[scatterbrained04]

Has anyone found medication free things that really help with anxiety. In particular, I'm having a bad time with nighttime anxiety and panic. My heart will pound in my chest and keep me up half the night and I'm almost in tears.

For a short time my doctor had me on klonopin. It helped a bit, but he won't write for it anymore because I'm also on gabapentin. Not sure the gabapentin does anything, but I've been on it 10 years.

He put me clonidine. I'm having side effects. Pdoc tried to tell me there's no way I'm having side effects. I think he's an idiot. I am very sensitive to meds and always have issues.

Have been taking Ambien last couple months but I really want off of it. It does help. Can't be good to take that every day.

Weighted blankets, Calmigo, exercise, diet, breathing exercises, anything helping you guys?

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[Lizzie1813]

Hello @scatterbrained04. I’m sorry you are struggling with anxiety. Nighttime anxiety is especially hard. I started using Trazadone for sleep during my very recent manic episode, but I don’t have a prescription for daytime anxiety. I found Hyland’s Calm. It’s homeopathic. I take 2 three times a day. They dissolve under your tongue. I got them from Amazon. They help me with mild to moderate anxiety. Maybe it could help you, too. I hope you find something that helps soon.

Lizzie

[MickeyCheeky]

So Sorry for what is going on! Please Do not give up! i'd suggest to keep insisting with your Pdoc to try a med change if it's not working out. i don't really know many meds myself though so unfortunately i can't really suggest many alternatives other than depakote which i tried. If things don't work out with this Pdoc perhaps it's worth seeing another one? i am not sure if that is possible. i Hope things will improve really soon for everyone and that you will be able to find what you're looking for. Many Hugs. Stay Safe. Try your best. Sending many Safe, warm hugs to BOTH you, @scatterbrained04, your Family, your Friends and ALL of your Loved Ones! Keep fighting and keep rocking NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, OK?!

[Soupe du jour]

I try to focus on comforting or distracting things. Have you ever tried a sound machine? I have a really good one with many sound options. I think ones with many give a chance to pick one that may offer pleasant associations. For example, ocean waves or brook. I also love rainfall and fireplace. These things also help me fall asleep, when I'm having trouble. Even white noise is known to help calm anxiety in both people and pets. A simple fan can even help with that.

Some food items can be comforting for me. Ones, like yogurt, seem especially comforting. Hot herb tea or applesauce are also nice. I put cinnamon in my applesauce.

Smells, like cinnamon, that bring back nice memories can calm me. When my husband would be away on a business trip, I'd even sleep with a shirt he had worn.

Soft things and weighted blankets certainly help many.

Basically, anything that can involve mindfulness activities can help me. Actually, many DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) coping skills can be helpful. See DBT: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills, Techniques, What it Treats

If there is a true discernible source/cause for my anxiety, I also find working through a Dysfunctional Thought Record to be helpful. This is also called "challenging cognitive distortions". It helps me to put the source of the anxiety in better perspective, which helps to minimize it. This is a primary CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) coping tool. See Challenging Our Cognitive Distortions and Creating Positive Outlooks

Sometimes my evening anxiety is simply because of some physical discomfort, or exacerbated by some. Namely, for me, indigestion/heart burn, which may cause my anxiety, or even be a result of anxiety, causing a Catch-22 effect. I keep Alka Seltzer chewable antacids in my night table.

Breathing exercises. I used to not be a believer, but over time I grew to be.

[Blue_Bird]

My weighted blanket helps me a lot. So does aromatherapy type stuff, I have a Scentsy that I use to melt scented wax cubes in and there's so many amazing scents available.
When I can get the energy to do it exercise helps. Mostly taking long walks.
Videogames help my anxiety too. I also enjoy reading and that calms me down/grounds me a lot.

I have a worry stone I hold on to/rub when I'm anxious. It's just a small polished smooth stone I bought on Amazon. It's like a fidget type thing.

Meditation is good too, and yoga.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

My therapist has done guided relaxation with me and it helps more than someone generic from youtube or something so I've recorded him doing it with me and play it back when I need help.

[MuddyBoots]

I like having things to fidget with, like certain dog toys or a stress-ball. Lavender chamomile tea helps me a lot, more than the stuff that's labelled to supposedly help with anxiety and sleep. Spending time in nature, keeping a daily routine of exercising, and having a creative outlet (for me this is writing and sometimes drawing) all help.

