wow, it looks like a lot of people get anxiety problems!

My coping strategy is mainly ignoring it. I have been keeping myself so busy that I am hoping it will go
away. Unfortunately in the last couple of weeks (hey - I've kept it up for 2 years) it has been resurfacing
so I know I am going to have to start addressing my stress.

Yoga is probably the best thing I have found so far. It is so amazing to start to bridge that mind-body gap.
My new year's resolution was to do it once per week but of course that is not always possible. I do try
to do some at home, though, so I think it's not such a huge lapse. Now that the weather is getting nicer
I can go jogging more often. That really takes the pounds off fast.

My biggest fear with this is that I will lose all the weight and the problems will be there without any fat
or bad habits to cushion the stress they bring with them. Just being able to admit it shows how silly it
is to pig out to protect myself. I'll have to print this post and put it on my refrigerator!

Thanks all for letting me vent. I've been off the boards for a long time. Good luck to you all,

(deep, cleansing breath - you can do this)

Jennifa
209/205/175

Dear Jennifa,

thanks for your suggestions, wow its great that you have been able to ignore your anxiety I wish I could do that too.

Hopefully with time I will get better, in the meantime,
I am meant to be doing relaxation exercises every day and deep breathing at least 4 times a day - easier said than done!

I read in a book that anxiety is the most common and yet also most treatable disorder in the US !!!

It also made suggestions about dietary guidelines eg:
* avoid caffeine
* eat plenty of fruit and vegies
* eat wholegrains
* drink 8 glasses of water a day
* go easy on the salt
* cut right down on sugar
* eat more food from the bean family
* eat 4-5 mini meals a day rather than 3 big ones

I thought to myself, hey this is just like eating a sensible diet this would definitely guarantee some weight loss...so looking after our mental health has its obvious physical benefits too.

I hope and pray that everyone gets on the road to recovery real soon.

MyGirl

My Girl,

What a nice reply. Thank you for noticing me. The physical aspects of "ignoring it" do pop up more and
more frequently. I think it's great you posted some dietary guidelines to help with this. We need all
the help we can get! I am sending some relaxing waves your way ~~~~~~~~~ did you get them?

I for one am celebrating two successive days OP!!! something I haven't had the patience for in a long time.

Maybe we should all pretend we are on vacation at the beach for a couple of hours a day?

Best wishes to you all,

Jennifa

Hi everyone,

Welcome Jennifa and NevadaChick, glad to have your input. Anxiety is such a strange disorder. Good for you being able to ignore the physical symptoms. I am not that lucky, sometimes I just feel like I am going insane. Some say I already am LOL. Do you girls find the symptoms worse around that TOM? Mine seem to be worse then. Those diet guidelines were helpful. I am really addicted to sugar, it seems to help calm me down when I am in the mist of a high stress day. I am going to try and lay off it. I was doing good but seems since Easter I been really slacking so its back op for me.
My doctor put me on Zoloft, but I only took it for 4 days and told him I was concerned with wt gain so he switched me to BuSpar and so far so good. I have been feeling like myself again. This is the first time I have tried meds, although I have suffered with anxiety on and off for 25 years! Hope you all have a relaxing evening.

Daytona

Hi girls,

Jennifa, no problem at all about the reply, it's my pleasure to be able to help out. I do find it strange though that here I am needing help myself, and often I end up giving it instead...lol but, I must say it strengthens me.

daytona1 yes when it is that time of the month my beahvior is way out of control I find that due to the anxiety things are exacerbated...(my poor hubby)

I have found a fabulous site that deals with anxiety has forums etc and even a free advice line and lately a Chatroom! I'm not sure if I am allowed to post urls so apologies to 3fcs if I am breaching any rules.

www.anxietybusters.com

Check it out and let me know what you think.
I personally have found this a life saver the lady who runs the site is an absolute angel she suffered from panic and anxiety herself.

All my best everyone!
MyGirl

I too have tried BusPar, unfortunately I couldn't keep with it. I had INTENSE headaches that literally felt like my head was in a vice. I also had the mild nausea that was described. I could deal w/ the nausea, heck I didn't want to eat while nausious, but the headaches were unbearable. They are a listed side effect. Bummer for me, my aunt takes it and loves it! Her whole family loves her on it! LOL

Hi everyone,

just thought I'd check in to see how y'all doing! My time off off of work is going great! ...no added stress to worry about - I live life at my own pace and I LOVE it!

In the mornings there is no rush to go anywhere I choose to get up early, take a nap in the afternoon if I have to and generally feel like the enormous stress and pressure I had before has gone! I can now focus on ME!

How are you all feeling?

MyGirl

Hi everyone,

Glad to see this board still active. I have been doing so much better these last couple weeks. I am still taking the Buspar, in fact I have a Dr. appt this morning to see how things are going. How are all of you doing? The weather around here has finally gotten nicer so I am sure that helps with my mental health!! I have work issues I need to address. I have only worked off and on for some of the time while rasing my kids. They are now young adults and I need to find something constructive to do with all my free time. I need to get some job skills, but it is sooooooo overwhelming to figure out what I want to do let alone learn how to do it!! I really feel this is my main reason for the anxiety. Change is always so hard for me, I know some people thrive on it but I HIDE from it. If you guys have any suggestions please let me know.
Hope everyone is doing good, I will check in later.

MyGirl, sounds like you are enjoying your time off, good for you.

Daytona

Hi everyone,

I have so busy having a fabulous time that I haven't even logged on to check posts for a while!
Don't get me wrong, not everyday is a walk in the park, I still have my off days but I still persist.

Tambourine, I hope the Buspar helps you sounds like you are doing ok!

