Stress Center Peer Support

Hi everyone. I'm a 36 year old mom of 2 wonderful girls and married to the love of my life for the past 15 years.

I did the wonderful Attacking Stress and Anxiety program almost 8 years ago along with taking Prozac (which I am still on) and Xanax (which I stopped). Had a little anxiety/depression relapse in August of last year due to an illness. Was able to do some of the program again and pulled myself out of the "funk" and was great again.

Out of the blue on 12/15 - I was driving to work and had a massive, full blown panic attack - tingly arms, shortness of breath, etc. I pulled off the road (and ironically INTO the hospital parking deck) - took 1/2 a Xanax (.25 mg - that was so old, it was powdery... but I carry them in my purse JUST IN CASE!!) was able to calm down, but was SPENT afterwards emotionally and physically.

Since then, I've been "off". Days alternate where anxiety is worse than depression. But I am aware of it and I'm ready and willing to fight it. That being said, mornings are TERRIBLe for me. I never have problems sleeping - in fact, I would sleep all day if I could (depression talking there....) But in the morning, I'm anxious, have ZERO appetite (and I love to eat) and a bundle of nerves.

Anyone else experience this? I end up taking 1/4 of a Xanax (I have a SUPER sensitive system and trust me - it works!) around 10 and I'm better for the day. As the day goes on, I almost feel NORMAL.... but dread going to bed because I know the morning will not be so great.

Please PM if you want... I would love to hear from people similar to me. Also - I'm working on the program again (TRYING to do it one week at a time, but really want to get better quick....can't help it - we are all perfectionists, aren't we???0

Angie

gstroop28,

I haven't experienced what you are going thru, but a suggestion that popped into mind is to mix up your routine. It sounds like the anticipatory anxiety actually hits you the night before and might be disrupting your sleep cycle (even if you are sleeping thru the night). You may not realize it, but the anticipation of a bad morning may be disturbing your REM sleep or manifesting itself in your dreams. I've read that dreaming is sub-concious problem-solving mode. So maybe you need to focus on your bed-time routine. I'd recommend some gentle yoga before bed. The deep breathing and stretching will prepare your body for good rest. Another gentle yoga session in the morning may help as well. If you don't have time for that, then try the relaxation CD as soon as you get up. The reason I say that is because it sounds like you need to re-teach your body to relax in the morning. Once you've established a relaxed morning routine, the anxiety will more than likely go away. Also, listen to your self-talk and journal those negative thoughts. You may uncover something as you are journaling.

Best wishes!

I can somewhat relate to the drill Gstroop28.

Dont have but a moment I will share more later.

Look really hard at what is not happy or not wanting to looking forward to ?

Matbe a little recheduleing and including some YOU time in your schedule. The Truth is there , just need to identify it and then it gives options.

Have a good nights sleep on me. hehe