Anxiety - Techniques and Success?

My daughter has anxiety. When it got to the point where it was affecting her life (she was seriously struggling every day) we sought out professional help. It took time but she was able to get it under control and learned several tips and techniques-that worked for her-for when her anxiety flares up, during times of stress and exposure to her particular trigger/issue: sickness and germs.
If you had a heart problem you'd go to the cardiologist, a skin problem, the dermatologist, etc. When you are dealing with a mental health problem you need to go to a mental health specialist, it's just as important! Look for a therapist that specializes in general anxiety disorder (GAD) and get some help. You will feel so much better and have such a nicer, calmer life once you get this debilitating issue under control.

Hi Tia, I checked your profile to see how old you were (early 40s if correct) I did this to see IF you are like me (although I am now 50) but beginning in my early 40s, I started to become Claustrophobic, this, although NEVER previously having had such a condition. Additionally, I began to feel more anxious and didn't like the feeling if too many people were around me at once (e.g. on the bus) I'd actually have to get off the bus and wait for a less crowded one. Moreover, I was more jittery than usual and had a harder and harder time falling and sleep and worse, staying asleep..
With this, I tried EFT (emotional freedom technique) therapy, visited my doctor, mediated (although this does help me a lot) and exercise, which also helps..
then............. I started reading up on women's hormones and discovered that with the onset of Perimenopause, with that first initial drop in Estrogen, it meant that my cortisol levels (which are controlled Estrogen) were probably at an elevated level.. the idea being that as Estrogen drops, Cortisol (the stress hormone) are allowed to run wild......
couple this in with day to day stress and BAM... more anxiety...
Also, as the month would progress and IF you are still ovulating and when you do, you have that rush of Progesterone which then means the Estrogen to Progesterone levels are changed up, and once again, you have that anxiety come over you...
As I charted my cycle each month, I began to see a pattern.... ANXIETY right before ovulation, shortly after.. then it mellows.. then about 1-2 days before period, it's back........... the physical anxiety began to manifest itself as Claustrobphobia.. with the changing of the hormones, sometimes I would begin to feel this jittery feeling in my legs, which in my brain then translated the jittery feeling to that of needing to up and move and get out of car , or bus.. etc etc..
Doctors don't take the time to explain any of this. I've had to research my dilemma on my own..
that said, now that I mentally know I am not going crazy.. :) or becoming ill.. I can now work with the anxiety..what that means for me is......
I have to practice good eating habits (which I don't always) but when I do eliminate sugar, white flour and junk from my diet, I feel less anxious.. additionally, exercise (this helps to control the cortisol) also.. meditation helps.. but didn't at first, I had to practice it for a long time before I finally got something out of it..
also, tracking my cycle helps because this way I know better what's happening to body and what to expect..
if you do what I did, I think this can help you.. it has helped me a lot..
I also read a book by dr Vliet, called screaming to be heard.. it talks about women's hormone and their effect..
it's a thick book, so see if your library has it before you buy it, this way you can see if it's helpful to you..

good luck :):)

I haven't read many of the responses, so I apologize if I am repeating what others have said.

First, about the visualization. This is something I do regularly because I have PTSD and mild anxiety, and it works very well for me. What I would suggest is doing the visualization BEFORE you actually start driving, as doing it while driving can be dangerous. Get in the in the car, visualize, calm yourself, and even take some deep breaths. Get yourself to that sweet spot. When you are calm and relaxed, then start the care and drive. If you start to feel anxious, pull over to a safe place and start the process over again.

Remember, this takes time. I'd also recommend you try working with a therapist who can help guide you through this process. If the therapist you were working with was only "ok", then try another one. Perhaps your primary care doctor can refer you to one, or ask your friends for a suggestion. (Don't be shy to ask, it's ok to need counseling, many of us do.)

Good for you for wanting to face this head on. Good luck1

hm.
i'm a big believer in visualization techniques and use 'em a lot myself. but i'm a little concerned at the necessity to rely on them when driving. visualization requires a lot of focus, and when you're driving your focus should be on driving, not visualization. so i suggest you need something else for driving anxiety, such as soothing music or a mantra that plays in the background. all of your brainpower should be very present and directed toward driving. and if that's not possible, you should really consider structuring your life so that you don't have to drive. that's very, very difficult to do in this country, but not impossible. and necessary if your anxiety is such that it interferes with your ability to drive (and it sounds like this is the case) and the only coping techniques also impede your ability to drive (which is the case for visualization and medication, two of the best ones.)
i'm very glad you're taking this so seriously. driving while in a state of high anxiety is dangerous for everyone, and you do need to figure out how to deal.
i think the first thing to do is find a better counselor. it's a long-term solution and won't address your immediate need, but you need more than you're getting right now. better living through medication is simply a reality for deep-seated cases of anxiety, and you should consider it. it won't fix your driving problem, but might make your overall life more pleasant and manageable.
good luck!
khairete
S.

