# How do you deal with anxiety



## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

So I am a member of Canadian mental health and we do a newsletter each month and a news cast each week. And I want to do a segment on tricks with dealing anxiety. So I’m reaching out for different coping strategies are. Thanks in advance your friend Jared. 


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## Verne (Dec 29, 2018)

I find if I am (or getting) anxious, I will try to quickly determine why, and if I am in control of the reason(s). Once I do that, I try to reverse the anxiety by retaking control of the situation as best and as fast as I can. It doesn't always work, but it does for me a lot of the time. This is also dependent on the situation I am in at the time. If it is nothing I have control over, then it is much harder to reverse the anxiety building.


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

For several decades now and I haven't found anything that has helped.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Have wild sex with the wife... Always calms me down...


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## Khorah (Apr 11, 2013)

I make a list. I physically write it out on a pad of paper with today's date. I write all the things I want and have to do. There is great satisfaction in crossing them off or checking them. I always feel like I'm getting stuff done, instead of wondering why there is so much to do!


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## slag banal (May 4, 2020)

Self-medicate, seriously!


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

Frenchy99 said:


> Have wild sex with the wife... Always calms me down...


Actually sex is great for stress because it releases different chemicals and hormones that help against stress. I can’t remember what it is called for .


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Start by recognizing what it is. If you can't figure out what's causing it, identify the things that are within your control that always make you feel better, prioritize them and follow it as a temporary life plan. *Ask for help.* Delegate tasks to other co-workers or family members. Consider nutrition, exercise, vitamins, proper hydration. Give up coffee or switch to decaf. Remind yourself of all the times in the past you have felt this way, and everything turned out all right. Avoid drugs and alcohol. Talk to your doctor, especially if medication may be a cause. Meditate. Try yoga. Be grateful. And remember you''re not alone, lots of people feel anxiety at greater or lesser levels at least some of the time.


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

BlueRocker said:


> Start by recognizing what it is. If you can't figure out what's causing it, identify the things that are within your control that always make you feel better, prioritize them and follow it as a temporary life plan. *Ask for help.* Delegate tasks to other co-workers or family members. Consider nutrition, exercise, vitamins, proper hydration. Give up coffee or switch to decaf. Remind yourself of all the times in the past you have felt this way, and everything turned out all right. Avoid drugs and alcohol. Talk to your doctor, especially if medication may be a cause. Meditate. Try yoga. Be grateful. And remember you''re not alone, lots of people feel anxiety at greater or lesser levels at least some of the time.


My biggest problem with anxiety is when it acts up I do feel alone and frankly really worthless. Even though I know it’s completely not true. It makes me glad to hear my aunt is moving down street. And your points are really true


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I've been mostly easygoing for years--which helps.
But I can still feel anxiety.

Realizing I can't control most things actually helps.
Relaxing helps.
Music helps--listenign &/or playing.
Humour helps--a good comedy can do wonders.
And another thing not mentioned that really helps is prayer.


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## 1979 930 (Oct 13, 2019)

Meditation. Single biggest life changer for me. 10 mins a day with an app (headspace). To deal with anxiety, you need to learn to be confortable feeling it, acknowledging it and the let it go.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I just stay away from people, particularly large gatherings. 3 or 4 other people is reaching the threshold of my comfort level. That keeps a lot of my anxiety at bay because I have a low tolerance for stupidity. Covid hasn't changed my life much as a result.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)




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## ga20t (Jul 22, 2010)

If it's a stretch of anxiety, I remove myself from the stressful situation/people, turn off the tv and the computer and take some me time for reading or spending time in nature, or cooking something I haven't tried or perfected yet. Maybe I'll check out a new fishing spot or surprise an old friend I appreciate and don't see often and bring them a coffee.

This was never possible working for someone else and punching a clock, and I struggled and suffered for many years with it. For a long time I felt like something was wrong with me. But it turns out I'm just not an a-type, a social climber, a snap-in-liner, a narcissist, a whipping boy or a social butterfly, and to try to fit in that mold was pretty poisonous to my health, never mind what failing horribly at something every day of the year does to a person.

