Counselling

I was officially discharged from counselling last week. She said she couldn't really see where else she could go with me. I have made progress since I first saw her. I don't feel like I want to end my life as much as I did back at the end of the year/Beginning of this year.. She's also helped me with my anxiety a hell of a lot. It's been tough, I found leaving the house hard. And that was with others, I just didn't feel safe. Even the bus journey and travelling to counselling was tough. But I enjoyed the time by myself and it helped me learn that if something bad is going to happen I cannot do anything to stop it. I just need to learn to deal with the here and now. I am hoping that I won't ever need to go back to it, But I know that if I do need to then I can just self refer myself back. But to be told that someone is proud of how far you have come then it feels bloody good. I didn't realise how well I had done and also how quick the sessions had gone, My therapist was so lovely and we got on really well. I am kind of sad that time is over but now it is time to start living and start to become a better version of me. 

Anxiety update

Anxiety 

“Trust yourself. You’ve survived a lot, and you’ll survive whatever is coming.”

I posted a while back about how my anxiety affects me. I thought I would do a little update. I now have been diagnosed as having moderate to severe anxiety and depression. It affects me every single day. I thought on this post I would update more the symptoms I have had. It is inspired by a post I saw Zoella do. I know anxiety is different for everyone. But this is how it affects me and the ways I have learnt to cope with it.

I struggle with what people think of me, This effects me the most and I always think the worst and that people are always thinking the worst of me. And I never ever feel good enough. This can make work hard because I am always worried about doing something wrong. That little thought is always at the back of my head, Even if I am being told that I am doing OK and that I am doing a good job I am always waiting for that one person to tell me that I am not doing a good enough job or making the best effort i can be making. 

I find this also effects me when I am out. I always think the worst is going to happen, I will get in a crash or fall over and make an idiot of me. I also have a big fear of travelling on public transport even though I do have to use the bus as I don't drive. I have found though that music and my headphones go everywhere with me and I do manage to calm myself as long as I can see where I am going. I also don't like being too far from home. But I am determined this year to not let that beat me as I miss out on so much and I have so many things I want to do. I love travelling once I am settled and I know where I am going. I have friends that I want to visit around the country. I also love going to the theatre and musicals and concerts. I have a trip planned for April so I won't let the travelling and being away from home stop me going to see a band I love. 

I am really shy if I don't know people. I used to talk to anyone but now I would rather be in the corner away and by myself. I find approaching people difficult. It might seem that I am rude and offish but I am not. It is the anxiety, I am OK if people approach me first, And if I know you. Social anxiety is horrible, but I am not going to let it stop me living my life. Not everyone is talking about me and not everyone cares about how you look or what you are doing or the way you dress. It is 2019 and I am almost 35 I won't let it ruin my life anymore. I am going to walk with my head held high, Even if inside my head is screaming at me to run away. 

I also find that eating in public is a struggle. Actually when my anxiety is really bad I find eating is a struggle full stop. If I am really anxious I feel really sick and then I don't feel like eating anything. Which in the long run isn't going to make me feel any better. But I am having small meals and I just eat when I want. I am getting better eating out. I am OK if I am with people I know. But eating in places on my own still makes me really anxious and panicky. 

I have learnt that anxiety has two types, Hypothetical and practical. Hypothetical means that it's something you cannot do anything about e.g going on holiday and the plane crashing. That isn't something you can do anything about. Practical means that a solution can be found, E.g Going for coffee with a friend and you don't have enough money. The solution can be that you borrow money from someone and then you can pay them back or that maybe this time your friend pays and you pay the next time.  I am working on this at the moment and I have to find and plan the solutions for my worries which I write down in my worry diary. For me it is to plan and get some feedback on my job and how well I am doing. I love having homework because it keeps my mind busy and it also gives me something to focus on and work towards. 

Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. – English proverb

“Keep walking through the storm. Your rainbow is waiting on the other side.” – 

Heather Stillufsen

A little update

It's been a while since I last posted. So I thought I would do an update. It is not a positive one though as things are not great. I am having a really tough time. It's been a bit of a rough few weeks with my mum being rushed to hospital and then my mental health taking a battering. 

