Going through a stressful time at work right now, and I am finding it very hard to relax. I have a continuous tightness in my chest that I can't kick (no pain), and a general feeling of extreme angst.
Yes, I know about happy endings and blastings in the butt - thanks - but any serious answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I'm no doctor, but I do know at least 4 people on a mild anti-anxiety medication regimen with successful results, including a close relative.
Yoga and meditation can help as well, but require considerable discipline that can be hard to achieve when one is anxious to begin with. .
This is also something that you should look into, IMO.
I had the same symptoms that you are describing when I quit drinking regularly. Felt like a constant panic attack. Until I went to the doctor I had no idea that it was alcohol withdrawl.
She gave me a script for anti-anxiety meds that helped temendously. I didn't take the whole month's worth because I didn't like the side effects, but it really helped me get through the first few weeks of withdrawl symptoms.
Nothing like petting a tamed pussy to make you forget your troubles.
I'm not a psychopharacologist/psychiatrist, but if it were me I'd be looking for a long-acting Benzodiazepene if I were going the med route. Extended release (not short-acting) Xanax is one; Clonazepam (Klonopin) is another, cheaper alternative.
You don't even need a benzo. SSRIs have been successful for anxiety and stress reduction and they aren't addictive as benzo's can me, although you do need to taper on/off them.
What I do is just walk and observe everything I see.
I.e There's a red car, there's a pink flower. This gets you out of the discursive mind. You'll find after about fifteen minutes that your more peaceful.
Nothing like petting a tamed pussy to make you forget your troubles.
Don't you mean one that needs to be tamed?
Definitely entering legend territory.
practice good sleep habits - everything seems worse when you haven't recovered.
eat heathy foods - cut out fatty/friend/sugary processed goods.
write down (1) what is the specific thing causing you stress? diagnose it and be as clear as possible (2) why is it stressing you out? (3) what do you believe the causes of the stressor are? (4) what do you believe the effects of the stressor are on your emotions and your actions?
challenge your beliefs of the causes, the reasons why it's stressing you and likely outcomes on your emotions and consequent actions.
For example, if your stressor is that you are overworked and the reason it is stressing you out is that if you don't get everything done on time you'll be fired or sued for professional negligence you need to think hard about whether that's a realistic outcome, what are the causes of it - is it because you can't say no, are underresourced, it's a crazy time of the year? And what emotions/actions would actually occur if everything you believed would happen in the catastrophic situation, would indeed occur.
A second thing that I did when I felt really harried was to reorganize my desk and files. I would put each case file in reverse chrono order and leave a note in each file as to what I had to do next and when it had to be done. I'd also prepare a detailed calendar schedule of all the things that I had to do.
It might take an afternoon to do all that stuff, but it was worth it. It really speeded things up, and I did not get stressed out searching for files and documents. They were all where they were supposed to be.
Maybe you can do a lot of that stuff electronically, but my point is: better organization saves you time and effort. That will reduce your stress.
and see if you're spending enough time with family and friends. life's too short to simply spend it as a mule hooked up the plow wagon
Find that something or somebaody and make sure its feeling more stress than you are. The whole mechanism of stress is to get you to deal with difficult situations. Take it for what it is, deal with it and move on
I'm an attorney myself. Attorneys have one of the highest heart attack rates of any profession - due to the incredibly high stress levels of the profession. They also have some of the highest frequencies of anxiety disorders.
So, your advice about "deal with it and move on" almost certainly will not work because there isn't an "IT" - rather it is the nature of the work itself. One long term solution is to change your profession. A less drastic, but also less successful, way to deal with it is to get some medical help with the anxiety levels (because the stress isn't going to disappear so long as you remain an attorney).
I echo this post. It worked for me (in terms of actually finding one).
I have to totally agree on getting a consistent workout in and a good sleep schedule.
And for me, find time to enjoy a cigar....
lawguy-
That's exactly how I started drinking. I know it's cliche or whatever, but next it was a couple, then it was "As long as I don't start drinking until 7PM", then it was 5PM. My choice of drink started with Crown, then switched to Burbon, then to vodka. When I decided that maybe I ought to slow down with the drinking a bit I was up to about 2 liters of vodka a week.
Not saying you're turning into an alcoholic, but from personal experience, it can lead to that if you don't take care of the rest of your life. Be it stress or depression, the drinks can be a form of self-medication (probably pretty much always is), and if you don't actually fix the problem (like getting back into P90X or however you figure to manage your stress) you could find yourself endlessly treating the symptoms instead of finding the cure.
17 years sober now. I would advise something other than alcohol.
Meditation - try lying down and listening to some walk-through meditation. They have a bunch of scenic meditation on You Tube.
Go to the gym: do anything. Wanna lift weights? Go for it. Wanna walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes? That's ok. Wanna run? Good. But exercise is a great stress-reliever.
And if it doesn't go away, look for a therapist and/or a psychiatrist. I took Klonopin for a couple of years back when I was 14 or 15 and it really helped me a lot (warning though: the stuff is addicting and it's very hard to wean yourself off of it so consult a doctor). I still take it as needed.
Oh and ask Phil in LA. He helped me tremendously when I was going through a major crisis.
I echo this post. It worked for me (in terms of actually finding one). [/quote]
You guys are fucking weird.
And if you still feel like shit, go home and get frisky with the wife.
See! That's why you're so angry. ;)
float tanks in nyc - ( New Window )
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See! That's why you're so angry. ;)
#notenoughschtuppingforangerjortsismyproffesionaldiagnosis
Easier said than done, Nate
That does sound intriguing, but even after reading it, I still don't get it. You just lie in a pool with infrared shooting across? Is that safe? Personal experience?
umm, no.
it's a sensory deprivation experience. you float in the tank because of the salinity of the water (similar to the Dead Sea), so you feel weightless. you hear nothing, see nothing. great way to clear your head.
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That does sound intriguing, but even after reading it, I still don't get it. You just lie in a pool with infrared shooting across? Is that safe? Personal experience?
umm, no.
it's a sensory deprivation experience. you float in the tank because of the salinity of the water (similar to the Dead Sea), so you feel weightless. you hear nothing, see nothing. great way to clear your head.
And then there's the sauna.
It does sound intriguing, but $80 for floating in a pool for an hour?
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That does sound intriguing, but even after reading it, I still don't get it. You just lie in a pool with infrared shooting across? Is that safe? Personal experience?
umm, no.
it's a sensory deprivation experience. you float in the tank because of the salinity of the water (similar to the Dead Sea), so you feel weightless. you hear nothing, see nothing. great way to clear your head.
it's definitely not cheap, but i love it.
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In comment 11631722 Greg from LI said:
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See! That's why you're so angry. ;)
#notenoughschtuppingforangerjortsismyproffesionaldiagnosis
Incorrect. I come from a long line of people prone to fly into rages. It's in the blood.
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Past regrets and future anxiety are poisons. Thank you Eckhart Tolle for this very simple life-changing concept.
For sure Anak. Changing your life take a lot of practice/hard work. Sometimes bad things force this change.
Easier said than done, Nate
It is an amazing experience. Some are are more like a small pool than a tank. Look for one of those.