I no longer feel worried about not answering my phone when it doesn't suit me, and almost every time I'm having a really bad day due to external factors (people attempting to manipulate), I'm more equipped to efficiently prioritize and turn it around. But they still stress me the eff out. It's just that you have to learn to be honest with yourself and find ways to manage things and stick with it (like exercise).


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

ga20t said:


> If it's a stretch of anxiety, I remove myself from the stressful situation/people, turn off the tv and the computer and take some me time for reading or spending time in nature, or cooking something I haven't tried or perfected yet. Maybe I'll check out a new fishing spot or surprise an old friend I appreciate and don't see often and bring them a coffee.
> 
> This was never possible working for someone else and punching a clock, and I struggled and suffered for many years with it. For a long time I felt like something was wrong with me. But it turns out I'm just not an a-type, a social climber, a snap-in-liner, a narcissist, a whipping boy or a social butterfly, and to try to fit in that mold was pretty poisonous to my health, never mind what failing horribly at something every day of the year does to a person. I no longer feel worried about not answering my phone when it doesn't suit me, and almost every time I'm having a really bad day due to external factors (people attempting to manipulate), I'm more equipped to efficiently prioritize and turn it around. But they still stress me the eff out. It's just that you have to learn to be honest with yourself and find ways to manage things and stick with it (like exercise).


I must say the phone was a problem. Not getting a quick response or being able to respond right away really got to me. So I am great full I got the number of a girl who is the exact opposite of me and couldn’t care less about the phone or social media. And because of her I no longer need to hear a response quickly. I actually got rid of Facebook about a month ago because I found it was starting to effect me in a bad way. And strangely as someone else mention I find cooking relaxing. Well it gives you a list and you got to follow that list . And a list can break what ever your mind is fixated on. One thing I liked about my old job was when I’d get worked up they weren’t afraid to say “ Jared stop! Breath “ and that actually worked vary well for me . 


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Serotonin is the brains "happy drug". 
Keeping levels at a healthy rate can be key to staying mentally fit.









Serotonin: Functions, Normal Range, Side Effects, and More


Serotonin is considered a natural mood stabilizer. Learn how it can affect your physical, mental, and emotional health.




www.healthline.com





Sunshine, excersize and a healthy diet will all help.
There are medications to boost levels, but I'd use that as a last resort.

Meditation will help in calming and there are many guided medtations on YT.
One site I've frequented is Headspace.


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## pickslide (May 9, 2006)

For me Marijuana really helps. I find that just a bit really takes the edge off and can help me calm down and focus. This is my personal experience and it is not for everybody, but could help.


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## fretzel (Aug 8, 2014)




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## MetalTele79 (Jul 20, 2020)

I used to experience anxiety then one day many years ago I just realised that I don't actually care about what others think of me and life's been much more enjoyable since then.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Jim DaddyO said:


> I just stay away from people, particularly large gatherings. 3 or 4 other people is reaching the threshold of my comfort level. That keeps a lot of my anxiety at bay because I have a low tolerance for stupidity. Covid hasn't changed my life much as a result.


This



and weed.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I've suffered anxiety for decades. As I get older it seems to be getting better which is the opposite of what I thought when I was young. At times my anxiety would build in to a full blown panic attack. After a panic attack subsided I'd feel tired and far more calm. In the past I'd try to develop strategies for calming to avoid panic attacks. I'd have to find things that would occupy my mind so I'd think of something else. Guitar playing helped me a lot. When I used to gig I'd have anxiety sometimes while on a break. As soon as I got back on stage and played it would subside. I had this golf game on the computer that would help as well. 
The most annoying thing about panic attacks would be waking from a dead sleep in to one. 
When I was younger panic attacks lead to hospital visits. I didn't now what they were and honestly thought I was dying. Once the Internet came along and I was able to research what was happening I felt a whole lot better knowing that I wasn't alone in this. I guess the older I got the more I came to realize this thing isn't going to kill me. So the less you fear it the less effect and control it has on you.
I used to avoid people as much as I could. I used to avoid walks as open spaces freaked me out and still do to a certain degree. Although avoidance behavior works in the short term it inevitably makes thins worse as its not realistic to be able to avoid things forever and one day you'll find your self not being able to avoid people or the things that trigger the anxiety and when you're in one of those situations you'll have absolutely no skills to defend against the anxiety.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

guitarman2 said:


> I used to avoid people as much as I could. I used to avoid walks as open spaces freaked me out and still do to a certain degree. Although avoidance behavior works in the short term it inevitably makes thins worse as its not realistic to be able to avoid things forever and one day you'll find your self not being able to avoid people or the things that trigger the anxiety and when you're in one of those situations you'll have absolutely no skills to defend against the anxiety.