I have been to see someone and I have things happening and in place to get myself back to how I used to be. I think I may have some sort of PTSD but I obviously have not had it diagnosed. I am finding falling asleep hard and then that leads to me being really tired. And I have no energy at all. I just want to spend every day all day asleep. I am also not eating great and I have lost a stone in weight since my mum got rushed to hospital. I know I need to lose weight and I am happy but it isn't the right way of doing it. 

I am back into counselling and have my first appointment on Thursday with the same ones I saw about three years ago. Sadly not the same therapist but I am OK with it. I know it is what I need to do. 

It's times like this though that really help you find who is a friend and who isn't. I have had some lovely support and also some not so great support but it's fine. The ones who didn't care have gone. 

I shall update you all again in a week or so and let you know how counselling went and what has been said. I see my doctor next week as well and my medication may be upped. It's all gone wrong since a doctor changed my dose to 15mg from 30mg without consulting my doctor. 

Battle(A poem)

It's been a really stressful and exhausting and emotional week and I don't really have the energy or am I in the right mindset to think of anything at the moment to post. So I didn't want the blog to go unloved so I wrote this and I think it sums up how I am feeling at the moment. 

I say goodnight and turn off the lights

Hoping the demons don’t come out to play

I close my eyes to sleep but the voices in my head scream no

It’s like I’m running from the evil

But it’s dark and I fall down 

I’m screaming so loud 

But it’s just a silent whisper 

It’s a battle I keep trying to win

But my sword won’t protect me 

My shield slips and it’s a stab in my back

While the pain rushes out my chest 

And the screams turn deadly silent 

That nightmare I’m living 

Where I’m stuck and alone

While everyone around me keeps running further away 

It’s a chaotic mess that needs cleaning 

But you can’t find the end or beginning 

So that pile keeps on building 

And the ache just keeps on hurting

It’s like a story with no happy ending 

Just a messed up little fairytale 

But the princess doesn’t meet her prince

And the tears don’t stop falling 

Anxiety and how I cope with it.

This post is about my anxiety and how I cope with it and things I use to calm myself down. And also a bit about how my Anxiety shows itself. Recently it has been quite bad and I thought I would do an up to date post on it and how I use techniques to calm myself down and what helps me and what doesn't help.

I have really bad anxiety when I am travelling. Be it on a bus or car or train. I always have to have my music with me wherever I go. I always make sure my battery is charged on my phone and I have play lists made on Spotify and iTunes that help me when I am really anxious. I find that I relax more if I listen to a certain type of music. The ones I love the most are musical theatre and classical crossover. My favourite artists to listen to are Rhydian, Collabro, G4 and Jason Manford's musical album. I find if I listen to anything more upbeat it can make my anxiety worse. 

I also have music that helps when I cannot sleep. I have one favourite and that is ocean sounds. I like the sound of the waves crashing over stones, It calms me right down and I like to think about being on a beach. 

Things I like to do when I am anxious and need to have some me time is editing photos. I also love photography, I have found recently that sunset photos are my favourite thing to photograph. I will insert some of my recent photos I have taken below. It was beautiful and I didn't want it to go dark, I could of sat there for hours. 

I also have three dogs and they help me when I am feeling really down and anxious. I love taking photos of them too. I shall insert some photos below I have taken. 

My anxiety is usually brought on by me feeling really panicky and I get really hot. I also don't like being around people. I start feeling really sick and dizzy and usually get a really bad stomach ache. I also find that I need to lay down and sleep it off. The worst one is the feeling of everyone looking at me and laughing at me, I used to get this really bad in my old job, Especially when I was eating. I didn't like anyone being near me or sitting with me when I was eating. I also find when I am really anxious I go really quiet. But my main thing which has started recently is I have to wash my hands three times. Which wasn't helping my skin and it made my hands really sore. 

