+1

Also, not all doctors and psychiatrist are the same.
Some do have mental issues or personality issues themself.
- Perhaps due to being exposed to their patients too long, dunno.
In that case, just look out for a secondary opinion. Or another doctor/psychiatrist. Or two. They are just human, after all. Not gods.

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to make someone uncertain.
It's just important to know that professionals are not infallible.
Some (minority) of them do cause more damage than they heal.
It's like a friendship. There are good friends and bad ones.
Just don't let yourself be made miserable.
Don't let him/her make you believe it's all your fault or something like that.
If you seek for help on your own will, you should be handled with respect, dignity and humanity.
So if the doctor/therapist make you feel bad - switch him/her.

Remember: In one way or another, a patient is his/her own best doctor.
Because, only he/she can feel what's going on inside him/herself.
A doctor merely has the duty to interpret, to give advice. He/she isn't the focus. He/she is the one that swore an oath toto help, toserve.
So don't let other (older) people make you act submissive in front of a doctor. Rather, think along.
Trying to be polite and respectful to a doctor is good enough.
But if he/she does say something you don't agree with, talk about it.
Being submissive and thinking "he/she surely knows what to do" doesn't solve the health problems.
Some medication even makes things worse.
So again, consider a doctor/psychiatrist as some one to assist you. Think of him/her as a guide, if you will.

Shreddoc wrote on 2022-03-13, 20:55:

What people refer to as Therapy, is a formal, trained version of that.

True. A good friend, a family member or a good neighbor that listens to you can be even better than an psychiatrist, sometimes.
The feeling that someone really cares about you makes the difference.
Psychiatrist try to keep a distance to their patients, be it because they must be "professional", "objective" or because they simply cannot handle things emotionally.

Jo22 wrote on 2022-03-14, 15:05:

a good neighbor that listens to you can be even better than an psychiatrist, sometimes.

Sorry, just had to be posted. 😁

"wind down" options...

Starry night with nature sounds and binaural beats, type videos on Youtube and Prime are good for me to get chilled out a bit if I'm too hyper feeling at bed time. A lot of people find Bob Ross painting videos really calming.

Myself I have found "Time Team" episodes quite relaxing, and Tony Robinson's later show "Walking through History" was nice and mellow too. A fictional series in that vein which is quite mellow is "Detectorists" .... Youtube canal boat vlogs where life moves through the British countryside at 3 mph with lots of scenic views are quite good too, "Foxes Afloat" is one, but a lot of the initial episodes are about building the boat which you might wanna skip over to get to the chill bits. Colin of that channel has some anxiety and other issues too which he discusses on a few occasions. For some reason, though you'd not figure it from the title, I found "Midsommer Murders" detective show set in fictional English countryside quite chill also.

One might find the show "Monk" with Tony Shaloub a little relatable as he faces his anxieties in various situations, and you get to visit his therapist with him for free 🤣 don't know how much of that is authentic or just psychobabble.

How do I deal with anxiety?

I get some exercise outdoors once in a while. 😀

ppgrainbow wrote on 2022-03-14, 18:33:

How do I deal with anxiety?

I get some exercise outdoors once in a while. 😀

i am in the process of getting of xanax, been tapering down for the last 6 weeks, medically supervised of course. this will be my last week.

i just went for a 30 minute walk at huntington beach for the first time in 10 years and it was awesome!!!

i've been sitting in my apartment on my ass for years and it is only a 10 minute drive from my house. i am very dumb sometimes.

this may seem like some sort of quack advice but, i've been using this for a couple of weeks now and it does help . https://calmigo.com

less screen time is important as well. this goes for all devices.

good luck.

wirerogue wrote on 2022-03-14, 20:13:

i am in the process of getting of xanax, been tapering down for the last 6 weeks, medically supervised of course. this will be m […]
Show full quote

ppgrainbow wrote on 2022-03-14, 18:33:

How do I deal with anxiety?

