

Ask HN: How should I deal with constant anxiety problems? - sirfrancisbacon

Well, exactly three weeks ago on that Saturday night, I had an extremely bad panic attack for the first time. I basically had racing thoughts that I was going psychotic and whatnot. I decided it would be a good idea to see a psychologist.<p>I went there and thankfully she assured me that I wasn't going crazy. I also went to a doctor and he assured me that I didn't have any physical problems. However, the anxiety still going on, and although it has gotten significantly better, peace hasn't returned to my life.<p>Since this place seems like the most educated place on the Internet, what should I do?
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dlnovell
I find meditation to be the best cure when I'm particularly anxious about
something. At first I just spend a few minutes trying to completely empty my
mind. This can take significant practice if it doesn't come naturally. Then I
start into a visualization of the powers of 10 video (yeah, I know it's cheesy
but it works!). During that visualization I try to focus on my minute position
in the universe, and by the end I'm usually incredibly calm. Whole thing can
take less than 10 minutes and I can go from being a wreck to calm.

That's just my routine. Everyone who meditates has their own. It's just kinda
whatever works for you. I highly recommend checking out the hundreds or
thousands of sites on the interwebs that teach basic/beginner meditation. It's
well worth a shot.

Best of luck buddy... getting a grip on your anxiety probably won't be easy,
but is absolutely necessary for good mental and physical health.

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IonicWalrus
Try: * daily exercise * meditation * new hobby - learning a new skill/hobby
will provide you enough distraction to worry about anything else.

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skmurphy
Great suggestions, I would also make sure you are getting enough sleep. If
caffeine or other drugs are keeping you up, try and phase them out and see if
you can go to sleep instead of staying awake worrying. You don't mention if
there has been any changes in your life but it's normal to react to a
significant change (e.g.death of a relative or close friend, end of a long
term relationship, loss of job or other significant financial setback, etc..)
with stress.

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spaghetti
Take a break from computers. I notice an increase in stressful thoughts when I
do too much programming. When I take a break from programming all the
stressful thoughts vanish. I know "taking a break" from programming can be
hard, especially if it's your job and you have financial obligations. In my
experience taking a break of non-trivial length (1 - 6 months) has substantial
rewards. I quit my comfy job around the middle of last year. I took 6 months
off and am now back in a similar job. I feel far better everyday and I'm at
least 1.5x as productive. I hope your situation will lend itself to a break
like this.

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superjared
It would be good to read into Anxiety disorders[1] to get a feel of what sorts
of coping mechanisms exist so you could benefit from the good ones, and avoid
the bad. It's also helpful to monitor exactly what happens when you get spikes
of anxiety; note the situation, your previous state, and any other details you
can, even if you don't think they're pertinent. The more data you can obtain,
the easier it will be to identify your ailment, chronic or not.

1: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiety_disorder>

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clevercode
What worked for me was proper diet and exercise. I used to suffer from pretty
bad panic attacks that would occur randomly, and it was really debilitating.
The thing that really helped me was taking up jogging. Some form of daily
exercise is essential. Also, cutting out caffeine completely helped a lot.

Good luck - it might take awhile to get back to 'normal', but keep at it!

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na11
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anxiolytic>

Perfectly normal people with anxiety problems take them.

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mistermann
Effexor, lowest dose possible, cleared me up. I almost couldn't leave my house
before.

Try exercise and better diet first though maybe.

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adrianwaj
Don't be scared of a panic attack. Let it wash over you. Attempt to get to the
root cause of it.

