wonderhamster
07-13-2016, 05:34 AM
Just to address a few things I noticed, skimming through the responses ... about my personal experience with some of the things I mentioned (though I know she's banned, I want people to understand how I use what I use, etc., in case it helps them):
1) Meditation, for me, is not a spiritual thing. It's about breathing and mindfulness and it helps when I used the guided ones because someone is talking me through it, telling me what to, visualize, and concentrate on, which helps take my mind away from what triggered my anxiety in the first place. I have tried to meditate just on my own but my brain goes every which way it doesn't work. Is it possible I could practice and 'train' my brain? Maybe, but I don't have the patience for it just yet, haha. ;)
2) Please don't try to change any of your own dosages of prescription meds without a visit/consult/conversation with your doctor or medical professional.
3) I'm intrigued by homeopathic remedies. My sister has gotten into essential oils lately; she diffuses them in her household and she feels she has noticed a difference in her and her husband's levels of anxiety (they recently just suffered the traumatic loss of a family member). I take 5-HTP, which is a supplement and I feel like it's made me happier mood-wise (though this is a depression/bipolar related thing for me, not anxiety-specific ... but really, it's all just a huge mess of tangled thread in my brain, LOL).
4) Do you have a routine? I wonder if you do the same things in the same steps every day or every time you're going to cam, if this will be less likely to trigger your fight-or-flight response, and your anxiety. Choose a great music playlist or Pandora station, shower, makeup, hair ... whatever you do before camming, maybe make it the same thing? Take your medicine within enough time while you're doing it before you start camming so hopefully it's kicked in by then? I haven't tested this hypothesis, but I wonder if your body knows what's going on, what's happening, if it'd be less apt to freak out once you're sitting in front of the cam.
5) I saw someone else refer to Pomodoro in another thread. It's like working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5 minute break, I think? She said she had an app. Maybe look into this to see if it helps? Regulating your time, scheduling, leaving little up in the air could help to cut back on the unknown and the fear, maybe.
Big hugs! Anxiety sucks ass!
Yes, anxiety does suck ass. Yes it does.
Adding my $.02 to what you've mentioned:
1) Meditation is somewhat "spiritual" for me, I guess, since I'm a practicing Buddhist. Though Buddhism is more a way of life or philosophy rather than a religion, TBH. But that's getting off-topic. You're absolutely right in that meditation doesn't have to be a spiritual practice at all, whether it's guided or not it just serves to help your mind cope with the constant bombardment we deal with everyday. Personally, it's saved my sanity. 10/10 would recommend to anyone, especially those who suffer with anxiety.
2) 1000% yup. This.
3) 5-HTP is the shit. Just saying. I'm a big fan of natural remedies but as someone else mentioned on here please please be mindful of interactions with any kind of medication you may be taking. For example I love Kava Kava for anxiety relief, though you definitely don't want to mix it with alcohol or any kind of benzodiazepine. I'm also a big fan of Kratom, which has been (for me personally) a miracle herb. But that too comes with its own side effects so do plenty of research and talk to a medical professional before trying anything yourself.
4) Yep, having a routine has helped immensely in a lot of ways. My routine is wake up, do some light stretching/exercise, shower, brew some tea, meditate then log in. It's second nature now. If I begin to feel anxious, I log off/hit the break button and do some breathing exercises or distract myself with good music or cute animal videos.
5) I always break up my day in smaller chunks, that way I don't get overwhelmed with dread at the thought of having to sit in front of a screen for several hours on end. Not everyone is able to do this as easily (schedule conflicts, etc) but if you can, try it. For example I work a 2-3 hour morning shift then another 2-3 hour shift in the evening/night. Some days I can power through longer and others I take breaks as necessary and don't give myself (too much) of a hard time if I need to log off early. Self-care is super important, so do what works best for you. We're all doing the best we can with what we've got.
All the hugs to you ladies.
1) Meditation, for me, is not a spiritual thing. It's about breathing and mindfulness and it helps when I used the guided ones because someone is talking me through it, telling me what to, visualize, and concentrate on, which helps take my mind away from what triggered my anxiety in the first place. I have tried to meditate just on my own but my brain goes every which way it doesn't work. Is it possible I could practice and 'train' my brain? Maybe, but I don't have the patience for it just yet, haha. ;)
2) Please don't try to change any of your own dosages of prescription meds without a visit/consult/conversation with your doctor or medical professional.
3) I'm intrigued by homeopathic remedies. My sister has gotten into essential oils lately; she diffuses them in her household and she feels she has noticed a difference in her and her husband's levels of anxiety (they recently just suffered the traumatic loss of a family member). I take 5-HTP, which is a supplement and I feel like it's made me happier mood-wise (though this is a depression/bipolar related thing for me, not anxiety-specific ... but really, it's all just a huge mess of tangled thread in my brain, LOL).
4) Do you have a routine? I wonder if you do the same things in the same steps every day or every time you're going to cam, if this will be less likely to trigger your fight-or-flight response, and your anxiety. Choose a great music playlist or Pandora station, shower, makeup, hair ... whatever you do before camming, maybe make it the same thing? Take your medicine within enough time while you're doing it before you start camming so hopefully it's kicked in by then? I haven't tested this hypothesis, but I wonder if your body knows what's going on, what's happening, if it'd be less apt to freak out once you're sitting in front of the cam.
5) I saw someone else refer to Pomodoro in another thread. It's like working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5 minute break, I think? She said she had an app. Maybe look into this to see if it helps? Regulating your time, scheduling, leaving little up in the air could help to cut back on the unknown and the fear, maybe.
Big hugs! Anxiety sucks ass!
Yes, anxiety does suck ass. Yes it does.
Adding my $.02 to what you've mentioned:
1) Meditation is somewhat "spiritual" for me, I guess, since I'm a practicing Buddhist. Though Buddhism is more a way of life or philosophy rather than a religion, TBH. But that's getting off-topic. You're absolutely right in that meditation doesn't have to be a spiritual practice at all, whether it's guided or not it just serves to help your mind cope with the constant bombardment we deal with everyday. Personally, it's saved my sanity. 10/10 would recommend to anyone, especially those who suffer with anxiety.
2) 1000% yup. This.
3) 5-HTP is the shit. Just saying. I'm a big fan of natural remedies but as someone else mentioned on here please please be mindful of interactions with any kind of medication you may be taking. For example I love Kava Kava for anxiety relief, though you definitely don't want to mix it with alcohol or any kind of benzodiazepine. I'm also a big fan of Kratom, which has been (for me personally) a miracle herb. But that too comes with its own side effects so do plenty of research and talk to a medical professional before trying anything yourself.
4) Yep, having a routine has helped immensely in a lot of ways. My routine is wake up, do some light stretching/exercise, shower, brew some tea, meditate then log in. It's second nature now. If I begin to feel anxious, I log off/hit the break button and do some breathing exercises or distract myself with good music or cute animal videos.
5) I always break up my day in smaller chunks, that way I don't get overwhelmed with dread at the thought of having to sit in front of a screen for several hours on end. Not everyone is able to do this as easily (schedule conflicts, etc) but if you can, try it. For example I work a 2-3 hour morning shift then another 2-3 hour shift in the evening/night. Some days I can power through longer and others I take breaks as necessary and don't give myself (too much) of a hard time if I need to log off early. Self-care is super important, so do what works best for you. We're all doing the best we can with what we've got.
All the hugs to you ladies.