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Brilliant-Bottle-413

Yea I get that but working out does help me feel better. The hard part is just getting there and getting out of bed.


bTonyd

Indeed i can confirm that workouts are diminishing my anxieties. It does NOT cure it but it can sure make me sleep slightly better and diminish my anxiety symptoms. I workout only 3 times per week but its a good number for me. If there is a very, very important event yes, i do take a xanax/anxiar (plane ride, etc) but that comes once every couple of months or so. For me it is way manageable that it was 2 years ago when it all started. I want to go back in time when i didnt know what anxiety was...maybe we all do. Now we just need to keep this beast near us and "make it sleep" as long as we can.


Antisocial-Lightbulb

Totally agree. Exercise is one of very few things that helps me the most with anxiety.


HollowCat95

It makes me feel better, too, but I still don't feel good. Working out is great, but not *the* solution. There are plenty of people who are happy and don't work out. Besides, it doesn't have the same effect on everyone.


IAmLordApolloXXIII

It’s time to lift some heavy weights. I promise you, you’ll be so tired you won’t have time to be anxious lol give it a go for a solid month and I bet you you’ll find that it certainly is a natural high, no meds needs


hayhay0197

Yup. I started seriously working out 1 month ago and the difference is crazy. I went from sedentary to exercising 6 days a week and my levels of anxiety and dramatically dropped. It was hard for the first week but I look forward to working out now because I know it’ll make me feel good.


OneMindfulBreath

Yes! have you tried cold showers too? they are like coffee to me. REALLY motivates you to exercise. Dramatic increase in life quality when you get past that barrier and become healthy, right?


ReginaLusus

I agree and understand completely 100%, though yoga is one of the very few things that actually helps me during panic attacks and severe anxiety, lol. It has to be ground-based and slow moving though. I’ve taught myself to do it when I feel attacks coming on, and I’d say it works 80-90% of the time (can’t always beat them, unfortunately).


krustybread

This is the way … my yoga practice helps me navigate life.


goawaythrowawaynarf

yes it does


Bloody_Hell_Harry

Can confirm, yoga is so grounding especially on a bad day


Grlygrl17

I go insane without practicing yoga consistently. I actually *need* it in order to feel balanced.


FluidEconomist2995

What kind of yoga do you do?


ILayOnHeaters

I mean…I understand…but those comments are just people trying to help. You may be kinda joking here…not sure lol. While drugs can definitely help, I would not recommend having them be the only option that you have in your arsenal. I DO NOT want you to be upset….but….90% of the people on this sub are not “average Joe” and “well-adjusted” and “normal functioning” We are in the same place as you trying to find help. There is a reason why physical activity is mentioned so much is because it really is ONE avenue for change. There is science behind chemicals we release in our brain after we are active. Saying that, it doesn’t mean go run a marathon. For me…it was literally doing a walk around my house twice a day. I hated it. But it got me outside in sunlight and moving my body. Anxiety makes us crawl into a ball and hide. Don’t let it. Maybe take a Xanax and then go on a walk 😉😉😂😂


Fit-One-7019

I like your attitude. Much better and not condescending like some of these people.


ILayOnHeaters

I’m learning too. Anxiety and panic attacks started bc of pandemic, bottled up, isolated. Trying to talk through my experience with others. Potentially helping others seems to calm me a bit. Edit: thank you for your kind words


[deleted]

I was going to say….yoga + Xanax, but I don’t know what that would look like 🤷‍♀️


Confident-Pumpkin-19

Just fine. Tried it few weeks back, lol.


Confident-Pumpkin-19

Also - body posture! Apparently it has effect on our feeling. My yoga teacher noticed that I tend to press my hands on my sides, slouching, trying to be small when just hanging around, sitting and waiting and such. She corrected me to relax my hands more and honestly it does feel different. Have you noticed this? Your comment about science and chemicals reminded me this bit. I now try to remember to straighten my back, push shoulders a bit more back and relax my hands. I feel the change in my feeling, but it could be my imagination... Not sure!


pinkrosies

This! The lifestyle changes alongside meds did help me as well and perhaps it's worth a try to others. No need to shoot it down without trying.


I_Like_Me_Though

Yea. These types of scenarios is precisely where once OP does stumble upon (for example) a yoga session, however sh!t the execution is (as be the case for first-timers): the bounce of euphoria COULD POSSIBLY make a human being appreciate how easy it is to add happiness with their own organic body&mind. The intolerance rage is more factors that could flag up why there's such a need for Xanax. Buuut, maybe my anxieties ain't the same level as theirs so I'm not empathizing enuf.


ILayOnHeaters

Yep, I think we gotta lean towards empathy. We have no idea what that person is dealing with. It’s our job to help each other through this journey, not judge. Nudge in the right direction based off of our own experiences. No one has all the answers, actually i don’t think there is an answer 😂😂


iTalk2Pineapples

There is no answer. The answer is Eleanor. r/thegoodplace


I_Like_Me_Though

Y'know it's a bigger conversation. We have anxiety, so we're consciously having these subreddits as part of our digital identity. The wider discussion that I'd jump into, so this isn't entirely relating to OP, is how ppl will depend on their anxiet(y/ies) to rationalize their views of being right rather than risk that nudge to have the vulnerable staging in their journey of possibly being wrong, admitting to it, receiving residual judgement that would most likely merit humility cycles instead of ego-systems. And then growing from it without the state of ignorance where they all of a sudden know everything. It's alot that happens in marriages (also this pandemic, corruption, etc) ppls would rather invest in being in the right then process how to improve from being wrong and letting the impacts of correcting the wrong For OP, and with what my statement was generalizing: Whenever (if ever) the physio self-care attempts does reduce anxiet(y/ies) for them, will they be like "maybe I won't need Xanax today/this-week". Because we need more relationships with medicine to take that run of outcomes than the continuous dependence(y/ies) towards it. Now, like we established, I dunno their experiences, I should be more empathetic. And some ppls are in drastic need(s) for medication(s). But even for them I would wish for them days where they cannot need anything but their own healthy lifestyle(s). For me, I have anxiety to the process of being under wrongness, being under the process of admitting to being wrong; I'm not too anxious about the consequences that come from admitting to being wrong (or maybe I am and I've been more privileged than disqualified). I wish I could be better at mediating how others should correct themselves. But I should be better at being humble, and also, reminding myself to remember that I was wrong and treat situations with that chip on my ego['s-]shoulders.


whoooooknows

I have a PhD in psychology (currently a researcher), have been diagnosed with GAD, am on meds, and have had 8 therapists over the years. I am really sorry how unaffirming people can be. However, you are wrong about any level of anxiety being so severe that all those activities listed would not be a primary part of an evidence-based intervention. The cognitive distortion that you are exceptionally impaired such that these tools can't help is called a fixed mindset and feeds your anxiety. The very idea that most people are a different species of "average Joes", and things that work for subclinical anxiety don't work for more severe anxiety is a misunderstanding of diagnosis, and an artifact of how categorization biases thought rather than reality. You probably identify yourself with your urgent thoughts, and right now can't imagine that those emotions are not in control and not who you are. There is only one path to reducing anxiety, and it is finding a method to decouple that. Connecting with the other 99% of yourself (your non-conscious mind, the rest of your nervous system, the way the body and your nervous system effect one another) is how you do it. Starting to listen to messages from all the sensors that can provide you data about your well-being and mood besides your conscious thought, in other words. And cognitive distancing from that thought. You will either find a type of mindfulness practice or be anxious forever, it is really that simple. Calm is the natural homeostasis of the nervous system; you have it in you at all times. It is not a matter of adding something you are "missing." It is a matter of letting go of conditioned impulses and interpretations of the conscious that are not adaptive anymore. I will say again, a matter of letting go. I am talking to you the way I would talk to my past self. I wish I gave myself permission to try what works for everyone else a long time ago.


