My biggest challenge with anxiety is upon waking up in the AM. It seems like within seconds of opening my eyes my brain has already sent a signal to my body that I am going to be anxious for the day.
I am also dealing with having a wide open schedule - with not much on my plate each day,a s I have recently taken a leave of absence from my job. So, although it is a relief not to have the pressure of work right now, I am not comfortable with all the extra time either.
Any suggestions?
Anxious in the AM
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Guest
Wake-up is the worst time for me too. Because I'm on disability, i, too, have a lot of time on my hands to think too much. But I try to stay busy with good TV, computer (family history is a wonderful hobby to get into), reading, or calling a friend who understands me or who might need a listening ear herself. Service will ALWAYS make you feel better. Offer to help a neighbor with yard work or their hobby, or transportation or just a phone call to check on them. The most important thing is to STOP negative thoughts as quickly as possible, USE those little cards that came with the program. They really help. I've always thouht of myself and my life as a real failure--one failure after another, actually. But today I realized how long I've suffered with debilitating things like anxiety and depression (since I was four!), and diseases that are not life-threatening but make me so tired, and how I've always pushed myself through them refusing to stop trying--and I realized that I'm not a failure at all. Maybe I didn't accomplish what I wanted, but I kept pushing myself for others; so that makes me a success in God's eyes. I don't care what others think any more. I know better. Best of blessings to you during your time off--we can beat this!!!
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I love this forum!!
About the morning anxiety, I used to have that and someone mentioned on the forum in the past that if you have morning anxiety one should exercise in the evening and vise versa. It really helped me. It's best for me to exercise for 10 minutes after eating to get rid of that "groggy feeling". Hope this helps!
About the morning anxiety, I used to have that and someone mentioned on the forum in the past that if you have morning anxiety one should exercise in the evening and vise versa. It really helped me. It's best for me to exercise for 10 minutes after eating to get rid of that "groggy feeling". Hope this helps!
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Thanks. Will try it.
Also, I am taking lexapro and my dr has me taking it around 8:00PM, so that it will be fully in my system when I wake up in the AM. However, I am wide awake at night. Not sure if this is due to lexapro or to the fact that my thyroid is over medicated and is contributing to insomnia.
Any thoughts?
Also, I am taking lexapro and my dr has me taking it around 8:00PM, so that it will be fully in my system when I wake up in the AM. However, I am wide awake at night. Not sure if this is due to lexapro or to the fact that my thyroid is over medicated and is contributing to insomnia.
Any thoughts?
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HisGirl...talk to your doctor about the Lexapro. I dont know how long you have been on it. And if you are taking Thyroid medication he may want to adjust one or the other. Do you take your thyroid med early in the am?
I have had those anxious moments awakening in the morning, I dont focus on negativity in the morning.....and I cant get back to a normal sleep pattern,and I dont take medications....but in your case I would talk to my doctor first. It may be interfering with your sleep cycle. I am an RN for 18 years so this is the best information I can provide for you....... creamcheese
I have had those anxious moments awakening in the morning, I dont focus on negativity in the morning.....and I cant get back to a normal sleep pattern,and I dont take medications....but in your case I would talk to my doctor first. It may be interfering with your sleep cycle. I am an RN for 18 years so this is the best information I can provide for you....... creamcheese
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creamcheese
Thanks for the input. Since my post I have seen an endo to get on track with my thyroid issue. She seems to think that many of my anx issues are very related to that. I have been on natural thyroid for 9 months and found out last week that I have been very over medicated. (My TSH was .1)
Although she does use integrative medicine, she wants me back on the synthetic thyroid so that we can regulate it better than the natural. I will continue taking that in the AM and the lexapro at night for now. She doesn't want to make too many changes at once.
The good news is, that for the last 2 mornings I have not had AM anxiety. Let's hope this is the start of my system regulating.
Take Care,
HisGirl
Thanks for the input. Since my post I have seen an endo to get on track with my thyroid issue. She seems to think that many of my anx issues are very related to that. I have been on natural thyroid for 9 months and found out last week that I have been very over medicated. (My TSH was .1)
Although she does use integrative medicine, she wants me back on the synthetic thyroid so that we can regulate it better than the natural. I will continue taking that in the AM and the lexapro at night for now. She doesn't want to make too many changes at once.
The good news is, that for the last 2 mornings I have not had AM anxiety. Let's hope this is the start of my system regulating.
Take Care,
HisGirl
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Hisgirl....Excellent news. Glad to hear it.
I myself have practiced Holistic Nursing for some time. I am familier with Herbs, Homeopathic meds, nutritional support and such.