I think there are no "one size fits all" solutions to these problems, but I will say that it sounds like you have had the benefit of professional advice, where I have not.

But, avoiding NEEDLESS exposure to large crowds of people (which to me have no appeal or benefit) is helpful to me.

When I need to stand in front of a group and speak or present, I deal with it and rise to the occasion. At the risk of sounding immodest about it, I _have _managed to make a career out of that and a few other basic skills.

I choose to avoid parties, concerts, sporting events and I don't miss it.

I just don't enjoy having people close to me, other than my family and a few close friends and colleagues.

That was my way well before Covid.

I avoid anti-depressants and other chemical intervention and choose instead to self medicate with a more natural herb.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Milkman said:


> I think there are no "one size fits all" solutions to these problems, but I will say that it sounds like you have had the benefit of professional advice, where I have not.
> 
> But, avoiding NEEDLESS exposure to large crowds of people (which to me have no appeal or benefit) is helpful to me.
> 
> ...



I wouldn't exactly call not liking being around crowds as "avoidance behavior". If you don't like it you don't like it. I'm the same. I hate crowds. I'm actually enjoying dining out now. Not near as many people in the restaruants and theres lots of room in between tables.
A year before this pandemic hit I booked a whole series of concerts including Keith Urban, The Eagles, Nitty Gritty Dirt band, among others. Did one a month from March to September. I did it for my wife because she loves that kind of thing and I spent many years avoiding those. It was way out of my comfort zone but she watched me buy gear for my self for so many years. I also booked a couple trips (Jamaica the US) which is also something I wouldn't do my self. 
I also avoid medication as I think its a band aid that eventually makes things worse.
As for the weed thing thats something that I used to do until it started making me paranoid and giving me anxiety. So no recreationally drugs for me either. I'm glad its legal though. My wife has trouble sleeping so I bought her some oil (Not CBD but THC) now she sleeps like a baby.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

guitarman2 said:


> I wouldn't exactly call not liking being around crowds as "avoidance behavior". If you don't like it you don't like it. I'm the same. I hate crowds. I'm actually enjoying dining out now. Not near as many people in the restaruants and theres lots of room in between tables.
> A year before this pandemic hit I booked a whole series of concerts including Keith Urban, The Eagles, Nitty Gritty Dirt band, among others. Did one a month from March to September. I did it for my wife because she loves that kind of thing and I spent many years avoiding those. It was way out of my comfort zone but she watched me buy gear for my self for so many years. I also booked a couple trips (Jamaica the US) which is also something I wouldn't do my self.
> I also avoid medication as I think its a band aid that eventually makes things worse.
> As for the weed thing thats something that I used to do until it started making me paranoid and giving me anxiety. So no recreationally drugs for me either. I'm glad its legal though. My wife has trouble sleeping so I bought her some oil (Not CBD but THC) now she sleeps like a baby.


Well, it goes beyond simply not attending concerts and sporting events for me.

I haven't even been to a house party for many years now, including Christmas gatherings. I drive my missus over to the designated home, and if it's not too late when they're done, I pick her and my daughters up.

The most I want is maybe four guests at any given time.

There's a very short list of which four that would be and it would be a very rare situation anyway..


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Get professional help. I'm fortunate to work for a company large enough to have benefits like a HELP line. I used it. I had several phone sessions with a therapist. Smartest thing I ever did, and it put me on the road to recovery. It's unlikely I'll ever be 100% again, but at one point I had trouble leaving the house.

Second best thing: talk to anyone. It's unbelievable how many people have suffered from debilitating anxiety. You're not alone. And you have many many friends who understand.

Kudos to everyone who have responded to this thread!


