Centered3

I take a multivitamin and some others. They don't seem to make much difference, not even fish oil. Which ones have you found helpful?

I agree with what you wrote--yard work and cleaning, like exercise, get me out of my head. I've just been too drained from all this thinking to do any. I'll try to push myself because I know it'd help.

I'm also curious about the podcasts. There are so many out there it's hard to know which ones are good.

Bunting23

Yoga Daily! Since you like it, a daily practice will change your life.

Centered3

Thanks, Fly N Buy. I'm glad to know I'm not alone there. I'll push myself to try to focus more, thank you.

That is a great idea! I end up wasting time on my phone which isn't helpful. I'll have to make a list of all these ideas and keep them by my phone.

That's good to hear, especially since it's so hard to reach out sometimes.

Thank you. :-)

Centered3

I would love to do yoga daily, but right now I just go to a class once a week. I wish I was good enough to do yoga daily at home but I would have no idea how to create a daily home practice. I could definitely see how a daily yoga practice would change my life. I love how I feel after a yoga class.

D122y

I relate.

Work frustration has been causing me to obsess. I used to drink it away.

Not any more.

We are newly sober. It takes time to learn how to live w out booze.

At least we have each other here to talk about it.

It helps me.

Thanks.

ScottFromWI

Lately I've been listening to the Anxiety Coaches Podcast. It's a woman from Hawaii who suffered for many years herself. She has a lot of guest speakers too.

fantail

Oh! I'm a yoga evangelizer as well.

There are free yoga classes online that you could try... yogatoday.com has a free one daily. They also have a big range you can buy, I've bought a few for when I travel and can't get to class.

Yoga's been a real lifesaver in my sobriety. It has an almost magic bullet effect on my anxiety. I've gone to class shaking and come out calm. And I find when I practice multiple times a week it seems to proactively stop me from getting anxious.

MelindaFlowers

I knew that I was going to be a nervous wreck once I removed my "relaxer" alcohol from the picture.

I used my bedroom as my safe place where I could go anytime I wanted, lay myself on the bed, and calm myself.

I still do this. I find myself frazzled after a day at work and a 45 minute drive home. I come in the door, say hello to my husband, and to the bedroom I go. I need a 15 minute quiet time. If he greets me at the door, rattling off about bills or the mortgage, it drives me insane.

I use the bedroom to take breaks when I feel stressed.

I see it as a sensory deprivation chamber, but in a good way. Dim lights, fan going, quiet.

I used to drink within 20 seconds of walking in the door to quiet the stress of the day. Well we all know how that plan worked out.

I think it good to take breaks during the day.

This is a real good question you ask, how to quiet the mind. I've described my sobriety to friends as "being awake all the time." I am aware and present for every minute of the day, for better or worse. There is no longer a substance that I can put in my body and say "See ya tomorrow!" I've been sober for 22 months and I've learned to appreciate (or at the very least, accept it).

It really is learning a whole different way of dealing with life. It's a better way though. The drinking way nearly ruined my life.

stevieg46

Do a rain check of all things that need attending then sort them out one by one , that gets rid of procrastination , Guidance Order Direction =GOD a Power greater than ourselves , we when our heads are going full steam ahead ''are trying to run the whole show '' keep doing that and our lives remain unmanageable , its that simple (but not easy ) .

Regards Stevie recovered 12 03 2006

overforty

Great tips!
Thank you for this thread.
I agree with mountainbob - exercise, good food, lots of water, B vitamins, meditation, sleep and I think being kind to yourself is really important.
If you are anything like me then you're your own worst enemy!
x

Dropsie

I had a weird one recommended to me, but it works for me.

If your mind is racing or too focused on something, stand in place and twirl 10 times. It really helps.

I find that I have the opposite -- as long as I am drinking my mind is racing wondering when, if, how much, it is only when I am sober that I can be at peace.

NOT that I am all the time -- not at all, but it is the only time that peace is possible.

Gottalife

I found the steps did the trick, particularly step 5. One of the steps 5 promises is "we can be alone at perfect peace and ease". I have found this to be true.

jseattle

I recommend 2 iphone aps:

* Stop, Breathe, and Think
* Headspace

Practice these when you are NOT in the midst of anxiety, and they will come in handy when you are.

Centered3

What do you do instead of obsessing?

PS - congrats on your almost 1 year sobriety!

Centered3

I did this as a childhood and teenager, too but added music to destress.

It sounds like your own private calming spa. Good idea.

Yup. Right to the wine bottle.

That's a good description. Like an animal always being on alert for its prey; never able to relax even when it thinks it's relaxing. I don't think my mind has learned that there's nothing to be anxious about yet.

Agreed. I think I'm feeling my anxiety for the first time in my life without turning to something to shut it off, and maybe I just need to get used to it. I'm hoping eventually I'll be able to quiet it down with all of the suggestions posted here as second nature.

Centered3

Thanks, Stevie that's a good idea to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I've heard of Good Orderly Direction but not Guidance Order Direction. I like your saying better because I do view God as the power inside of me ("the kingdom is within") to seek to guide me.

I wonder how much of my anxiety is due to taking my will back and trying to run the show again. Hmm.

Centered3

Thanks overforty. That is a really important reminder. :-) I sometimes get a little too stuck in the past and that is a waste of energy. I like the reminder while we all work on being kind to others instead of selfish and self-centered, to be kind to ourselves, too. Yes I am definitely my own worst enemy. It helps me to remind myself what God thinks of me because it's His opinion that matters.

Centered3

Thanks for the recommendation, that is interesting!

I do think sobriety vs abstinence does lead to peace. I think maybe my mind is just getting used to feeling the anxious thoughts instead of trying to run away from them or stop them in my OCD-like way. I agree that being sober makes peace possible because we're just "being" in the present. A guy at my home group likes to calmly say, "Centered, just BE."

Centered3

I couldn't agree more, Mike! I felt an amazing sense of clearness and peace after my step 5 was complete. I have had times of perfect peace and ease and the other promises. I think I'm just going through a temporary tough time that's making me anxious, but I'm hopeful it will pass. I think I just need to feel the feelings and stop trying to avoid them and then I will feel peaceful again.

Thanks for bringing it back to the steps. I love the 5th step promises.

Centered3

Thanks for the app recommendations, jseattle!

What a good point about practicing them when not anxious. That's really key, isn't it? To prevent it.

In my spiritual recovery program, I was taught to go to God for everything, not just for sobriety. Going to Him on easy days helps prepare us for turning to Him during difficult times.