[NuckingFutz]

I have officially cancelled today for myself. My moods have been all over the place. Did not take night meds until this morning. Tired of being anxious and hypervigilent as if a tiger was stalking me. I hate GAD!

[feary]

I am having the same day.

[muse]

D: That sounds so awful, NF. Relax, sleep in and drink some herbal tea (no caffeine)! I hope you feel better soon... and I agree, I'm no fan of GAD myself. Sending soothing hugs your way.

I'm sorry cat--it's horrible---I know- been doin it this whole weekend and now today.

My doggie is so sweet, she knows--she does her business on the tiles in the bathroom-easy to clean up-----ugh--no sleep, can't eat, constant intense stress
"should i go or should i stay" that's a song, isn't it- bites big wampum feelin like this
(((((((Nuckingfutz))))))) theo

[Kaitlyn]

I take it GAD = General Anxiety Disorder?
Theo it is a song but you had the words in the reverse order, it's "Should I stay or should I go" (I had to google it because I thought the words were "should I come or should I go").

I was like that almost all last month. I finally got the anxiety to go away.

Have any of you (Theo,Feary Nucking) tried nice long hot baths (or showers) and used aroma therapy body wash? Sometimes a nice hot shower with my favorite aroma therapy body wash relaxes me followed by using aroma therapy body lotion.

Kait

Yes- like lavendar the best--but i can't seem to get myself together enough to gather my thoughts to really do anything to help myself, Kait.

So stressed and anxious, just wanna hide--wannna die...shaky all the time, wishng
the day would just go away---that i'd go away hate this feeling--thanks Kait;
I'm really bent--gotta calm myself-wish i could eat or sleep-not even that
is possible- see therapist tomorrow-but-eh- don't have the right meds, right docs,
living in the wrong place--no support systems in place--all is off--thanks for caring.

[Yoda]

[feary]

Originally Posted by theodora

Yes- like lavendar the best--but i can't seem to get myself together enough to gather my thoughts to really do anything to help myself, Kait.

So stressed and anxious, just wanna hide--wannna die...shaky all the time, wishng
the day would just go away---that i'd go away hate this feeling--thanks Kait;
I'm really bent--gotta calm myself-wish i could eat or sleep-not even that
is possible- see therapist tomorrow-but-eh- don't have the right meds, right docs,
living in the wrong place--no support systems in place--all is off--thanks for caring.

Are you sure you aren't describing me? Hang in there. Everything will work out fine for you.

To tell the truth (name of an old game show-oops i'm old too), I've been watching you very closely Feary!
I know "...every move you make, every step you take..." let's add some paranoia to the equation---shaky lol theo

[Kaitlyn]

You're not THAT old! ---I'm 28 and have watched reruns of that show on t.v. I so love that song....and now I have part of it stuck in my head!
I also love Lavender. I have lavender shampoo and conditioner as well as body wash and shower gel.

Another thing I find is also relaxing is the Glad Plug-ins scented oils. They're very comforting and relaxing (sometimes a bit too relaxing). Another thing that may also help is sitting in a chair, palms on your knees/thights, feet planted on the floor and taking slow deep breaths and then slowly letting the air back out. It's an exercise my last counselor had done with me whenever I'd have an anxiety or panic attack. It really does work. Also calming, soothing music helps...it can be with lyrics, classical, or sounds (like the ocean or nature---if you're in the United States you can get those kind of CD's at Wal-mart).

I know what you mean about not having the right meds or doctors. I was like that 4-5 years ago. Having the right doctor and the right meds can make all the difference in the world.Instead of having a doctor who just renews my meds each year, I have a doctor who I see every 3 weeks (2 weeks if I have an anniversary of something and I need the extra support) and she'll increase my meds when I feel they need to be increased. I too didn't have much of a support system (other than online) until I told my doctor about my depression and the abuse I went through.

In other words, I totally understand Theo (feel free to PM me anytime you someone to talk to).

Kait

Originally Posted by theodora

To tell the truth (name of an old game show-oops i'm old too), I've been watching you very closely Feary!
I know "...every move you make, every step you take..." let's add some paranoia to the equation---shaky lol theo

[notz]

Ms. Futz,

You know I'm in your corner.

me

[NuckingFutz]

Thank you for your support everyone and to you notz. Slept until 7 pm. Took a hot shower. Still feel blah, but I think it is my meds but still a mixed bag of emotions. I will work on my breathing. Stopping any negative thoughts as they come up. Will be going back to bed soon. just wish I could wake up feeling rested. So hard to focus. I want to go back to work but I am a far cry from it. Getting out and doing something is a major accomplishment when I use to just take it for granted.

[NuckingFutz]

Thank you for your support everyone and to you notz. Slept until 7 pm. Took a hot shower. Still feel blah, but I think it is my meds but still a mixed bag of emotions. I will work on my breathing. Stopping any negative thoughts as they come up. Will be going back to bed soon. just wish I could wake up feeling rested. So hard to focus. I want to go back to work but I am a far cry from it. Getting out and doing something is a major accomplishment when I use to just take it for granted. Just scared I guess. Thanks for listening.

[Kaitlyn]

You're welcome. Sometimes just pampering yourself a little bit may help (I'm assuming you're a female Futz, the simple act of painting your finger nails or toe nails can help). It can be hard, but taking baby steps is the best thing to do.

