Dealing with stress and anxiety

**RZZZA** · August 12, 2007, 08:25 PM

yeah, or combine meditation with physical excercise like...so...so many do.

**Captain Arrrgh!** · August 12, 2007, 10:59 PM

Turban's on to something... He kind of reminds me of this fella named 'Rzzza' from a few months back...
My addiction to working out stems from all the nonsense stress as a youth.
I didn't realize you're a limey though, bro, so joining the army to get out wouldn't be a smart idea. A nice long run though, man, that's sweet. Nobody -nobody- can **** with you're head while you're running....Man, it's glorious. And firing off 3 or four sets of plyometric pushups if the folks start arguing at night.
Also, you could research into the more serious pursuits of meditation. There's some really experienced members who can talk about it here, actually. Boof can probably provide you with some great links. He's helped me a lot.

**~~removeduser_487563287433~~** · August 13, 2007, 02:52 AM

Originally Posted by LoZz

also think of your younger siblings, they have to put up with it all day every day when for you its just a few months, i would recomend for their sake you also be the big brother you need to be and speak on their behalf, imagen what its doing to them. dispite what your mum is doing you are still the most important thing in her life and its the same for your father and they feel the same about your siblings, true they dont always show it but they are human like you and i. if they discover that what they are doing is causing you so much pain they will go out of their way to stop it, its a parents worst nightmere that what they are doing is harming their child and it doesnt change no matter how old the kid gets, trust me mate talking to them will be best, who knows it may even be the words of their eldest son they need to make them realise what they are doing is so bad.

There is no ****ing way in hell I am taking on that extra burden.

**Cluny the Scourge** · August 13, 2007, 04:02 AM

I have had many problems with anxiety over the years and have also tried beta-blockers, but I found them of little use in the long-term.

What I did was:

A) Booked weekly appointments with a psychiatric nurse who schooled me in anxiety-disorder management for twelve weeks; AND

B) Got on an SSRI anti-depressant for about a year...these are the type which are especially effective against anxiety disorder. I have used venlafaxine and duloxetine - the side-effects settled down after a month and then I felt the benefits very soon; AND

C) Pro-actively used the peace the drugs gave me to mentally sort through my problems, identify their root and philosophise solutions for myself which have done me excellent service ever since.

So that's my recommendation. And of course, as WE live in a CIVILISED country like the UK we don't have to worry about the cost of all this...the rich pay for it instead. Just tell your doctor how much you are affected by all the symptoms - panic attacks, insomnia, disordered dreams, inability to concentrate, weight-loss and chronic loss of appetite, etc., etc. If the doctor is not sympathetic then get an appointment with a different one until you get one cool enough to just give you what you need.

**boofhead** · August 13, 2007, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Niccolo Machiavelli

On a side note, what you're experiencing looks like hyperventilation to me - it's not that serious but seek out someone who'll profesionaly deal with the underlying reasons...

It turns into hyperventilation for me - that's why you can't die from it. At worst you will pass out and then your breathing will return back to normal. Unless of course you have a heart condition or something.

Imagine someone blushing slightly, then thinking "****, I'm blushing and everyone can see it." The blushing gets worse. You realise it's getting worse and that makes it worse. Before you know it you are beetroot red.

Anxiety/panic attacks for me were the same. "Oh **** I can't breathe properly." Like a snowball expanding as it rolls down a slope the symptoms get worse, until you can only breathe conscious effort because you are so tensed up. I'd end up thinking "I might die". From hindsight I would think "why can't I just relax?" Well I couldn't because it is terribly hard to relax when you are slowly suffocating.

**Niccolo Machiavelli** · August 13, 2007, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by boofhead

It turns into hyperventilation for me - that's why you can't die from it. At worst you will pass out and then your breathing will return back to normal. Unless of course you have a heart condition or something.

Imagine someone blushing slightly, then thinking "****, I'm blushing and everyone can see it." The blushing gets worse. You realise it's getting worse and that makes it worse. Before you know it you are beetroot red.

Anxiety/panic attacks for me were the same. "Oh **** I can't breathe properly." Like a snowball expanding as it rolls down a slope the symptoms get worse, until you can only breathe conscious effort because you are so tensed up. I'd end up thinking "I might die". From hindsight I would think "why can't I just relax?" Well I couldn't because it is terribly hard to relax when you are slowly suffocating.

What do you mean with "it turns into hyperventilation"? Imho, in your (or Ferrets) case it was hyperventilation from the beginning.
What Ferrets and you describe are perfect examples of the processes involved.
He said he's stressed and stress causes some people to subconsciously hyperventilate. Accordingly, more carbondioxide is exhaled, resulting in lowered CO₂ levels.
What then happens it the fact that CO₂ receptors which are mainly responsible for regulation of automatic breathing detect less CO₂, thus decreasing his breathing frequency to a point at which he perceives it to stop, considering it necessary to willingly breathe in deep.

As he didn't consciously realize the preceding hyperventilation, it appears like a sudden stop of automatic breathing.

Obviously his conscious breathing sufficiently counter-regulates at this point (i.e. he doesn't breathe too deep and fast), as he doesn't seem to suffer from full-fledged hyperventilation-syndrome, which would result from a shift in acid-base balance due to a lack of carbon-dioxide, resulting in a rise of his blood ph level, which in turn would increase calcium-binding to albumin due to a lack of protons. As free clacium plays a key role in muscular tonus, he would be likely to cramp. More importantly, it would cause his brain-vessels to contract resulting in a lowered blood supply, which ends in a vicious circle eventually resulting in him passing out.