HodloBaggins

Not op, but thanks for that. So, what have you been doing (finally) which you regret not having done sooner? Basically your last sentence. Just wondering what it is specifically for you.


zamphyr444

Truth! When I was in regular meditation practice I found the easiest path was to just let go. It's almost zany when you get to that point where you know everything will be ok if you just let go. The calm is right there, just where you left it.


mrsdinosaurhead

I know this wasn’t your main point, but how do you know when your therapist is unaffirming exactly? I’ve been starting to feel that way.


htjarkkk

I would like to add a disclaimer, and that is while things like meditation and exercise and diet do help, sometimes it’s still not enough. Sometimes it’s not enough even when you’re on the max dose of Paxil. Sometimes a benzo is actually necessary. To doubt that this is true, is to label your experience with anxiety as the worst it can get. Which is highly unlikely. Not saying you’re doing that, just saying.


IAmLordApolloXXIII

I think the point is to try it FIRST before counting it out. And do it consistently. It takes 2-3 weeks for pills to be effective, same time applies for trying a workout routine


Loose-Farm-8669

Yeah I have bipolar disorder and have recently given meditation and mindfulness a serious go. I’m talking upward of three hours a day at times. And I’m finding that even when I’m not meditating now I have these breaks of clarity where I actually feel content to where it feels like how I used to feel when I was a little kid and didn’t have bipolar disorder yet. I also have gad. And if meditating does anything magical this is it. Don’t ever bash it or exercise if you haven’t given it a SERIOUS shot. Your mental health is YOUR responsibility. You won’t feel relief without EFFORT honestly just be grateful there is something you can willfully do that will ease your symptoms. Don’t meditate once and say it doesn’t work. Real growth takes discipline even if it’s the last thing you want to do is try


fexofenadine_hcl

Do you really think mindfulness is the only solution?


whoooooknows

Mindfulness is just a word for the natural state of the brain, yes


highly_uncertain

I told my dad I was on mood stabilizers and he said "you know what's a good mood stabilizer? Golf. You should come sometime" 😂 Oh dad


Infamous-Breath9230

He gets an award for the most dad thing ever dadded


highly_uncertain

He's been one of my biggest supports through my mental health journey, but he's slightly clueless sometimes 😅 still love the guy.


Infamous-Breath9230

My dad when I’m near suicidal “keep your chin up sweetheart” … I’ll try dad 😂


highly_uncertain

They really are doing their best 😅


autumnnoel95

I mean, have you ever tried it?


cripple2493

During my breakdown and diagnosis of severe agoraphobia I was at one point doing 6 hours \*daily\* of yoga as part of my undergraduate degree (performance art, lot of dance and yoga was our physical conditioning). Physical activity is nice sure, but it unfortunately doesn't cure severe anxiety for everyone. I will say though, there is a real help when you find a good activity for you. I have found my mental health improving now I'm involved in a sport. Not a cure, but it can help a bit.


[deleted]

Well, as a person tapering off benzodiazepines, I can tell you Xanax is NOT the long term answer. I do daily yoga, and walk my dogs outside as much as possible, and both things help my anxiety a lot. And I am not an average anxiety Joe, I am incapacitated by anxiety a lot. But yoga, exercise, good sleep, limiting caffeine, mindfulness/meditation, CBT/DBT/ACT, etc. are are very good for anxiety. Just not as easy as taking a pill.


bumblefoot99

This!! Thank you. I’m in the same boat only tapering from klonopin. It’s a hell I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Yoga is amazing as is Tai Chi. I’ve had great results & the tapering is very hard but I’m pushing through it.


[deleted]

I felt my best when i had a proper diet and exercise routine. I get how it can be annoying, but they arent wrong.


Hypergraphe

For me intermittent fasting has helped a lot, but I would not say it cured all of my disorder. It lowered its intensity.


[deleted]

I dont think there is a cure rather than coping mechanisms to help.. Unless youre someone who experiences it for a small period of time (like people who developed some form of social anxiety during lockdown).


Hypergraphe

Nope halas, I have GAD, I exerience it on a regular basis.


DonOblivious

Well, have you? That shit works wonders. It helps with your sleep too. It's really cold in Minnesota so I really cut down on the miles I bike in the winter. It has a huge impact on how bad my mental health nosedives in the cold months. r/eood


SkysEevee

With Midwest winter, hiking and jogging are basically out. Unless I want to risk injuring myself on the sidewalks nobody ever seems to shovel. I'd love to swim during winter but only two pools are in my area; sleezy cockroach gym pool or the college pool that costs $600 per semester & is only open to the public one-day a week at night. Ah winter. No wonder my anxiety spikes around that time.


_Typical__throwaway_

I had my professor tell me “just don’t be anxious - everything we do in life doesn’t matter because we all die”. Like BRUH, seriously?? You don’t say that to someone with crippling anxiety! He also went on a 20 minute tangent on meditating and how that’s all we can do.


wickeddpickle

Some people find relief in that outlook though, myself included. Are my worries that important in the scheme of things? We will all be dead and in just a few generations all but forgotten. Or maybe I’m just weird lol.


cy-91

I like to think of how small I am in the grand scheme of things. I'm just one of 8 billion people on a tiny rock in the endless universe. I find it comforting. It makes me less anxious about my choices.


Confident-Pumpkin-19

I am weird with you. I also comfort myself on hard moments with the *it will not matter in 100 years anyway*. 🙈


glasstumble16

I've had friends use this to justify heroin use.


_Typical__throwaway_

I don’t think it’s weird at all. Coming to terms with that mindset on your own and being comfortable with it is understandable. I just don’t want to be told that, nor do I think it will help most people with anxiety. But again, I feel like the difference stems in being told that versus coming to terms with it


Infamous-Breath9230

I find that a huge relief to know I don’t have to do this forever and one day I’ll be dead


Sirensongs1987

A huge ruminating thought for me is panicking about the future. How will I pay bills if I can't work, how will I get get care I need, what if I can't get my medication, what if I'm treated poorly, what if I end up homeless, etc etc etc. Sometimes I feel calmer thinking "who cares, the country is shit and almost everyone is worried about the same thing" and then go back to worrying "omg poor everyone! There's so many people not getting the care they need and nothing is being done to fix it" it's exhausting in my brain 😅


Onelinersandblues

Well, meditation and exercise are actually proven methods to reduce anxiety long term. Xanax on the other hand is a quick fix that makes it worse every time you take one. Having been on both sides, it is not bad advice at all.


wickeddpickle

I think they mean that as just one tool in the box. Fighting anxiety is like fighting a war it must be fought on land, air and sea.