I also don't like things to happen out of the blue, I need to know plans and stuff before it is going to happen. I like to know what is happening and stuff so I can plan what I need and what I want to take and if I will be in any situations I won't like. I am rubbish at theme parks as I don't like the rides so I am always bag holder. I don't like not being in control and the speed and everything makes my anxiety so bad that I forget to breathe which is never a good thing. I also don't like really big crowds. I get super panicky and it has stopped me going to London anymore since the terror attacks. I used to go to London on my own without any worries. But that is one place I won't go to anymore. I have missed out on so much good stuff due to my travel anxieties. I am determined to not let it beat me though because I have some big trips planned for this year and next year and I have so much I want to do still. 

How my anxiety affects me.

I have social and generalised anxiety. I worry about everything! Social anxiety is my worst one, I really struggle with this. Recently it has stopped me going to stuff and doing stuff that I have really wanted to do. I find if I am going alone, I usually end up not doing it or not going. But I have decided that I cannot let it beat me. So I have booked two events, One this year and means travelling on my own. And one next year which also means travelling. 

I am going to post how it affects me and signs and symptoms I get. I really struggle sometimes and people don't always understand. I think that they just think I am being awkward and difficult but I am really not. I just want to run away and hide. It is not easy having social anxiety and it makes me sometimes apparently appear rude and obnoxious. 

First way it affects me is I go really quiet. And I get really hot and sweaty. I am on medication that is supposed to stop this, Then I get the chest pains which sometimes can be really painful and palpitations. Then I get the thoughts that something is going to go wrong or happen. I find this always happens when I am going to gigs, or events. I get myself so worked up that I usually want to cancel. Recently that happened to me when I was going to a concert and I came so close to cancelling. I actually had a panic attack in my room before. 

Another thing I struggle with is eating in public and in front of people I don't know. I used to really struggle with this in my canteen at my old work. We used to eat with management and the other people working there, I used to sit with my headphones in and try sit on my own far away from other people. I know sometimes it looks like I am being difficult with this but I get major panicky and I really struggle, I don't know if this stems from secondary school where I would have food thrown at me. Usually it is only me that this affects as I don't really go out with people I am not comfortable around. And my friends are used to it now, I am also super clumsy too and drop food down myself a lot. 

I also have another thing that I get where if I am really anxious I find myself having to wash my hands three or four times in a row. It made my skin really bad recently and I had to tell people it was because I was using hand gel too much. Another thing is I have to check and double check myself. This is more if I am travelling. I have to check my route and I have to double check times etc. I don't like delays or things being late or having to change plans. So when my train is delayed it really gets me panicky and worked up and it does stop me travelling sometimes. 

Also when I am away I always get super homesick and I hate being away from home so much. I always worry something is going to happen when I am away and I don't have anyone that can help. I found this to be the case recently when I ended up getting injured on a train journey. I couldn't find any staff to get first aid from. And I ended up with a swollen hand and being in a lot of pain, and it ruined the evening I was going too because I was in pain and I just wanted to be home with my mum and to be safe. 

I also don't like being home alone. I have to lock the doors especially at night. It is a little bit better now we have the dogs and they bark at even the slightest noise(but that then makes me really jumpy). 

I also HATE using the telephone at all. I really struggle with making phone calls to anyone that is not family. It makes me feel really sick and my heart beats 1000 times a minute. I also don't answer phone calls unless I know who it is. It makes ringing for doctor appointments really difficult. 

Which leads me to another thing that I struggle with and that is waiting rooms and seeing a doctor. Luckily I have my Doctor I see now and she is brilliant, but if I have to see anyone else I really get panicky. I have had the same doctor for a few years now and we have a good doctor patient relationship and she understands me and I always make sure I try get an appointment with her every single time because she listens and gives me the time to explain. But if I am struggling I make sure I write down what is bothering me. 

And my last one is I always have to have my headphones with me if I am alone or going out on my own. My therapist always laughed because I would have my music on. I find my love of musical theatre especially helps with calming my anxieties down when I am travelling. I also don't like the supermarkets. They give me huge anxiety especially if I get separated from my mum and dad. I get proper anxiety over it. I think that stems from when I got lost in our town when I was 4 years old.

Does anyone have any good tips for anxiety?