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Old Sep 17, 2014, 05:02 PM
Raghib Ahmed Raghib Ahmed is offline
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Member Since: Sep 2014
Location: England
Posts: 47
It's great that you've taken the initiative and found the strength to seek help and find the right direction. That's a big step so well done.

Have you thought about seeing a therapist? I also STRONGLY recommend you tell your parents. No matter what, parents will always be worrying about their kids anyway, even if you tell them or not, so there will be no harm in you telling them. In fact, you telling them will help you out a lot since they will be able to support you. Even if your parents don't end up understanding, at least you won't feel alone.

What you're going through is similar to what I went through so I'll try to give you some actions to take to point you in the right direction. I had insomnia for many years which messed up my health and led to anxiety and depression. I wasn't sure what came first, the anxiety, or the insomnia, but I know that they both fed off each other and made things worse. So I wanted to reduce my anxiety, which would reduce my insomnia, which would then reduce my anxiety even more and help quell depression. After taking incremental steps and patience I was able to get better! I'm not depressed anymore. My anxiety and sleep aren't perfect, but they are MUCH better than they used to be.

What I did to reduce anxiety was:

MEDITATE. Deep-breathing has helped me a lot. It's hard to say, how, and when, because the effects of deep-breathing can be so subtle. But over time, I was able to control my mind a bit better, calm it down, and get to sleep. I've still got a lot of work to do in regards to this, but just doing a few minutes of meditation for a couple of weeks everyday, will all accumulate into a calmer mind. Lots of scientific studies also back this up. Meditation/Deep-breathing are legit in reducing anxiety.

Exercise. Same as above. Meditation and Exercise both alleviate stress and anxiety. Do a few minutes of each a day, and build up that consistency. Don't try and do intense exercise or meditation one day, then go a couple of days without doing any. Long-term consistency trumps short-term intensity. Do a few minutes each day, eventually it'll all build up to more calmer and stabler mind.

Positivity: Along with a few minutes of an exercise or meditation habit, you could add a positivity habit. Studies show that forcing yourself to smile for a minute can induce positive affects and make you less stressed. And for an even stronger boost on your mood and to alleviate anxiety, studies show that if you force yourself to laugh for a minute, that can help a lot. Just a chuckle, or normal laugh work.

Other reasons you have difficulty in sleeping:

Distorted Body Clock/Sleep Cycle: This is where your mind doesn't produce the right hormones at night to let it know its time for bed. Reasons for this might be because you have had a habit of staying up late in front of screens like a computer, phone or TV. To sort this out, get yourself out in the sun for 30-60 minutes. This could also be where you exercise and meditate for a few minutes. The rest of the time in the sun, you can just walk around, listen to music/audiobooks, or take a book outside and read. Get your mind to associate the light with day, and the night with sleep.

Too much light at night. Dim your light intake when it is dark outside. So cut down on phones and computers etc. when it's night. Associate the night with sleep. A few hours before bed, turn your screens off, and read a book or anything that doesn't strain your eyes.

Disassociation with bed. Associate your bed, and if you can, your whole bedroom with mainly sleep. Don't eat, browse the internet, or read on your bed. Get your mind to associate the night, and your bed with mainly sleep.

I tried most of these things, and they really did help me. The only thing I didn't try when my sleep was bad was the forced smiling and laughter, because I didn't know about it. But I started with a bit of Meditation, then over time, my sleep got better, and my energy increased, then I started to exercise as well. Then I sorted out my body clock and now I can sleep much better than I used to quite consistently. My sleep isn't perfect yet, but it's miles better than it used to be.

Sorry for the long post, but I hope it helps.

The journey to getting better is going to be hard, but it's going to be worth it. You're stronger than you think you are, so try not to lose hope. If you want to talk, then don't hesitate to message me or anyone on here that wants to help.