Rough day....need a "pick me up"

[jtswenson]

After a weekend of perhaps small improvements. I spent the whole day today alone on the couch. I'm clearly depressed to an extent, but the symptoms are crazy. I can lay down and feel decent for the most part, but as soon as I stand up or walk around, all of a sudden it gets really hard to breathe. I spent today trying to work on my reactions to anxiety etc. but as seemingly calm as I remained I couldn't help myself but be worked up. I have a hard time breathing and then I start to get faint feeling. I've never passed out from this and it has happened plenty of times before, but while I used to struggle with palpitations, now I just have a hard time breathing. I get gut pain and I have had worse reflux lately, but it sucked being stuck on the couch. I didn't even walk to get the mail which is just at the end of my driveway. I know I'm fearful of what could happen, but what actually is happening is even more scary right now. Thanks for being my sounding board other than my journal.

[Mimigirl]

Are you working the program yet ? I can promise you one thing it is possible to get better I promise you that if you work hard on the program and get support here from people who understand you will live again and be happy. I too was stuck on the couch for a long long time and so afraid to move because of my anxiety panic and dizziness, then the depression started and it was aweful. The good news is I started working the program then got a coach from the StressCenter.com and life started to turn around for me. Dont get me wrong I have had big giant bumps in the road it is not an easy road but the good news is with the proper lessons tools and self talk it can and will improve this I can promise you. You just have to believe it will work and you can do it I believe in you I have faith in you and your ability to get better. It takes time it is not easy but so so possible and once you start to get the hang of it, the easier it gets. When you anticipate getting up off the couch which I know you do we all did I did for sure then it makes the symptoms and body feelings alot more intense b/c we have kind of already sabaotged ourselves b/c we really believe we wont feel well so of course we dont it is in our head that was the hardest for me to accept but now it is comforting sounds odd I am sure right now. So try this next time you are worried about getting up think I am no different getting up then i am laying on the couch I am just telling myself i am safe on the couch so I believe it try saying when you get up I am fine getting up I might feel a little anxioius and funny but it is ok I will do it slow and sit up first for a while take a breath and then breath slow and try it slowly telling yourself i am fine this is anxiety that is all it is it cannot hurt me.
I hope this helps I could keep writing lol, if you need me at all just write back on here and I will answer you and help in anyway I can. I have been where you are and it is so scary I know but you are not alone we are here for you and I believe in you. Have a little faith and it will grow and grow and remember remind yourself it is just anxiety

Take care God bless Mimigirl xo

[jtswenson]

Thanks Mimi,

It was great to hear from someone as supportive as you. The absolute hardest part for me is beleiving that my symptoms are caused solely by anxiety, stress, and/or depression. I don't understand how I can feel so terribly just from this. Even now, after my wife is home from work and I feel significantly less anxious, I still feel quite cruddy and have a hard time breathing with pain in my gut. It certainly helps to hear from people who've been here before. I just have the hardest time making sense of it. There's so many ways that it seems to make sense, I just can't get over the severity of my symptoms. I have been using the program for about 5 weeks now and have skipped around to different sessions that I thought would be most helpful. I just listened to the 3rd session cd today while I wasn't feeling the best and then a gal who had had a heart attack from being too anxious or something was interviewed and that made things much worse. I had to skip ahead so I didn't listen to what she said. I'm the kind of guy who changes the chanell if a lipitor commercial comes on because I get anxious about it. Thanks again for the support! God Bless You!

[Mimigirl]

That was my biggest thing to I think it is quite common to feel this cannot be just anxiety it is way to severe, but boy oh boy trust me it is. I have had dizziness and heart palps to the point I thought I would go nuts but the breathing is honestly one of the keys to slowing things down do you do the breathing ? I have done the 5,5,5 breathing instead of the 2, 4 I find for me it slows me down much better and it works very well. I will explain it to you so you can try it and do it all the time driving or sitting or laying down at least practice it 3 times a day for 20 minutes it works and when you are anxious or getting up off the couch do it for a few minutes first and focus on it while you are moving around if you are anxious. You breath in for the count of 5 slowly through your nose so your stomach rises like you are blowing up a balloon then hold it for 5 then out of your mouth slowly to the count of 5, the holding actually reverses the adrenaline effect trust me it works. I can advise you of one other thing make sure that you do the program in order it is really important not to skip around there is a reason it is in that order. if you find something like lady bothers you then just dont listen to that part of it, also the key for me and everyone who has successfully gone through the program is the homework do all the homework for each lesson I promise you if you do the program the way it is set up and the homework I will say in a couple of weeks you will write to me and say wow Mimi I feel better. I believe in you and your success make sure to do each leesson for a week number 3 is one of the most important ones so do it all all the homework and write all the negative thoughts down i took 2 weeks on that one and had a couple of little books full of neg thoughts and if you met me you would say wow you have negative thoughts haha I htought no way i am so positive haha sure Mimi well I wasnt to myself in my head and once you see the repetition of your thoughts and then replace them with a postiive one you will see a difference in how you feel. I know how scarey the body symptoms are but trust me anxiety and depressioin can make you feel really sick the good news is you can change all of that.
You can message me anytime if you need anything good lucky I k now you can do it I will be waiting for a good report from you soon but in the meantime I am here to help if I can

God bless you
Mimigirl

[Mimigirl]

I forgot one thing lol, make sure you listen to the relaxation cd as much as you can it is crutial in helping you learn how to relax your body it really works so make sure you use it at least 3 times a day more if you can anytime you feel that overwhelming anxiety put it on it is hard at first but gets easier as you go on with it it was my saving grace

Good luck my friend

[jtswenson]

Thanks again Mimi. I do the breathing techniques and when I'm having a tough time breathing it is hard to get a full deep breath. I know I just need to calm down probably, but it's so hard when I am feeling so terribly. I started writing down my negative thoughts today, so hopefully I will see my patterns and be able to replace them. The lady that called me from the program said I could skip around to the sessions that seemed more relevant to me, so I skipped ahead to a couple others. Anyway, I'll stay on track now and see how I do. Thanks again for the support, hopefully I can report to you soon about my improvements.

[Mimigirl]

Any time honey repor about improvements or just to talk either is fine by me I will support you as best I can feel free to private message me on here as well if you need anything else. I am praying for you and I know you can do this. I know it is hard to breath when you are so tight that is why practice helps and do that relaxation cd that will really help. Good luck I know you will do great
God bless
Mimigirl

[Cancun007]

If you can calm yourself enough to do this breathing exercise it will releave your anxiey...It has no other choice but too. Take a deep breathe in to a count of seven then exhale to a count of eleven. Do this 4 to 5 consecutive times and it should help. Please understand that all your symptoms are completely natural. You like myself and many others just take it to an extreme level. Your body is just naturally reacting to fear. Nothing more or nothing less than a deer fearing an attacking lion. All the blood rushes out of your stomach and into the heart, arms, legs, etc. This is what causes digestive issues. Believe it or not your body is at it's strongest when you are experiencing an anxiety attack...Does not seem like it I know. Try not to focus on the symptoms of your anxiety and

[Cancun007]

try not to focus on the symptoms of your anxiety and focus more on what issues in your life right at this moment are causing the anxiety. I hope this helps...Stay Blessed..