I get some exercise outdoors once in a while. 😀

i am in the process of getting of xanax, been tapering down for the last 6 weeks, medically supervised of course. this will be my last week.

i just went for a 30 minute walk at huntington beach for the first time in 10 years and it was awesome!!!

i've been sitting in my apartment on my ass for years and it is only a 10 minute drive from my house. i am very dumb sometimes.

this may seem like some sort of quack advice but, i've been using this for a couple of weeks now and it does help . https://calmigo.com

less screen time is important as well. this goes for all devices.

good luck.

Thank you for the advice. I hope that you had fun going out for a 30 minute walk at Huntington Bean, CA! 😀

Speaking from personal experience of a western guy in a socialistic country. I have never really struggled to bring food on the table. This is also a curse I believe because there is few things as meaningful than providing and actually bring food to the table (as long as you don work 18 hour shifts 7 days a week doing so).

Personally, I need to be constantly busy with a problem of some kind. I believe that the recipe for keeping ones mental health (and being happy) is to conduct yourself with problems that you are able to solve.

The above can however become a compensational behaviour, I mean if you have clear marital issues, don't start a big remodelling project in your house..

But also, don't seek out your purpose from others, you have your own self worth. In the end you are responsible for your own happiness.

I take medication.
I also try to play with my kids every evening after work, that does help.
I try to find some time to mess with a hobby, (guitars, cars, old computers mostly)

Stress and anxiety is a serious thing. Seek help if you feel that you need it.

Joakim wrote on 2022-03-14, 21:07:

Speaking from personal experience of a western guy in a socialistic country. I have never really struggled to bring food on the […]
Show full quote

Speaking from personal experience of a western guy in a socialistic country. I have never really struggled to bring food on the table. This is also a curse I believe because there is few things as meaningful than providing and actually bring food to the table (as long as you don work 18 hour shifts 7 days a week doing so).

Personally, I need to be constantly busy with a problem of some kind. I believe that the recipe for keeping ones mental health (and being happy) is to conduct yourself with problems that you are able to solve.

The above can however become a compensational behaviour, I mean if you have clear marital issues, don't start a big remodelling project in your house..

But also, don't seek out your purpose from others, you have your own self worth. In the end you are responsible for your own happiness.

Yes you don't want to get caught in a cycle of having to do something perpetually. But a sense of accomplishment can go a long way to relieving anxiety/boosting endorphins/creating a feeling of wellbeing. If only temporary.

If a specific situation is causing the anxiety, well you may need to deal with it appropriately. If it's a "test" of some sort, prepare yourself, realize you're only human, others have been through it, why not you. As I've said anxiety is a reaction to stress, which is due to fear of some kimd. Or lack of confidence, same thing. You need to be more specific about what's ailing you. If not here with someone.

If your environment doesn't put all that emphasis on mental health issues, maybe you shouldn't either. IOW take life less seriously. They're all fos, you're fos, I'm fos. Don't worry about people, they probably don't spend a lot of time worrying about you.

ppgrainbow wrote on 2022-03-14, 18:33:

How do I deal with anxiety?

I get some exercise outdoors once in a while. 😀

You mean as in picking up a package at the postal office? 😜 😜

Tetrium wrote on 2022-03-14, 23:47:

ppgrainbow wrote on 2022-03-14, 18:33:

How do I deal with anxiety?

I get some exercise outdoors once in a while. 😀

You mean as in picking up a package at the postal office? 😜 😜

I definitely wouldn't want to pickup a package at the postal office...but I would want to go to the mailbox for sure and that's it. 😀

When I have anxiety, keeping myself busy helps the most. I tend to jump around hobbies some. My latest obsession is retro PC building. Recapping boards is also a great distraction for me.

Take up road cycling. 3-4 hours at a time out in the sun, empty your mind and keep your heart over 130bpm. Does wonders for your mental health.

Yeah but cover yourself from the sun. That schnitzel is nasty.

DaveJustDave wrote on 2022-03-15, 17:43:

Take up road cycling. 3-4 hours at a time out in the sun, empty your mind and keep your heart over 130bpm. Does wonders for your mental health.

