Heightened Anxiety

My anxiety is sky high right now. My heart is pumping away, I'm getting tunnel vision, I'm getting hot flushes, constant need to go to the loo, aches in joints, the works. 

It's all to do with this pending diagnosis. Having read about autism I now want the diagnosis but am anxious that I won't get it for some reason. Maybe I didn't tell them enough or there's some detail that they didn't ask about in the assessment that I'll rely upon for the diagnosis. Being high functioning I think it's going to be touch and go whether I qualify for a diagnosis or not. But having spoken to work I know I will be relying on a diagnosis in order to get the help that I need before things start to go wrong again.

And now I can't sleep because I'm too anxious. What can I do to relax?

Parents
  • Graham357 said:

    Being high functioning I think it's going to be touch and go whether I qualify for a diagnosis or not.

    Well, I am high functioning myself, and I was diagnosed as such ~ as have many other people been, so perhaps rest assured on that count.

    Graham357 said:

    And now I can't sleep because I'm too anxious. What can I do to relax?

    Deep slow and gentle pelvic breathing helps rather alot to relax, whereby in a sense you imagine your bladder as being your lungs and breath as if into and out from there gently and slowly.

  • Although these breathing techniques are recommended by many and presumably work for many you have to try for yourself if that's something that helps or makes it worse. For me it makes anxiety worse, concentrating on my breathing when I'm already very anxious has the potential to get me to a proper panic attack. I find focusing on my breathing generally unbearable (and you have to focus on it because if you are anxious you probably don't breath that way). For me distraction works by far better, not only the moment I'm doing it but if if was strong enough then the effect will also last for a while. Something practical that requires the right amount of concentration and is fairly quiet, arty stuff for example. For me it's needs to require being active, passive things can easily coexist with anxiety (but that's also quite different for different people). 

    It's certainly worth trying breathing in ways supposed to make you feel calmer, but if it doesn't work for you try something else, it's not a one-fits-all thing, nor is there anything else that works for everybody.

  • octanol: said:

    Although these breathing techniques are recommended by many and presumably work for many you have to try for yourself if that's something that helps or makes it worse. For me it makes anxiety worse, concentrating on my breathing when I'm already very anxious has the potential to get me to a proper panic attack. I find focusing on my breathing generally unbearable (and you have to focus on it because if you are anxious you probably don't breath that way).

    You could perhaps try pelvic breathing regularly when you are calm, in order to pre-emptively habituate it as a process, and progressively as such learn to have more influence over reducing the effects of anxiety attacks.

    octanol: said:

    It's certainly worth trying breathing in ways supposed to make you feel calmer, but if it doesn't work for you try something else, it's not a one-fits-all thing, nor is there anything else that works for everybody.

    Believe it or not ~ pelvic breathing is a one-size-fits-all process, in the physiological 'as-nature-intended' sense, only stressed out cultures became habituated in using the diaphragmatic 'short-shallow-rapid' breathing of the 'flight-or-fight' reflex, instead. The more habituated this breathing pattern is of course; the more practice it takes to return to the more natural 'long-deep-slow' process of pelvic breathing, and calm mindedness, if so inclined.

  • P.S. Almost completely forgot to mention ~ when doing pelvic breathing; pull the 'energy' of the breath down when breathing in, and push the 'energy' of the breath down when breathing out, gently and evenly in both cases.

  • octanol, said:

    "Trying to practise that when being calm sounds like a good idea, it's also been recommended before, but so far I've not really felt calm enough to bear focusing on it for more than 30 seconds or so, and even then I focused rather on the thought that I can't wait to stop this because it is so unpleasant instead of on the breathing itself..."

    Focusing on the pelvic breathing for thirty seconds is actually a huge achievement when beginning, and the trick of it is learning not to focus on your thoughts ~ but rather progressively more and more just the action of the breathing itself.

    The unpleasantness of focusing on the the deep breathing is due to the negative associations involved with the anxiety attacks, hence only practice when you are calm ~ mess not with the dark side of the force Jedi Octanol until you are strong with the light side and all that sort of thing.

