Horrible relapse

[Lulu 30]

I was doing great until a few days ago. It started with my allergies and being so congested from them. I'm constantly worried thinking that my breathing is off and getting ready for a full blown panic attack. I keep thinking about my blood pressure rising, my legs keep hurting and my stomach as well. Of course all of this is giving me episodes of dizziness when I stand up then I worry about that. I'm trying to ease my thoughts by reading a book and thinking about funny things in my past but no luck. Oh man, not a good way to start the New Year off. Any suggestions would be wonderful!

[Kylie21 357]

I have allergy and sinus issues many of the things you describe are common feelings with all the congestion and crap from them . Reading so great but sometimes our minds get so focused we almost need something active instead of sitting still reading . Any hobbies or things you enjoy like that ? A good walk can do wonders . You are definitely catastrophizing thoughts. But think you've felt this for a bit and you are fine . The mind is so powerful it wants to convince of of anything . Try a hot bath , maybe some nice bubbles ... I find candles relaxing . If you don't wanna do active .. maybe a movie you truly enjoy . Any break in the overthinking process helps us to redirect into rational thinking . Best of luck ! You will be back to good soon. 

[Bterflymom 155]

You are doing what I've done before, overwhelming yourself with "what if" and going from one thing to another.  I've stopped that pretty much now but then I do go for a yearly physical and I take vitamins and also psych meds that keep me pretty stable.  I agree on the hot bath, I do that too and I also burn candles in the bathroom.  My problem is getting started doing things and going places.  Being retired I figure I can always do them another day so I'm bored and then I get anxious. I miss my parents, a sister and two of my 3 children so I've dealt with a lot of grief and this Christmas was very hard for me, I cried a lot.  I found that crying relieved a lot of stress for me, I've never been one to cry much but boy did I let it out this holiday season.  Maybe you need a good cry, it helps me relax sometimes.  Whatever works for you do over and over and I hope you feel better.

[Pythonian 29]

Sorry to hear about this bad patch.  You already know how anxiety can cause your symptoms.  For whatever reason, whenever I get sick, for the most part my anxiety is better as I'm focused on what is really happening to me instead of what I am worrying about.  Obviously would prefer to not have either.  Best wishes.

[JOYCICLE 654]

You got this Lulu~  

You have been on top before and you will be again. This is  a setback and sometimes setbacks can seem awful.  But it's temporary and you are still the boss. 

 

[Bterflymom 155]

You are doing what I've done before, overwhelming yourself with "what if" and going from one thing to another.  I've stopped that pretty much now but then I do go for a yearly physical and I take vitamins and also psych meds that keep me pretty stable.  I agree on the hot bath, I do that too and I also burn candles in the bathroom.  My problem is getting started doing things and going places.  Being retired I figure I can always do them another day so I'm bored and then I get anxious. I miss my parents, a sister and two of my 3 children so I've dealt with a lot of grief and this Christmas was very hard for me, I cried a lot.  I found that crying relieved a lot of stress for me, I've never been one to cry much but boy did I let it out this holiday season.  Maybe you need a good cry, it helps me relax sometimes.  Whatever works for you do over and over and I hope you feel better. I sometimes say that a set back is a set up for a comeback.  Hang in there.

[Lulu 30]

3 hours ago, Bterflymom said:

You are doing what I've done before, overwhelming yourself with "what if" and going from one thing to another.  I've stopped that pretty much now but then I do go for a yearly physical and I take vitamins and also psych meds that keep me pretty stable.  I agree on the hot bath, I do that too and I also burn candles in the bathroom.  My problem is getting started doing things and going places.  Being retired I figure I can always do them another day so I'm bored and then I get anxious. I miss my parents, a sister and two of my 3 children so I've dealt with a lot of grief and this Christmas was very hard for me, I cried a lot.  I found that crying relieved a lot of stress for me, I've never been one to cry much but boy did I let it out this holiday season.  Maybe you need a good cry, it helps me relax sometimes.  Whatever works for you do over and over and I hope you feel better. I sometimes say that a set back is a set up for a comeback.  Hang in there.

