# Semi-conquered the physical- now left with the mental



## AlmostFamous (Apr 11, 2004)

OK I feel like I've somewhat got the IBS under control- maybe not 100% to know what all my food triggers are, but now I feel like my mental anxiety itself has become the focus of my problems. In other words when I go out now, I'm not as worried about my stomach acting up. I am more ... worried! Just about everything in general. I do have pills on an as-needed basis: Ativan (though I'm not sure how it works on me in a severe state of panic as I've only tried it out when I was pretty much calm) and the Benadryl (that takes at least an hour to kick in but makes me incredibly sleepy). But I really would like to find a way to cope with things the way I used to, which is not reaching these high anxiety levels. Anyone else feel that way?


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## sickofsick (Nov 4, 1999)

I got the IBS under control with hypnotherapy but, I have anxiety unrelated to the IBS and that was getting worse over time.I too had meds on an as needed basis but as my doctor explained I was treating the symptoms as they came but not preventing them.I now am on a low dose of paxil cr. It is much lower a dose then for depression and it is working great. I feel like me again, no anxiety at all.


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## AlmostFamous (Apr 11, 2004)

I would like to prevent it in general, but my doctor didn't want to go in the direction of taking daily prozac or something like that yet. I'm not out of my mind anxious all the time, and have gotten better slowly, but it still doesn't take much to set me off. Like I was out the other night and got lost after battling with traffic and was nervous about not being on time and eventually I got to the point where I was so frustrated I almost turned around and went home! Which is really unlike me. I want to get back to self control! Maybe I should look into the hypnotherapy thing.


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## sickofsick (Nov 4, 1999)

Not a bad idea, hypno has helped many people.I'm not saying it does for everyone but the majority do very well.By the way, the does of paxil cr I'm on doesn't affect the way I feel or think about anything, it just nixed the anxiety.Good luck!


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2004)

Hey AlmostFamous--Please keep me posted if you find any good approaches. I'm in the same boat--have gotten most of the physical aspects under control, but have turned into a huge worrier, anxious when I have to do anything threatening--car trips going out at night, even class. I don't really know how to approach this psychological stuff, except for just to be aware of it, and keep doing stuff I'm not comfortable with to desensitize myself. I'm not really willing to consider meds, because of all the horrible side effects I've read about, and seen (my dad has anxiety problems), and because it is not consistently bad, so I don't think it would be worth it. I really want to be able to cope/control this in a natural way.How has it been going?midge.


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## editor (Jun 20, 2004)

Hi Almost Famous,well done on *not* turning around and racing back home! That's a good achievement. To answer your question: I really think it helps to try a range of different techniques. Listen to some audio relaxation programmes at night, whilst you are in bed and practice the exercises given. These tend to be: correct breathing; guided visualisations - nothing to freak out over. You really need to be doing these on a daily basis if you choose to listen to an audio programme, so that you will get maximum benefit from it. The theory behind it is you will recognise when your body is tense, and be able to consciously relax it. Once you start to do that, anxiety levels *do* fall - it's weird, but it does work. Also, most of us with IBS recognise what part of our body is tense, but with anxiety, it can be so many different things to different people. Do you gnash or grind your teeth? Are you shoulders tense etc. Once you realise what other parts of you are "stressed" you can deal with it and your anxiety.Out and about: I find knowing a range of distraction helps me no end. Slow down your breathing and don't race about even though the *urge* is to "fight or flight." This can take some effort! Try counting backwards *slowly*; learn how to count in a different language and use it when you feel anxious. If you feel like totally losing it, slow your thoughts down (can be very hard to do, I know) and focus only on the numbers. It doesn't have to be a number, it could be a phrase, affirmation, song lyric, something you made up yourself. Also, think about your surroundings and the people you can see. Ask yourself questions about them. What type of job do they do? Where do they live? Think about yourself: if you were a super hero, what kind of magical powers might you have? Where do you want to go on holiday - anxiety and IBS aside? What craft projects are you thinking about doing, and so on.Also, if you can keep your hands busy, I found quite a few people find that to be beneficial. really helps. Say if you were waiting to go in somewhere (drs. appointment and start to freak out) try knitting or crochet? Or, keep some spare paper on you, and start to fold origami shapes. That's quite fun!







Personally, I've used the counting and origami. Also had a friend with me who talked about anything and everything to do with the enviroment we were in, and that really helped. Of course, sometimes you have to be out on your own (eek!), so things like those above, may help?I don't think you can ever totally get rid of anxiety (some anxiety is good, afterall) but, I do think you can learn to manage it, and it's *that* which gives us back our quality of life. Hope this helps?


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## AlmostFamous (Apr 11, 2004)

Yes- the distraction thing definitely helps. Last night I tried to go without taking a pill before going to a show and I saw that I was so conscious of every thought I was having- like "Wow. I'm not anxious, but what if I'm anxious in an hour" kind of thoughts, so I just took a pill. I tell myself that in time I'll be able to face anxiety in a calmer manner, but I shouldn't beat myself up if I feel I have to take something for now.Are there any tapes you can recommend and where I can order them? I was in the bookstore a few days ago and the only audio stuff I saw regarding self-help was religion oriented :


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## editor (Jun 20, 2004)

oops -posted my reply in your other thread!Almost Famous,the Claire Weekes series is calles: "Hope and Help for your Nerves" - bear in mind that this was written a *long* time ago, so you might have to hunt around for both the books and certainly the audio stuff. The tapes I reviewd were part of an existing collection made up over the years from the OT department, so some titles may not be in "print" any longer? We are trying to impose some order on the chaos....heh.*five minutes later*Good news!A search of amazon throws this up: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...086508?v=glance see if you can find the audio programme too because you can listen to it before you go to sleep; also, Claire made a tape which helps to get you motivated in the mornings too. She's very matter of fact; think "old school" but is incredibly effective.Try to track these down:Weekes, Claire: ï¿½Hope and Help for Your Nerves: Part One.ï¿½Weekes, Claire: ï¿½Hope and Help for Your Nerves: Part Two.ï¿½Weekes, Claire: ï¿½Nervous Fatigue.ï¿½Weekes, Claire: ï¿½Goodnight, Good Morning.ï¿½A book (also in audio programme format) by Susan Jeffers called "Feel The Fear, and Do It Anyway."A search of amazon.co.uk shows these audiobooks; titles are a little different so bear that in mind if you ruun your own search: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search...4626949-0312456 I'll try and pull some more up later. Hope this helps!


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