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How do you soothe your anxiety?


[Ka...]

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Do you have your method for soothing your anxiety or distract yourself from it? My way is stroking my chest gently with deep breathing and when possible, adding taking shower so as not to focus on it. found it a bit better than doing only the breathing. Your feedback would be appreciated. 
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Well, this is just me again, but I do sports all day. Running is the best help there is.

 

It makes my focus and being able to stay calm 100 times better.

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Exercise has definitely helped and mostly long walks.  I also take CBD and Magnesium Glycinate.  There’s some amazing content on a YouTube channels called OCD Recovery. Rob is amazing and explains what happens in our minds so well.  Even though what you’re experiencing is almost certainly due to benzos - getting back to the basics of treating anxiety from a cognitive approach has helped me out tremendously.
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Do you have your method for soothing your anxiety or distract yourself from it? My way is stroking my chest gently with deep breathing and when possible, adding taking shower so as not to focus on it. found it a bit better than doing only the breathing. Your feedback would be appreciated.

 

I'm one year off benzos this month. I've been taking CBD oil and Valerian root extract for anxiety. Walking was helping but the weather has been so hot and humid that I have not been out lately.

 

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Simple TM (Transcendental meditation) is what works best for me. Do not pay for all the things you google online. It is very simple to learn and do. You can learn this simple technique for free and do not have to pay anyone to learn. The websites asking you to pay are not scams. They are just trying to earn a little money, but TM is easy and can be learned by anyone for free.  :)
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Exercise has definitely helped and mostly long walks.  I also take CBD and Magnesium Glycinate.  There’s some amazing content on a YouTube channels called OCD Recovery. Rob is amazing and explains what happens in our minds so well.  Even though what you’re experiencing is almost certainly due to benzos - getting back to the basics of treating anxiety from a cognitive approach has helped me out tremendously.

 

I agree with aerobic exercise, but the intensity should be mild to moderate if you suffer from an anxiety disorder.

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Oh thank you everyone kindly! Lots of options are so helpful as I get confused how I get through my anxiety and my mind goes blank whenever it is horrible.
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I take cold showers at least twice a day and moderate exercises like biking and walking. Cold showers help me to sleep and relax. Of course you have to start slow and not overdo it. Breathing is also part of my routine before the showers. Diaphragm breathing is a miracle in my case for anxiety.
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Oh thank you so much,micedana, these are also helpful! By the way, I always feel worse a few mins after taking hot shower but how about you? and anyone else? This time symptoms emerged 5 hours after getting out a shower room, so do not know if it was a trigger though, and I read someone feels better after it.
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Hi Kay156,

As far as hot shower is concerned it should mostly relax you. I don't see why you react 5 hs later. May be because it's summer and hot makes you feel uncomfortable specially at night. We sleep better and feel more motivated when it's cold. You should try cold or lukewarm showers and see what happens.

I do cold showers most of the time. I do sometimes contrast showers after exercise or at night, meaning Cold-Hot-cold. Only 5/7 minutes duration. I do full cold 5' shower in the morning no matter what.

The night shower's been a blessing. They add at least 2 more hours of sleep and makes it deeper and longer.

Some of the chemical reactions to cold water produce excitatory reactions but they are overridden by other mood-elevating hormones and neurotransmitters like (beta-endorphins, noradrenaline and dopamine). Those although some excitatory, improve symptoms of depression and anxiety by changing the chemistry in our body and brain.

I know for some cold showers may be unbearable but everything is a challenge while on benzo withdrawal. The road to healing is not an easy one. We experience the same thing when other parts of our body break. We have to challenge ourselves. Recognize that pain is part of the healing process. Challenge the comfort zone!

 

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Hi Kay156,

As far as hot shower is concerned it should mostly relax you. I don't see why you react 5 hs later. May be because it's summer and hot makes you feel uncomfortable specially at night. We sleep better and feel more motivated when it's cold. You should try cold or lukewarm showers and see what happens.

