Ask HN: How should I deal with constant anxiety problems?

5 points by sirfrancisbacon 16 years ago | 9 comments

Well, exactly three weeks ago on that Saturday night, I had an extremely bad panic attack for the first time. I basically had racing thoughts that I was going psychotic and whatnot. I decided it would be a good idea to see a psychologist.

I went there and thankfully she assured me that I wasn't going crazy. I also went to a doctor and he assured me that I didn't have any physical problems. However, the anxiety still going on, and although it has gotten significantly better, peace hasn't returned to my life.

Since this place seems like the most educated place on the Internet, what should I do?

dlnovell 16 years ago |

I find meditation to be the best cure when I'm particularly anxious about something. At first I just spend a few minutes trying to completely empty my mind. This can take significant practice if it doesn't come naturally. Then I start into a visualization of the powers of 10 video (yeah, I know it's cheesy but it works!). During that visualization I try to focus on my minute position in the universe, and by the end I'm usually incredibly calm. Whole thing can take less than 10 minutes and I can go from being a wreck to calm.

That's just my routine. Everyone who meditates has their own. It's just kinda whatever works for you. I highly recommend checking out the hundreds or thousands of sites on the interwebs that teach basic/beginner meditation. It's well worth a shot.

Best of luck buddy... getting a grip on your anxiety probably won't be easy, but is absolutely necessary for good mental and physical health.

IonicWalrus 16 years ago |

Try: * daily exercise * meditation * new hobby - learning a new skill/hobby will provide you enough distraction to worry about anything else.

skmurphy 16 years ago | |

Great suggestions, I would also make sure you are getting enough sleep. If caffeine or other drugs are keeping you up, try and phase them out and see if you can go to sleep instead of staying awake worrying. You don't mention if there has been any changes in your life but it's normal to react to a significant change (e.g.death of a relative or close friend, end of a long term relationship, loss of job or other significant financial setback, etc..) with stress.

spaghetti 16 years ago |

Take a break from computers. I notice an increase in stressful thoughts when I do too much programming. When I take a break from programming all the stressful thoughts vanish. I know "taking a break" from programming can be hard, especially if it's your job and you have financial obligations. In my experience taking a break of non-trivial length (1 - 6 months) has substantial rewards. I quit my comfy job around the middle of last year. I took 6 months off and am now back in a similar job. I feel far better everyday and I'm at least 1.5x as productive. I hope your situation will lend itself to a break like this.

superjared 16 years ago |

It would be good to read into Anxiety disorders[1] to get a feel of what sorts of coping mechanisms exist so you could benefit from the good ones, and avoid the bad. It's also helpful to monitor exactly what happens when you get spikes of anxiety; note the situation, your previous state, and any other details you can, even if you don't think they're pertinent. The more data you can obtain, the easier it will be to identify your ailment, chronic or not.

1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety_disorder

clevercode 16 years ago |

What worked for me was proper diet and exercise. I used to suffer from pretty bad panic attacks that would occur randomly, and it was really debilitating. The thing that really helped me was taking up jogging. Some form of daily exercise is essential. Also, cutting out caffeine completely helped a lot.

Good luck - it might take awhile to get back to 'normal', but keep at it!

na11 16 years ago |

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiolytic

Perfectly normal people with anxiety problems take them.

mistermann 16 years ago | |

Effexor, lowest dose possible, cleared me up. I almost couldn't leave my house before.

Try exercise and better diet first though maybe.

adrianwaj 16 years ago |

Don't be scared of a panic attack. Let it wash over you. Attempt to get to the root cause of it.