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## Ship of fools (Nov 17, 2007)

For me it was reading Richard Carlsons paper back book called Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and it has helped me through many years of realizing I do not need to be in the drivers seat all the time and that we can't control everything like we would like to and to accept the short comings of our self's and others.
I do get anxiety to some degree when my medical issues start to flair up ( not ready to leave this world yet ) and it becomes difficult just to catch my breath and of course I am still hoping for a nice natural death. Nobody wants to linger a long disease but at the same time I have lived a great life and realize I have no complaints to how I lived.
As for the rest well life is like a bowl of jelly shake it this way and it moves that way shake it a different way and it moves in that direction.
Each one of us has their ways of dealing with it and most know what they need to do to help them self's but its not always easy for others and sometimes you just need to put it out there and hope that someone is listening.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Ship of fools said:


> For me it was reading Richard Carlsons paper back book called Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and it has helped me through many years of realizing I do not need to be in the drivers seat all the time and that we can't control everything like we would like to and to accept the short comings of our self's and others.
> I do get anxiety to some degree when my medical issues start to flair up ( not ready to leave this world yet ) and it becomes difficult just to catch my breath and of course I am still hoping for a nice natural death. Nobody wants to linger a long disease but at the same time I have lived a great life and realize I have no complaints to how I lived.
> As for the rest well life is like a bowl of jelly shake it this way and it moves that way shake it a different way and it moves in that direction.
> Each one of us has their ways of dealing with it and most know what they need to do to help them self's but its not always easy for others and sometimes you just need to put it out there and hope that someone is listening.



Enjoy every sandwich brother.


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## Jim Wellington (Sep 3, 2017)

Meditation and intense physical exercise...avoid stimulants like caffeine. Avoid the media, turn your phone off for 2 hours a day.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I avoid anti-depressants like the plague. They have the opposite effect on me. Ideations of suicide and death. Trying to figure out how to do it, etc. The first inkling came years ago with welbutrin for smoking cessation. When I got injured along with that turmoil it added fairly severe anxiety/depression. They tried anti-depressants, about 3 different kinds and that clarified the effects they have on me.

One of my issues is doctors offices and hospitals, so if I don't have to go, I don't.

Not for everyone, but I did several years of cognitive therapy and that helped me cope a lot. Basically showed me how to recognize the signs and to change the situation. The biggest help is that I am a home body. I love being at home with my wife. Being outdoors for walks and nature help too. I feel it calm my soul. Time with the dog is great too.

Basically, if I avoid large gatherings of people, the frustration of people giving you the run around, and those kinds of things, I can function. Dealing with government agencies, insurance companies, "experts" who don't know what they're talking about, and such are the worst.


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## HighNoon (Nov 29, 2016)

Anxiety is a good thing, cause it let's you know you're alive, even when the fight or flight thing kicks in. How you do deal with it (incorporate/get rid of), is like going into a shoe store looking for the right pair that fits you. Good luck with finding your own comfortable shoes.


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## brucew (Dec 30, 2017)

Used to stress over everything concerning our young shoestring started businesses; worked literally most every day of the year. Also made time for our kids but other than that, work.

One day was building a log cabin and customers elderly Dad would every mid morning walk down, sit and watch for an hour or two then return to the main house.

About the third day he called me over (took about 3 times as, well, I had work to do), and told me, "There'll be plenty of work left to do after you're dead. Stop working so hard".

Possibly the best lesson I ever received.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I left a really good paying job on a stress leave once and never returned other than when my benefits ran out to empty my office. This is just generally what works for me. Diet, exercise, avoid intoxicants, use a financial budget, get laid, get sleep, get a dog, keep a routine, go fishing, gardening, carpentry, tell your loved ones you love them, reduce and streamline your consumerism...


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## pickslide (May 9, 2006)

Just talking to somebody about it is also quite helpful.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

The only thing that causes me any anxiety is time. I am way too temporally aware. It's very mild so not really an issue I guess, but it has gotten worse as I age.


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## Trevor Giancola (Jan 30, 2017)

Khorah said:


> I make a list. I physically write it out on a pad of paper with today's date. I write all the things I want and have to do. There is great satisfaction in crossing them off or checking them. I always feel like I'm getting stuff done, instead of wondering why there is so much to do!