That number varies with age, and people who had a 486 back in the day probably should not be at 130bpm unless they are already fit. 110 would be where most of us should be at I think for the first month of beginning exercise or so.

I'm 55 and fat and out of shape. If I sit for a while and measure my bp, my pulse rate would be between 80-90bpm. Maybe you meant while exercising?

This was maybe 5 years ago. I take a medication for high bp, for about 12 years now, andn it's fine. But one day I got a lot of sleep, I measured my bp and it was crazy high. Maybe the machine was on the fritz, as I never ever measure that high. So I went for a 4 hour brisk walk, 12-13 miles. At some point that evening I measured again and it was wicked low.

This isn't an argument for not getting as much sleep as possible. You can have a lot of energy after 11-12 hours of sleep. And sometimes that energy could amount to hyper tension or even anxiety. Loads of rest and sufficient exercise are likely extremely important to mental health. When I don't get my sleep, especially when not for a few days, I'm out of my mind. There have been instances where I've been awake for 24 or more hours, went to sleep, and woke up prematurely 2-3 hours later, and holy crappola I felt lime I could go insane. I'm not a panicky person. My ability to remain cool and collective under stressful situations has saved my life at least once. So when you feel really pushed to the limit, you MUST tell yourself it'll get better, regardless of how you feel or what things look like. In time you body will follow what your mind is saying, and your stress level will subside. Just don't give in.

chris2021 wrote on 2022-03-15, 19:32:

I'm 55 and fat and out of shape. If I sit for a while and measure my bp, my pulse rate would be between 80-90bpm. Maybe you meant while exercising?

Yes, while exercising... Here is what should be a reliable source with some details..
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/ba ... te%20(bpm).

Basically you wanna start at the low end of that when beginning exercise and do like 15 min bursts of that intensity with periods of "warm down" until you've been doing it a few weeks and can sustain.

Keeping your mind empty is asking a whole lot though. Honestly I don't know what it feels like to have an empty mind. Does anyone ever actually have a totally empty mind, unless you're involved in some sort of meditation? My head continually races.

chris2021 wrote on 2022-03-15, 20:24:

Keeping your mind empty is asking a whole lot though. Honestly I don't know what it feels like to have an empty mind. Does anyone ever actually have a totally empty mind, unless you're involved in some sort of meditation? My head continually races.

"Divert all shields to engine power!"

Exercise forces part of your brain power to be focused upon the physical reality you are experiencing, rather than 100% brain power spent ruminating over mental issues.

Many have already weighed in on this but my advice is:

1. Eliminate any potential "real" or "legitimate" sources of anxiety such as poor job performance, bad sleep schedule, etc, as much as you possibly can, to get rid of low hanging fruit.
2. The rest is mental and physical... if you have no "legit" reason to be anxious then why bother? Your mind may not like this but you will have to short circuit that part of your brain. It's both mental and physical; you have to reason with yourself and follow up with real action. Keep your mind and body healthy. Go do things that are healthful for the soul such as hiking in the mountains, lifting weights (this one is huge, causes chemical changes that will help), lose weight if you are obese, gain weight if you are underweight, listening to great music, doing things you enjoy, spending time with quality people, etc. Check your diet. Don't eat processed crap, cook for yourself if you can, eat good fats and cut out seed oils.
3. If you are amenable to religion, find a quality church.

I do NOT recommend taking medication of any kind unless you have a debilitating mental illness such as schizophrenia that is not mere anxiety. We think we know how to fix these things with medication but it inevitably causes so many other problems; in 100 years mainstream science will have so much data concerning the ill effects of these medications that haven't been around for that long in the grand scheme of things that we will wonder why we ever used them in the first place. They will destroy you.

The basic principle here is that you are a whole person. You are not just a mind controlling a body that's disconnected from your mind somehow. You are not a meat computer controlling a meat puppet. You are a human being. Your mind cannot be healthy if your body is not healthy, and vice versa. You're a whole system. In computer terminology, your body will bottleneck your mind and vice versa.