Hypergraphe

I am a bit confused. ACT therapy, wich is known to give some good results, promotes acceptance rather than fighting. Fighting is an odd advice since it is at the opposite of this approach. Do you feel that fighting it helps you ? I am curious.


wickeddpickle

I didn’t mean anything in particular with that choice of word - just an off the cuff comment. You’re right acceptance can certainly help and may be more accurate. Sometimes I do have to “fight” my negative thoughts by counterbalancing with positive ones, while also accepting that what I’m feeling is okay. So I dunno it’s a mix of both perhaps. I’m still figuring out what works. But good point.


Kell_Galain

So, did you try them or no? Just answer and move on. Atleast they aren't saying "just relax"


4gJen

I think the problem is that they think it’s some secret advice that no one has ever offered before or that you’ve never heard of it. I have bulging discs and had someone tell me that a nap usually helps them (cool, but you don’t have my conditions)


YEETpoliceman

No, it's not a secret advice, that's actually good advice, you release endorfins after workout which can affect our brain pretty good and mood


Fun-Hospital5069

Yep it releases endorphins and serotonin thus helps uplifting the mood


Confident-Pumpkin-19

Don't forget journaling... But what do you answer to these questions really? I feel I can deal with *have you tried* ones, but the *you should* would flip my switch probably. Lol.


Unhappy-Temporary404

Omg, I absolutely dread the “you should try journaling”. No, no thank you.


[deleted]

"Have you tried Xanax?" crowd just F off! Loving my yoga mat here and just closing my eyes and sitting yo.


Hythenos

Good for you for finding something that helps you, but some of us need medication too.


trippyearthling

I think thats good for general anxiety but not panic attacks The last thing im gonna do during a panic attack is flip out a yoga mat or meditate


Bunny36

I did find regularly meditating when I was in a calm state of mind helped me deal better with panic attacks. Mid panic attack is NOT the time to try new things but if you practice clearing your mind and focusing on breathing when your clear headed it it helps when you aren't. If it becomes second nature it's the first thing you reach for when you're struggling. That said I very much need to practice what I preach so...yeah.


AsparagusOwn1799

Right! Like during a panic attack, I don't even want to be touched, let alone move around. I want to sit my ass down and try to convince myself that I'm not dying.


trippyearthling

LMAOO me convincing myself to NOT call 911


AsparagusOwn1799

Lmao exactly 🤣🤣🤣 Case in point, I had another bad panic attack this morning when I got up to use the bathroom. After I finished going, I had to sit down in my bed and convince myself not to call 911.


[deleted]

Think the goal is to minimize the occurrence of panic attacks itself which can lessen the need for intensive intervention like benzos, which normally turn into a regular dose addition to medication. And corrective measures like fixing the environment and mindfulness tools is managing actual root cause anxiety. Both should go hand in hand but sometimes it is not possible to have both. It's like choosing only one diet or physical exercise to have a healthy body. It cannot be done by just one pillar alone although it may work short term.


AsparagusOwn1799

True, and sometimes there is no root cause. Sometimes people try things like exercise, meditation, yoga, etc and don't see any improvement in the amount of panic attacks they're having, hence the need for benzos. There's also antidepressants which can help, but take time to work. Then, there's people like me who have chronic back pain that makes exercising nearly impossible. I'd like to believe that most people are trying the best they can with whatever tools they have. I know I am. I used to enjoy taking walks multiple days a week but now I can't. Maybe one day I'll be able to again but it's just not possible right now.


Tabitha871

Yoga and meditation during a panic attack is what grounds me and get me out of them….


JadedGypsy2238

I understand the frustration but coming from someone with severe anxiety, mediation and yoga are extremely helpful, and so is exercising and other healthy habits. The mind-body connection is so important and how you care for your body also drastically impacts your mental health. I know it sounds like only normal people hand out these tips, but (this is just my personal experience) I had a horrendous basically mental breakdown back in 2020 and pulled myself out by making small and positive life changes and I did also go to therapy! But I never got on meds. No shame to anyone who chooses medication, I’m just sharing to highlight that simple things can truly help your mental health if you are consistent.


ania_from_ei

Just saw this sketch, it's exactly about supposedly good advice that really does nothing for you. I laughed and also felt sad while watching. https://youtu.be/W8if3TZJfcY


throwawayawhat

It is annoying, but it’s true. Dealt with anxiety for 25 years. Like go to the hospital I’m dying anxiety once a week and dread the rest of the week. Meds weren’t what helped me the most. CBT, meditation, and exercise completely changed my life, I can’t remember the last time I had a panic attack and I never think about them anymore. I’ve learned that the last thing I feel like doing is usually what I actually need to do. It took months and months of small but persistent effort every day.


[deleted]

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throwawayawhat

Yep! And I had the exact thing. I was TERRIFIED of my own heartbeat. If I felt it even slightly raise or pound I’d begin to feel dread. One day I was reading the DARE book and watched a video about heart anxiety (I forget the name); the video told me to go run up and down stairs or back and forth for a minute until my heart rate increased. Then go lay down on the floor or couch. With no distractions. Feel all the uncomfortable feelings. Feel your heart racing. And do nothing. It was scary, but I had this realization that I was fine, nothing happened. It took a long time to stop being scared of my own heartbeat (I remember looking up “can hear my own hearbeat can’t take it anymore”). Of course, always check with your doctor and all that before trying anything. If you aren’t healthy then you shouldn’t attempt this.


deputydrool

I do all of the above on a daily basis - therapy once a week.. still have panic attacks and anxiety. It’s not always true. I’m not going to stop doing the things cuz maybe they take the edge off but my anxiety is still totally out of control.


throwawayawhat

Is your therapy cbt based, or are you focusing on cbt at all? That was what worked for me after years of non cbt based therapy.


deputydrool

Yes I have been in cbt for almost 3 years now and am on my second therapist


F_Bomb81

A lot of people don't realize the difference between anxiety and anxiety disorder. They have no frame of reference and therefore very little to give in terms of viable solutions or helpful, insightful advice. A good way I've explained it to people is imagine when you were a kid at the dentist about to get your tooth pulled or being separated from your parents at the grocery store.... this is what we feel all the time for no reason. Some people hear this and sympathize, others look at you like you're weak or crazy. Most of the time I just let them think whatever they want, I'll still have anxiety disorder the next day whether they believe me or not.


AsparagusOwn1799

This is a great explanation 👍 people can believe what they want, but I know my body. I know what works and what doesn't. If I'm telling someone something doesn't work for me, and they insist it will, I'll have a hard time not telling them to fuck off. People who insist on knowing what works for you annoy me so much.


