Stress Center Peer Support

Hi Rhonda,
i just read through your post and wanted to add my support and encouragement... i've been a Christian for 49 years and have suffered with depression and anxiety off and on for 40 of those 49 years. am i defeated? no... have i been cast down? yes... many times... but, often those trials ...

I definitely think that you are depressed. You should see your doctor, really.

So far as taking your blood pressure in a pharmacy... no, you cannot rely on those machines. It could be a cuff problem, calibration problem, etc. Stop by a fire station and they will take it, gladly, for free, if you ...

Thanks to ebunny, dbail and msmom. Analyzing what you three are doing is encouraging. I mean that between the three of you, your total prescription drugs are .5 ativan per day! That is pretty good. If I stop the amitryptiline for more than a few days, the focused panic state starts again and is only ...

JP,
Try the deep breathing exercises and say to yourself as you breathe-I am calm, I am calm. If you can, get up and walk around a little and do something physical. Above all, pray for peace of mind. It will come. Remember, it is just thoughts that are scaring you and that's all. It will stop. Good ...

I'm not a new member but I just wanted to say how great it is that you've come so far. I'm happy for you. You are an inspiration. Keep it up!

I'm going to attempt an answer for you, Leda, and please understand that I come from my heart.

When you do NOT have expectations of others you are NOT hurt. It's normal to have some expectations but in the long run you will always be hurt. You are in victim mode right now and I suspect you have ...

Just curious if there are any IC patients out there (I've meant a couple here, just curious if anyone else was out there)- just thought it would be a nice way to talk about the symptoms and dealing with symptoms and on-and-off flares- from the perspective of anxiety. Until now, I've posted on this ...

Oh, and what Martin70 wrote about picking one phrase to repeat over and over again helped me TREMENDOUSLY when I was in a long, loud cycle of obsessive thoughts. I didn't say it to distract, but to almost meditate on a phrase and shut my min off. The repetitiveness truly helps to relax the mind ...

HEy there Mack- well you've already got some great advice from the posts above so hthere's not much I can add but I do understand where you're coming from- I've had some obsessions that were "weird" or "silly" and I felt exasperated even trying to describe them to the ones I love! But for me the ...

Mornings used to be the worst time for me too. I used to hate going to bed for fear of the morning. I started spending time before bed visualizing what the next day was going to be like. I gave myself something to look forward to, something small. I bought a pretty crystal amethyst candle holder to ...