When Anxiety Takes Over

Hi Jacmac, I am sorry to read that you are struggling, it is also sad that the Crisis team is so overstretched. My partner has recently been discharged and the home team came out to visit him. The person who visited was off the following 2 days but said that he would call yesterday; he didn't nor did he call. It does make you realize that their are so many people now suffering with mental health issues that you are not alone. If you read my profile, you will discover that I too suffer with anxiety depression. To any one I would say don't expect the medication to work miracles; it takes time for it to kick in and for you to feel the real benefit. In the mean time do all that you can to help yourself. Keep yourself busy, even if you don't feel like it. Simple things to keep your mind ticking over and to also stop you from thinking constantly about "you" and your ailments. I can relate to your dark thoughts, in my darkest days I could never ever imagine that I would laugh and enjoy life again. Believe me you will. Try to replace negative thoughts with positive ones; hard as it maybe. Learn to love yourself for who you are . I recommend concentrating on breathing exercises not just in times of anxiety but as a form of relaxation. I still do them now when I can feel myself getting anxious. Take time out for you, do something that makes you happy or feel good ; these in turn will speed up the "happy hormones". You won't realize the changes in how your feel but others will. Little by little, day by day. Much love x

Thank you so much for replying to me, finding this forum and learning so many people suffer and I am not alone helps.  The future scares me just now but I try and tell myself with time it will get better, early evenings I do feel slightly "normal" and I do try and do the breathing exercises very often during the day.  It will take small steps and I know I should not look too far ahead, so sorry to read that your partner did not get the help he was promised the NHS are so overstretched and it gives me hope to read that you yourself are managing to laugh and enjoy life again, this is my aim to become me again, in the past I was able to cope with my anxiety and depression but I need to learn how to find that again.  Thank you again x (little by little, day to day) x

An acute mental health team that can only visit once a fortnight is struggling. If you were referred to your Community Mental Health Team you might get a visit from a Community Psychiatric Nurse once a week. I do have some sympathy for them. I managed a Child Protection Team for a while. We started at 7.30 am and if we got home before 8 pm we thought we had had a good day. I think some services have such problems that workers working longer hours isn't going to solve them. It also destroys your workers.

Beta blockers don't have a build up period like anti-depressants. If you are on something like Propranolol it should be working after a couple of doses. Beta blockers are not like other anxiolytics. They suppress the physical symptoms of anxiety-rapid heartbeat, sweating, tremor, reasonably efficiently. They don't act directly on anxious thoughts. Some people in the medium term get a reduction in anxious thoughts but it is not that common. Beta Blocker is short for Beta Adrenergic Blocker. They block the effects of adrenaline. I am not sure they make it to the brain. If they are not helping I would raise this with whoever prescribed them.

You can get some support from here. It is quiet but better than nothing. Take care.

Love

Steve

Might be worth getting in touch with MIND as well they offer workshops and drop in centres for people to attend or go to when feeling that desperate, I have used them for myself when I have been really bad and then referred patients to them when they discuss things with me.  Don't feel sad it is very difficult to cope with everything that life throws at you.   Keep talking on here it will help and we are all here for you x