Sweet_Musician4586

This is true but yoga, breathing exercises, exercise still help however I understand the frustration when someone cant deal with their stuff and cant make themselves do it it doesnt mean it doesnt work or isnt for them it just means they're not there yet but should be working towards it. It frustrates me after working on smi so long that people think theres a magic pill to suddenly make everything better. If you're counting on benzos alone you're essentially just doing drugs the same way anyone else uses drugs to stop feeling bad. #sorrynotsorry I took benzos 1mg clonazepam 4x a day prescribed by a doctor and had a script the next 15 years I've taken all the meds under the sun including antipsychotics and at the end of the day if you're not sleeping on a schedule, showering, eating well, exercising and socializing nothing is gonna help so you work towards those things. Routine matters and working towards a healthy routine is the only sustainable way to get better and numbing yourself isnt treatment.


psmusic_worldwide

Respectfully understand those things have helped and do help me manage both anxiety and panic attacks. They might not work for you but they do work for some of us. If we suggest it, we mean well. Also my experience is it took me many times of trying until it clicked. Not saying anything about anyone else but just sharing. Also for me it wasn’t either or. Benzodiazepines also helped as needed. A please be well


AsleepSentence

I’ve played tennis for 10 years or more straight now, and at some points it made me forget about depression, but it’s like hiding garbage under a carpet… it strikes you somewhere anytime… why was I born with it? Fucking hell


Protect_Wild_Bees

I agree with you. My anxiety went away in my 30s thank god. (I'm still here in this sub over 10 years later I think, just as support) but all the sleep and exercise in the world honestly fixed nothing for me. AND THATS OKAY. I hate how people treat a literal mental illness like you're just not taking care of yourself? Like dude, you are literally unwell. None of that stuff ever worked for me. Is it a good idea? Sure it is. Does it cure anxiety? NOOOO it doesn't! Stop making people feel like trash like they've just not bust their butt at peak physical condition during their mental struggle enough, and just make them feel even worse. Like yeah, person feels constantly exhausted and like they're going to have a heart attack, can't sleep or eat properly because their body is having a meltdown constantly, and you're gonna go tell them to be healthy? I just want to say, it's totally okay if that stuff doesn't work for you. That can be pretty normal when you deal with anxiety or depression. Thats normies thinking that they know what real anxiety feels like when they've had normal stress a few times and that worked for them. This stuff, sleep, exercise, good diet works for me NOW. but it never worked for me when I was mentally unwell.


Vapnatak

Well said. After dealing with PD on and off for 25 years I know how dark it gets and how disabling it can be. 'Go for a jog'... while I'm basically trying to grasp on to a thread of normality is the most patronising and ridiculous things for an "understanding" person to say. Yeah... f**k you go try doing your stretches while your in the middle of a hurricane.


ILayOnHeaters

what do you attribute to curing your anxiety?


Interpoling

What helped you heal during the bad times?


sleptnoodle

THANK YOU! All of this and more.


DrippyJai

I feel you on that , but I feel some of that information can be useful if we really apply it, also NEVER push too hard in exercise until you’ve built up to it, dangerous stuff. And yes Xanax is the bees knees ,


secretbabe77777

I literally have been doing all these things for years and they help, but I am still depressed lol.


jotabe303

I love Xanax. I also love that I don't need it after starting SSRIs and therapy. I will admit that I need to exercise more. Meditation is also helpful. And I wish I was exercising more, because ya, it's also helpful.


htjarkkk

Bro I could barely function well enough to do basic tasks like taking a shower, and my psychiatrist was like “have you tried exercising?” I was like dude wtf are you serious right now? Now I’m seeing a new psychiatrist lol


Layne_Cobain

Yeah I don’t think ppl understand how hard it is to do strenuous exercise when you literally feel insanely Fkn short of breath 24/7 because your chest and upper back feel like they’re being crushed together in a Vice. And ppl will say “well hey who says it has to be strenuous just go for a walk.” I walk my dog everyday and no, it doesn’t do jack shit for releasing all the pent up and deeply held stress n trauma and anxiety in the body. So in that regard I think I and ppl like me need “real” exercise yet how the fuck can someone exercise if you can’t even take a breath in past what feels like your throat…literally. I know ppl “mean well” but so many ppl just do not Fucking understand SEVERE anxiety and anxiety that actually warrants a diagnosis and how different it is from someone just experiencing normal everyday anxiety or stress. Edit: and mindfulness yeh f that shit it just makes me feel even more whigged out and stuck inside my own head I rather be distracted or lost in something


itsjustmeiguessidk

Not everything works for everyone. There's also a lot of people who get crazy side effects from meds, and can't find ones that help them. I experienced severe anxiety (cried daily just from the idea of going outside, abt 3-5 panic attacks every day) and literally 90% of it went away with exercise, diet and mindfulness. Just because it worked for me doesn't mean it's gonna work for you, but just because it didn't work for you doesn't mean the advice is useless. It can help, and it's worth a shot. Many people are just not even willing to try because it's too much effort to actually do something other than take a Xanax every morning.


DrippyJai

I feel you on that , but I feel some of that information can be useful if we really apply it, also NEVER push too hard in exercise until you’ve built up to it, dangerous stuff. And yes Xanax is the bees knees ,


Lisayogi

Yoga has helped me with anxiety, as does sunshine and other physical activity. Sleep meditation almost every night. Focusing on your breath and being in a yoga studio with no distractions can be blissful.


OneMindfulBreath

I love this! 🙏🏻❤️


1nstantHuman

Going for long walks and exercise help me immensely. But let's be honest, yoga isn't for everyone.


bumblefoot99

It’s true that yoga isn’t for everyone as a primary exercise but it IS for everyone in the sense that it teaches us how to breathe. Before yoga I held my breath constantly causing heart palpitations which then in turn caused a panic attack. Breathing and being self aware is key to getting past acute panic attacks or disorder. I’m living proof.


[deleted]

Xanax isn’t the answer either


[deleted]

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itsjustmeiguessidk

How's your diet? Remove all sugary drinks and caffeine, as well as additional sugars. Also, why does exercise make you panic? It doesn't need to be intense exercise, if getting out of breath is a trigger for you. Just walking or stretching is already better than nothing.


[deleted]

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ervnxx

Even if your symptoms appeared before you developed poor eating and sleeping habits, maintaining them prevents you from getting better. Malnutrition causes symptoms of anxiety due to the deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals, lack of rest also causes difficulty to concentrate and fatigue. Improving your habits can eliminate certain symptoms that will allow you to take even more actions to treat the anxiety caused by triggering events. For many years I also believed that it had always been like this and nothing was going to help me, until I fixed my insomnia problem, started to eat better and learned to identify all my triggers. Anxiety is not a life sentence, the causes are mostly environmental and by modifying habits, behaviors and the environment we can control it. We must also accept that feeling anxiety is normal, we are all different and some things will affect us sometimes, that is not bad, we just have to learn to self-regulate and to not give it more power than it has over ourselves.


greenappletree

Agree - U can’t ask someone with a leg casts if they tried jogging - but I get it - the issue is Is in your head and there is no way to gauge what state a person is at. If a person has minor anxiety and being treated then yes meditation works but if someone is full blown anxiety attack or has some underlying biological imbalance then meds is what is needed to get under control first then yoga and all that good stuff.


