Alternative Therapy for Anxiety

[Jessie]

Thank you for asking this question, Flexecif, I've been wondering the same thing. And thank you to everyone who responded. I have an extensive history with psychiatric medication, and I am pretty stubbornly resisting any return to that arena. However, I'm sitting at my desk (working from home) crying right now, so I'm not sure if I can maintain that position. I'm definitely going to try a few of the suggestions made here.

 

[JayCS]

I guess if you're busy. you'll have less time to worry

Maybe if you have sound sleep... I don't since fibro, so I need to get my worry-issues, big or small sorted out way before sleeping time. On the other hand I can be pretty creative in half-sleep, so I try to use that if that happens (good ideas for music or work), and not bash myself, writing it down, preferably as a not-too-short note.

 

[Flexecif]

Thank you so much all for your responses, really. This forum had been a great source of support. There's a feeling of security always, whenever I am unease that someone somewhere is ready to listen. Maybe that's what all of us should think, that someone is rooting for us. That we're never alone. So if we feel like crying, we should cry it all out. Then move forward. We got everyone's back.

 

[peater_walker]

Practicing yoga and sun salutation will definitely help to reduce stress and anxiety! Also, listen to calm music during stress situations. This will set up a positive and cool mind.

 

[sunkacola]

Practicing yoga and sun salutation will definitely help to reduce stress and anxiety! Also, listen to calm music during stress situations. This will set up a positive and cool mind.

Just a note................Keep in mind that there is nothing that "definitely" works for everyone.

We are all individuals, and what works for one person (or even a million people) doesn't necessarily work for another person. Nothing works for everyone.
Some people cannot physically do hatha yoga, let along the surya namaskar, which is not all that easy, and some people would be stressed out by even trying. Suggestions are always good, and that's what we are here to do, and it is also good to keep in mind that as individuals we each have different needs, and different things work for us.

 

[Ann Reid]

As a musician, characterizing “music” as “calming” doesn’t do it, because my music brain focuses on the notes, pitch, rhythm, tempo, volume, era in which composed, instrument or voice type, interpretation…….potentially not “calm” and neither “positive” nor ”cool”.

Nature sounds, winds blowing through leaves, rain, Spring Peepers, waves on a shore……..there are many others. For me, not music.

For anyone calmed by certain types of music, Blessings, but don’t think it’s your “fault” if music isn’t your source of “calm”.

 

[sunkacola]

As a musician, characterizing “music” as “calming” doesn’t do it, because my music brain focuses on the notes, pitch, rhythm, tempo, volume, era in which composed, instrument or voice type, interpretation…….potentially not “calm” and neither “positive” nor ”cool”.

Nature sounds, winds blowing through leaves, rain, Spring Peepers, waves on a shore……..there are many others. For me, not music.

For anyone calmed by certain types of music, Blessings, but don’t think it’s your “fault” if music isn’t your source of “calm”.

Music doesn't calm me, either, no matter what kind it is. I prefer silence.

 

[kait0220]

One of my dogs is insanely sensitive to my mental condition. If I get even remotely stressed out he has to come over to me, lick my tears, climb in my lap. Its amazing how much dogs love and support us also he's 65 pounds so climbing into my lap in my office chair is just hilarious. If you are a cat person, a purring kitty on your lap is so soothing.

It's hard for me to walk, but I agree that a relaxing walk with the pups does help to take your mind off your worries. Any hobby or activity to distract your mind and cheer yourself up. I started reading a lot more too.

This might sound strange, but I used to have really bad intrusive thoughts with my anxiety. Whenever it would happen, I had an ongoing "story" in my mind that I would start to think about. Like the characters in a book I am reading - what are they going to be doing next? It fully occupies my mind and gets rid of the intrusive, upsetting thoughts. If another thought comes up, continue the story. It's something that I can do at any time, and always works.

