Get It Off Your Chest Thread

[SHOGUN]

A lot of us have **** that bothers us, worries, questions we ask ourselves and a lot of times it helps to have someone who will listen/give advice.

Ignorance/Judgement is free in this thread.

I'll start... I have crazy anxiety especially at night to the point where I can't sleep, therefore school and work suffers. I'm too embarrassed to go to a doctor/therapist... don't know if I suffer from kind of mental disorder, but it has gotten worse the last year.

[Caged Great]

Where is Stang when you need him.

[Sliver]

SHOGUN, try doing a 20 minute progressive muscle relaxation every day. Download Beth Salcedo off iTunes as she'll walk you through it. It'll help for sure...especially once you do it a few times. You probably should talk to your doctor, though, but this is something you can start right now to feel better.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by SHOGUN

A lot of us have **** that bothers us, worries, questions we ask ourselves and a lot of times it helps to have someone who will listen/give advice.

Ignorance/Judgement is free in this thread.

I'll start... I have crazy anxiety especially at night to the point where I can't sleep, therefore school and work suffers. I'm too embarrassed to go to a doctor/therapist... don't know if I suffer from kind of mental disorder, but it has gotten worse the last year.

Do not be embarrassed to seek therapy. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Those people see people with problems every single day, and you are certainly not any more screwed up than anyone else.

The solutions can sometimes be incredibly simple, and can be dealt with without meds. I went through a recent episode that was fixed with a simple conversation, and identifying the true problem that was causing me anxiety/depression. I left that room like a 1 ton weight was lifted off my chest, and within a couple weeks, I felt like a new man, by simply avoided the cause of my problems.

You sound a lot like me. You dwell on things, and once you start thinking about something, you get obsessed with it, and it consumes your mind, and ultimately effects your life negatively.

A) If your employer is worth working for they will understand.
B) This is not the end of the world, professional help will do more than you can imagine, as long as you are open to it.

[SHOGUN]

Originally Posted by Sliver

SHOGUN, try doing a 20 minute progressive muscle relaxation every day. Download Beth Salcedo off iTunes as she'll walk you through it. It'll help for sure...especially once you do it a few times. You probably should talk to your doctor, though, but this is something you can start right now to feel better.

I tried mediation, and breathing exercises, didn't really help... but I'll look into this.

Originally Posted by pylon

Do not be embarrassed to seek therapy. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Those people see people with problems every single day, and you are certainly not any more screwed up than anyone else.

The solutions can sometimes be incredibly simple, and can be dealt with without meds. I went through a recent episode that was fixed with a simple conversation, and identifying the true problem that was causing me anxiety/depression. I left that room like a 1 ton weight was lifted off my chest, and within a couple weeks, I felt like a new man, by simply avoided the cause of my problems.

You sound a lot like me. You dwell on things, and once you start thinking about something, you get obsessed with it, and it consumes your mind, and ultimately effects your life negatively.

A) If your employer is worth working for they will understand.
B) This is not the end of the world, professional help will do more than you can imagine, as long as you are open to it.

I'm a type of person that bottles up emotions and have a hard time trusting people I don't know, it's just the way I am. I don't really know WHY I'm anxious. Maybe it's just stress, I really don't know. I'm hoping it's just a temporary phase and will get over it eventually. And I avoid prescription medications with all cost.. as I don't trust doctors.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by SHOGUN

I tried mediation, and breathing exercises, didn't really help... but I'll look into this.

When you are experiencing anxiety your breathing is quite often faster than normal and your heart rate will be up. Focus on doing slow deep breaths during periods of anxiety.

I would also suggest you find a therapist to talk with. They can help you discover the source of your anxiety and ways to deal with it. Not dealing with it will only make it worse in the long run. Just because you have anxiety doesn't make you less of a person. You'd be surprised at the number of people who suffer from anxiety. I happen to be one of them .

There is nothing wrong with medication when it's prescribed the right way. Seeing a therapist should be your first choice before you consider meds.

[Nage Waza]

I find the more exercise I do the less stress you have. Also, if you write down your problems and prioritize them, you don't have to stress anymore, just work at the list. Sounds lame, but that is a great way to deal with tasks.
If you really feel overwhelmed try talking it over with someone, and if that fails, see a doctor.

[Gundo]

I usually give her a couple of these and she wipes it off........

[MrMastodonFarm]

I've deal with anxiety and depression for a while, but I honestly never knew what it was up until about three years ago. I briefly saw someone about it but I think my anxiety stopped me from going. I've thought about going to see if I can get medicated for it, but I don't even know what route to do down for that. If anyone has knows which path I should go down, fire me a PM... or.. someone write me a script? lol

[WesternCanadaKing]

I am a very neurotic person and I get pretty debilitating anxiety at times. Right up until a year ago I was usually depressed, and highly insecure. Sleeping at night was always an ordeal because my mind would be plagued with vicious thoughts of how badly I was screwing up my life and wasting my youth. I felt like I was majorly screwed up and was constantly worried about people finding out what I was 'really' like. I didn't realise it at the time, but I was making it impossible for people to be close to me.

I too was terrified of going to therapy. There is a huge stigma surrounding men seeking help for mental disorders, we are 'meant' to roll with life's punches. One day I realised how ridiculous it was to think like this. I am the only person who has to feel my anxiety, I am the only person there is to live my life, and **** it, I'm gonna do what I need to do to get better. I didn't know it at the time, but starting to think like this was the most important thing I could do.

