Stress Center Peer Support

I was just thinking about how earlier in the week I was feeling really good and gave some advice to others on how to deal with the negative thoughts. Now I'm feeling sort of stuck in my own little 'loop' and I wonder why it is that one day I'm able to start feeling anxiety and I can make the right thought choices and it goes away, then suddenly I get hit with it and I get "stuck" again.

I didn't sleep well last night at all. I took my Xanax as usual and even took another 1/2 (I'm prescribed .25 but usually take 1/2) at 3am to try and help. It didn't. My mind is caught in this loop of being afraid of the fear and then feeling worse and then scaring myself.

I know I'm doing it and I know as soon as I stop being afraid of the anxiety it will get better, so why is it that I can't calm down all the sudden?

first off i am so sorry. but i knowhow you feel!! youre not alone. used to take lorazepam and adivanand had a bad sleeping pattern. is there something in your life that youre not happy about? subconsciencely it could be something but it feels like it just happens forno reason. i feel you tho. keep me posted.

Faith, I know exactly how you feel..I try to sleep and my mind keeps thinking about problems ..sometimes if I have my vibrating squishy pillow..the sound helps to lull me into sleep..Also sometimes I'll have wierd dreams and I'll wake up in a panic..I'm also afraid to go to sleep because I'm afraid of the bodily feelings of how you lose control of your body and your body feels so heavy and also the foggy feeling that you feel when you wake up..It usually takes me about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to get out of that fog in the morning...Some natural things that have helped me are warm milk (naturally has tryptophan which makes you tired) just like turkey and sometimes when I can't sleep, what helps me is to get up and go out of my room and read until I get sleepy again and drink a cup of Chamomile tea relaxes me naturally to help me get back to sleep..Well here's to some good zz's tonight..

Faith - I've asked myself the same exact question countless number of times. Lately, I've been stuck in a bad sleep cycle as well and every time this happens, my anxiety heightens. I'll be fine but one night of restless and interrupted sleep and it's back. It's so frustrating. We need to keep working. The weird thing is that in the past, when I get better it's like a switch that goes off and I'm ok again. I've always felt that when my mind quiets, I get better. Weird! Don't forget that you're not alone in this.

Hi Faith:
Sleeping is awful!! We have all been there before and I am sure when I turn in tonight I'll be fighting off the restlessness too! Just know that when you're lying there warm and awake in Texas, I am freezing in Chicago going through the same thing as you!! Take care hun! It can only get better!!

Yeah I'm waiting for that 'switch' and I hope it comes soon. I'm thinking maybe the Xanax I've been taking has messed me up. I'm going to try going without it. I feel really bad this morning. I've never had insomnia 3 nights in a row before and I've hardly eaten either. I need to get it together. . .

as for something making me unhappy it's the kids in daycare longer. That makes me sad but we need the money. And the irony is when I feel like this I can't enjoy them when I do have them; which makes me feel guilty. I'm in a cycle right now I need to get out of it.

Faith,
I feel exactly as you do. I was doing fine for a couple days and I always think its over,, I know its over,, and than there it is again full force.. Its strange how anixety can come and go like that. I too get the restless sleep, and its funny how you said you woke up at 3 am and took your Xanax,, I usually wake up at 3am also, and I have to take my klonopin,, even if its a qaurter of the pill, anything to make me sleep a little bit. And my dreams are so strange and realistic that I hate sleeping sometime. And as far as daycare goes,, I do daycare in my home,, how I mangage to keep it together and not feel anxiety while the kids are here I will never know but I do. If I did not do that I would be a mess, so I am thankful God gives me the strength to do that. Just remember you are not alone Faith you really are not. My Anxiety is full steam right now because my dad has terminal lung cancer and my mom died of cancer also,, so my anxiety is knocking on my door with a vengence this time. We can only pray we will normal lives again,, and I do belive we will, we just need to close that door someday when it comes knocking and never let it in again.. Hang in there, if you ever need to talk feel free to PM me..

♥Gina

fiath....

I completely understand what your saying and yes finding the things in your life that are upsetting you will help to control these feelings....I do it all the time. I get upset or overwhelmed and then even though I dont feel it terribly all day long (cuz Im busy) I feel it all night and it disrupts my sleep with dreams and feelings and symptoms and that sets me up for a bad day the next.

I have something to suggest as an alternative to your xanax since you say you might want to try to stop using that as your sleep aid. I agree that sometimes I feel off the following day after taking mine and I take it almost exactly as you start with 1/2 pill and add the other if necessary and only sparatically.

I use the Bach Rescue Remedy and the Rescue sleep. They seem to help me and Im able to fall asleep.....also theres another over the counter product I found called midnight. Its all natural as well no drugs no side effects its basically meletonin which is a substance the body naturally creates to promote healthy sleep.....Of course the chamomile tea the sleepy time tea are all good as well.