 

[sunkacola]

One of my dogs is insanely sensitive to my mental condition. If I get even remotely stressed out he has to come over to me, lick my tears, climb in my lap. Its amazing how much dogs love and support us also he's 65 pounds so climbing into my lap in my office chair is just hilarious. If you are a cat person, a purring kitty on your lap is so soothing.

It's hard for me to walk, but I agree that a relaxing walk with the pups does help to take your mind off your worries. Any hobby or activity to distract your mind and cheer yourself up. I started reading a lot more too.

This might sound strange, but I used to have really bad intrusive thoughts with my anxiety. Whenever it would happen, I had an ongoing "story" in my mind that I would start to think about. Like the characters in a book I am reading - what are they going to be doing next? It fully occupies my mind and gets rid of the intrusive, upsetting thoughts. If another thought comes up, continue the story. It's something that I can do at any time, and always works.

Dogs are the best!

And I like your story idea! I have started trying a new thing when I start having those intrusive thoughts or going around in my head with all the negative things I tend to think about. I am starting to think (or even say out loud) as if I were the announcer at a racetrack. So, it might be something like this...
"Annnnnd we're off, and first up is worry about the environment, going strong on the outside, but pulling up on the inside is anger about what happened back then, and generally feeling crummy is closing fast followed by....." In this way, a couple of times, I have headed it off, because it makes light of it and turns it into a joke.

Not saying the things themselves are jokes, but I don't help them any by going around and around in my head and being anxious about it.

 

[JayCS]

As a musician, characterizing “music” as “calming” doesn’t do it, because my music brain focuses on the notes, pitch, rhythm, tempo, volume, era in which composed, instrument or voice type, interpretation…….potentially not “calm” and neither “positive” nor ”cool”.

Hehe, one of my pieces has been taken for relaxing music on youtube, a dubious accolade, and not particularly successful. Personally whilst I do like it :-} and it is calm, I don't find it relaxing at all. Even worse for me was badly composed boring new age kind of stuff a therapist tried on me in the 80s, cdnt wait to get out quick. Thankfully it's got easier to find better relaxing music nowadays, but I prefer autogenic training and a bit of self-hypnosis. I only need it at night, and the problem then is staying concentrated long enough... What is attractive is that when I start on my toes and feet they start tingling and twitching in a positive way, which I love, so I sort of stim myself and that makes me like trying again as soon as I've lost track ... again...

And I like your story idea! I have started trying a new thing when I start having those intrusive thoughts or going around in my head with all the negative things I tend to think about. I am starting to think (or even say out loud) as if I were the announcer at a racetrack.

My acupressurist recommends cutting the thoughts off "with a pair of scissors, or if need be a chain-saw". Can't say I've found anything that safely helps, I keep trying this tho, next to the autogenic training. I think the story and the racetrack-announcer is probably more suitable for daytime anxiety too? The chain-saw was a daft idea the other night, when a chain-saw was involved already, but I managed to block them quickly... :

 

[sunkacola]

Hehe, one of my pieces has been taken for relaxing music on youtube, a dubious accolade, and not particularly successful. Personally whilst I do like it :-} and it is calm, I don't find it relaxing at all. Even worse for me was badly composed boring new age kind of stuff a therapist tried on me in the 80s, cdnt wait to get out quick. Thankfully it's got easier to find better relaxing music nowadays, but I prefer autogenic training and a bit of self-hypnosis. I only need it at night, and the problem then is staying concentrated long enough... What is attractive is that when I start on my toes and feet they start tingling and twitching in a positive way, which I love, so I sort of stim myself and that makes me like trying again as soon as I've lost track ... again...


