Hi,
My story, trying to be of help, but VERY aware that one size does not fit all
🙂
I had just pretty much finally sorted out my long running (life-long?) problems with anxiety and depression when I found out I was (borderline so far) Type 2 this year
I now am thinking that the two were perhaps tied up (chicken and egg) to some extent (anxiety-drinking-sugar imbalances-etc cycles). Along with loads of other things, of course, its never as easy to completely separate things in real life as it is in the lab. Human bodies / minds are so complex!
I finally just broke appart at 40 (good timing!) and had no choice but to see a psychiatrist and finally accepted his offer of SSRI's (which are not at all the 'one flew over the cuckoos nest' zombie meds I had imagined) and then finally a psychologist for an extended time to sort out the main roots of my problems (main one was unexpected death of little sister at 22 combined with stupid 'stiff upper lip' attitude).
This is the abridged edition, there are various, 'I solved this I'll stop the meds/therapy even though I'm being advised against it', terrible divorce, changes of country and therapy and languages, ups and downs etc mingled into the full version
🙂
Now, at 54 we (me and my doc) finally solved the cause, and if I continue like this I'm coming off the Escitalopram next year. Its not even a 'yoohoo! I can come of the drugs' - I'm happy on them.
The recurring theme is always that I thought I was strong enough to do it alone and could have saved myself so, so much pain by sorting this out earlier, just by asking for help.
Its easy and normal - if I have a headache for too long I go to a doctor - why not with anxiety and mental health?
Anxiety and depression were devastating and so hard to 'live' with.
So far, I, probably naively, think that I can deal with Type 2 if I managed to beat them. Even if I am wrong its a good attitude I think, as long as I am careful.
Anyway, I'm not saying that everyone should take meds, but getting help or at least thinking of talking to a professional about anxiety surely cant hurt and could help.
Anxiety/depression isnt just feeling a bit up-tight/blue - it's as hard as hell, and often makes doing anything else even harder.
I am sorry for being so Evangelic, I would say that I am actually a pretty normal sane person, but that's not 100% true
🙂
More objectively:
I personally found my first (German) psychiatrist's recommendation of the
Anxiety and Phobia Workbook a
huge help in understanding anxiety better and mitigating it (as have various friends to whom I subsequently recommended it to).
As recommended by my doctor, I didnt follow the whole 'workout' exactly but used the separate chapters to find out what was happening to myself (which already made me less anxious) and used some of the relaxation methods to great effect - especially the simple breathing exercises derived from modern science and already present in the empirically derived over thousands of years Eastern philosophy (its definitely NOT a hippy-dippy self help book tho)
But, like I said YMMV (your mileage may vary)
Please remember I am 'just some Essex nutter on the internet' and talk to someone professional and kleverer than wot I am.
Best of luck
Leigh
