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I Didn't Let Anxiety Ruin My Life

My Anxiety Story

In 2019, I was on a family vacation, about to eat dinner at a nice restaurant, when suddenly I began to feel nauseous. I didn’t know what was going, I had never felt nauseous for no reason before. Interrupting the lively conversation about our plans to go to Disney World the next day, I told my parents that my stomach hurt really bad and I needed to go back to the hotel to lie down. After laying in agonizing pain for an hour, I decided that I should go to the ER before things got worse and ruined any more of our trip.

The doctor at the emergency room said that it seemed that my symptoms were caused by constipation. He gave me some medicine to help me get through the trip, and recommended I see more doctors once I got back home. I was able to get through the trip without feeling too awful, although I did have to skip half of the activities so I could rest up.

Once getting back home, I visited my primary care doctor. After explaining to her everything that was going on, she said that it seemed like all of my symptoms were caused by anxiety and depression. It had never crossed my mind that those were the reasons for my sickness. Mental health wasn’t something that my family and friends talked about often, but I was getting ready to move across the country to go to college, so it made sense that anxiety and depression would go along with it.

Following my diagnosis, I partook in some reflection. Looking back on my life, it seemed that I had always had a touch of anxiety, but it wasn’t until I got to high school that I started to experience physical and symptoms due to it. I felt nauseous every morning my junior year, and I assumed it was due to lack of sleep. But looking back, I had just started at a new school and hadn’t made many friends yet, so the nausea was actually a symptom of my mental illness.

Leaving my parents and going to college was just such a monumental event that it set my anxiety and depression over the edge to the point where it began to take over my life. My primary care doctor has prescribed the drug Lexapro to take, to limit my anxiety and depression. I took it for about four months, from July to October, and did not see any changes in my symptoms.

On the contrary, once I arrived at college my symptoms worsened. Being in a dorm made me feel like I was constantly being watched, as there was no privacy. People were always around, which made my social anxiety go off the rails. I began having diarrhea every single day, multiple times a day. It was difficult for me to eat because I felt sick all the time, and when I did I had to use the bathroom immediately after. I had to take Pepto Bismol all the time just to be able to attend class. I weaned myself off of the Lexapro, because it didn’t seem to make a difference and I forgot to take it every once in a while anyways. That was a rough time in my life.

Over my school’s fall break, in November, I went to see a different primary care doctor to see if she had any different advice than the first doctor I saw had. After explaining my situation and symptoms to her, she agreed that I had anxiety with a hint of depression. However, in addition to that, she diagnosed me with IBS, otherwise known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. She explained to me that many people with anxiety have IBS, as well, because anxiety can affect one’s digestion. She prescribed a fiber supplement to me, called FiberCon, that was supposed to calm my stomach and help with constipation and diarrhea.

I have been taking FiberCon everyday for a year and half now, and my anxiety and depression symptoms are as limited as they have been since I began high school. Yes, I do occasionally have an upset stomach when I am stressed about a school project or meeting someone new, but nowhere near the extent that it was my first semester of college. This is all to say that even when you feel like your mental illness is taking over your life, there is a way out of it. Don’t give up on yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

For those of you that experience symptoms of anxiety and depression like I do, here are some of the coping mechanisms that I employ to take back control of my mind. First, I like to do breathing exercise. I know that this is a common one that most people already know about, but it really does work. When I feel my anxiety start to build up, I take slow, deep breaths until I start to calm down. The great thing about this one is it can be done in public without anyone around you knowing.

Another thing that I do is sing and dance by myself. Yes, this sounds silly, but it really works. When I’ve had a bad day and am feeling stressed and depressed, I turn on some of my favorite music,do a little karaoke, and have a little dance party for myself. When I do this, it’s hard to get into it at first because I don’t feel happy and I’m not in the mood to sing and dance, but after faking being happy for a few minutes, I start to feel actually happy! Trust me, this works.

