Dealing with anxiety without meds
Dealing with anxiety without meds
Hello,
I know there are tons of articles and videos about this topic on the internet. But I think I need to interact with real people with similar struggles (feel free to share articles and videos that have helped you, though).
I've always had anxiety problems, even as a kid. I got diagnosed late (at 30) with ADHD, depression and social anxiety, and I started taking meds for those. The meds helped, but after a year or so I stopped taking them, mainly because I was feeling better and they were too expensive. Unfortunately the cheaper options gave me too many side effects.
I can function without the meds. But this year is being really hard on me and my wife, and my anxiety is starting to get out of control again. I'm getting some panic attacks and they make me feel like shit.
Can you share some tips on what works for you when you are feeling anxious?
Thanks a lot and wish you the best.
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To calm my mind I work to reduce:
- unwanted inputs
- broadcast media
- advertising
- bad faith arguing (and the unfortunate corresponding output of me arguing back, feeling angry & hopeless)
- time and energy spent harming my own wellbeing (I chose a path of financial instability for mental health; my prior jobs made me & the world worse)
& to increase:
- silence
- walking
- nature appreciation
- reading
- creativity
- meditation
Meditation is something I have felt for years I should do, but didn’t. Just last week I started a new daily practice. I had difficulty with apps and podcasts and YouTube videos because of the capitalist need for $urvival. When the path to inner peace features billboards I tend to lose focus. So I started doing it myself. I’m recording the sessions and will share them to encourage others who may be like me. I intend to show that maybe it’s not so difficult and foreign to pause and breathe and talk to oneself. In no way am I following any meditation tradition. I considered coming up with another label but felt that meditation would be the one most easily understood. I have joined this community and will post my meditation series here in the next week or two.
My name is Rob. I’m 51. I’m an abstract expressionist painter. My diagnoses (received in my early 20s) are ADHD, major depression, and eventually bipolar. I have taken many prescriptions. I have attended much therapy. I’m not doing either at the moment, for a combination of financial and DIY/philosophical reasons. I do not judge the course others take on their route to survival. At least I aspire not to judge. It’s one thing I’m working on, including in meditation.
P.S.
I experienced mild anxiety as I wrote this comment in the form of these thoughts:- Maybe after one day HandOfDoom already received enough response. I can think of many times I’ve reached out online then retreated as I felt overwhelmed by replies — and I’m not talking as someone with a huge following, 3 replies can overwhelm me!
- If I’m not careful I will write a book length response because figuring this stuff out is my life story.
I don't want to give you and undeserved anxiety, I just want to say this is really good advice and something I want to save for later.
Great answer. I'm not overwhelmed by the replies, so feel free to write to your heart's content hahah. It helps me and maybe it'll help others too.
I look forward to your meditation videos, it's a very interesting approach.
I have a lot of trouble with capitalism as well. Sometimes I feel that I've lost my sense of self. It's like I've turned into a part of a big machine, that is going to a place where I don't want to be.
The things you said to increase, like walking, nature appreciation, creativity (I'm a musician) help me to regain my sense of self and to find meaning in what I'm doing. Unfortunately, living in a third world country, with a lot of work for little pay, makes it hard to have energy left to pursue those things. But I'll keep on trying.
Thanks for your reply and wish you the best.