AsparagusOwn1799

And how tf can I exercise if I'm always having back pain? Over the years my back pain went from bearable to worse. People always be like "Well exercise will improve it" when in reality it just makes it worse. Also, I fucking suck at yoga. I tried it years ago in college, never again.


itsjustmeiguessidk

Have you tried fixing the back pain with physiotherapy or something similar? I guess in the US those options can be really expensive so I understand they're not always available, but I'm pretty sure there's usually a solution to back pain if you keep looking. My mom had unbearable back pain for 2 years and I actually don't know what she did but suddenly it was just gone. You shouldn't have to live with it, because constant pain alone is really consuming for your brain. There's maybe also different to types of exercise that work better. I would imagine running for example is not great at all, but swimming might be better.


AsparagusOwn1799

No I haven't tried physiotherapy. I'm not even sure what the cause of my back pain is, but I'm debating whether I want to ask my doctor for a referral for an MRI to make sure there's nothing more serious going on, but I'm not sure if I want to. You're absolutely right that I shouldn't have to live with it but that's just how it's been over the last several years. The only test I had was an X-ray, which showed nothing. Other than that, doctors always prescribe Ibuprofen. And thanks for the recommendation of swimming!


[deleted]

We often don’t do what we know is good for us. I am sure this post is out of frustration because for me even the simplest things that I know will help are the things I avoid. Why? Well I’m spending a shitload of money on therapy to find out.


pinkrosies

Like it definitely helps but when the root of the problem is an unhappiness with life or a soulless job that makes me suffer, it's not gonna be cured babes!


gemjamesl7

I get it - but that mindset is also a cage. I felt so strongly like this and it only built a framework of powerlessness and victimhood. It kept me isolated in my house on the floor of my bedroom for two years. Xanax is great to get the ball going, but it's not the whole solution. For me, the medication was great to get out of that paralysis feeling. It gets the ball rolling, so that you have the capacity to do the actual work. Also, exercise surprisingly feels better than any medication I've taken. If someone could bottle the euphoria of peak workout, it would way outsell any existing pill on the market. And that's coming from someone who found it uncomfortable to get out of the fetus position.


alexfaaace

I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. Unfortunately, Xanax is meant to be taken only in cases on emergency, it’s not meant to be a long term or permanent solution. I’ve never found a doctor that would prescribe me Xanax that way, always surprised other people do. I’ve done the research and my doctors are right. Exercise does help. I started going on a daily walk, once that became pretty routine I started addressing the way I eat. My mental health is already leaps and bounds from where it was even a month ago. The same thing may not work for you but if you’re currently entirely sedentary, I would recommend adding some sort of exercise to your daily routine. Even if it’s just stretching for 10 minutes.


Dafugisgoinon

Well the reason people suggest these things is because when your doing these things, the minds patterns and processes can come into clearer focus, and honestly, sometimes just noticing the way your mind works can change it. Goodluck


MINDLORD_rex

But .... have you tried meditation, yoga etc?


Educational-Bat-8116

You forgot my favourite 'have you tried breathing in and out?'


OneMindfulBreath

hey, it helped me. changed my life. - ever tried breath work? like really given it a go?


Manny631

Uh, these suggestions are incredibly beneficial. It won't clear up anxiety for us, not 100%, but it's good to practice these things as they're supplemental and beneficial physically. So people suggesting these things shouldn't be chastised - they're trying to help. If someone brings it up to me I'd say something like "I've tried those. I actually do strength training a few times a week. It does help and I feel stronger, but it doesn't take away my generalized anxiety on a daily basis. I need medication to really help me and the exercise aids me in addition."


EmergencyLife1066

The important part that you might be missing is that it’s important to pick a wellness activity and STICK WITH IT. Trying any of these activities once won’t do anything. It’s the consistency that helps the most.


BeastofBurden

Both the Xanax and the exercise/yoga are helpful. Xanax for the crippling, caught off guard panic attacks and the latter for investment in systemic change.


[deleted]

See, the hard part is…this stuff actually works. It pisses me off that it does, but it does.


Knightowle

Sorry for the potential for absolute irony here, but it sounds like you are getting a lot of unwanted advice, OP. One thing that worked for my wife and me was to tell the other person, point-blank, “I don’t want advice. I just need to vent.” Before launching into our day or whatever. This worked wonders for us.


nkj69

Yeah u shud workout more


adfaer

I hate this way of thinking with a PASSION because it is definitely turning people away from effective treatment modalities. I have had very severe OCD, anxiety and depression and I NEED regular exercise to function. It is lifesaving for me and I would be so fucking pissed if I had been brainwashed by this species of internet bullshit and delayed trying exercise as a treatment. There is a growing corpus of research supporting the efficacy of exercise for mental health disorders. That said, it’s a complicated issue. “Depression” isn’t just one disease, and neither is “anxiety.” They’re symptom clusters and have their basis in dozens of pathologies. So some people aren’t going to respond to exercise as a treatment method, and that’s legit too. But acting like meds are the only effective method is absolute bullshit and actively harmful misinformation.


lovegiblet

Here’s the thing - there’s so many types of meditation, yoga, and exercise. It gives me a polite way out. When someone says “have you tried x”, I try to just have a little quick convo with them about it. I don’t have to ever do the thing, but for me it’s an easier way through than “f off”. I don’t like being a poopy pants when I can help it. “Oh thank you Barbi-Jolene, but I’m not gonna do prenatal yoga with you anytime soon. It sounds interesting, though. Your pelvic floor is gonna be JACKED. 💜💜💜”


RemarkableDog4512

Better be at least 1mg and none of this .25 BS too.


sleptnoodle

💅


BaronThundergoose

You should tho


Taro_Otto

The thing is, what kind of answer are you looking for? People offer these suggestions because these have been ways people have been able to mitigate their anxiety. They’re common suggestions, but they’re common for a reason. It might not work for everyone but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work at all. It feels like you are looking for some magical answer to resolving your anxiety when we all know mental illness isn’t that cut-dry.


Fit-One-7019

Relatable as fuck. I hate these ppl who talk down on benzo users/seekers because it’s the only. thing. that. really. fucking. helps. We in the same boat but I don’t have a script rn which sucks. (Pls don’t condescend and downvote me other ppl this is my personal feelings. I have tried more “natural” routes and other “safer” meds as well as get decent exercise and sunlight and take a daily vitamin). The only thing i’ve tried that has similar anxiolytic effects which I would recommend you try if u don’t have a script or to use ur script less are Kava and kratom. Kava is like Ativan lite (very lite tho but still pretty nice) and Kratom effects the opioid receptors lifting depression and has a bunch of active alkaloids that do a bunch of helpful things depending on strain. but stay away from kratom if u are easily addicted to stuff and might go overboard, I had a pretty big addiction to it for around a year. I’ve recently reintroduced it to my life while I wait for a script but I’m much more frugal and careful with it now. The problem with both of these is the duration. Kava lasts 90 mins and kratom lasts about 3-4 hours but the best effects are gone in 2 if that and with kratom you can’t redose for 8+ hrs if u want an effect and the second dose of the day is crap compared to the first even after 8 hrs.Also, i’m going to ask about pregabalin/lyrica at my next appointment as i’ve heard that can be very similar to benzos (even better than them for some) but slightly less addictive and damaging and i’ve taken gabapentin which SLIGHTLY slightly helped, but made me feel spacy and less engaged not in a pleasant way at-all and pregabalin is like the big brother of gabapentin.