My acupressurist recommends cutting the thoughts off "with a pair of scissors, or if need be a chain-saw". Can't say I've found anything that safely helps, I keep trying this tho, next to the autogenic training. I think the story and the racetrack-announcer is probably more suitable for daytime anxiety too? The chain-saw was a daft idea the other night, when a chain-saw was involved already, but I managed to block them quickly... :

Oh yeah, I was talking about daytime anxiety. But I don't see any reason it wouldn't work for night time as well. Of course, this only works if your anxiety is of the kind that is racing thoughts and worries and feeling bad about things you've done and so on, going around and around. It isn't at all suitable for an anxiety attack that doesn't involve any thoughts, but just comes on suddenly for no apparent reason, and also is not good for anxiety that comes on from a trigger event. Those are different entirely.

To be honest I have the latter kind of anxiety as well and I have not found anything that works. I have a pulse meter I put on my fingertip and try to make a sort of game of getting my pulse rate down but so far that doesn't really work to make it slow. Lying down, very deep breaths, using cannabis or even a shot of alcohol, none of those things work very well if at all when my heart starts racing with no apparent reason or cause. And nothing works when there's a trigger that started it. Unfortunately, I am triggered by more things and more easily than I ever was before, so I have to try hard to make sure I stay away from the known triggers, or get myself away from one as fast as I can if it appears unexpectedly. It's worst of course if I am in public, and sometimes I can have a very hard time in a public situation.

 

[JayCS]

Oh dear, - yup, I've got to know all of these in my social phobic years... thankfully down.
Now the thoughts I want to stop only come at night, often 'good', useful, creative, but ... stop me from sleeping, pretty annoying all the same.
BTW cold showering for 1' at night (with ear plugs in & lights off) still helps, strangely - more successful when the thoughts are worrying...

 

[Rhyl]

Cats! Walks in the woods, sunlight, mindfulness, yoga, and there are a number of phone apps that could help.

 

[Rainbow]

And focusing on what is good in our lives as you say, is of course important. All of us here, just by virtue of the fact that we obviously have internet access and therefore electricity and probably running water and heat and a roof over our heads have vastly more than hundreds of millions of people in the world have, so there's a lot to appreciate.

Exactly so sunkacola & well said.
I'm a Trustee of an African Children's Charity, I live on a small income in a tiny one-bedroom flat, which I share with my son who has serious mental health issues & who cannot support himself, meaning as well as trying to cope with my Fibro, I live in a constant state of anxiety, stress & continuous fear.

However, I count my blessings every single day & the list is endless...

eg I have a roof over my head, clean water in the taps & food in the kitchen,
I'm not trapped in the horrors of war, or fleeing persecution.
I can still walk, my eyes & ears are still functioning & though I have pain, it's not from a terminal illness.etc etc etc.
Yes, there's a 'pestilence' out there but I have the great fortune to be in a country where vaccination is available & we have the NHS,
meaning medical care is free.
Once I start counting, the list goes on forever!

I also have access to a small alcove outside, which I've filled with pots of plants & pottering about outside with those & in the communal garden is my escape as I love gardening, it's wonderful to be out there in the sunshine.

Am SO blessed!

 

[Rainbow]

Exactly so sunkacola & well said.

I'm a Trustee of an African Children's Charity, so I know what starvation, hardship & suffering looks like.

I live on a very small income in a tiny one-bedroom flat, which I share with my son who has serious mental health issues & who cannot support himself, meaning as well as trying to cope with my Fibro, I live in a constant state of anxiety, stress & continuous fear.

However, I count my blessings every single day & the list is endless...

eg I have a roof over my head, clean water in the taps & food in the kitchen,
I'm not trapped in the horrors of war, or fleeing persecution.
I can still walk, even if not as far as I'd like to, my eyes & ears are still functioning & though I have pain, it's not from a terminal illness.etc etc etc.

Yes, there's a 'pestilence' out there but I have the great fortune to be in a country where vaccination is available & we have the NHS,
meaning medical care is free.

Once I start counting, the list goes on forever!

I also have access to a small alcove outside, which I've filled with pots of plants & pottering about outside with those & in the communal garden is my escape as I love gardening, it's wonderful to be out there in the sunshine.

Am SO blessed!