Me too! Every morning almost


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Alcohol and sex were a two edged sword. They got rid of anxiety but then you worried about the wife finding out. Not having a wife now means there's a lot less anxiety.
@ship.......what's a natural death? I figure having a barely legal sweetie giving me a heart attack in bed would work for me.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Khorah said:


> I make a list. I physically write it out on a pad of paper with today's date. I write all the things I want and have to do. There is great satisfaction in crossing them off or checking them. I always feel like I'm getting stuff done, instead of wondering why there is so much to do!


Closest I've come to that is starting to make a shopping list that I leave on the table.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Well, first thing first : Anxiety is not a disease but a reaction to a stressful situation or a situation sensed as stressful. So, treating anxiety is putting a plaster on an infected wound.

Now, once the cause is known and one cannot work on it, the person can only try to alleviate or ease anxiety level in order to make it less boring.

While ONE drink may help, as anxiety pills do, it is not the best helper on the long run.

I keep a rolling agenda of things to be done each months so that I always have something that need to be done : One task a day (or two) keeps me off the couch just thinking... of negative issues. It could be getting garbages out, make sure a payment is confirmed on bank account, call a relative, write a message to someone you cannot meet by now, etc.

My own way to cope with the long shut down we are locked in was made of many daily activities I would try to take as much time to do as I am in no hurry : golf, housekeeping, going to grocery store, lawn mowing (that will quite soon be replaced with snow shoveling), preparing the car, house and garden for Summer/Winter.

Besides these, listening to SOME music and tv (avoid becoming a potato couch !), reading ALL the daily newspaper, going on GCF (but please avoid insane threads and comments on t and f !), playing music (and guitar care !) helps much, as well as a walk in the park (with the mate, kids or the dog), watching birds and squirrels, chatting with a neighbour met on my way to the mailbox, or any other easy activity as solving puzzles or as well as strenuous exercise (and gymn). Keep moving !

Come on : Take a sheet, a pen and write down this month tasks and begin doing them tomorrow ! You know what ? This locked down did not actually change my retiree life that much.

Add on : I used to be lazy for climbing stairs in my three levels house and would always wait for many things to do before going upstairs or to the basement. Well, I now climb stairs every now and then I need something or someting to be done and climb slowly the stairs so that my quads benifit the exercise the maximum : So more minutes well invested every single day !


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Frenchy99 said:


> Have wild sex with the wife... Always calms me down...


Any wife?


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

1SweetRide said:


> Any wife?


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## Alsomooh (Jul 12, 2020)

1SweetRide said:


> Any wife?


Redhead ones.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Alsomooh said:


> Redhead ones.


You have discerning tastes and would be overwhelmed if you visited Scotland.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Electraglide said:


>


That video is old. She’s probably been taken by now.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

1SweetRide said:


> Any wife?


With mine... its more fun...


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## Johnny Spune (Sep 15, 2014)

I confront it head on as soon as possible and usually make a mess or a scene or get a black eye. And I’m wrong quite often. But in the end I’m at peace because I dealt with it.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

1SweetRide said:


> That video is old. She’s probably been taken by now.


She’s in the same shape as my first wife. That version of the joke came out about the same time as I meet my first.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I deal with anxiety and bi polar ii. While I use medication, lifestyle is a key factor for me. I'll get drunk occasionally or eat like crap, but sticking to an overall healthy lifestyle is vital for me. I take a work break to get outside to hike or even just go for a drive and take pictures every day (I started my own business to allow me this freedom). I do yoga, I work out, and I golf on top of that. I let all of this slip last winter, then we went into quaratine right after and I was a mess. It's one of the few times I slipped in the last few years, and I won't do it again.


