New here

I have horrible anxiety. I'm on a lot of meds for it but they have quit working. I know some grouning techniques that help some. I'm just here to receive and give support. So hello!

@Manarinorange welcome to MSF. I am sorry that you have troubling anxiety. That must be rough.

Grounding helps me too like following the breath and some youtube videos like this one

Jon Kabat Zinn has a lot of nice videos. If you want to try this 5 minute turning within

CANDC

[If you want me to see your reply to this post please include @CANDC in your message - not in requoting my message]

Welcome, @Manarinorange! I like Box Breathing for anxiety.

Welcome!
I listen to 432mhz on YouTube.

I also like Tibetan monks chanting.

There's many good guided meditation.

At one time I wore a rubber band I would snap on my wrist. Then find a red object, orange, yellow etc

Practice breathing before you get anxious

Sent from my SM-A146U using Tapatalk

Thank all of you for responding! I appreciate it and don't feel so alone!

Anyone here also struggle with agoraphobia?

I had a form of agoraphobia, but it differed slightly from the usual experience. Being in the military, specific incidents led me to avoid wide open spaces as a precaution against snipers. If you're unfamiliar, it's not a topic for lengthy discussion here. When exposed to vast open areas, I felt anxious and vulnerable.

I struggled with pretty severe agoraphobia about 15 years ago. My DD was a toddler, and I was exhausted and dealing with anxiety. My mind was so keyed up and reactive that leaving home was nearly impossible- being at home was bad enough. It was a challenge just to leave the house and walk down the driveway to get the mail.

Dr. Claire Weekes wrote a book titled Simple Effective Treatment of Agoraphobia that changed things for me. Unfortunately, it's out of print and can be a difficult book to find for a reasonable price, but Dr. Weekes understood that agoraphobics can have difficulty getting treatment, so geared her approach to a guided, self-help model. Some people refer to her as the OG of cognitive behavioral therapy, which is what her method is.

She also has another good book, that's a little more readily available, titled Hope and Help for Your Nerves.

CBT is a slow and steady process, but can be effective. Fifteen years later, I can walk out the door and go pretty much anywhere without anxiety or a second thought. I had very noticeable improvement within about six months of starting, and by year 8 had developed a relatively high anxiety/stress tolerance. There is hope.

Sending lots of hugs and prayers your way.

Thank you so much for the information! Yes I'm going to ask my therapist to do some cbt with me since it can help many of my ailments. I'm on medicaid and finding therapists that stick around once they fill like they have enough experience. But the one I have now has stuck around. I've only been seeing her once a month, but I'm going to see if we can do phone appointments bc I know that she can do those and start working on cbt weekly.

That book is available online at Open Library. You can read it for free after a free registration:
Simple effective treatment of agoraphobia by Claire Weekes | Open Library