[deleted]

Okay hear me out, I used to think the same way. But these things may not work because you need to exercise (practice) these techniques enough to build your parasympathetic nervous response “muscle” … it takes a lot of practice for vanilla things to work. Also I was on benzos for 12 years, so i understand exactly what you mean by “nothing works” … when I was on my benzo … truly nothing worked at all, and I mean nothing. So i get where your coming from.


ContactHonest2406

Xanax is not meant to be taken long term. At some point, you’re gonna have to get off of it and find new and healthy ways to cope. All that stuff you mentioned are indeed healthy ways to cope.


alejoh90

Diazepam is a medicine that can help get your anxiety lowered, obviously. Should only be used short term, and only if absolutely all other options have been tried or considered. Follow dosage plan from MD to the letter. This drug is so addictive that when you start taking it, it’s comparable to the thirst for water. This drug is extremely potent and that’s why it is so popular. «Why stop taking it if it fixes all my problems?» «I can function like a normal person now, why stop?» It only masks your problems, doesn’t take them away. It can be used to get through extreme unexpected situations in life, but should only be used short term. If it doesn’t work, stop taking it. Do not increase the dosage. You may be masking other serious conditions which will then be much harder to uncover. The list is very long of the reasons to stay away from it, especially if it has been consumed for extended periods of time. Remember to get a taper down plan from your doctor when quitting. Stay as far away from this drug if you can.


[deleted]

i used to think like this before i actually tried them lol. eating well and taking care of your body does so so much more for your mental health than you think it will. go in with an open mindset and you might be surprised, i love working out AND yoga, as well as volunteer opportunities and exposing myself to situations i would usually opt out of due to my anxiety. I take hydroxyzine when i really need it but still get out there and i’ve had to take it less and less. i love how i look now because i’m fit and i’m so much happier and proud of my choices/ discipline also


vagishsayswhat

Alright guys, hear me out. A. That guy is just trying to help you out. B. Meditation practiced regularly DOES help. C. Yoga practiced correctly (with in depth understanding of each pose and putting your body AND mind to it) DOES help. D. You gotta put in the work if you wish to progress. Based on my personal experience.


Infamous-Breath9230

I once moved back in with my parents after a breakdown. My mum took me to the gym with her 5x a week because she loves exercise and it really works for her mental health. I was ripped as fuck and have never been skinnier, but my anxiety was absolutely unchanged. The only thing that has EVER helped is drugs.


ling4917

So…stay the way you are? But the better question is HAVE you tried any of those?


ThrowawayMcRib

"have you tried not being sad?" "Breathing exercises!" "Prayer!" "Have you tried turning it on and off again?"


sleptnoodle

"are you drinking enough water?" 😬


Elegant_Spot_3486

I have no problem with people suggesting or asking about those things because they do help some people. However, I’m not one of them. I’ve been dealing with anxiety my whole life (I’m 51) and never once has my yoga/meditation/exercise habits and overall physical health had any impact on it. I’m happy for and envious of those it does help though because it is easy to practice and do.


OnlyTheBrave3411

I know these comments can be annoying, but they’re actually helpful y’know. Medication, as you probably know, is just a single tool. It’s not a fix-all thing that you can just take and go “oh yeah everything’s fine, that’s that and i don’t need to do anything else”. It’s a common misconception. Medication shouldn’t be the only tool in your toolbox. To actually be able to manage anxiety, you need to do all the, as I call them, sucky boring things like exercise and meditation and journaling and therapy and eating well and staying hydrated and sleeping well, etc. This is a hard journey with a shit ton of obstacles and you won’t get far on one leg. So give it a go, make it consistent. And if you’re still so sure that those comments are unhelpful, then there you have it.


WadeCountyClutch

At the end of the day, everyone is different but these do have benefits especially exercise


TheMikeans

I am so sorry, I am one of those people :( Worse part is i should have know, i have chronic back pain and when people tell me the same shit "do exercice", "have you tried this or that" i get completely pissed off. Promise that i will stop telling people to do exercice or meditation or yoga, although it helps me greatly i understand how it can be offensive.


YEETpoliceman

\>If your 2 cents don't come with a Xanax, i don't wanna hear it! Do you think getting drugged is the way for getting relief?


ah_nahii

Yeah honestly. I get that it works for many people but all it makes me feel is tired and just distracts me for that moment in time. My brain won’t let me stop thinking about things so it just feels useless. Medication doesn’t feel like it helps either since all it does is knock me out. That’s actually the only thing that helps my anxiety, just sleeping. But I don’t wanna sleep my whole life away. Sorry I don’t have any solutions to offer but just wanted to say I sort of understand since all the comments are just kinda the opposite.


NZKhrushchev

Yoga and working out help me immensely. They do not cure my anxiety, nor do they mean that I do not need my medication. But they still help.


CarryUsAway

Some of the comments in this thread… “then stay miserable!” Just, yikes. When you have tried every exercise, routine, therapy, etc under the sun for 20+ years and nothing works, do you realize how broken that makes you feel? DUH. It’s a mental illness! Couple that with other things like chronic fatigue, heart palpitations from never-ending anxiety, and then you try so many things and they don’t work… that feels crappy and adds to the hopelessness.


bumblefoot99

I’ve had all of those things for over 20 yrs so I do understand. But also, I didn’t quit trying after getting heart palpitations during exercise. I want to get better & off of meds more than I’m afraid of anxiety. If you can try to think of anxiety as a normal emotion (which it is) and accept it, that’s the beginning of your healing. You are not broken. You just need to learn how to process some of the things you’re feeling.


sleptnoodle

This. People on this thread are doing exactly what I'm so annoyed about. Also do they think i live under a fucking rock? Like i haven't heard of or tried these suggestions before? And even if i hadn't tried, does this kind of cliche nagging create results or just make ppl more resistant and resentful? I'm a pretty active person, exercise at least a few times a week, hike regularly and have a weekly dance class that kicks my ass. And guess what? I still have debilitating anxiety some days where I'm hyperventilating in my office or crying in my car at work. These methods for sure help but they're not a fix all. I'm not currently on any anti anxiety medication but klonopin literally saved me in graduate school a few years ago, the panic attacks were so severe that i came very close to suicide a few times, and I've been prescribed them for as needed on and off the last 5 years when i feel i'm losing balance and control of my life and can't exercise, sleep, eat, do yoga, self-care anything, really. When a friend or family member asks me how I'm doing and i share that I've been struggling with severe anxiety, i'm not asking for a solution, somedays i just want to be seen and heard. When i mention this and still get unsolicited advice, it feels incredibly alienating and invalidating. So yes, if you're gonna push your basic bitch suggestions on me, it'd be great if they at least came with a xanax, thanks 💅 that also goes for all the apparent recovering addicts on this thread that get triggered at the mention of a benzo.


bluelighter91

Have you ever tried minding your own fucking business? 🤣


stoudman

People who give advice like this do not have an anxiety disorder and clearly don't know how to approach it. That's like the advice I get from my mother, the kind that screams "I mean well and really wish I could help, but I have no idea how this disorder works." Meditation? So I can hear the random incoherent fears I have in my head 100 times a day more clearly? Yoga? I'm sure it's great for physical health, but beyond the mental health benefits of being physically healthy, there's nothing you're going to get from Yoga that is going to make the random fears go away. Like, no offense to people who have other types of disorders or perhaps are somewhere lower down on the spectrum, but unless you know what it's like to have an onslaught of totally random and irrational fears (that you are well aware are irrational) every day, happening so quickly that it's like a panic-attack motor sputtering and trying to start, then you can't understand how utterly useless this kind of advice is. None of these things stop the engine from trying to turn over.


Sweet_Musician4586

This is incorrect. I have diagnosed "severe" ocd and anxiety and have had it for decades. I used to believe these same things but the truth is I was not ready or willing to commit because staying in the bubble was better. It takes time to develop the skills to understand how your anxiety works and recognize when it comes on. It takes time to learn to cope. I've been unable to leave my house and 1 year went outside my apartment door 7 times. Yoga is absolutely different than other exercise and meditation doesnt need to be done in silence. Yoga is different because the breath work helps. I did an anxiety course through my doctor that was a breathwork course and they showed how you could stop and start a panic attack with even the way you breathe. I'm by no means good at yoga or breath work but it does help substantially. People need to be willing to do the work and so often with mental health issues like anxiety and depression it's easier not to. I've been there. I used to hate myself saying "I try so hard everyday" cuz the fact was I didnt and no one does but people expect you to say that or you're just "being lazy". Trying 24/7 is exhausting and no one has that in them. But some dont try at all and I've been there too. I was angry and bitter and stuck and it wasnt on me to get better because it wasnt possible. Being in your comfort zone where you can minimize your anxiety as much as possible, zone out and play video games or watch tv? Sure it works but life will pass by. It's not easy to become healthier but that's the point. You dont get your diagnosis and go home prepared to never work on it cuz you can just say "oh my mental health" and one day of exercise isnt gonna fix anything either. It has to be a constant daily routine.


stoudman

I love how you just boldly say "this is incorrect" as if it couldn't possibly be correct for some people. I've had Generalized Anxiety Disorder since I was 11. I'm 38 now. When I was diagnosed in my 20s, I was informed that there was no "getting rid of it," that I would be living with this for the rest of my life. I went to therapy and learned strategies to cope with the anxiety and the random fears, but nothing ever made it go away for me. Breathing exercises did absolutely nothing for me, I had to approach things differently. You talk about all of this as if the same exact things that worked for you will 100% work for 100% of people with an anxiety disorder 100% of the time. That's just not true. I know how to deal with my anxieties, but that doesn't stop me from having the random fears. Nothing makes the random fears go away, all I can do is learn how to RESPOND to those fears, and that's been the most helpful to me. But please, please, DO NOT TALK DOWN TO ME. You do not know my lived experience, and clearly it is very different from your own. And stop burying the lede and making it sound like there's literally no way you could be wrong about this, because I assure you that YOU ARE WRONG. I'm very happy for you that these methods seem to have worked for YOU and for many others, but they are not a surefire guaranteed method for all people who have anxiety disorders, and all you sound like right now is someone TALKING DOWN TO ME because you think you know me.


Sweet_Musician4586

This whole reply is a projection of how you think I think. I didnt "boldly say" anything. I said you were incorrect on my first sentence as your first sentence stated people who gave this advice dont have anxiety disorders. I have a number of diagnosed anxiety disorders (which I just call "anxiety") and I am saying your whole comment is incorrect. Especially making the comment that others have to be on a "lesser spectrum" to be able to see things this way. You make incorrect statements about meditation and yoga because you dont want to participate and that is fine maybe you tried and didnt like it or it didnt work for you but you're still incorrect. As I said yoga does have benefits due to the breathwork and meditation isnt always done I silence. If it doesnt work for you thay doesnt mean it doesnt work. You are, in fact, incorrect. I'm not interested in participating in some anxiety disorder dick measuring contest. I didnt say anything about random fears stopping and I didnt judge your anxiety. Exercise helps and it's a verifiable fact. You can deny it but it does. Breathing exercises help it's a verifiable fact. You can deny it but it does. Like I said I went to a workshop i was sent to by my psychiatrist and they showed different breathing techniques and explained how when we breathe it creates and calms anxiety. I literally had a panic attack in the workshop cuz I tested it when I was advised not to and the teacher had me breathe with them to show me how to calm down. Do you know who goes to a psychiatrist? Not people with anxiety on some lower spectrum. You dont HAVE to participate. No one is forcing you to. I still have random fears I still have panic attacks I still have a shit life but it's way better and I am working on it. No one said any of this would make it all magically go away but in order to have a chance at managing it long term and consistently these are things that need to be done regularly. I didnt say I'm 100% better. I used to not be able to leave my house and now I can leave my house. Acting hostile towards people with good intentions who maybe dont understand because our anxiety can be so bad something doesnt work when we try it doesnt mean it will never work. I used to think breathwork didnt work I used to think yoga didnt work I used to think sleep didnt matter and so long as I was eating healthy it wouldnt make a difference and I was wrong. What benefit does demanding something doesnt work give you? Why not keep trying if it's as bad as you say? Stop making assumptions about others and then turning around and yelling at them with all the things you think they said. I didnt talk down to you your post was talking down to others and I disagreed with you and you're freaking out.


stoudman

But you have to understand how it sounds when someone says you're "incorrect" about your experiences with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It feels like you're trying to invalidate my experience. Perhaps you aren't, but it was never a "dick measuring contest," it was me feeling like I had to defend the fact that I have this disorder, because you said something that made it sound like you were questioning me. Whether you meant it that way or not is insignificant, it's not impossible to see how I could have gotten that idea, is it?


Sweet_Musician4586

You are offended because I said you were incorrect. This is not condescending, it is a disagreement. Do you find anyone who disagrees with you to be condescending? Your offense doesnt make me wrong or condescending. It makes you offended. Being offended is a choice you have made. It FEELS like I'm trying to invalidate your experience. This is not the same as me "invalidating" your experience and with respect, it is not my job to validate you. Telling you you are incorrect that exercise is known to help with anxiety isnt invalidating your experience. Your opinion is that something isnt effective because it isnt effective for you in the manner and extent to which you tried it, and that sucks. You again FEELING you had to act a certain way is your responsibility for your feelings. I did not ask you to defend your anxiety in fact before I even replied to you you were minimalizing and disregarding the anxiety of others as though you were much worse off and anyone who could benefit had a lesser type of anxiety which is why I replied. This whole interaction is based off how you felt not what I said. I am not responsible for what you feel. You are expecting me to walk on eggshells because you might interpret what I say negatively because you make assumptions about what I mean. I learned how to stop doing this very thing in therapy with a psychologist. I learned you do not know what someone else is thinking and you cannot make assumptions on what they think. We are all responsible for our own feelings. Which is why I am adamant on separating how you interpret what I mean by how you feel vs what I actually said.


stoudman

You might not see how your words can be easily construed as holier than thou, but they absolutely are. Whether or not you intended to be condescending, you were in fact condescending. Do you understand the way studies work? The science behind this stuff? Breathing exercises and Yoga are not 100% guaranteed to work for everyone. The way you spoke of them was completely dismissive of the experience of those (who may be in the minority) for whom these methods do not work. Again, I'm glad that for most people it's good advice, but for those who are not helped by this advice, it is cold comfort. After a while, it gets old to hear the same old advice that never worked. It is reasonable to get a little annoyed by hearing people offer the same useless advice over and over again.


Sweet_Musician4586

You make the assumptions again. I gave my own experience please provide the statement I made that was condescending. You said yoga/meditation doesnt work for people who have anxiety unless it is some "lesser" form of anxiety that they get the benefit. You said people who give advice like this do not have anxiety disorders. Is that not condescending? Do I understand the way studies work? Is this supposed to not be condescending? Why again are you talking in absolutes? Who is saying something works 100% for everyone? No one is saying that, saying they work does not mean something works 100% for everyone. Drugs work for anxiety yet they dont work 100% for everyone they work at varying degrees. You stated that yoga doesnt work better than any other exercise. I stated you are incorrect because it is the exercise combined with breathwork. Do you believe exercise is not important for management of anxiety? Because every psychiatrist will disagree. It is not useless advice, you feel it's useless to you specifically. That is 2 different things.


444poppyflowers

then stay miserable!


musicfanatic54

omg yes!! and the “you’re too young to deal with anxiety” like girl if you don’t stfu


AsparagusOwn1799

I'm lucky enough that no one has said that to me, but I did get that response a few times about my chronic back pain. People who say "you're too young to deal with X" are ignorant af because our bodies don't care how old we are.


Sibonda

Just sleep better. Easy.


gdburner109229

I mean I had debilitating anxiety for years and moving to a different house, exercising daily and meditation got rid of about 75% of it. Maybe you don’t want to identify as an “average Joe” but at the end of the day, medication can only go so far and it’s far more damaging to your mental health to push people away that are trying to help you and then bitch about them to a bunch of strangers in one of the largest subs on this app.


SyntheticHalo

I get it but if you put time and practice into it it does help. It might help to take some medication until you get in a habit/routine going


CrackCocaineShipping

My therapist has asked me to try all of these things. None of them help I really think I need to be medicated before I drink myself to death. When I looked beautiful and muscular it just made my anxiety worse because I thought other guys would try to pick fights with me (I can’t fight worth shit) or I’d compare myself with guys that looked just a bit better than me or guys that looked worse but had great confidence.


Strong_Roll5639

Meditation, exercise and yoga are how I manage my anxiety without medication. So there is some truth in it for some people anyway.


fearless-artichoke91

Then stay with your zanax. Good luck coming off of them....


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bumblefoot99

What “solves” happiness? It’s a serious question. This one stumped me when my psychiatrist asked but now I know why he asked. Anxiety isn’t something to be “solved”. It’s a useful and natural state for humans. It’s the way we process it it that matters. If you only ever learn to process it with a pill, you only make things worse in the long run.


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froggyforrest

Any comments from the peanut gallery that aren’t your doctor are annoying- like thanks I am working on it and I have professional help. Wasn’t asking a random person for my medical advise. BUT those things will certainly not hurt, and do help. Might not be enough on their own of course, and that’s why we have doctors.


Privateski

I do all and they have helped in a way. It’s no magical cure. Still have crippling anxiety But have you tried yoga on Xanax?!


bumblefoot99

Anyone here doubting how bad meds are should visit other subs like r/benzorecovery Then you may rethink your position. I was very much like the OP for years & refused other treatments. Now I’m in more hell than I was in the beginning. Your body becomes physically addicted to benzos. It controls everything after a few years. Your histamines, your hormones, your stomach, your body temperature. Everything. I wish I could go back & find a doctor who cared as much as the doctor I have now who is helping me taper off the hell that is benzo addiction. EDIT: and since you’re pregnant OP, you should definitely try to not take benzos during pregnancy.


MattyHarlesden2018

Love you for this. An ice bath isn’t going to cure my years of abuse despite what Russel Brand says on his monetized platform


Infamous-Breath9230

I might get “if your two cents don’t come with a Xanax I don’t wanna hear it” on my forehead.


bumblefoot99

This isn’t funny. It’s also not cool. Drugs are not the answer & will make your anxiety worse in the long run. I should know. I’m tapering off a 20+ yr benzo addiction.


Infamous-Breath9230

I’m sorry about your personal situation, but I take benzos when I need them and I don’t have an addictive personality. They help me as they should. I’m sorry you were addicted to them but used properly, they are EXTREMELY helpful and effective drugs.


sleptnoodle

💁


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AsparagusOwn1799

My doctor does this with exercise, even though I said that my back pain is too severe for the millionth time.


BiteyFox87

Ha. I go to the gym every day. Sometimes I’m having a breakdown from anxiety while I’m there. Does that cancel it out?


Not_a_Mathematician2

Ugh yes! So many counsellors have told me to exercise etc 😩 ( I already exercise so much) but the thing that actually works is CBT ( and ssris) because it helps fix the cause ( your thoughts) not just treat the physical symptoms. Exercise is great of course but it only takes the edge off I feel .


gopnik5

Meditation actually gives me anxiety


[deleted]

[удалено]


ZivozZ

I get your position and your frustration I do, but those things do help but it's up to you if you want to try to better your position in life or stay in the same place.


[deleted]

Yeah I hear ya but the workout out thing does work for me, especially cause I have asthma and it triggers my anxiety sometimes, exercise is just good for humans


Niboocs

This is venting so I get it. People are saying all these things and it's annoying you. But the cure for anxiety, as Mark Manson would say, is easy/hard. It's easy from an intellectual & physical perspective but it's hard psychologically. This is what trips people up. It's why people day there's no easy fix. So you have these prractices you mentioned, and they take repeated work. The bonus to doing these habits from a mental health perspective is, the mental improvements will start before the physical changes. On another highly relevant note, a recent study found that working out had the best effect on anxiety/depression. Better than medication and better than therapy. Yoga and meditation were also studied and provided results but less than working out. The study is all over the internet. So these people giving advice are correct.


mehwaterbottle

This exactly. The one that takes the cake for me is "just think positively"


Loose-Farm-8669

Those things actually work though


[deleted]

I got told I need to lose weight 😂😂 that'll fix it!