[InfiniteSadness]

Anxiety and ocd as well.

[benzenering]

outdoor exercise

Unfortunately the thing that helps me the quickest and most effective is ativan. That being said, I have become dependent on it and would not recommend starting if you can avoid it.

Other things that help me are regular exercise, meditation, and keeping a routine. Working part-time, even doing chores around the house keeps me occupied. Online gaming is a good distraction for me as well. And reading!

[All Is Revealed]

- The gym.
- Walking outdoors for 2 hours every day.
- Watching funny shows.
- Avoiding the news.
- Avoiding negative toxic people.
- Playing online games with fun people.
- Listening to music that makes me dance around the house.
- Looking my best everyday.
- Organizing my house. I should be able to find anything in my house in less than 15 seconds.

[xRavenx]

As far as meds? Or just coping skills?

Ways of coping:
-Meditation (there's some good ones on youtube)
-Being aware of your triggers to stay away the best you can
-Therapy/talking to someone positive and trustworthy
-Journaling/mood tracking
-Lighting Candles and nice scents
-Tea can be calming
-Staying away from all negative influences, or avoiding it the best you can
-A bath or shower at a random time of the day to refresh when upset
-Positive distractions
-Self help books or videos
-A good movie, maybe a comedy
-Calm music OR music that reflects your mood as a release
-Any form of exercise, even if it's light stretches
-Getting out of the house for a little while
-Being in a park or with nature around you, walking

For fast-acting: benzodiazepines (Xanax, klonopin, Ativan), but they aren't for everyone and have addictive potential. Gabapentin isn't bad for me and even works well for some. SSRI's are shown to be good for depression and some for OCD. I can't take them with Bipolar though. They destabilize me, but work great for a lot of other mental disorders, including anxiety.

I take Zoloft for depression and anxiety. I have clonazepam and ativan for "emergencies". I also use cbd oil (canabis) daily.

I like a lot of breathing exercises to help deal with anxiety. I also use a fidgit cube and weighted blanket.

[lost_lover]

I am stuck on clonozapam, I have tired other stuff more appropriate for long term use but this is all that works for me. When I have panic I do a lot of deep breather, I also used to do a lot of guided meditation recordings. If you can avoid the benzos I wouldn’t recommend then, if for no other reason then you end up in a contant argument with doctors that yes you do need them, but if you have tired everything else and that are still super bad (like I cannot hold a conversation clearly without it) then maybe look into them.

[mindwrench]

I try to stay focused on things that interest me, or work that needs to be done. There is a certain amount of "checking" that I always do, and sometimes it is benign, and others it facilitates triggering more anxiety. When the anxiety sets in harder I go for the Benedryl and Hydroxyzine, and some herbal sleepy tea. The level at which I peak and begin coming down varies with many factors. As I look at the thread title again, I wonder if maybe nothing helps my chronic anxiety, but sometimes these things help keep it from becoming a full blown attack.

[Guiness187055]

xanax and seroquel

[EvilAleister]

Medication-wise? Clonazepam.
Otherwise, what xRavenx said above.