New to this board--bad anxiety day!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-19-2003
New to this board--bad anxiety day!
1
Thu, 04-28-2005 - 3:33pm
Hi there. I'm on the boards alot, just haven't written on this one. I have severe anxiety/panic and i'm on 40mg of Paxil and have Xanax for the bad attacks. My problem really is once something's wrong in my life I obsess and obsess about it and and panic (with all the physical symptoms), and cannot get my head out of that haze. I read about people distracting themselves, etc., and my dr says to do that too, but i just OBSESS! I feel like i'm crazy sometimes. Before i was on meds, i couldn't even function. I would just freeze up in the panic. I would get to work (it took everyhthing i had to do that) and be in this freaked out state constantly, unable to think of anything else. I guess my question, point, delimma right now is, how can you successfully distract yourself? I've tried the breathing, which kind of works for the physical symptoms, but doesn't change the constant circle of thoughts in my head. Can anyone relate? Oh, and thanks for listening (reading).
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Thu, 04-28-2005 - 4:12pm

Hi! Nice to have you on our board. You are NOT alone. It feels that way sometimes, but it isn't so. Folks with anxiety seem to have the obssessive thinking more often than not. It can come in spells or it can last along time. If I have a disagreement with someone, I can quickly drop the subject & move on. But, if I have a fear, worry or concern, that thought is stuck in my head like a broken record. In the past, before I had the *know how* it was impossible for me to drop the thought. Now I can use certain techniques to trick my mind, like it tricks me. Using another part of the brain helps. Counting, naming all 50 States, singing are some that have been mentioned by others. For me, subtracting big numbers that I make up in my head works. Have you ever tried yoga or meditation? You might try learning some techniques right here on iVillage. Check this out: