Anxiety


Brother_L
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hello everyone.

This is my first post here. I couldnt find any advice on any of the church websites, so I really hope to find some here. I have a really hard time dealing with anxiety. I have never gone to the doctor to see if I do have it, but I know I do. Whenever I am invited to go anywhere, or my family plans a trip, my nerves go haywire. I start shaking and feeling sick. I know nothing will happen to me, but I just cant convince the rest of me that it's going to be okay. I have talked with my bishop about this and he just told me to not worry about it(not real helpful). Recently my family has been thinking about moving and that's got my stress/anxiety levels through the roof. Does anyone else suffer like I do or have any advice for me? Anything would be great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello everyone.

This is my first post here. I couldnt find any advice on any of the church websites, so I really hope to find some here. I have a really hard time dealing with anxiety. I have never gone to the doctor to see if I do have it, but I know I do. Whenever I am invited to go anywhere, or my family plans a trip, my nerves go haywire. I start shaking and feeling sick. I know nothing will happen to me, but I just cant convince the rest of me that it's going to be okay. I have talked with my bishop about this and he just told me to not worry about it(not real helpful). Recently my family has been thinking about moving and that's got my stress/anxiety levels through the roof. Does anyone else suffer like I do or have any advice for me? Anything would be great.

Keep in mind that your Bishop is not trained/qualified or licensed to provide mental health advice. I would think about getting some help from a mental health professional for this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try some of these breathing/relaxation techniques that I use to manage my anxiety:

Relaxation Resources \\ Counseling Center \\ Loyola University Maryland

Pick one that you like from the ones they offer, and use it 2-3 times per day. Within 2 weeks, you should start seeing a difference in your stress and anxiety levels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello everyone.

This is my first post here. I couldnt find any advice on any of the church websites, so I really hope to find some here. I have a really hard time dealing with anxiety. I have never gone to the doctor to see if I do have it, but I know I do. Whenever I am invited to go anywhere, or my family plans a trip, my nerves go haywire. I start shaking and feeling sick. I know nothing will happen to me, but I just cant convince the rest of me that it's going to be okay. I have talked with my bishop about this and he just told me to not worry about it(not real helpful). Recently my family has been thinking about moving and that's got my stress/anxiety levels through the roof. Does anyone else suffer like I do or have any advice for me? Anything would be great.

I would say to avoid the doctor because all they will do is give you meds and nothing more.

There are naturally ways of dealing with anxieties. Sometimes anxieties come from parents fighting or other factors at home. Exercising is supposed to be a great way to help deal with anxieties. I had bad anxiety shortly after getting married and honestly just dealt with it. At the time I was working 40+ hours a week and attending upper level divisions classes at a university full time while sharing a car with my wife and/or borrowing my mom's!!!!!!!!!!! I prayed that the Lord would help me and just repeatedly told myself that everything is fine and not to worry. I know the feeling at it isn't fun at all!

My little brother suffered anxiety for years and was put on meds. This made him act like a zombie. It wasn't until after he stopped taking meds that he was able to exercise faith, trust in the Lord and conquer his anxieties.

Again, all a doctor will do is prescribe you pills and if you want to take harmful pills for the rest of your life than go that route.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest LiterateParakeet

I recommend therapy.

I believe therapy is really a crucial step because first you need to learn where your anxiety is coming from. If you see a medical doctor, they will likely treat it as a physical problem, which it may or may not be.

Your anxiety could be something that can be relieved by learning some techniques, meditation, and thinking errors.

Anxiety could also be a symptom of a much deeper problem. If that is so, and you ignore it then your body will find another (louder) way to tell you. This has not only been my experence, but that of many others I have spoken to. I first started therapy because I was having panic attacks. I didn't even realize that they were panic attacks because they were related to some other health issues I had at the time. When I started therapy, my health was a mess, and I was a mess too. I am so grateful for my Medical Doctor who suggested therapy (not medication). I had only been in therapy a couple weeks to a month when the real reason behind the anxiety came out. I was stunned.