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## Fred Gifford (Sep 2, 2019)

silvertonebetty said:


> So I am a member of Canadian mental health and we do a newsletter each month and a news cast each week. And I want to do a segment on tricks with dealing anxiety. So I’m reaching out for different coping strategies are. Thanks in advance your friend Jared.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


honestly, for the last 18 months I have done a 1 hour (minimum) power walk every morning, rain or shine, cold or hot .... with the dark days,(it was almost dark at 2:30 pm today) and incessant bad news drummed into our heads 24/7, thanks to our news "media" ... without the walks I would have lost my mind many moons ago .. exercise is the only thing that keeps me going .. sanity isn't a given, in times like these you have to work to maintain it .. sometimes an afternoon walk is needed as well .. just like a prescription bottle that says . "take as needed"


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

based on advice from my doctor i do short high intensity bursts of productive physical work - splitting wood or shovelling a pile of dirt or something like that. he told me it's important that they not be so long or so high intensity that i get exhausted - not more than 20 min at a time and not above about 80% max output. and not something mindless or unproductive like running on a treadmill. 

i've had very high physical output jobs with 8-12 hrs per day hard physical labour and also sedentary jobs with nearly no physical work required and both extremes lead to anxiety for me. 

i've been using that short bursts approach for about 4 years. it works very well for me when i do it and the benefits fade away quickly when i go more than a few days without. 

j


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## Alsomooh (Jul 12, 2020)

1SweetRide said:


> You have discerning tastes and would be overwhelmed if you visited Scotland.


Thank you sir. My mother’s family came from Scotland, as did my mother-in-law’s, but I’ve never been. One of my kids visited Scotland a few years ago but she would have fit right in as a redhead...and beer drinker.

More to the point, I am sincere when I suggest sex as a way to help deal with anxiety. While we’re on the subject, maybe travel too. In my rather extreme bout of stress I took off for long camping trips, to provincial parks mostly.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Late to the party, but I'm not sure everyone is talking about the same thing. Some are talking about stress, some about depression, some about panic attacks, some about mere worry or intrusive thoughts, and still others about bipolar disorder. What can help with one may be pointless, overkill or counterproductive for another. The OP was about anxiety, specifically.

I will say, however, that the role of visceral information - how we physically *feel* in our guts - plays a bigger-than-appreciated role in how we think about our emotions, and how those emotions trigger memories and negative thoughts. It is, for instance, a common finding that medication administered after a heart attack or any similar health ailment, that is protected against recurrence by something that lowers blood pressure and autonomic responsiveness, are at risk for depression. Being on such medication for 20 years now, I can attest that it can rob one of a sense of excitement or even the gut feeling that accompanies enthusiasm. And when you don't feel energetic, it tends to elicit thoughts of hopelessness, or memories of disappointment or failure. The feelings trigger the thoughts.

From another direction, a clinical psych prof at UNB devised a clever therapy for dealing with panic attacks. What happens with folks who suffer from panic disorder is that their initial physical feelings of anxiuousness - that pit-of-the-stomach-and-clammy-hands thing - elicits what you might call fear of fear that spirals out of control, largely because they become afraid of losing control of their emotions. And part of what victimizes those with panic disorder is often a shying away from social situations, or even going outside, out of anxiousness about potential anxiety attacks. It literally IS "fear of fear itself". Again, the unconscious and hard-to-pinpoint visceral sensations trigger the thoughts and the thoughts sustain and exacerbate the emotions. The ingeniusness of his approach to therapy is to simulate the visceral sensations out of the blue, by getting patients to hyperventilate or other means to produce the physical sensations of a panic attack but without the social circumstances. Bit by bit, the person can learn to re-interpret the visceral sensations AS just that, and not attached to any particular interpretation of reality or fear; not unlike the way we might think about a dumb muscle twitch as just something our body is doing, disconnected from our emotions or thoughts.

One of the most brilliant studies in the history of psychology was conducted by Schacter and Singer in 1961. They gave different groups of students a shot of adrenaline/epinephrine. Some were given advance information about what the injection would do and how it would feel. Others were given no advance information. All believed it was a "vitamin", and that the study they had volunteered for was to examine its effects on vision. Naturally, there was a control group that got injections of saline solution.

While they were ostensibly waiting for "the vitamin to take effect" on their vision, they were in a waiting room, along with one other person, who they believed had received a similar injection and was also waiting around, but was really a research assistant. During the waiting period they were given mental arithmetic and similar tasks to do. Half of each drug group were in the company of an assistant who behaved angrily and grumpy ("Why do we have to waste our time on this paperwork?!" etc.) and the other half had an accomplice who acted like a goofball, making jokes, shooting baskets with crumpled up paper, etc. and generally being happy. At the end of the waiting period, they were all asked to rate their mood.