    The simplest technique is to end and begin the day with seven pelvic breaths, for six days a week, every week. The day off, such as on a Friday or Sunday allows for the habitual action to display itself to some extent, and eventually as such to allow it to auto-activate when your have anxiety attacks ~ given enough practice.

    If you feel inclined to work towards this daily routine, take days off if you are particularly stressed, and forgetting to do the seven breaths morning or night is completely and utterly forgivable. Once you get the hang of it, do a mid-day slot or another slot, and add to it as you go along.

    Recall always in this procedure to develop the deep breathing as gently and evenly as you possible can, and try not to be too surprised if powerful deep breaths come on by themselves during the exercises - or at other times as the process develops.

    Obviously, if you want to just get the hang of this breathing technique to manage the anxiety attacks themselves ~ rather than becoming a full time deep breather, that is absolutely fine. Also, if you have any questions or want to discuss this matter any further ~ feel entirely free and welcome to do so.

  • Yes, guess I agree with that in a way, but in order for it to work you have to manage doing it first. I don't - just focusing on my breathing makes it worse, if I then keep trying anyway I get angry with myself and after being told off (by myself) for being so stupid to not even manage to breath normally I feel even worse, and so it keeps going... 

    Trying to practise that when being calm sounds like a good idea, it's also been recommended before, but so far I've not really felt calm enough to bear focusing on it for more than 30 seconds or so, and even then I focused rather on the thought that I can't wait to stop this because it is so unpleasant instead of on the breathing itself... 

Reply
  • Yes, guess I agree with that in a way, but in order for it to work you have to manage doing it first. I don't - just focusing on my breathing makes it worse, if I then keep trying anyway I get angry with myself and after being told off (by myself) for being so stupid to not even manage to breath normally I feel even worse, and so it keeps going... 

    Trying to practise that when being calm sounds like a good idea, it's also been recommended before, but so far I've not really felt calm enough to bear focusing on it for more than 30 seconds or so, and even then I focused rather on the thought that I can't wait to stop this because it is so unpleasant instead of on the breathing itself... 

Children
  • P.S. Almost completely forgot to mention ~ when doing pelvic breathing; pull the 'energy' of the breath down when breathing in, and push the 'energy' of the breath down when breathing out, gently and evenly in both cases.

  • octanol, said:

    "Trying to practise that when being calm sounds like a good idea, it's also been recommended before, but so far I've not really felt calm enough to bear focusing on it for more than 30 seconds or so, and even then I focused rather on the thought that I can't wait to stop this because it is so unpleasant instead of on the breathing itself..."

    Focusing on the pelvic breathing for thirty seconds is actually a huge achievement when beginning, and the trick of it is learning not to focus on your thoughts ~ but rather progressively more and more just the action of the breathing itself.

    The unpleasantness of focusing on the the deep breathing is due to the negative associations involved with the anxiety attacks, hence only practice when you are calm ~ mess not with the dark side of the force Jedi Octanol until you are strong with the light side and all that sort of thing.

    The simplest technique is to end and begin the day with seven pelvic breaths, for six days a week, every week. The day off, such as on a Friday or Sunday allows for the habitual action to display itself to some extent, and eventually as such to allow it to auto-activate when your have anxiety attacks ~ given enough practice.

    If you feel inclined to work towards this daily routine, take days off if you are particularly stressed, and forgetting to do the seven breaths morning or night is completely and utterly forgivable. Once you get the hang of it, do a mid-day slot or another slot, and add to it as you go along.

    Recall always in this procedure to develop the deep breathing as gently and evenly as you possible can, and try not to be too surprised if powerful deep breaths come on by themselves during the exercises - or at other times as the process develops.

    Obviously, if you want to just get the hang of this breathing technique to manage the anxiety attacks themselves ~ rather than becoming a full time deep breather, that is absolutely fine. Also, if you have any questions or want to discuss this matter any further ~ feel entirely free and welcome to do so.