My anxiety had come back. I'm ruminating on thoughts again.

Hi

Intrusive thoughts are the worst. I have started back to work today as even though I do not feel right its no worse than being stuck at home with my obsessional thoughts.

Find yourself a distraction. Try and eat when you can and stay hydrated. Sleep when you can and walking is good too. It will pass.

I am sorry you are going through this and I know exactly how it feels! But I wanted to tell you that I had the same thing with the intrusive thoughts. My problem was that I allow them to make my life miserable and we don’t have to do that!

it takes practice and baby steps but you can get there. Every now and then I will still get an intrusive thought but I immediately stop it. I will just say to myself NO! then I get busy right away doing something else but

One thing that is very important is do not stress about it! When you do that it only gets worse because the anxiety increases which causes the intrusive thoughts. I basically often laugh it off even though I hate getting the thoughts but that’s just what I have to do. I let them come and I let them go . The worst thing you can do is sit around and let this take you over and think about it over and over and over. I did that for years and it’s miserable. Don’t let it consume you.

you are not going to live your entire life like this. What you need and I’m glad you’re getting soon is therapy because it’s very difficult to do on your own. Don’t quit therapy even if you start to feel better.

I want to let you know that all of this started for me in my 20s and I am now in my 50s and when I look back at that part of my life I am so glad that I never gave up because life is so much better for me now. Never ever give up! you have a lot of living to do .

You have to be a fighter for yourself so that you don’t allow anything to make you feel miserable. There is a great book called finding quiet that helped me a lot. it brought peace to me especially my mind.

you Will feel better once you get into therapy a little bit. Nothing is perfect with anxiety but you can learn how to manage it much better! Stay busy, helping other people keep your mind off of yourself, eat healthy, get a little exercise, enjoy the little things in life. and don’t forget to laugh and smile as much as you can!

I tried 2 anxiety meds and both made me feel dopey. Just picked up CBD pressed pills. It's helping more so than anything I've tried in the last year. My energy and calmness are both getting better. Worth a look into if anything. I know how bad it is. I'm experiencing anxiety due to perimenopause and I've been home bound mostly due to it for a year. Take Care!!!

Hi Nico,

Sorry you are going through a tough time. I know EXACTLY how you feel. I believe my negative thoughts were caused by anxiety in combination with a depressive episode.

A combination of therapy and medication has been shown to be the most effective approach.

Drugs such as SSRIs and SNRIs can be effective but are not a quick fix taking at least 4 to 6 weeks to start working. I wouldn't recommend benzos such as Xanex for ruminating thoughts, they help more with the feeling of panic and restlessness. They are only a quick fix.

When I am lying in bed, unable to sleep due to rumination, I give my brain something else to do that is not too complex but enough to take my mind off the thoughts. Counting back from 1,000 or naming all the characters in a particular TV show (e.g. The Simpsons) works for me.

Get well soon,

Ed

Hello honey, I'm sorry this is so hard. Think positive

and try to stay out of the thinking of mapping your destiny.

For me, I think meds will always be a part of my life. Maybe not.

Who knows. I don't really know that answer but for now, they

are what I need, just as a diabetic needs insulin or someone with

a broken leg needs crutches-meds are what I need to keep me

functioning in this world. I do not feel like I live in a haze all the time

or can't feel feelings.....I just feel like I want to feel-normal, when

I am properly medicated.

When I felt as if my fear became like ruminations (I can totally relate),

that is when my Dr. finally tried an antipsychotic and it was miraculous

how it worked for me. Ruminations made me really scared and realize

pretty quickly that I am indeed mentally ill. It was a pretty harsh awakening

for me. When it was just the depression and panic, it felt like what I had

was pretty common. But when my thoughts became obsessive, and

my thinking was so intense about my anxiety, I was constantly repeating

the same messages in my head. They wouldn't stop. I sought the help

of a more experienced Psychiatrist with a big clinical background, he

was able to nail it for me.

Meds are only a part of it. Therapy is just as important. CBT is amazing

for anxiety and teaches you new ways of thinking and the messages

you tell yourself. Maybe you can find something like that.

Don't settle on feeling like this. There are a lot of things Dr's can do for

us now.

I hope you feel better soon.

Peace on your journey.

Linda