How to conquer anxiety? Help? Tips?

Hey you guys, I am 5 months since my last Ativan and during this process I have been seeing a therapist. While the withdrawal symptoms come and go, there are a few that stick around. My therapist doesn’t believe this can be from benzos anymore and believes I am struggling from anxiety and that’s all. And while this could be true, I’m fully convinced that the main problem is still from benzos. Anyways, the whole point of this post is to get some tips and ideas on how to conquer anxiety. I’d just like to hear what works best for everyone so that I can give them a try. I like to have many options seeing that therapy doesn’t seem to work as well I hoped it would. My main problems is when I’m in public or driving. Thanks guys!

Recently, I have been listening to affirmations on youtube designed to reduce anxiety.

I listen to them in bed and often I fall asleep during them.

I do feel less anxiety during the day.  It is like the calm stays with you.

There are so many choices on youtube.

Just search soothing "calm affirmations with music to stop anxiety".

 

I think there comes a point where it's kind of useless to argue about whether withdrawal or baseline anxiety is causing the majority of anxiety symptoms. 

 

If you're up to it, do 90 minutes of moderate exercise early in the day (I rode a bike 20 miles).  You'll deplete your glycogen and go keto for the rest of the day without doing a keto diet (which can have an appreciable effect on anxiety).  Don't over exert - long moderate exercise is better than short intense exercise.

 

Keep your mind engaged in some kind of busywork. 

 

Create a virtual safe/happy place where you can 'go' when things get lousy.

 

Observe the types of thoughts and the types of thinking that seem to correlate with anxiety.  Minimize time spent with those thoughts (think of something else instead).

 

Hope this helps.

I agree with badsocref that it isn't worth trying to figure out if you are having withdrawl or just plain anxiety ... feeling lousy is feeling lousy no matter the cause.

 

Sustained exercise is a great idea if you are up to it physically.  I have a hobby that I get involved in that totally takes me out of my anxious brain and ANY time spent not obsessing/fretting/worrying is a good thing.  But, that doesn't help with the issue of going to public places or driving.  I get through those using soothing self-talk that goes something like this:  "These are symptoms you are having and you've had them before and got through them.  They are not lethal although they feel like it.  You will get through this like you have all other anxious times before.  You will feel better very soon."

 

Other things that I do:  drink a glass of cold water (this is very helpful!), excuse myself and step outside or go to the bathroom and run cold water over my hands for a while and breathe deeply, keep peppermints with me and pop one in my mouth (also very helpful), doodle on a pad (I keep one in purse), etc.  In other words, throw some things up on the wall and see what sticks for you.