I do cold showers most of the time. I do sometimes contrast showers after exercise or at night, meaning Cold-Hot-cold. Only 5/7 minutes duration. I do full cold 5' shower in the morning no matter what.

The night shower's been a blessing. They add at least 2 more hours of sleep and makes it deeper and longer.

Some of the chemical reactions to cold water produce excitatory reactions but they are overridden by other mood-elevating hormones and neurotransmitters like (beta-endorphins, noradrenaline and dopamine). Those although some excitatory, improve symptoms of depression and anxiety by changing the chemistry in our body and brain.

I know for some cold showers may be unbearable but everything is a challenge while on benzo withdrawal. The road to healing is not an easy one. We experience the same thing when other parts of our body break. We have to challenge ourselves. Recognize that pain is part of the healing process. Challenge the comfort zone!

 

Oh thank you so much for the details,micedana! yeah for me the current extreme weather might be a trigger,too as some of my symptoms get worse every summer. It is very helpful that I can improve the balance of chemistry in my body myself. I'll try the alternating method:) thanks thanks!

 

-Kay

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  • 2 weeks later...

For me, I have learned to accept my anxiety and challenge it to get worse. At first, this felt like it was backfiring on me more often than not and that blew really hard lol However, it was only worse for moments and then it slowly got better. After doing it over and over again, it trained my brain to not overreact to my anxiety. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not a quick fix at all. It took me a couple months of practice radically accepting my anxiety, but it was so worth it.

 

Now I do have moments where I still think to myself, “I’m scared to stand up and move right now” or any other actions I am anxious about. For these times, I do the opposite immediately and don’t give myself time to dwell over it. Scared to get up? GET UP NOW!!! AH!!! I jump up and do something.

 

Short term anxiety relief for me is laying on the floor and doing chill exercises or stretches. Taking my dog outside also calms me down too. Just letting the sun hit my skin and watching her sun bathe is nice.

 

Hope that helps somehow ;_; You can do this. We know you can.

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For me, I have learned to accept my anxiety and challenge it to get worse. At first, this felt like it was backfiring on me more often than not and that blew really hard lol However, it was only worse for moments and then it slowly got better. After doing it over and over again, it trained my brain to not overreact to my anxiety. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not a quick fix at all. It took me a couple months of practice radically accepting my anxiety, but it was so worth it.

 

Now I do have moments where I still think to myself, “I’m scared to stand up and move right now” or any other actions I am anxious about. For these times, I do the opposite immediately and don’t give myself time to dwell over it. Scared to get up? GET UP NOW!!! AH!!! I jump up and do something.

 

Short term anxiety relief for me is laying on the floor and doing chill exercises or stretches. Taking my dog outside also calms me down too. Just letting the sun hit my skin and watching her sun bathe is nice.

 

Hope that helps somehow ;_; You can do this. We know you can.

 

Oh thank you, ThisBur, Since I got severe setbacks from working out, I have almost given up any exercise, even short walk,too for many months, so I feel like being at a stalemate, but your method encourages me to start walking again. It is a miracle that our brain changes and get an adaptive system that we are going toward:)

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  • 3 weeks later...

if its an "acute" episode then only a dark room and time by myself will help

 

If its anything less then being around people who i know helps, also weight lifting and doing work.

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Thanks for the respond,fuzzyhead1977! Yes spending alone time really helps me to avoid stress! and I found that chill work out suites me to calm my mood swings.

 

~~~~Thank you all for the feedback!!! I am gonna make a new thread for my updates~~~~~~~

 

~~~~Wish you all much healing!  Many hugs~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Good ways to cope.

Well done!

 

Rubbing the chest along with deep breathing is a very good method, I find myself.

 

The best way, is to never fight an anxiety or panic attack; it will just make it worse if you do.

 

Anxiety is feral, and fighting it makes it wilder.

 

Best just sit and wait it out. It won't hurt you nor kill you. Only make you fearful. The more someone relaxes, this beast finally goes.

 

Good luck 👍 💓

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