Originally Posted by Soupe du jour

I try to focus on comforting or distracting things. Have you ever tried a sound machine? I have a really good one with many sound options. I think ones with many give a chance to pick one that may offer pleasant associations. For example, ocean waves or brook. I also love rainfall and fireplace. These things also help me fall asleep, when I'm having trouble. Even white noise is known to help calm anxiety in both people and pets. A simple fan can even help with that.

Some food items can be comforting for me. Ones, like yogurt, seem especially comforting. Hot herb tea or applesauce are also nice. I put cinnamon in my applesauce.

Smells, like cinnamon, that bring back nice memories can calm me. When my husband would be away on a business trip, I'd even sleep with a shirt he had worn.

Soft things and weighted blankets certainly help many.

Basically, anything that can involve mindfulness activities can help me. Actually, many DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) coping skills can be helpful. See DBT: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills, Techniques, What it Treats

If there is a true discernible source/cause for my anxiety, I also find working through a Dysfunctional Thought Record to be helpful. This is also called "challenging cognitive distortions". It helps me to put the source of the anxiety in better perspective, which helps to minimize it. This is a primary CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) coping tool. See Challenging Our Cognitive Distortions and Creating Positive Outlooks

Sometimes my evening anxiety is simply because of some physical discomfort, or exacerbated by some. Namely, for me, indigestion/heart burn, which may cause my anxiety, or even be a result of anxiety, causing a Catch-22 effect. I keep Alka Seltzer chewable antacids in my night table.

Breathing exercises. I used to not be a believer, but over time I grew to be.

I had a sound machine once, ordered all the way from australia. it was pretty good to be fair. it had the sounds of birds and the sea, and you could either have them individually, or you could mix them and have them both going at the same time.

plus: when it came to the sound of the sea, you could pick between a calm quiet sea, or a rough sea. not sure what happened to it, but it was a good little device. it lay next to my bed a lot of the time

[~Christina]

I read or clean. Ill watch ER that is a good distraction for me.

Mindfulness has also been helpful but I need to brush up on that with my T I just cant " get there" right now.

[wildflowerchild25]

My therapist from my program suggested (strongly) that I find a comfort object. I am unable to use my weighted blanket now that it’s summer so that’s why she told me to find something else. By pure luck I found a plush weighted unicorn in target in the kids room decorations section. I spray her with a very nice perfume from time to time. She really helps with physical grounding because she’s soft to the touch and smells strong (in a good way).

The other thing she said to do that I haven’t done yet is print some happy pictures and put them up on the wall where I can easily see them. I bought a collage frame but haven’t printed the pictures as the print center at the drugstore was down. So I dunno if that will help or not.

[Mountaindewed]

I do this type of breathing where I breathe in for 3 seconds, hold it for 3 seconds and then let it go and then repeat it. It’s helped me fall asleep before. I also just started a drug free natural sleeping med called zzquil pure sleep. I sleep under 20 pounds of weighted blankets when I can. I also sometimes drink sleepy time tea, lipton bed time tea, or stress relief tea.

I just saw a commercial this morning for calm laundry detergent I think it’s made by Downy. I don’t know if it’s legit or not. But it may be worth a try. Although weighed blankets can’t typically be put in the washer. I also have some old sleep Febreeze but they discontinued it a few years ago.

This is a totally bizarre one and it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, But an adult size pacifier can be a really good coping skill. They sell them on Amazon.

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

I do this type of breathing where I breathe in for 3 seconds, hold it for 3 seconds and then let it go and then repeat it. It’s helped me fall asleep before. ....

I learned that technique from you and it's really helpful. Thanks!

[Fuzzybear]

Thanks for this thread, it's helpful to me. A comfort object is also helpful to me. Breathing exercises (sometimes)

[Mountaindewed]

Originally Posted by BethRags

I learned that technique from you and it's really helpful. Thanks!

I’m glad it’s working for you.

I learned it in IOP and even though it was absolutely miserable to be doing the program during Christmas time I did actually benefit a lot from it.

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by BethRags

I learned that technique from you and it's really helpful. Thanks!

Thanks. I will try this too. (the doctors here do not want to help.)

[nativechic]

I tried the Hug Sleep pod after not liking weighted blanket though I didn't really find it helpful. My issues are more with tension in my body so I was going to try some stretching before bed. I was also considering GABA but my pdoc was kind of dismissive.

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by Sapien

I like having things to fidget with, like certain dog toys or a stress-ball. Lavender chamomile tea helps me a lot, more than the stuff that's labelled to supposedly help with anxiety and sleep. Spending time in nature, keeping a daily routine of exercising, and having a creative outlet (for me this is writing and sometimes drawing) all help.

I had some dog toys to fidget with Still have a few of them