[My Michelle]

Exercise for sure, but also I discovered that playing games helps me unwind and redirect non-specific anxiety as well. So we've started playing card games and board games alot more at my house.

Even a game of minesweep or solitaire if I'm all alone helps me get through that period of time where I'm thinking about eating for no reason at all.

[AZ Sunrises]

I'm a compulsive cleaner when I'm stressed too. There has to be some biological reason that women do it--I've *never* heard a man say something like that.

[skygirl]

I really struggle with this too. It can really be challenging. I've been working on a list of things to do when the anxiety happens.

They mostly involve a combination of "doing something" and "trying to relax" Listening to music, taking a hot bath, drinking hot tea, going window shopping, seeing a movie, going to the library, reaching out to friends, reading a book, exercising, cleaning, etc.

But recently I've been trying some other things too, more focused on "being quiet and still" and "relaxing." So if I can I might lie down for a few minutes, and just doing that a relaxing and breathing, even for less than five minutes, can someitmes help.

The other thing is I do deep breathing exercises and say to myself "relax, it's ok" and try to calm down. Sometimes I try to identify what's causing the anxiety (sometimes there is a "cause" I can pinpoint, and sometimes there isn't becasue it's just generalized anxiety) and think it through, and remind myself that I am ok, and remind myself of the positive things in my life, and kind of picture myself as a filter, and imgine all the anxiety just passing through me, through the holes in the filter, but all the good things staying with me, because they are bigger and stronger.

The other thing is that I remind myself that when I eat to medicate the anxiety, what that does, aside from the initial drug effect, is bascially shift my focus onto worrying (not in a good way) about weight and the way I look and the things I don't feel comfortable doing, etc., instead of my focus being on my life and the things I want to do and will do. And so I try to remind myself that self-medicating like that is ultimately just a delay tactic that prevents me from getting at what's really important.

I can't say I have a track record with any of this yet, because I am still learning how to deal with anxiety. But I'm working on it. You're not alone in feeling this kind of thing. Hang in there.

[shannonmb]

It's so funny you are mentioning this right now. I have been eating on plan wonderfully, and getting much more physical activity. I'm happy to report that my weight is going down, but very interestingly, I find my general anxiety level has really gone up lately. I have a feeling that I have taken away my absolute go-to solution to anxiety -- eating -- and I have struggled to come up with new coping mechanisms.

I talked to my doctor about this, and she suggested I try a neuro-behavioral program she has used for other patients, not just suffering from anxiety/stress disorders but also stuff like chronic pain. I was like okay, well, I'll give it a whirl. My insurance pays all but the co-pay, so I'm in.

I went to my first of 6 weekly 2 hour appointments and met my cognitive behavioral 'coach' this past Thursday. He led me into this little office that had the most comfortable chair imaginable, and he explained to me that this is not therapy, where I tell him about all my problems and we try to explore my past to resolve things, etc. He explained that he is going to teach me to train my mind to work FOR me instead of AGAINST me (which it does a lot with all this mindless anxiety). He basically taught me how to meditate, with the goal of getting to that alpha state between sleep and awake, and once there, I can use that frame of mind to do "work".

Okay, I'm down, can't hurt. He tranced me out or whatever, and within a couple minutes I literally felt like I was part of the chair. It felt awesome! Then he had me imagine a success (I used getting on a plane and the seatbelt fitting, with some slack, even, and the tray table comfortably unfolding fully in front of me). Now I'm supposed to practice all that 2x a day until next week's appt. I have been working on it at home, and I am getting pretty good at it! Each week we will be working on a new skill, week 3 being I guess nipping stress in the bud immediately upon feeling it. I'm VERY interested in how I will feel about the whole thing after the 6 weeks, and find it VERY interesting that my insurance pays for it.

Anyway, sorry this is so long, but I can really relate and thought I'd throw out what's been going on with me on that front.