
- Yoga: every time without fail helps me to calm down when my anxiety is boiling over. Sign up for a class, or if money's an issue have a look on Youtube for a step by step guide.
- Counselling: Helped me understand why I was feeling the way I feel, by looking back to my childhood I could better understand my illness and knowing your enemy can go some way to helping you battle both depression and anxiety. Don't settle for a counsellor you don't like, change them until you're happy.
- Socialise: This is one I still struggle with. You can convince yourself that you'll be no fun to be around, but being around friends and family can go someway to cheering yourself up or at least forgetting about the problems you're having. If you trust them enough, let them know about your problems, they might not fully understand them, but they will support you. Also try and find ways to socialise that don't involve drinking (I like rock climbing and hillwalking!). I know it can be hard to force yourself to go and meet friends, but just do it.
- CBT: I'm trying CBT for a second time and after about three sessions its helping. It wasn't as good the first time because the doctor was inexperienced and nearly as nervous as me so I struggled to buy into the whole thing, change your doctor if you find this is the case! I feel that CBT will probably be the key to me beating the anxiety and depression.
- Meds: I'm 3 weeks into a 6 month course of Escitalopram and can't really comment on its benefits. The first couple weeks are rocky, but the majority of the side effects pass after a couple weeks. I struggled with sleepless nights, but helped combat this by exercising more during the day. Also i'm with a doctor who I feel I can trust and who is tracking my progress, make sure you are with a doctor who can point you in the right direction if things get too difficult.
- Stress Control course: 6 week course that explained anxiety and depression and how to combat it, have a read about that here: http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/Se...s/default.aspx This went a long way to normalising the problems I was suffering. Seeing the variety of people at the course will show you how widespread the illnesses can be.
- Talk to someone: Talk to family, friends, doctor's or counsellors. You're probably not going to be able to think your way out of these problems all alone so build a network of people who can help you. I've also used Samaritans several times and can say I've felt a hell of a lot better after every phone call. 116 123.
- David Gray's goal: Give it a watch and it's bound to bring a smile to your face :wink:
Hope this advice helps 1 or 2 folks and if not it's helped me just by talking about it all. I might post in a couple months to say how the Escitalopram's going... Have a nice day folks.