Have you considered taking a drivers ed course to help with your anxiety? I would imagine there must be a driving instructor out there that knows how to help people with anxiety about driving and even being a passenger. If visualization doesn't produce the same results as real life, maybe you need more training in real life. Good luck to you!

From my experience visualization might work getting over fear of spiders or snakes, etc.

Exposure therapy worked wonders for me when I was scared to drive after a back injury. Every night after dinner my husband would make me go for a drive. He was in the car at first then would follow me in his car then would make me go alone and visit via bluetooth on the phone then finally alone and report back to him.

I understand how hard it is to find a good therapist...I went through four and they were all blech...then I found a great one but he wasn't on my insurance and we couldn't afford him (I saw him three times and he suggested the exposure).

I still deal with anxiety...I think I always will in various degrees...but as long as I can keep functioning and getting out and driving where I need to go and home...I keep pushing. I do know I am less anxious in the morning and so if it is a long drive I try and plan them for then because it is just easier for me.

You are one of a whole bunch of people who suffer from this, you are not alone!!!

So you've tried one professional counselor and she was okay?
If you had cancer and one doctor was okay but it didn't really work would you just give up?
Sorry, but I don't get this.
My sister in law has had long time driving issues, and they are now turning into "I just can't leave the house" issues.
You can either get real help, or you can just keep fooling yourself, but like you said, this will probably never go away.
Like an obese person who says "I've tried diet and exercise, for a few weeks..."
At some point you will stop looking for easy and impossible answers and actually be ready to put in the work required to make a life change.
I wish you luck.
It's a whole lot easier to stay anxious (or fat, or whatever.)

As a fellow mom with severe anxiety - okay I realize you didn't state yours is severe but I'd say if it is prohibiting you for doing things it is similar enough for me to relate. What I've had to do when mine gets beyond manageable in my head is focusing on the outcome of my trip not the destination or manner which I will have to get there. As an example I had to go grocery shopping today. My anxiety was up about that - no not the act of grocery shopping nor even leaving the house but the act of literally taking the drive at the time of day I was going to be going - so I had to focus on by getting the grocery shopping finished today I would have a free weekend and would not need to drive again. No, visualization doesn't always work and I can definitely understand why it is hard to place yourself in a blocked in situation but the only things that have worked for me was 1) when riding with others find other things to focus on and 2) when I'm the one who has to drive to find anything auditory that can help me focus.

I'm not saying it always works or that it will always work cause for me nothing is ever constant except the anxiety around certain situations. As perhaps counteractive as it may be in my case due to being the way I am I've found it highly effective to get my nerves all crazy and myself worked up over the event whilst I'm at home in a safe place and can allow myself the proper amount of time and energy to 'freak out' if needed. By doing that I have been able to accomplish tasks that mentally alone I could not bring myself to even fathom attempting.

Hope you're able to work through each event as it comes. I know in my case it is not highly likely I will ever overcome my anxiety disorders but we can only hope they don't prohibit us from living our lives happily, right? Best of luck.

I used to have a panic attack just about every time I wasn't the first car in the far right lane at a stop light. Just so I could make a right turn on red if I wanted to get out, so I wasn't trapped.

I finally decided to avoid those intersections. I avoided a couple of them in my town and my driving anxiety just about went away.

So, stay off that street you don't like. Drive a residential street, drive on a parallel street that has much less traffic. Do something different.

After a while I forgot I didn't like those intersections and I can drive them just fine now. I had an avoidance behavior and it worked for me.

Visualization is good and flooding is good too. Going on that street over and over and over and over every hour will get you over that in a hurry. If you have an anxiety med I'd take it beforehand so you don't have a panic attack.

I had depression for many years, but I didn't have the anxiety piece. I do work with quite a few women who've had anxiety along with, and separate from, depression. For one it was hormonal/cyclical, but for the others it wasn't. Based on our experience in working together, I'd say you should a) find a counselor you are comfortable with if you think it would help, b) keep using the workbooks if they seem to help c) do any kind of visualization that seems to help take the power away from the situation and give it back to you. Sometimes a counselor can help with guided visualization as well as get to the root cause of the anxiety if it is situation- or trauma-based. Some people can do it themselves, but sometimes it takes longer and also it kind of puts you in the position of blaming yourself if it doesn't work. A lot of people with anxiety are already blaming themselves or being urged to "just get over it" by others, which can actually cause even more anxiety.

For others, if there seems to be "no cause" then it's very often hormonal or chemical in some other way.

We've seen great results with nutrient-laden supplementation IF the nutrients are balanced and designed to meet the needs of a healthy human cell. (All cells have the same nutrient or fuel needs, regardless of function. But some cells can have damage to the epigenome, the switching "machinery" that surrounds each cell. If some genes don't switch on or off properly according to that cell's designated function, you can get all kinds of results from hypersensitivity to improper processing of stimuli, chemical imbalances, and more.) So, that problem can't be addressed with standard therapy or visualization because you can't get chemical control over cellular machinery through these outside means.

So a lot depends on the source of your anxiety. If you don't know, or if you've explored events in your past and they don't apply, then it's probably related to body functions and can be addressed.