Posted by Alara on October 24, 2002, at 22:03:05
Has anybody here succeeded in beating anxiety the natural way? I am feeling optimistic about the possiblity of doing this and would like to hear from anybody who has done this. What was your plan of attack? How successful was it? Were there some techniques and lifestyle changes that were more successful than others?
I suffer from anxiety but my doctor agrees that I ought to be able to remain depression-free as long as I keep my anxiety at bay. (When I have an anxiety drama, it's always a BIGGIE!!) We both concur that I don't need antidepressants and I'd like to be completely medication-free once the recent changes that I've made to my lifestyle have kicked in. I currently take 0.5mcg of Xanax every second day.
I've taken the first step towards re-establishing my baseline biochemistry. (Withdrew from Effexor 2 months ago and have meanwhile cut my alcohol consumption down to 2 glasses of wine, 5 days a week.) I have started taking St John's Wort (for anxiety) and a vitamin B complex and my energy levels have already increased slightly.
This is what I plan to do until the lifestyle changes kick in:
1. Walk every day for 45-50 minutes.
2. Continue spending a lot of time with the cat. (The purring is really therapeutic!)
3. Avoid alcohol completely on extremely stressful days and take a Xanax instead. (I don't see a problem with this as long as I'm not taking Xanax every day. I'll only drink too much alcohol if I drink while stressed anyway.)
4. Drink 2 glasses of wine on mildly stressful days OR drink cammomile tea and have a warm shower before bed (less effective). Alternatively, I can take a Phenergan (sedating antihistamine) to promote sleep.
5. Do 10 mins of cognitive behavioural self-therapy on low stress days. (Low stress days will be completely alcohol/medication free. I can only realistically aim to have 2 of these days every week considering that I looking for a full-time job. BIG STRESS!!!)
I am also considering meditation. Has anyone persisted with this? I am open to any feedback on this plan of attack (positive or negative) and would particularly like to read about other people's experiences with similar approaches.
Thanks for reading my long post.
poster:Alara
thread:125103
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021019/msgs/125103.html