However. I know that these are sometimes not as strong or effective as some conventional meds are. You also didnt mention if your doctor was checking your Thyroid bloodwork for proper
levels. 9 months is an awful long time. This is a funny thing also....when I go to a doctor (which is rare) I dont tell them I am a nurse up front.....you have to see the looks on their faces when they order me to take conventional medication....it happened to me with my cholesterol levels....the doctor just threw Zocor at me. I said" UH, ok...let me tell you this, Im a nurse, and first of all you didnt even speak of a diet regimen, exercise and stress control..... I wish I had a camera....what a picture of his mug that would have been to have!!! creamcheese.
I myself have practiced Holistic Nursing for some time. I am familier with Herbs, Homeopathic meds, nutritional support and such.
However. I know that these are sometimes not as strong or effective as some conventional meds are. You also didnt mention if your doctor was checking your Thyroid bloodwork for proper
levels. 9 months is an awful long time. This is a funny thing also....when I go to a doctor (which is rare) I dont tell them I am a nurse up front.....you have to see the looks on their faces when they order me to take conventional medication....it happened to me with my cholesterol levels....the doctor just threw Zocor at me. I said" UH, ok...let me tell you this, Im a nurse, and first of all you didnt even speak of a diet regimen, exercise and stress control..... I wish I had a camera....what a picture of his mug that would have been to have!!! creamcheese.
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Creamcheese - Happy Easter - He is risen!
Here is some more history:
I started seeing a naturapath last July. I had been on levo 50mcgs for 7 years and then had a thyroid nodule removed in Dec. of 08. By July I wss feeling sluggish and found that my TSH had gone to 7, so I decided to try a new approach. The naturapath put me on 2 grains of nature thyroid and in 8 weeks my levels dropped to .285. Also, my overall cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides each dropped 50 points. I also started developing issues with low blood sugar - I had to eat every 3 hours.
She cut back the thyroid to 1 and 1/2 grains a day and TSH leveled out around 1.65.
I had a very eventful fall when all these changes were happening. My college bound son was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia and had 2 cardiac cathetar ablations. I also had one, as I had been dealing with excessive PVCs for 18 yrs. At the time of my ablation, I was having 31,000 extra beats a day.
Anyhow, it wasn't until after the Holidays that I realized how anxious and jittery I was feeling. I also couldn't sleep, etc. The naturapath never attributed it to the thyroid. It was my "regular" family dr. who checked my TSH a few weeks ago and suggested that perhaps I was getting too much thyroid because my level was at .2. When I saw the symptoms of over-medication on-line, I was amazed - I had almost all of them!
So I saw an endo who practices integrative medicine. She thinks most of these symptoms including he low blood sugar episodes are due to too much thyroid stimulation.
We'll see how it goes. I am starting to generally feel a bit better. I know it will take a while to balance out. It helps just knowing that there is a physical part of this puzzle.
Take Care,
HisGirl
Here is some more history:
I started seeing a naturapath last July. I had been on levo 50mcgs for 7 years and then had a thyroid nodule removed in Dec. of 08. By July I wss feeling sluggish and found that my TSH had gone to 7, so I decided to try a new approach. The naturapath put me on 2 grains of nature thyroid and in 8 weeks my levels dropped to .285. Also, my overall cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides each dropped 50 points. I also started developing issues with low blood sugar - I had to eat every 3 hours.
She cut back the thyroid to 1 and 1/2 grains a day and TSH leveled out around 1.65.
I had a very eventful fall when all these changes were happening. My college bound son was diagnosed with a heart arrhythmia and had 2 cardiac cathetar ablations. I also had one, as I had been dealing with excessive PVCs for 18 yrs. At the time of my ablation, I was having 31,000 extra beats a day.
Anyhow, it wasn't until after the Holidays that I realized how anxious and jittery I was feeling. I also couldn't sleep, etc. The naturapath never attributed it to the thyroid. It was my "regular" family dr. who checked my TSH a few weeks ago and suggested that perhaps I was getting too much thyroid because my level was at .2. When I saw the symptoms of over-medication on-line, I was amazed - I had almost all of them!
So I saw an endo who practices integrative medicine. She thinks most of these symptoms including he low blood sugar episodes are due to too much thyroid stimulation.
We'll see how it goes. I am starting to generally feel a bit better. I know it will take a while to balance out. It helps just knowing that there is a physical part of this puzzle.
Take Care,
HisGirl
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Guest
His girl, I am happy this is leveling out for you. Its imperative for people like yourself to keep the medical staff on their toes....Internet has helped in a way....but then people do become hypochondiacs from it also...not a good thing. And physicians MUST realize the stress factor that people do have when they are sick.....STress just going to see a doctor can change bloodwork and results of certain tests. The Whole must be taken in Mind and Body together....it works together.Physical symptoms will get the mind overloaded and the mind can get singulary overloaded and THEN the body follows.....ITs a full circle.....just like the Native Americans say.....Everything comes full circle and all life is like this. creamcheese.