Almost three years later, I am still in therapy, but hey, my anxiety and my physical problems are much improved. Your mileage may vary. Perhaps a few months in therapy will be all you need. The important thing is to recognize that anxiety may be a signal from your mind/body/spirit that you have issues you need to address, if you ignore it the call will get louder, and take it from me, you don't want that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

. I had bad anxiety shortly after getting married and honestly just dealt with it. At the time I was working 40+ hours a week and attending upper level divisions classes at a university full time while sharing a car with my wife and/or borrowing my mom's!

It is normal and rational to have stress and feel anxious during such intense times in life.

Whenever I am invited to go anywhere, or my family plans a trip, my nerves go haywire. I start shaking and feeling sick. I know nothing will happen to me, but I just cant convince the rest of me that it's going to be okay.

This is not a normal or rational reaction to normal events. This has something to do with an imbalance somewhere that needs to be dealt with using therapy and probably meds.

It wasn't until after he stopped taking meds that he was able to exercise faith, trust in the Lord and conquer his anxieties.

Again, all a doctor will do is prescribe you pills and if you want to take harmful pills for the rest of your life than go that route.

So if people with diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune disorders, cancer, allergies, etc. would just exercise faith and trust in the Lord, they wouldn't need all those "harmful pills"?

The stigma against having mental imbalances treated is a really unfortunate one. It's opinions like Smeagums' that keep people from being treated for very real, harmful chemical imbalances. No one should have to live in fear of social events or shopping or going somewhere with their families. No one does have to live that way. Scientists and doctors have made advancements in medications and therapies to ensure that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One more thing: I had a lot of anxiety for a long time. I always saw it as a weakness. Praying it away didn't help. Then a few years ago I learned that I had a thyroid problem. Having that medicated and balanced out has eliminated my anxiety by probably 90%. . . enough that I feel normal stress and worry, but not crippling anxiety. I'm not miserable. I can tell when I miss a dose of thyroid meds because I start to become irrational and very unhappy in addition to other symptoms. So I agree with LP that it could be the sign of something underlying, and maybe even something very simple.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest LiterateParakeet

Eowyn reminded me...many people I know benefit from a combination of therapy and medication...whether the problem is anxiety or depression.

I personally chose not to use medication but that is because I have DID, and the meds can affect some "parts" differently than other. (yes, I just mentioned that casually, I do so to try and remove the stigma. I have written about it a bit on my blog if you are interested.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hidden

I would say to avoid the doctor because all they will do is give you meds and nothing more.

There are naturally ways of dealing with anxieties.

My little brother suffered anxiety for years and was put on meds. This made him act like a zombie. It wasn't until after he stopped taking meds that he was able to exercise faith, trust in the Lord and conquer his anxieties.

Again, all a doctor will do is prescribe you pills and if you want to take harmful pills for the rest of your life than go that route.

There are naturally ways of dealing with anxiety. It is great if solely natural ways work. That is the ideal situation. Natural ways combined with medication is a highly effective combination. Sometimes, anxiety is relentless and medications are justified.

Yes, there is always a risk of side effects with taking medications. It sounds like your brother had a negative side effect. Sometimes you have to try different medications to see which works best. Sometimes there are no side effects at all. In regards to medication, a question to ask is do the benefits outweigh the risks?

In my personal struggle with mental illness, being off medication is more of a risk than being on it. Doctors only helped me, not hurt me. In fact, I dare say medication was one factor that saved my life.

Link to comment

I would say to avoid the doctor because all they will do is give you meds and nothing more.

There are naturally ways of dealing with anxieties. Sometimes anxieties come from parents fighting or other factors at home. Exercising is supposed to be a great way to help deal with anxieties. I had bad anxiety shortly after getting married and honestly just dealt with it. At the time I was working 40+ hours a week and attending upper level divisions classes at a university full time while sharing a car with my wife and/or borrowing my mom's!!!!!!!!!!! I prayed that the Lord would help me and just repeatedly told myself that everything is fine and not to worry. I know the feeling at it isn't fun at all!