Those who got the drug without any explanation rated their mood as more extreme (i.e., happier, angrier, agitated, etc.) than those who got the same injection but accompanied by information that let them know they would feel such and such a sensation. The mood they experienced/reported corresponded to the atmosphere the accomplice created. That is, those receiving the injection without explanation, in the grumpy condition, reported feeling more angry, while those receiving the unexplained injection in the silly-accomplice condition reported feeling much happier. 

So, same drug and physical sensations, but the perception and unconscious interpretation of those sensation depended on a) the context in which they were experienced, and b) whether the interpretation relied solely on the context or there was other information about how to interpret them.

Again, what we _*think*_ we are consciously feeling at the moment is not given exclusively and entirely by the physical aspects OR by the content of our thought. It is a product of how we* interpret* those sensations, even though we might not be consciously aware of it. It is often the interpretation of those physical sensations that, in turn, triggers and maintains the thoughts. In the same way that being in the presence of someone giddy can seem to make everything funny, "feeling" afraid, or rather perceiving one's physical state as fear, can elicit fearful negative thoughts.

There is a reason why so many here allude to strategies consisting basically of a) creating physical sensation that are not like fear, and b) distracting themselves in some manner from whatever train of thought is plaguing them at the moment. And similarly, at the other end of the spectrum, there is a reason why so many will recommend vigorous exercise as a treatment for depression; the physical sensations of enthusiasm run counter to the physical sensation that elicit feelings of depression and low energy.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Alsomooh said:


> Thank you sir. My mother’s family came from Scotland, as did my mother-in-law’s, but I’ve never been. One of my kids visited Scotland a few years ago but she would have fit right in as a redhead...and beer drinker.
> 
> More to the point, I am sincere when I suggest sex as a way to help deal with anxiety. While we’re on the subject, maybe travel too. In my rather extreme bout of stress I took off for long camping trips, to provincial parks mostly.


A walk outdoors in the quiet woods is therapy for me.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Frenchy99 said:


> With mine... its more fun...


I wouldn’t know


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Did anyone say "play guitar" ?


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Frenchy99 said:


> Have wild sex with the wife... Always calms me down...


Me too, tell her I say hey


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Adcandour said:


> Me too, tell her I say hey


I was waiting patiently for this response to surface. BINGO!


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

greco said:


> I was waiting patiently for this response to surface. BINGO!


Yeah, you can't set me up for the spike like that... I'm gonna take e'ry time.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Seriously though...

There's a gentleman and his son Stanley and Justin Ngui based out of Richmond Hill ontario who have a Qi Gong studio. They also do acupuncture - it eliminated my ex-wife's insane vertigo. 

I took my girlfriend there for anxiety, and she's shocked. It runs through her family, and she can't believe the change after one visit. She should have went twice a week for at least a month to get it permanently gone, but covid has made it near impossible. She now has 4 sessions booked in a row, so there won't be a delay. that oughta do it.

Once she's done that, she may just need to go once or twice a year to loosen the blockages in the meridians again.

She also was prescribed Jia Wei Ciao Yao San which is a tea. 

Anyway, she's completely different person now. She used to gasp every fucking 10 minutes, but I have only heard her do it twice since she went a few weeks ago.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Adcandour said:


> Me too, tell her I say hey


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## Alsomooh (Jul 12, 2020)

tomee2 said:


> Did anyone say "play guitar" ?


Play guitar.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Go to a used bookstore and grab a 50 cent paperback copy of "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale. It's old, corney, and a bit "religiousy" in spots - but I guarantee it'll improve your head. It's been 30 years since I first read it. I have given away a dozen copies to others and I still find that reading a chapter or two here and there is enough to put me back on a even keel every time.

A simple fix indeed.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

allthumbs56 said:


> Go to a used bookstore and grab a 50 cent paperback copy of "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale. It's old, corney, and a bit "religiousy" in spots - but I guarantee it'll improve your head. It's been 30 years since I first read it. I have given away a dozen copies to others and I still find that reading a chapter or two here and there is enough to put me back on a even keel every time.
> 
> A simple fix indeed.


Put your hand on the radio and say Hallelujah.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)




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