Oh well - I better stop - I'm getting carried away...

**Mighty** · August 13, 2007, 07:10 PM

I'd usually use my family for abating the stress.

Like just sit and be around my family. Father, mother, my younger sisters and brothers. Their sight shines rays into me, rays of hope, steadfastness, calmness, and basically, makes my stress go away.

I usually get headaches alot as well, and I mean alot. Never found a clear solution to that yet. Just try refreshing myself

**Medicus** · August 13, 2007, 07:18 PM

Originally Posted by Mighty

I'd usually use my family for abating the stress.

Like just sit and be around my family. Father, mother, my younger sisters and brothers. Their sight shines rays into me, rays of hope, steadfastness, calmness, and basically, makes my stress go away.

That might work - if your family isn't a source of the stress you feel.

**Mighty** · August 13, 2007, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Bernard L Black

That might work - if your family isn't a source of the stress you feel.

thats exactly what I was thinking. And its very famous these days to see families not united

**Angmar_nite** · August 13, 2007, 07:31 PM

I'm pretty chill but I find a shower works wonders with relieving stress. Other than that the closest I've gone to a panic attack is confronting my Chinese parents with a bad report card. And they can lay on some heavy ****.

But I usually just toughen up and weather it. Not sure the same can be said of your situation though...

**mrmouth** · August 13, 2007, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by Ferrets54

For about a year now I have had problems with anxiety and to a lesser extent stress.

I had anxiety attacks after I returned from Afghanistan. I had almost lost my leg there and I was having really intense dreams about that event. Anytime I was awake and I thought about that day my heart would start to race, it felt like I was having a heart attack. I went on an anti-depressant/anxiety drug, took it for 2 months, decided to come off of it and I never had any issues any longer.

**Chaigidel** · August 13, 2007, 10:48 PM

the "long breath" is the most effective way to bring about relaxation.

you must breathe in slowly counting to 15 -- you must fill 3 sections of your lungs bottom first to the middle then the top 5 seconds on each.

the trick is to then empty the lungs from the bottom to the top with a 15 second exhale-- it takes some practice so at first just breath in 15 seconds then breathe out 15 seconds this means you will take 2 full breaths every minute--- it will put you into a special place.

for some reason obviously this number varies but the deeper the breath you can take and the slower you can take it the better-- your heart will also slow down with this excercise and you will become more aware of your physical body in doing so ( being able to feel the beat of the heart allows you to alter it)

**boofhead** · August 14, 2007, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by Niccolo Machiavelli

Oh well - I better stop - I'm getting carried away...

Yes indeed!

**~~removeduser_487563287433~~** · August 15, 2007, 01:33 AM

Feeling somewhat better the past day. Unfortunately work dates have been altered... yet again... so I wont be able to get away from the house for another two weeks yet. But then I can get away for a fortnight in Reading. Once I come home it will only be another couple of weeks until term starts properly and I can live on my own again, thank ****.

**LoZz** · August 15, 2007, 06:07 PM

Originally Posted by Ferrets54

There is no ****ing way in hell I am taking on that extra burden.

well regardless if you want to make the situation better for your siblings or not the point still stands the only way you are going to fix it is to speak to your parents and tell them what they are doing to you. hard? you bet! this is going to be one of the hardest conversations you have had with them but for their relationships sake, and the sake of your health you need to. no amount of popping pills or posting here will fix that you and I both know this, serious mate just speak to them, what have you got to lose? if they ignor you then you are going to be no worse off then you are now but if they atlest take it outside of cut back on the argueing its going to help.

and being the older sibling you dont have the choice, you need to regardless of your relationship with them look out for your younger siblings health as well as your own, think about what this is doing to them? locking themselves away in a room is NOT healthy, look what its done to you in the month or two you have been home, atlest on october you will be free of it but what about them? and its no an extra burden at all because the solution is still the same, speak to your parents.

**Richard** · August 16, 2007, 04:16 AM

My solution is paroxatine, although I always spell it wrong.

**~~removeduser_487563287433~~** · August 16, 2007, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by LoZz

well regardless if you want to make the situation better for your siblings or not the point still stands the only way you are going to fix it is to speak to your parents and tell them what they are doing to you. hard? you bet! this is going to be one of the hardest conversations you have had with them but for their relationships sake, and the sake of your health you need to. no amount of popping pills or posting here will fix that you and I both know this, serious mate just speak to them, what have you got to lose? if they ignor you then you are going to be no worse off then you are now but if they atlest take it outside of cut back on the argueing its going to help.

and being the older sibling you dont have the choice, you need to regardless of your relationship with them look out for your younger siblings health as well as your own, think about what this is doing to them? locking themselves away in a room is NOT healthy, look what its done to you in the month or two you have been home, atlest on october you will be free of it but what about them? and its no an extra burden at all because the solution is still the same, speak to your parents.

There's absolutely no point. I've tried before, again and again and again and it doesn't sink in and at worst I only set off another day long tantrum. I am clearly in no state to take on the saving of my siblings - all I can do is spend as little time as home until University and make my plans to get out and escape.

Appetite is getting better. Eaten three square meals today for the first time in a week or two. In nine days I go to Reading to run the bar for a fortnight.

I'm definitely a lot skinnier than I would like.