WeTalkRadio Network will be posting mental health related content all month long, so make sure to check back often for updates!

by WeTalkRadio

10 Ways to Cope With Anxiety

As a person with anxiety, I know that it can be hard to do even the simplest of things some days. A lot of people associate anxiety with being nervous, but it is much more than that. Anxiety can be debilitating to the point where it can be hard to get out of bed. Some people have panic attacks daily due to the severity of their anxiety. However, I have found some coping mechanisms that make it easier. Here is a list of 10 things one can do to manage their anxiety symptoms.

1. Listen to nostalgic music

Listening to music is a common technique to soothe anxiety because it distracts from stressors as well as has a calming effect. Nostalgic music specifically, such as music from one’s childhood or music that is associated with a happy memory, helps relieve anxiety. Listening to something that used to bring you joy is likely to bring you joy again.

2. Play a simple mobile game

While playing phone games may seem like something that is only appealing to kids, it is actually a great way to cope with anxiety. Next time you feel your anxiety building up, or a panic attack coming on, open up Candy Crush or Fruit Ninja. You may be surprised about how much it helps take your mind off of what is causing your anxiety.

3. Workout

Yes, exercising is something that is commonly recommended to help with anxiety and it doesn’t work for everyone, but it really does help most people. Doing a difficult exercise forces your mind to focus just on the physical movement, and not on the stress inside of one’s head. It releases endorphins that greatly help, as well. Additionally, working out should be fun! If you don’t enjoy the workout you are doing, try something else! Personally, I really like doing dance workouts. They don’t feel like exercise, they just feel like I’m dancing and having fun! If you’re interested you can find tons of dance workout videos on Youtube to try!

4. Do breathing exercises

A common breathing technique that helps my anxiety is 4x4 breathing. Count to 4 while you take a breath in, then count to four as you let the breath out. This slow and controlled breathing serves as a way to concentrate one's focus, as well as slow one’s pulse, which creates calmness and decreases anxiety.

5. Write in a journal

Another great way to decrease anxiety is journaling. Writing your thoughts in a journal gives your thoughts a place to rest, so they aren’t racing through your brain anymore. Sometimes putting your thoughts into writing is all it takes to make the overthinking stop. Journaling also helps you to process and analyze your thoughts, so something that is causing anxiety may not cause as much once you are able to analyze it through the journaling process.

6. Reduce your intake of coffee and other caffeinated products

As you may already know, drinking caffeine, especially coffee, can spike anxiety. The caffeine in coffee enters the system quickly, which causes an increased pulse, thus increasing anxiety. It also leaves the system abruptly, which can leave you feeling lackluster. If giving up caffeine isn’t in the cards for you, try green or black tea instead. The caffeine in tea isn’t as strong and it enters and leaves your system gradually, rather than quickly and abruptly, therefore it doesn’t have such a bad effect on one's anxiety.

7. Take a bath

A warm, luxurious bath can do wonders for anxiety. The warm water eases tense muscles, which releases tension in the body as well as the mind. Take it a step further and light a candle or throw in a bath bomb to make it a full-on self-care experience.

8. List things you’re grateful for

Sometimes anxiety can put a spotlight on all of the bad things going on and make you lose sight of the good things in your life. To cope with this, it’s helpful to list what you are grateful for. The list can be in your head, or you can create a physical list. If you want to go the extra mile with it, a gratitude journal is a good option, as well.

9. Do a grounding exercise

In high-anxiety situations, grounding exercises can help one focus on the task at hand and stop one’s mind from spinning. There are several different grounding exercises to choose from, but a common one is 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. To complete the exercise, start with a deep breath, then look for 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. When you find these things, name them outloud, or at least mouth the words to create a physical experience to go along with the mental exercise. Take a deep breath to complete the exercise.

10. Talk to someone

I know that it can be hard to open up to others about anxiety, because there is a fear that they might not understand why your brain works that way. But if they really care about you, they will not judge you for it and will be happy you opened up to them. Talking to a friend or family member about what makes you anxious can help relieve anxiety, so give a try next time your anxiety flares up.

by WeTalkRadio