I'm sorry about your loss. I've also lost many these past few years and still grieving from my past love which I lost many moons ago. My son is a drug addict and overdosed a few times, although he's still breathing I feel like he's gone. I don't think that I have tears left to cry any longer.  I talked to one of my closest childhood friends last night for 3 hours and I'm feeling better. Maybe I just needed a long chat with someone to perk me up and come back to reality. Take care and thank you for your kind words.

[Lulu 30]

5 hours ago, JOYCICLE said:

You got this Lulu~  

You have been on top before and you will be again. This is  a setback and sometimes setbacks can seem awful.  But it's temporary and you are still the boss. 

 

Thanks! I'm feeling much better today and trying to move forward.

[Lulu 30]

14 hours ago, Pythonian said:

Sorry to hear about this bad patch.  You already know how anxiety can cause your symptoms.  For whatever reason, whenever I get sick, for the most part my anxiety is better as I'm focused on what is really happening to me instead of what I am worrying about.  Obviously would prefer to not have either.  Best wishes.

Thanks. Us anxious people can turn congestion into cardiac arrest for some strange reason. 

[Lulu 30]

20 hours ago, Kylie21 said:

I have allergy and sinus issues many of the things you describe are common feelings with all the congestion and crap from them . Reading so great but sometimes our minds get so focused we almost need something active instead of sitting still reading . Any hobbies or things you enjoy like that ? A good walk can do wonders . You are definitely catastrophizing thoughts. But think you've felt this for a bit and you are fine . The mind is so powerful it wants to convince of of anything . Try a hot bath , maybe some nice bubbles ... I find candles relaxing . If you don't wanna do active .. maybe a movie you truly enjoy . Any break in the overthinking process helps us to redirect into rational thinking . Best of luck ! You will be back to good soon. 

Thanks. A nice long chat with a childhood friend perked me up. 

[Bterflymom 155]

I also noticed that today it's very dreary and rainy and my anxiety is high while yesterday was sunny and I felt good.  I have a SAD light that I have on now with the hopes that it will help get me out of my funk.  All 4 of my grandchildren have been into drugs too and my two children that died were because of drug use as well.  We have a lot of depression in our family, 7 members are now on antidepressants.  I sometimes think we inherit some of these mood issues but for me I also need to be around people.  My husband and I have been retired for 16 years and I miss a lot of friends we used to see and much of my family has moved out of state too.  When I get down I get scared but I always come back up so I need to keep that in mind when I'm anxious and depressed. I started writing a daily "gratitude" list and need to get back with that too.  It's a list of things I'm grateful for every day and it helps me see the positives in each day.   I hope you feel better.

[Lulu 30]

On Monday, January 02, 2017 at 3:06 PM, Bterflymom said:

I also noticed that today it's very dreary and rainy and my anxiety is high while yesterday was sunny and I felt good.  I have a SAD light that I have on now with the hopes that it will help get me out of my funk.  All 4 of my grandchildren have been into drugs too and my two children that died were because of drug use as well.  We have a lot of depression in our family, 7 members are now on antidepressants.  I sometimes think we inherit some of these mood issues but for me I also need to be around people.  My husband and I have been retired for 16 years and I miss a lot of friends we used to see and much of my family has moved out of state too.  When I get down I get scared but I always come back up so I need to keep that in mind when I'm anxious and depressed. I started writing a daily "gratitude" list and need to get back with that too.  It's a list of things I'm grateful for every day and it helps me see the positives in each day.   I hope you feel better.

You have been through so much so it's understandable why you have been depressed. It's a great thing that you have a loving, supportive husband that you can turn to. I have a journal that I write in to see my progress and remind myself of these anxiety feelings when I get caught back into them moments. Stress can creep up on me out of the blue and hit me like a ton of bricks sometimes. My son and his addiction have really been knocking me down because I as a mother feel so lost, as to what I can do to help him. I've tried everything but he doesn't want to stop these drugs. I feel like I already lost him even though he's still here.