My little brother suffered anxiety for years and was put on meds. This made him act like a zombie. It wasn't until after he stopped taking meds that he was able to exercise faith, trust in the Lord and conquer his anxieties.

Again, all a doctor will do is prescribe you pills and if you want to take harmful pills for the rest of your life than go that route.

I have to say I 100% disagree with the suggestion that you avoid doctors. We all have anxiety to a certain degree. It is natural. But what was described by the OP sounds severe.

I am not sure why receiving medicine for real problems is looked down upon so much. It shows no lack of faith. We have been blessed to have the medical advances available to us. Yes there are things one can do "naturally" but in cases where natural just doesnt cut it, there is no shame in having something prescribed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to say I 100% disagree with the suggestion that you avoid doctors. We all have anxiety to a certain degree. It is natural. But what was described by the OP sounds severe.

I am not sure why receiving medicine for real problems is looked down upon so much. It shows no lack of faith. We have been blessed to have the medical advances available to us. Yes there are things one can do "naturally" but in cases where natural just doesnt cut it, there is no shame in having something prescribed.

I think one reason the suggestion to avoid doctors was given is because drugs just temporarilly alter chemical balances. The current levels of various chemicals in your body. Often, a doctor will see symptoms and prescribe a drug based off symptoms. Back pain is a big one, mental health, etc.

A chiropractor or a someone who works with vitamins can resolve those issues. The back pain could be because your back is out of a proper alignment and it pinches a nerve(can happen with pregancies when the baby sits over a hip). The mental health could be because you lack certain vitamins.

I recommend watching this documentary "Food Matters."

Did you know we have had the "cure" for cancer for over a 100 years? You read that and might be like yeah right. But the truth is we have.

"Curing" cancer is a simple idea. Currently we use Chemo, surgery and other stuff to remove tumors. Obviously, it gets it out, but is it fixing the mechanisms in the cells that are generating the tumors? No. So curing cancer is just getting the mechanisms to reverse back to normal. So they no longer create the tumor cells.

The simple answer is avoid Genetically modified foods(which is sadly a lot of what we eat.) And get the vitamins necessary for the body to function.

In the documentary, it gives this story about a woman who had severe depression, she would sit in the corner of her home and she would do nothing, she contemplated suicide amidst all this. A Psychiatrist gives some pills. They don't work. Then a man who works with vitamins. Gave a vitamin called Niacin. They gave heavy doses of the stuff too. The woman was going back to normal life and everything, when she went back to the psychiatrist. She told him about the Niacin, and he said it wasn't safe. She got off niacin, and then she went back to the corner in her room.

I don't trust doctors anymore. They only ever use drugs anymore and don't believe in the strength of your body. I believe a lot of our issues whether mental or physical often come because we are malnourished in someway. I broke my arm once and the nurse forced me after 10 minutes of telling her I wouldnt take the pill and then she convinced me by breaking it in half. It didn't do anything for me. My body had sent all the endorphins I needed to be pain free. Another time when my wisdom teeth were pulled, they gave me some heavy pills, i dont know what they were, but it wasnt till I stopped taking them that my pain started to go away. I would take them and my brain would fog over so I wasn't aware of anything. But I could still feel the pain in my mouth. My cheeks would numb a bit, but not my jaw where the pain was. Doctors say these drugs help but they do not. Sure in emergencies they help. That is what the value of the doctor is. They cannot sustain though. They aren't long term fixes. Think about it a doctor is in a place for the sick. The goal of the doctor is to get them out of the sick place because it means what? it means they are healthy again. That is a dumbed down breakdown of what the doctors work is. So who treats the healthy, ourselves. Ourselves learning our needs, for minerals, spinal alignment(affects nerves and brain activity), vitamins, and muscle relief. We get the help we need from those specialists and maybe other areas if you can think of them. And I believe that doctors do not serve the purpose that we(society) often think they serve.

