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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 9:30:15
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to calm down when you're really anxious? Last night I couldn't get to sleep until 2 in the morning because I got so anxious (and I have some compulsive tendencies, so anxiety makes that worse). It wasn't about anything specific that I can determine, and my day had been very fun and relaxing. Eventually I got up and watched television until I was tired and I tried to remember to breathe deeply and not up at the top of my chest like I usually do when I'm anxious. I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for situations like that.
sunnydays
Posted by rubenstein on July 5, 2006, at 10:06:18
In reply to anxious, posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 9:30:15
Sometimes I take a shower or do something with my hands like crochet or just fidget with a little toy or something.
Just some thoguhts
rachel
Posted by Racer on July 5, 2006, at 12:41:58
In reply to anxious, posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 9:30:15
When anxiety is keeping me from getting to sleep, I stop and redirect my thoughts into a pleasant daydream. It works. I put myself someplace I want to be, and start a story rolling there. Sometimes I can't stay there, and have to refocus and refocus, but eventually it works. I get so involved in my little story that I go straight to sleep.
In a way, it's kinda rotten -- I always fall asleep in the good parts!
Seriously, though -- that sort of thing does help me, and I use a sort of form of it when I'm awake, too.
Hope that helps!
Posted by Dinah on July 5, 2006, at 14:13:08
In reply to anxious, posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 9:30:15
This may sound kind of weird. But I do a lot of creative visualization for all sorts of things, from pain management to putting myself to sleep.
So what I visualize is something like this. If I'm worrying about something, I try to feel where in my brain the thought is coming from, and I sort of smooth it over. I picture it as squelching the electrical activity. If I start having thoughts again, I just smooth over that part of my brain. If I concentrate at it, I can usually put myself to sleep.
I use a modified form of this visualization to forget something. I don't have as much luck remembering things. :)
The trouble is that visualization requires a fair amount of concentration. So I still wake up with a start thinking anxious thoughts. And if I can't muster the concentration, it won't work.
I'm starting to teach my son creative visualization for pain blocking. So if he scrapes his leg, I have him picture a rubber wall that the nerve impulses can't get through, so the pain bounces back down without his brain ever being aware of it. He says he can get it to work for short periods of time, but I'm not sure if he's humoring me.
Posted by Dinah on July 5, 2006, at 14:15:09
In reply to Re: anxious » sunnydays, posted by Dinah on July 5, 2006, at 14:13:08
Oh, I have another technique for obsessive thoughts as well. I've found obsessive thoughts don't like it when they aren't taken seriously, so I do something to make them seem silly. Like singing them to a very nonscary tune. Or rhyming them.
Posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 17:16:42
In reply to Re: anxious, posted by rubenstein on July 5, 2006, at 10:06:18
Hi -
Thanks for the suggestions. I usually take a shower before bed anyway, so I don't think I'll try that, but if I could figure out something to do with my hands that would be good.
sunnydays
Posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 17:18:24
In reply to Re: anxious, posted by Racer on July 5, 2006, at 12:41:58
Thanks for the suggestion. I try to do that a lot too, but nights like last night, the physical sensations of anxiety just won't let me concentrate on it. I don't really have anxious thoughts, but it's more the physical sensations. Maybe I'm just not in tune with myself to know what the anxiety is about. But thanks for the suggestion - that is a strategy that works a lot of the time for me.
sunnydays
Posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 17:19:46
In reply to Re: anxious » sunnydays, posted by Dinah on July 5, 2006, at 14:13:08
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try to do that and see if it works. I'm worried it might not work for the physical sensations of anxiety, though. My T has a done a little bit of creative visualization work with me. Thanks for the suggestion.
sunnydays
Posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 17:21:04
In reply to Re: anxious, posted by Dinah on July 5, 2006, at 14:15:09
Thanks for the suggestion. I find I don't have obsessive thoughts, so much. It's little rituals that I feel like I have to do to make the anxiety go away. Only they don't work all the time and sometimes make the anxiety worse.
sunnydays
Posted by Dinah on July 5, 2006, at 17:24:58
In reply to Re: anxious » Dinah, posted by sunnydays on July 5, 2006, at 17:19:46
Yes, sometimes the only thing that works for the physical sensations (for me) is medication.
Posted by sunnydays on July 6, 2006, at 23:07:10
In reply to Re: anxious » sunnydays, posted by Dinah on July 5, 2006, at 17:24:58
Yeah, I'm not sure I need a medication for the anxiety other than the antidepressant I'm on. It'd be easier if I had a pdoc I felt comfortable talking to about how I feel. But I don't. But the anxiety has been much better the past couple days. Thanks for responding.
sunnydays
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