I am always looking for natural ways to take that edge off when it comes up so I hope that you can appreciate this advise. Hang in there you doing just fine. Although its scary you now know what it is and what to do so try to float through it...

And as for the kids maybe you could set aside some time on the weekends even a couple hours just for them. Thats what we do. Even though Im a stay at home mom we make Saturday mornings the kids time. My son takes piano and we all go and watch so he feels its all about him and then my daughter goes to ballet and then she also feels like she is special. We are all together like a family and then we have some lunch together sometimes take out sometimes we just make some hot dogs at home but no phones, no computers, no tv just us. Its helping me feel like they feel they matter....its a good feeling and its just a couple hours and we can all find a couple hours in one day.

Try it. See if it works for you...you can just do stuff at home paint in the kitchen, playdough, whatever.....be creative but make it thier time all about them.

Dodger

Thanks guys. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to take the Xanax any more. I'm hoping I don't have any problems tonight from not taking it. I'm sure that since it's only been about 10 days and I was only taking .125 at night that I'll be fine. If it's not helping there's no point in taking it and it's possible it's making me worse.

I just need to keep myself distracted today I'm so on edge. And my goal today is to eat more and drink more water I know that will help.

I was having a panic attack so bad this morning and my husband said "fine, get ready I'll bring you to the hospital" and I was shocked I was like. . "you think I need to?" and he said no but he was trying to show me that I was blowing this out of proportion.

I have to bring my daughter to a party today so I do have to sort of get it together. I will. Right now I'm trying to clean and stay busy. Sure do feel yucky. I feel like I have all this agitation I just can't calm down. "this too shall pass"

Gosh, I sure do remember when I encountered sleep deprivation. While I don't necessarily have a definitive solution, I'd like to offer a few possible recommendations:

- SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLS of the program. What are you really eating, watch your sugar intake & caffeine intake, are you eating too heavy b/4 bedtime? Are you exercising: having a means to get rid of that excess adrenanline? are you doing relax sessions or some means of giving yourself a timeout: could be relax session, a nice bubble bath w/ soft music, sitting outside in your backyard & just being - knowing you don't have to be anywhere else but right there. Are you JOURNALING your neg to pos self talk? Sometimes, the neg thoughts are so darn SUBTLE - that we have trouble noticing them - then, b/4 you know it - they cumulate = heightened anxiety or a panic attack. What are you telling yourself?

- WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR LIFE? Chances are, there is something going on that is creating such stress levels - that it is creating heightened anxiety. FIND THE SOURCE. Once you figure out what the SOURCE is - PROB SOLVE/RESOLVE - so that you don't endlessly WORRY. Remember, when you WORRY all the time - you don't resolve anything - it effects your eating & YOUR SLEEPING. SO, FACE/ADDRESS/RESOLVE/DISSOLVE & let go.
<span class="ev_code_RED">I wanted to state - whenever I encountered sleep deprivation or even now, a break in my sleep patterns - there is something going on in my life that I am thinking lots about- but not doing anything about it. What EXAGERATED the sleep deprivation, was OH NO'G about it & OBSESSING about it. In other words, "oh no, I didn't sleep last night & I felt like crap - tonights gonna come - I bet I'm not gonna sleep again" . OBSESSING will so greatly effect your sleep as well. Respectively, DON'T MAKE A BIG DEAL about it - by over reacting to it, constantly thinking & talking about it & posting about it, looking for the answer to a solution, when we already have the answer's w/in ourselves. </span> I had such extreme & severe sleep deprivation when my anxiety disorder triggered - I became soooooo sensitized to it, IT BECAME A FEAR. I obsessed about it so much, asking everyone & their mother - I created add'l anxiety(on top of what I was already feeling that created the initial sleep disruption)- that it further inhibited my sleep.

Now, I haven't taken a sleep aid in like 1 1/2 yrs & no anxiety med since Dec-2006, I do experience a break in my sleep patterns now. Yes it isn't as severe as 3 yrs ago. But I also effect that NOW - I don't over-react to it. I don't "oh no I had a bad nights sleep. I'm gonna go thru that sleep thing again", etc - I SAY NONE OF THAT. I under-react to it, trying reallllllllllllllly hard. "ok, so what, no big deal", I just carry on. I make sure to be gentle w/ myself: eating right, exercising: get rid of that excess adrenaline, relax, work on what is REALLY BOTHERING ME & acknowledge/address/resolve/dissolve & let go=good sleeping. I simply don't obsess about it: whether talking, thinking, reacting, posting here - under react to it.

Your friend,

LENORE