Another additional point, pretty much any processed food is absolutely gross. Did you know that the old twinkies had beef in it? yeah thats right beef. ugh!! Take a look at little debbies and Im sure you'll find stuff in there that unfathomable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think one reason the suggestion to avoid doctors was given is because drugs just temporarilly alter chemical balances. The current levels of various chemicals in your body. Often, a doctor will see symptoms and prescribe a drug based off symptoms. Back pain is a big one, mental health, etc.

That could be a reason they suggested it. But speculation on why is moot. What was said was "all a doctor will do is prescribe you pills and if you want to take harmful pills for the rest of your life " . Really? All Doctors want to do is give you harmful pills?

Do I think that we are over medicated as a society? I do. I beleive in a process. Your first option is not always the doctor. Try out different diets and see if that helps. Study your own simptoms and see if there is anything you can do differently with sleep etc. If then the problem still persists, seek a professional. I am not talking about your standard pediatrician and is supposed to know a tad about everything. I think you should get to someone who specializes in the one field you need and see if it works. The body is a very complicated thing, it is not a truck that you can simply plug a comuper into and know what is wrong. I sometimes feel that we do not give doctors enough credit. We expect them to know everything because hey, I am human just like everyone else, why cant you fix me? Aren't vitamins and natural meds.... still meds?

So why are we living longer? Medical knowlege and medical advances. There is a lot of thinking and research that people really should do before diving into meds, but that is not to say that they are all bad for us.

I found this good read if anyone is interested. I liked it. How We Died 200 Years Ago, Compared to How We Die Today

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I take medicine for anxiety. It helps me, and I am happy. It also keeps people around me happy too, when I take my medicine. ^_^

Heavenly Father gave us common sense for a reason. He also has placed people on this earth with special abilities and talents.

If we are hurting, we should definitely pray. Then we should listen to what the Holy Ghost says. That guidance could lead us in a multitude of directions, among which could be therapy, medicine, better diet, exercise, and/or a combination of any or all of these. ~TG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I dealt with a really bad case of depression and anxiety last year and I was taking meds for it. it normalized things for a bit -- I felt better. But, I knew I couldn't stay on the meds my whole life.. Plus the fact that at times when I would miss a pill I get really bad headaches. Eventually, I simplified my life -- finishing my masters and refuse to proceed with a PhD, quit my toxic relationship (he's a good person but there was too much drama, just brought out the worst in each other) -- and adapted a healthier lifestyle. I still get anxiety attacks. i listen to music, i do breathing exercises and I write to myself. I am eating better (not missing meals and strive to exercise everyday). I think I was just out of balance.. So mu point is, maybe doing some life assessment and simplifying your life may help...

I just wanted to share my experience. Sorry, if this maybe tangential to the topic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have had anxiety my whole life and I currently take zoloft for it. I have received tons of psychology, psychotherapy and even experiential training as well as church. Certain forms of therapy will help to a point however if it is chemical as well then only treating it chemically will help.

It is something you will need to discover. I will say this, the rights meds can change your life, the wrong meds are truly hell on earth. Always trust yourself as you make decisions about your mental and physical health.

Getting tests done to see if your body is lacking anything I think could be a great eye opener. So it is either chemical, psychological or both and I think Eowyn pretty much nailed it.

Exercise and eating well and enough sleep of course always helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No one has a right to tell you that your mental or health issue is just due to your lifestyle. These can be caused from any number of problems, from genetics, damage, illness, diet, stress, etc. So many things. NO one plan or 'cure' works for everyone not even for the same, apparent, issue.

It is rather egotistical to think otherwise.

For issues like anxiety it makes sense to try common sense ideas first but if they dont work then a trained mental health person can do wonders. If meds are prescribed and you dont want to take them forever then work with a therapist to deal with the cause, while working to the goal of being anxiety and med free. .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share