I know this may sound childish (I have a ten year old little who's telling me to say this) but try coloring or finger painting (coloring can be either in a coloring book or simply drawing on paper), playing in the sand (if you leave near a beach), or (trust me this is going to be messy) adding a packet of kool-aid into a bottle of seltzer water (yeah, Hannah did that one time trying to make Kool-aid flavored soda and it resulted in a volcano going off).... or turning on a favorite song of yours and grabbing a hair brush and singing along to the music. In other words try and have some fun. As hard as it may be being silly and goofy can help (if you do the Kool-aid and seltzer water thing I highly recommend either doing that over the bathtub or outside). It may also help distract you from whatever negative thoughts are going through your mind at the time. Hannah (my little) also recommends running through a sprinkler (or using a slip and slide). If you have a dog taking the dog for a walk will also help (it helps me whenever I'm with my aunt and uncle's two labs).

Kait

Originally Posted by NuckingFutz

Thank you for your support everyone and to you notz. Slept until 7 pm. Took a hot shower. Still feel blah, but I think it is my meds but still a mixed bag of emotions. I will work on my breathing. Stopping any negative thoughts as they come up. Will be going back to bed soon. just wish I could wake up feeling rested. So hard to focus. I want to go back to work but I am a far cry from it. Getting out and doing something is a major accomplishment when I use to just take it for granted. Just scared I guess. Thanks for listening.

[NuckingFutz]

Thanks for the suggestions...I am cutting and pasting them into my things that make me feel better list. I am going to add modeling clay as well...I am a very tactile person. Tomorrow my goal is to make my house more relaxing. At the end I will have all my favorite things around me (books, CD's' inspirational stuff) video games. My cats most of the time. Doing nails, feet and hair. Thank you so much for the suggestions. And thank you all for caring so much. Au least I do not feel alone. My cat Cymbalta is alseady on the bed with me too. I can hardly wait to start feeling better. Been through this enough times to know it gets better.

[Kaitlyn]

You named your cat after the medication?

Since you have a cat here's one more suggestion...either cuddling him/her or curling up next to him/her or doing both. There's nothing more relaxing than curling up with a purring cat.

Having a relaxing house can help. If you can I suggest having one room dedicated to relaxation. Meaning a room where there's no distractions.

Another thing that might help is doing Yoga whenever you feel anxious. You can find Yoga positions/stretches online. I've done Yoga a little bit in the past ( I had bursitis in my left hip and doing some yoga was the only thing that took the pain away and it helped relaxed me). There's also meditation which can also be relaxing.

I know with my anxiety the more stressed out I am the more anxiety I experience.

If you start experiencing any negative thoughts just turn them into positive ones. Like if you start feeling like you're going to have a bad day, simply tell yourself you're going to have a good day or if you start feeling like you're going insane just tell yourself that you're a perfectly sane person and keep repeating those positive thoughts until the negative thoughts go away (even if it means you have to say "I'm going to kick the negative thoughts' in their butts")..... I know this is more for those who experience flashbacks, but doing some grounding techniques (like sitting while placing your palms on your knees and planting your feet firmly against the floor and taking slow deep breaths) can also help relieve anxiety....it helps ground you in reality.

Also try not to think too far into the future or too far into the past. That's what I used to do and I'd become either extremely anxious or obsessed with the past (i.e. having flashbacks or wishing I had done things differently).

I know what it's like to deal with anxiety attacks and panic attacks on a daily basis. I used to have nervous-like breakdowns because the anxiety and panic attacks would happen at the same time (it would start off as an anxiety attack and then I'd panic during the anxiety attack)...I'd also experience a great deal of paranoia. I feel confident in giving you those suggests because they're what I do when I'm stressed out or anxious....and they really do work.

If you need any more suggests do hesitate to PM me and Hannah and I can think of some more things that might help you relax. Oh yeah....Hannah suggests a nice long bubble bath, followed by painting your nails, along with using some body lotion right before you go to bed. Even if that doesn't help you relax it will at least help you feel beautiful and refreshed when you wake up the next morning.

Hope this helps!
Kait
P.S. I find a nice hot shower before bed time is really relaxing.

Originally Posted by NuckingFutz

Thanks for the suggestions...I am cutting and pasting them into my things that make me feel better list. I am going to add modeling clay as well...I am a very tactile person. Tomorrow my goal is to make my house more relaxing. At the end I will have all my favorite things around me (books, CD's' inspirational stuff) video games. My cats most of the time. Doing nails, feet and hair. Thank you so much for the suggestions. And thank you all for caring so much. Au least I do not feel alone. My cat Cymbalta is alseady on the bed with me too. I can hardly wait to start feeling better. Been through this enough times to know it gets better.

[notz]

Big hug to you this morning, Ms. Futz...

Hoping today is better than yesterday--(((((Futz))))) theo

[NuckingFutz]

Thanks all. Going to store and library now. My body wants the exercise...walking.

[Perna]

Due to the lack of trained trumpeters, the end of the world has been cancelled?

Yes, I hate messed up days like that. I take it easy and veg out reading or daydreaming, just doing whatever feels a bit better than however I'm feeling. Naps can be nice if you can sleep.

[lynn P.]

((NF)) Just stopping by to give you Hugs and support even though i don't have anything genius to say at the moment.