Jennifa, keep up that heavy breathing..lol I have started Yoga classes again and feel all the better for it.

daytona1, you are very employable...I can already tell you have great people skills!

ok here are some more tips I read about.

some anti-stress tips

1.don't waste time trying to change someone (It doesn't work)

2.do one thing at a time

3.maintain a variety of interests

4.share your problem...."a problem shared is a problem half-solved"

5.do things one step at a time

6.do something creative something that will occupy your mind to the fullest...eg; gardening, craftwork, painting, sculpture....the possibilities are endless!

7.let go of being perfect...(I have trouble with this one)

that's all for now gals

have a great few days,
see you soon

MyGirl

Hi everyone,

Well my doctor visit last week went great, I told him I was feeling like my old self again. He said to keep taking the Buspar for a minimum of 3 months then I could try and go off it. Unfortunatly yesterday I was back to my old anxiety ridden self. It blindsided me as I was feeling so normal. Now I am wondering what to do? Call the Dr and see what he says, I wonder if the medication could just stop working like that? I am so bummed, here I thought I found the answer. Well back to my other ways of copeing. Hope all of you are doing better. Mygirl sounds like you are well on the road to recovery!! Keep up the good work.

Daytona

Even though you are still on the Buspar you may have back sets from time to time. I've been on Buspar for about one year and I still have anxiety attacks sometimes. They are not nearly as bad though and don't last as long. Just don't get discouraged. Remember the saying "This too shall pass." No matter how bad the anxiety is it will go away.

dear daytona,

so sorry to hear about your temporary set-back
please don't let it affect you , just put it right
behind you and keep moving forward...we all
have bad experiences periodically...rest assured
that this won't cause you any harm and the
attacks are usually only last momentarily
eventhough they seem to last forever.

a big >>>>>>> hugggg <<<<<< to you too

have you had a chance to look at the anxiety site
I mentioned? www.anxietybusters.com
they have an excellent and very supportive forum
...I swear by it.

hang in there,

MyGirl

Good morning MyGirl, 1Moretime and everyone,

Thank you two so much for responding to my post. It was such a comfort to hear that I can still have set backs while taking the Buspar. I just got to feeling normal and sort of forgot about the fact there are no magic bullets in weight loss or any other health issue. Wouldn't it be great it there was??? We can always hope!! For me I always worry that the anxiety state will last FOREVER and I will never feel like my old self again. Do your attacks just come out of the blue? Mine seem to and I usually feel especially worse when I first wake up in the morning. I am addicted to diet coke and I know that is probably not helping as it has caffeine in it. Being a glass 1/2 empty type probably doesn't help either. I am going to try counseling but of course I can't get in to see anyone till the first week in June. Must be a lot of mental health issues out there!!

Well girls I am going up north for the weekend and try and relax. Hope the weekend is good for all of you. Happy Mothers Day to all the moms. Thanks again for your comforting words of encouragement and MyGirl I am going to the anxiety site you told me about now.

I will check back on Monday, I am without internet up north so I hope for the best.

Daytona

I have never been on this board before and decided to check it out. My daughter just started with panic attacks about 7 months ago. She is a registered nurse and was clinical supervisor of an Emergency room. She is on medical leave and will not return. Our son has had panic attacks for years and finally went on Paxil. She is also on paxil.
Daytona1 - didn't you use to post on Sugar Busters? I remember asking you if you were from Florida because I live 8 miles from Daytona Beach.
Well any way I was reading everyone's posts and someone had mentioned about the website anxiety busters. The only thing I could find was ordering of that program. Has anyone ordered it and if so is it worth the money. Is there somewhere else I need to go on that site that I am not seeing?
My daughter is really putting on the weight. She just got married April 7 and is very tall - almost 6 ft. 1 and her husband - on a good day - is maybe 5 ft. 10. I am really concerned about her and this with her weight being that I have been heavy all my life. I did Sugar Busters but then started to go to Weight Watchers and that is where I am really losing weight. I started dieting last September and have lost 45 pounds so far.
Sorry for rambling on and on. Would like any input from you ladies. It is very hard as a mother to talk to one of your children about weight - you know? I just do not want her to go through her life like I did and being so extremely heavy. At my highest I weighed 320 pounds and am now down to 185. That was 5 years ago and lost the majority of my weight on the T-factor diet. I can remember my petite mother yelling at me about my weight - locking food up - going through my purses looking for candy. I realize I am in a different position than my mom was. I was heavy - still am but not like before - whew - so I can relate to everything that is going on with her.
Well any help - any thing -- would be greatly appreciated. Those of us that are mothers -- Have A Happy Mother's Day.
Take Care.
Barbara
Port Orange, Florida

dear barbee,

welcome, glad to have you here!

Re: Anxiety Support Site
After entering the anxietybusters site go to the FORUM
I have bought the tapes and think they are well worth the money, the lady who runs the site also offers free phone support - 7 days a week. (check it out)

Since you know what it was like to grow up overweight and having thin people like your mom hide food from you
etc, you have an added advantage because you can get inside the thinking of an overweight person's mind.

My advice is to offer your daughter unconditional love and support no matter what...also try to find out what the reason is behind her putting the weight on...there is ALWAYS an explanation.

Do fun activities with her, get her out and about for eg; if you want to talk why not go for a walk together.

My mom is a real gem she is skinny now but she is a pillar of strength for me...she never ever makes me feel bad about myself or my weight...eventhough I know how much she hurts seeing me at my worst. We have started taking walks together and this is our special time for mother-daughter talks.

Whatever you do don't tell her she has to lose the weight...she knows what she has to do more than anyone else.



MyGirl