Brad66

One thing about going through anxiety and depression is no matter how well you get you will always have the memory of it. So when you have a bad day it is easier to sink back into the despair. It is just memory tricking you though and you got out once before so you can do it again! I would suggest cutting out caffeine though. It's very bad for anxiety suffering. It sounds like you got over stressed (and over caffienated) and it drummed up the memory of depression/anxiety/panic and you started worrying. You made a mistake and were not taking proper care of yourself. We are all human and we all do this from time to time. Just get back to your healthier ways and you will start feeling better again. Anxiety will pass but only if you let it. Relax into it knowing that once you start making the right choices again and start taking care of yourself that it will eventually lift. You got this! You have beaten it before and you will again!

I drink a protein shake in the mornings I have to work. They are called premier protein they are low sugar (only 1 gram). I get them at Sam's club. I am sure there are other alternatives available but I have found these ones to be the best tasting while having low sugar. Lots of flavors available too cookies and cream, chocolate, vanilla, banana, strawberry cream, etc On mornings that I don't work or work from home I usually switch it up and have eggs. There are also brands of waffles that have extra protein added. I will have them occasionally. But they are typically high in carbs which isn't good if you are watching your weight and sugar intake. It's important to switch it up though from time to time or you will get sick of the same thing everyday.

Schedule an activity for the morning to do as soon as you awake (no laying in bed thinking permitted!) so that when you get up you can set your mind right to some type of responsability. I wake up and make the bed and then immediately either walk my dogs, if my wife hasnt already, then I go make breakfast. Eating breakfast is very important too for anxiety because it jump starts your metabolism. Without doing that your body will create more stress hormones throughout the day in turn making you more anxious all day long and there is nothing you can do about it until the next morning. It is also important for ppl with anxiety to have a high protein breakfast with low sugar and carbs. I know people who have basically cured their anxiety disorders by simply eating large high protein breakfast every morning. Basically you need to give yourself something other than anxiety to think about in the morning. No one has ever thought their way out of anxiety you have to act your way out by making decisions that will minimize the stress in your life.

Hey Baldwin how have things been going?

It is normal for anxiety to cause twitching. My eye lids used to twitch often when I was in college and stressed out. Same with my legs and feet. I think it was a mix of poor diet and anxiety, and since I have changed my diet I haven't really experienced it much. I have seen you have posted about ALS concerns in previous threads. I wouldn't look too much into twitching, it is a sign of ALS but usually it is not the first sign and is also common symptom of a lots of things that are usually minor. I would be concerned if all a sudden you started having coordination issues that you usually never have, extreme muscle weakness absent of exercise, and a change in your voice tone and slurring of speech. Those are the big early symptoms of something neurological. Twitching is very minor. Have you tired tracking your water intake? That would be the first step I would take to try to ease the twitching. If you aren't tracking water daily it is very easy to become dehydrated on accident. Dehydration is probably the most common cause of twitching and cramping. One busy day of absent mindedness and you are dehydrated. I am not sure of your height, weight, or sex but you will want to find a good amount for you daily. For me it's almost a gallon a day. Download a phone app if you have a smart phone. I use an app called Plant Nanny, it's free and it adds a fun little game to play to keep you on track. Other diet changes you can try is to cut back on caffeine and eat things that are high in calcium and magnesium. Basically any dark green leafy types of food for calcium and fruits and nuts are good for magnesium. Almonds are high in both I believe.

Well I think the best way forward for you is to understand this a temporary issue that is due to stress and too much self contemplation. There isn't anyway to "figure it out" bc doing that is what keeps it around and makes it worse. What you can do is find ways to help relieve stress. Consistent exercise daily would probably help, a brisk 30 minute run a day would probably be enough, just get your heart rate into cardio range and keep with it. Eat a protein heavy breakfast every morning, that will help your metabolism kick start every day and you will release less stress hormones through out the day. Try to find a good relaxation technique to use at night to wind down like meditation. It will help you sleep better which is probably the most important thing for you right now. And get on a good sleep schedule. Wake up the same time everyday. You can fix it right away but if you adopt healthy habits and stick with them I promise you will start feeling better. Control what you can and try to accept what you can't.

The fact of the matter is that you don't have control of your thoughts or a lot of things in life. I think depersonalization comes from a struggle to try to control the uncontrollable. When I have experienced it I have always found that it came and stuck around during high anxiety times in my life when my thoughts were turned too much and too often inward. So I am interested if you currently have a lot of stress in your life that you have no control over? Or do you find that you are just in a stress cycle because you are so concerned about the depersonalization that it maintains a high level of stress... Which in turn is keeping the depersonalization "alive". Also what is your exercise routine like? I find that exercise has really helped me but only when I stay consistent and work within my limits. The way out of depersonalization is to lower your stress levels. It's a maze but it's definitely one that you can figure out and you have done it before. You may have accidentally found the way out the last time but perhaps this time we can narrow it down so that you know how to get out of it when it pops up again. Then you will fear it less and it won't pop up much anymore.

You are overthinking and not living in the moment. This was one of the hardest things for me to deal with actually. If you want to get over it you will have to learn how to detach yourself from your thoughts. They lie to you and tell you that you aren't enjoying an experience when you actually are. Do you have any experience with meditation? It can help learn to center yourself better.

It your are experiencing a lot of twitching you might be slightly dehydrated. I would try drinking at least 90 oz of a water a day.

I often feel the same way with my wife. I know it's not easy on her when I come to her with my irrational problems. She has a brain that functions rationally all the time so its hard for her to help me. But I have to remember, she isn't immune to stress, and when I get bad she has to take on extra stress. So even if she says something hurtful I just try to be understanding and forgive her. She does enough other things to show she cares.

I had one that was a straight pill pusher there was no psychoanalysis. But then the second one I went to was very open-minded and asked me my opinion on which medications to try and when and how I should come off them. She also did a lot of talking with me to see where I was at and how I was doing. The other one would just have me rate symptoms from 1 to 10 and then decide if I should increase, decrease, or stay the same. The problem is that the second one charged me double. I would get charged for a normal appointment and then have another deductible for psychoanalysis. It was kind of BS but that is how the medical system is in the US.

Yes I make sure to drink at least 100 oz of water a day. That certainly helps with a lot of anxiety symptoms and helps stabilize your mood.

Did she mention diet at all? Do you eat a lot of sugar or drink a lot of caffeine? If so you may want to try and cut down on those things and see if it goes away. Also eating fruit high in potassium and magnesium helps with muscle twitches. So bananas hit both of those categories. Maybe try eating one a day if you like them.

I used to have eyelid twitching pretty regularly when I was younger but I am pretty sure it was due to my poor diet. I also would get muscle twitches in my bicep and thigh as well. I haven't had then since I started eating better though. I used to eat a terrible amount of sugar everyday. If it's concerning you you should probably just make a Dr appointment and stop all internet searching. Searching for medical symptoms online will only make your anxiety worse. Any reassurance you find will only last temporarily and when the anxiety comes back it will be worse.

Is the psyhciatrist basically just trying to treat you with medication? That has been my experience with them.