[undertheradar]

Hi all, I have been so anxious tonight that it starts the chatter in my head. Tonight, for instance, I suddenly became agitated, anxious and wanted to scream. The pdoc did not give me anything for this and said the seroquel would help. It is NOT HELPING with the anxiety. Nothing occured externally to cause this. I went to the liquor store to buy vodka, but could not go in. I am fighting using drugs or alcohol to self medicate and cannot reach my pdoc or therapist. Maybe telling y'all will help ease it all. Sorry to complain.

[Brookester]

What's wrong with screaming and punching a pillow and letting out a little of your anger and anxiety? Actually it is a pretty healthy way of handling anger as long as you don't put your fist through the wall or hit someone else. Try punching some pillows and screaming sometime. It really does help.

[Perna]

When things don't make sense, I try to look at the "opposite" and laugh? I assume your sudden anxiety pretty much passed/wore down after awhile. As long as you don't concentrate on it, it can't do anything else. I'd do like Brookester suggests and let some out somehow. I'd make a list of ways I could do that, try to distract my mind with a task in that way. If you can't scream for "real" because you're stuck inside with others and it's night, etc. how could you "express" a scream silently. I'd find a picture to express it like Edvard Munch's http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/ famous painting, The Cry. Maybe start a collage or collection of pictures/text that helped me when I was feeling as you were, etc.

[undertheradar]

Thanks for the tips. I am a recovering alcholic/addict and have quite a few tools to help me stay sober, but I don't have any BP tools yet. Thanks for the suggestions, the anxiety always passes, sometimes quik sometimes slow. Christmas sucks.

i'm sorry that you're anxious. i hate that feeling. i hope you're feeling better by now. hang in and keep us updated. xoxoxo pat

[undertheradar]

Hey Pat,

I am not anxious now, I know ,intellectually, that it is a temporary thing, but it just does not feel like it in the moment. I just want to check out, basically. The holidays just suck.

[PaulS]

I have recently had less severe symptoms like yours that came and went without much warning for four weeks. I wass relieved to learn it migh have been a medication problem. Like you I avoided self-medicating.

I can only offer this help: For a bout a week now I feel as though some ofthe things I have been doing are helping, and that the problem is wearing itself out.

A few things help a lot - these pages, long baths, favorite music. finding a safe place (I eat fast food and read a book and feel safe in my island)

Most import has been reaching outto other people on the phone. I'm lucky to have a lot of friends and family who seem to recognizse when they need to be especially good to me.

Listen, I don'tthink there's much advice about anxiety - itcan be likethe flu - treat the symptoms and survive...

Oh, theother thing is, it always helps me when I tell myself "this is anxiety - it doesn'tmake sense."

I know that when itis at its worst naxiety can take everything away, and it can cause physical emotional and mental pain. You aren't makingit up. It'ss real - but that doesn't mean it has a cause that you can fix,

blast - it's almost imossible foreither me or you to know what would be helpful for sure. Oh yes - here's one - lighten up on yourself - and ask others to lighten up on you. And ask the anxiety to lighten up. Asking for a break is a proven clinical technique, as long as you demand it and don't whine too much. I'm just writing words becuase that feels good for me for myself. Reading them is optional. When good thoughtsnd feeling come buy, embrace them.

[PaulS]

hold it there, podner - what makes you think it's temporary?

Down to the beach the tide comes in and washes away my sand castle, then the tide goes down, then it comes back. It is permanently transient.

I think anxiety is part of the life of modern person, and is always lurking there like a virus. Sometimes we are vulnerable and it washes over us. Other times we resist it.

The question for me, I'm suggesting, is why does the anxiety overwhelm me now when it didn't before?

I'm just makiing it up, so I'd like to know if i'm making any sense.

I think the substance abuser who is sober may have a constant ping in the head-the call of chemicals. What varies is how they handle it. Most particularly, can you catch yourself slipping before the problem starts to have legs of its own. The difference between falling down and sliding off the cliff. Does it help at all to resist?Doesthat make sense? If so, tell me how to use it for myself...

[undertheradar]

I am definitely having problems dealing with my BPII DX. Being a sober addict has one set of voices in my head and the BP has a completely different set. Coming out of denial about the BP has totally thrown me for a loop, whereas before I thought I only had one set of voices. I am just so confused about it all. I have been unable to come up with a plan with my pdoc and therapist because I feel dumbfounded. Being the good addict I am, I got online and went to a smoke shop to buy legal hebs to smoke to help with the anxiety. I just want to use and be done with it. The only thing that has stopped me is the thought that my daughter has never seen me fubar-ed. I am getting to the point, thought, where I am not caring about that. I even stayed up all night twice this week after taking 200mg of seroquel. I am struggling and hating it. I wish I had the voice of recovery added into the equation, and maybe over time, I will. I have been doing lots of reading about this disorder and that helps at the time. My prediction is that I will probably use at some point in the near future just because I want to shut them all up. I appreciate all that you have said and I intend to think about it at length.

[Soidhonia]

Hello Ihope things are better for you at this time. If you talk to your therapist about your anxiety the therapist can help you with the aggitation and the anxiety as well, along with taking your medication. Sometimes it takes more than just medication to focus on staying out of the panic mode, and you will probably benefit from learning certain exercises to help you get through the anxiety and panic, and your therapist can help to teach you these techniques to help you feel safer in a panic situation. I am going to leave you a hotline number to call if you need to talk to someone in person. 1-800-273-TALK. Someone is available on this hotline 24 hours a day, and can talk to you if you are in a panic or having anxiety. You should call your Dr if you feel that you are in a life threatening situation, or you feel you need medical attention. Take care sincerely Soidhonia