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tips for staying sane please????

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ma1234
ma1234

I hope everyone is safe and well 😃

I don't even know how to describe how i'm feeling right now, my anxiety is so bad over this virus, it really hit me mid-February, I wasn't eating or sleeping, was scared of leaving my desk at work to get my lunch or go to the toilet because I didn't want to be near anyone / touch anything that other people had touched, was using paper towels to touch anything that wasn't mine, I also developed obsessive cleaning habits very quickly and would have anxiety attacks if someone came near me, eventually I had to have 3 weeks off work before lockdown was announced because I was literally making myself ill I felt so weak and exhausted, thankfully I got furloughed at the start of April until 31st May but the anxiety is still so bad...

I'm onto my 7th week of staying home, haven't even been to the shop in 3 weeks yet I still feel so on edge that the virus is 'coming to get me' , I have relaxed a bit on the obsessive cleaning but I can not stop washing my hands after touching ANYTHING - things that have never been touched by anyone else like furniture that I've had for years, I truly think everything in my house is contaminated. Any deliveries that come into the house are left untouched for at least 72 hours but even after a week I can't touch them without getting really stressed out, I can't even eat food with my hands anymore, everything gets eaten with a spoon or knife and fork, no matter how many times I wash my hands part of me always takes over and makes me believe that the virus is always on my hands, my hands burn when i wash them and they are so red itchy and sore. Not only do I think the virus is on everything but I've been convinced for the last 6 weeks that I have it but with no symptoms, to the point where I haven't let my family come near me for 6 weeks because I'm terrified of mum getting it as she is high risk

I've had health anxiety for 4 years now but nothing has ever made me this bad, it's triggered all kinds of AWFUL thoughts that I have every disease and illness under the sun and I have a constant on-edge feeling that something bad is going to happen. It's even more stressful that I can't go to the doctor for reassurance but I wouldn't want to waste their time. The thoughts are keeping me awake, every time I'm about to drift off to sleep I wake up in a panic thinking I'm dying and I keep checking my body for new marks / rashes and checking my heart is still beating. I'm so hypersensitive to everything that happens in my body like if my heart palpitates or I feel pain anywhere in my body I go into panic mode. The thoughts are draining, constantly having the urge to wash my hands is draining, always calculating if something is 'safe' to touch is draining

I don't understand how I have had anxiety for so long but still don't know how to cope / manage it when it flares up like this 😦 I've had CBT 3 times and it hasn't worked for me. The last 6 weeks I have been getting fresh air in the garden as I am too scared to go on a walk, I've been eating super healthy and doing exercise just trying to feel a little better and healthier, I try to distract myself by playing games or watching something, i felt better for about a week but it stopped working and the thoughts are always in the back of my mind. I feel mentally weak but I'm so determined to overcome this now because I am worried about what the constant high stress levels are doing to my body physically and i just feel absolutely useless right now like I should be using this time to be productive but instead I've wasted 6 weeks being anxious

does anyone have any tips that have worked for them???

please and thank you

0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • david76205
    david76205 ma1234

    Edited

    okay, i know its hard, but you have to calm down. you are going to overload and go into a panic attack if you dont relax. Everyone on this forum has anxiety. We know what you are going through. We all have experienced heightened anxiety symptoms because of this virus. I myself had a panic attack 4 weeks ago. Now, you are not going to get the virus, and most importantly, you are NOT going to die. But you do have to try and relax. You are not going to do yourself any good worrying about something you most probably will not get. It is very scary, trust me i know. but we all are having a hard time with this virus. Now, do you have a therapist ? Someone you can talk to and let your worries and concerns fly? How about a psychiatrist? You need to contact either you therapist, psychiatrist or GP, and get yourself some xanex, adavan, kolonopin, or valium. These meds will calm you down and help you sleep. I myself take xanex for extreme anxiety situations and it calms me down in 15 to 20 minutes. Its important that you listen to me. I have been where you are. Tomorrow i want you to call your therapist, psychiatrist or doctor and get one of the benzo's i mentioned. Now seeing how your CBT doesnt work, tonight I want you to take a nice hot shower, turn some mellow music on and think about your last vacation, take your mind to sometime where you enjoyed yourself and i want you to think in detail about everything that happened that was good during your vacation. Vacation is just an example, you can think about an outrageous party you went to, a girl you once loved, anything good that happened to you and keep your mind there for awhile. Now, also very important, if you are watching the news, turn it off and dont turn it back on for a few days. News will only make your anxiety worse. stay away from news feeds on you computer as well. play a game like the SIMs instead. the longer you keep your mind occupied on something else, the better you will feel. Life is not bad, it is good, so try to remember that. Drink lots of water, stay away from caffeine and sugars, they only amplify your anxiety. Try to get some rest listening to soft mellow music. When you wake up tomorrow call your doctor or therapist and talk to them and i want you to tell them how you feel in detail so they can see you are in pain. Ask your doctor for the benzo i mentioned and pick it up at the pharmacy or chemist. Go home and take a pill, and i promise it will relax you. You may want to ask your doctor for other long term anxiety meds as well. But please remember you are not alone at all. You can come to this forum as much as you like to vent and get advice, someone is almost always here to talk with. But you must find a way to relax or you will be taking an ambulance ride to the hospital and be put under 24 hour observation, and i dont think you want that. Been there done that too. please, be safe, and write back to let us know how you are doing.

    • ma1234
      ma1234 david76205

      Edited

      thank you for your response David 😃 After this is over I'm definitely going to get some help but in the mean time I will give my GP a call. I'm staying far far away from the news I can't handle it! I'll do my best to relax and chill myself out, it has helped just getting it all out on here and getting a response, thanks again - all the best to you

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