So I started seeing a therapist, and she was able to help me a great deal. It gave me strength knowing I was finally doing something to help myself get better. I started exercising and I learned how to play the guitar. I stopped living my life by other people's standards, and instead focused on my own standards of happiness. It was a slow process, but last summer I'd say I finally 'found' myself. I did this without medication, however I'm not gonna lie, my good friend Mary Jane certainly didn't hurt. The day I knew I was better was the day I realized and believed that I was really no different from everyone else in the world.

I hope this helps. Everybody has anxiety in different ways, for different reasons, and at different levels. Do NOT feel embarrassed about therapy. I just wish I had done it sooner.

[Buff]

I can't focus. Sometimes I wonder if I have ADD. I'll be working on something and my mind things of something else so I'll jump to that, then I get an email and I'll take care of that. Then I try to force myself back to the first task but first I have to take a break and I'll do to or three things during that break and take a longer break than I intended.

I have to watch movies a few times to pickup on everything. My mind will wander and I'll start to think of other stuff, then I'll zone back to the movie and be wondering what was just going on.

When I have conversations I'm always changing the topic because I think of millions of different things all at once. I'll interrupt people or finish their sentence so I can change the topic.

It's starting to frustrate me. Maybe I'm not ADD. Maybe I'm not sleeping enough. Maybe there is too much stress in my life that I'm just distracted. I don't know.

[Traditional_Ale]

What is really bothering me is that I took a week off from my day-job to work on a personal project, and haven't made anywhere near the progress I had anticipated let alone hoped for.

With 96 hours remaining before I have to return to real-life, I am faced with a monumental task that is going to be hell but when I make it will either make it all the sweeter, or be the lingering "what if" in regard to myself and my approach to this.

It's easy to procrastinate about some things, but now my own ego and soul are on the line this truly sucks in every way.

[driveway]

Ever since the woman I loved broke my heart by cheating on me I've pretty much only been sleeping with women who are in relationships.

Also I feel zero guilt about this behaviour.

[SHOGUN]

Originally Posted by Buff

I can't focus. Sometimes I wonder if I have ADD. I'll be working on something and my mind things of something else so I'll jump to that, then I get an email and I'll take care of that. Then I try to force myself back to the first task but first I have to take a break and I'll do to or three things during that break and take a longer break than I intended.

I have to watch movies a few times to pickup on everything. My mind will wander and I'll start to think of other stuff, then I'll zone back to the movie and be wondering what was just going on.

When I have conversations I'm always changing the topic because I think of millions of different things all at once. I'll interrupt people or finish their sentence so I can change the topic.

It's starting to frustrate me. Maybe I'm not ADD. Maybe I'm not sleeping enough. Maybe there is too much stress in my life that I'm just distracted. I don't know.

I also feel my attention span is short... especially during class when I should be listening... I daydream way too often.

[Dion]

For whatever reason I can't spot sarcasm in people posts. It's always embarraasing when someone points it out to me and I realise i've made a fool out of myself wit my responses.

Same applies to real life conversation which makes the whole communication process that much harder for me. Then there's the issue of facial expressions and body language that I can't read. Often I dread going to events where there's alot of people that I might have to talk with.

[redforever]

There is also a sleep clinic in Calgary and they address all kinds of sleep issues.

http://www.centreforsleep.com/

You can make an appointment on your own or through your family doctor. Visits are covered by Alberta Health.

[dissentowner]

I have two big paranoid issues that are pretty silly. The first is because I was in a bad car accident in 99 and have all these metal plates and screws in me I am totally convinced if I get caught out in a lightning storm my body will act like a lightning rod and I will be struck. As soon as I see a flash of lightning I run like hell for cover. The 2nd one is bizarre but ever since I was a young boy anytime I walk out on a star lit night I keep thinking I am going to be sucked up into the sky. I have no idea where that problem came from but to this day when I look up at the stars I get this feeling I am about to be sucked up into space.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Dion

For whatever reason I can't spot sarcasm in people posts. It's always embarraasing when someone points it out to me and I realise i've made a fool out of myself wit my responses.

Same applies to real life conversation which makes the whole communication process that much harder for me. Then there's the issue of facial expressions and body language that I can't read. Often I dread going to events where there's alot of people that I might have to talk with.

Nothing major, just means you have Aspergers Syndrome.

[Sr. Mints]

I'm now taking three kinds of pain medications for nerve pain due to a broken back, and each of them are actually anti-crazy pills of some kind.

They are ####ing up my mind, making me tired all the time, and my doctors don't seem to know what to do, or care when I complain.

Anyway, I've tried playing with my doses or stop taking different medications, but then my legs feel like they're frozen, being electrocuted or are on fire. So I resign myself to the fact that the medications do work for pain and I'm stuck not feeling like myself.

A month later I get sick of the side effects and go through this all over again.

[Cole436]

I have a disorder called Post Hallucinogenic Perception Disorder. I developed it when I was 13 after smoking some weed laced with coke. It didn't make much sense to the doctor since neither were hallucinogen's, but I was a textbook case. I've been living with it for nearly 10 years now.
I finally went to go seek help after it was diagnosed earlier this year, and was prescribed an antipsychotic. I was really worried about the side effects of taking a drug like this. It also doubles for sleeping pills.
Long story short, I finally took it before bed two weeks after I was prescribed it and had to call in sick to work for a 10 am shift because I couldn't get out of bed. I could barely speak the rest of the day and felt terrible.
I'm more worried about taking that drug then I am ever feeling normal again.