Anxiety and self awareness
Posted , 4 users are following.
hello, bit if background... i got covid in july of this year which subsequently led to anxiety, i had my citalopram increased to 30mg 11 weeks ago as i was on 20mg for years. its been a rollercoasted thr past 5 months but i have seen improvements especially in my mood.
the thing im struggling with is always self analysing how i feel and what my anxiety is doing. i have noticed that the more i reintergrate with the world around me the better i feel. is this just a case of waiitng it out and letting time pass?
anyone else suffer with self analysing?
thank you
0 likes, 10 replies
ian90586 lorraine90511
Edited
Hi Lorraine,yes I totally get it. I have social anxiety,which means I worry over events and situations involving people long before they occur or on an everyday basis. I constantly worry that people will see I'm anxious, that I'll show physical symptoms of anxiety and embarrass myself in front of others. It's the anticipation of it more than the actual event. I feel like I'm not in control of myself so consequently I become a control freak,trying to make situations safe for myself which becomes exhausting which then leads to more stress and ultimately to a breakdown. That's what's happened to me. The extreme of that then is avoidance of society and can even extend to agoraphobia. The irony of it all is that around people day to day I'm a very sociable, talkative,maybe appear confident person. I would deal and meet with lots of people during the day,then be exhausted in the evening. While medication helps a lot, it's not enough. CBT deals with the way your thoughts determine the way you feel, and how you can distort things in your mind or think negatively about a situation causing a reaction in your body, anxiety symptoms. I've done it previously with a counsellor and I'm committing to doing it at home from a book at the moment. I've taken every medication over many years and it's not enough by itself for me, hence I'm doing CBT now as well.
lorraine90511 ian90586
Edited
hi ian, thank you for taking the time to reply to me. im sorry you suffer with social anxiety, you sound very strong and determined. this has really knocked me so bad, i do fear being stuck like this, i try to remind myself of the improvments i havr made and to allow time to pass. anxiety is so debilitating it doesnt get the attention it deserves. stay safe and well and do check in if you need anyone to talk to 😃
jessica61856 lorraine90511
Posted
Hello Lorraine,
I'm in the exact same boat. I feel a whole lot better than the beginning of all this but I do notice when I wake up I'm looking for it. My anxiety is still around. But my depression sleep and eating got better. When I do feel ok I'm looking for symptoms. Its really hard not to.
lorraine90511 jessica61856
Posted
hello jessica thank you for your time in replying to me. im glad im not alone in looking out for the anxiety, although im sorry that you are suffering too. how long have you been like this? im not as bad a si was but im not where i want to be either c
jessica61856 lorraine90511
Posted
I've been like this since mid July. A lot better since then but like you, I'm not where I want to be. I just want to be my old self again. It gets exhausting being in a constant battle with your self. As a mother of 3 I have no choice but to keep going. I have little ones who need me and I need them. What about you? Is your anxiety still lingering around bad?
I'm able to do things I couldn't before for fear of my anxiety. Example being alone with my children. Now it seems normal again. I am so happy that I can be a mother again. But the symptoms still pop up. Not as bad as before. Like now I can eat and sleep again. Does this mean I'm recovering? I just cant wait until Im there.
lorraine90511 jessica61856
Posted
me too chick been like this since july after getting covid, its my third episode of bad anxiety, i had it after having both my sons too, i have two boys so have to keep a goof for them, like you im much better than i was but i jist feel like im stuck in this look of self analysing, im doing all the everyday things too but still off work so trying to fill the days is hard. my mood is much improved and my appetite, sleep was great but the last few days its been awful. anxiety is still lingering just not as bad i think. are you taking meds?
jessica61856 lorraine90511
Posted
Same here. Im going on day 3 of a blip and last 2 nights sleep hasn't been too good. My mood is good too. No longer crying or depressed. But my anxiety just will not leave me alone. On my good days its almost non existent but my bad days get pretty bad. I don't let it get to me as I did before. yes I'm on 30mg of Citalopram. How about you? I'm really considering upping my dose. I just dont know if i should give it more time or not
lorraine90511 jessica61856
Posted
hello how are you today? im also on 30mg for 11 weeks now how about you? i have thougjt about increasing but im scared to rock the boat. i ji havent had a day where i dont have snxiety i get it daily still but i think im managing it better that before. i hope youre okay today 😃
CazChar83 lorraine90511
Posted
Hypervigilence is a huge part of anxiety. For me, I do the same. I notice a flicker of anxiety and I focus on it hard. I notice someone make a face when I'm talking, and it plays on my mind for days.
I've tried mindfulness to combat this. I'll re-focus my attention to something else, whether it's my breathing, the sound of cars out on the road, or listening to every last note someone is singing on the radio.
Once I've targeted something else in my head, the moment with anxiety has passed.
lorraine90511 CazChar83
Posted
hello cazchar thank you for replying to me, and thank you for the tips i will try thag next time i notice im snalysing how j feel. im trying the acceptance method which does help but i just want to feel normal again 😦