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Please Help with Anxiety & Thought Stopping Strategies

Silverbirch

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Silverbirch Grand Master

Silverbirch

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Hi all,

I'm still up and down. Had quite a good weekend, then woke in the early hours this morning with bad dreams about the ex, and found it difficult to get myself going today. I have this terrible sensation which is hard to describe, but I think it is physical pain of anxiety. It is like a gnawing emptiness and ache below my sternum. Have had a lot of sadness today too, and didn't end up going to work.

 

Over the last couple of weeks, it seems my stomach has taken a bit of a hiding. For the first couple of weeks, I hardly ate at all, and got to the point where I was drinking antacid out of the bottle because of burning in my chest and stomach. I did go to my GP, and they said there wasn't really anything they could do except prescribe me on antidepressants which I'm on and wait for time to heal.

 

I've been trying to get in touch with a counsellor who I know who is good, but he has been away, and hopefully will be back soon.

 

Sorry, today is just one of those days where I don't feel like I have it together.

 

I read on ENA references to thought stopping, but don't know anything about this. If anyone can help me with this, I'd be keen to know about it and trying it. Thanks.

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findingbeauty Contributor

findingbeauty

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Hey just a quick thing I wanted to mention. The burning in your chest and stomach may also be a side effect of the medication. I just had this problem last week and I did a little research on natural remedies for what felt like gastritis. The cheapest remedy I found was apple cider vinegar. I just take a tablespoon or two diluted with water the same time I take my meds and "presto" no more burning at all. I'm sure not eating isn't helping your situation, but just wanted to chime in on that note. I'm sorry for your suffering right now. It will not always be this way. I've been there and am still teetering on that edge, but things do change. Sorry I couldn't help regarding your main question.

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Tryptophan Enthusiast

Tryptophan

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Do math; it's the only thing that's worked for me. Think about it, you'll be smarter/better at math, and it just keeps your mind going around in circles. Algebra did it for me. It was silly when someone recommended it but it ended up working. I never liked math but I'm starting to love it now.

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Gerda Apprentice

Gerda

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There was a technique described in a free ebook that somebody posted that helped me. First, make a list of the things you shouldn't be thinking about (thinking of ex with somebody new or reviewing and overanalyzing the relationship were my two big ones.) Then make a list of your happiest thoughts or memories (in my case, the Yankees 2003 defeat of the Red Sox to go onto the Series worked quite well, but it can be other things like hobbies you enjoy a lot). Pick three, and put a rubber band around your wrist. Every time you find your mind going directions it shouldn't be going in, snap the rubber band, tell yourself "STOP" and immediately shift your thoughts to the happy memory, in detail, including specific physical and emotional sensations.

 

I did this for one day, and it did the trick. Math sounds like an awesome idea, also, but I just wouldn't know where to begin or what to do math on.

 

I know the pain you are speaking of, dealt with it BIG TIME in the first month post-breakup. Be careful with the antacid stuff, and honestly I found the heartburn prevention medicine to be far superior to the liquid stuff--but they're only going to work if you have legitimate heartburn, it's not going to help with pain from sorrow, which might feel like physical pain. Not eating + downing antacids seems like a recipe for messing up your stomach totally. I've had really awful heartburn for years. Drinking more water, cutting back on sodas, and taking a multivitamin have helped me get from a point where I thought I was going to need surgery to the point I am at now, where I don't have to take any medication for it.

 

Some antidepressants can cause an increase in anxiety or depression for some people. I am on Wellbutrin and when I first went on it, that was the case (some adjustments fixed the problem almost completely.) So if necessary adjust your dosage or release method (switching form 24 hr to 12 hr medicine helped me), talk about it with your prescribing doctor.

 

Good luck to you, the pain will not last forever. I know this because a couple months ago I actually thought I might die from the pain in my chest, I thought my heart was just going to literally fail and I would die from a broken heart. It passed, just like everyone said it would.

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allsunny Enthusiast

allsunny

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Do math; it's the only thing that's worked for me. Think about it, you'll be smarter/better at math, and it just keeps your mind going around in circles. Algebra did it for me. It was silly when someone recommended it but it ended up working. I never liked math but I'm starting to love it now.

 

you know what's funny about this? After my break up, I changed my major from psychology to math. lol

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allsunny Enthusiast

allsunny

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hey itsnotlove, can you tell me more about that; you're doing math to overcome anxiety? How does that work? And do you just pull out some math problems to work on whenever you feel anxiety coming on?

 

 

you can go on youtube and learn some math problems. you can go online and look up math problems. Just google standardized test problems (math), or look up SAT study guides.

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