jaybee1

I drank my last beer last Thursday evening. This is my fourth day without drinking, and I'm struggling badly with anxiety.

I have tried to quit drinking several times, and I encountered some anxiety during the process each time, but this time seems different. Normally I start a fitness routine at the same time as quitting alcohol, and that seems to keep my anxiety at bay.

This time I haven't been working out because of a chest infection, and boy do I notice the difference. My nerves are shot and feel nervous all the time.

I could really use some suggestions on how to cope with this anxiety. I really wish I could go for a run or hit the gym!

Verte

Hi Jaybee,

Sorry to hear that you have a virus and are feeling lousy.

How about drinking some tasty herbal tea (**it just so happens that I posted all my favorite day/night herbal teas yesterday in answer to a post in the Health and Fitness section. Check it out)? If you do not have any or cannot go to the store, do you have someone who can bring you some?

Nice warm bath or shower sounds in order.

Drink a lot of water and chill out all day. Check out the 'bingeing on box sets' thread started on the forum...there are a lot of good suggestions for 'TV series' therapy.

Do you have or have you ever looked into general treatment for the anxiety with a doc?
Take care and hope you feel better soon! Keep going strong. You have this Jaybee!

megacrankcase

Definitely try some chamomile tea, or perhaps Holy Basil tea. Both have good calming properties. If you can find full leaf flower chamomile, it is more effective than the powdered kind.

Breathing exercises help a lot, too.

I have suffered greatly from anxiety, and I had a nervous breakdown a couple of years ago, so I am very familiar with it, and I know exactly where you are coming from.

jaybee1

Thanks for advice. I'll probably do just that.

I have seen a doc about my anxiety, and have been prescribed meds off and on over the years. However at the end of the day exercise seems to relieve anxiety for me better than medication. The problem is when I'm drinking I don't exercise. Now that I've quit, and have this chest infection, it's kind of a catch 22.

I need more tools in my tool box I suppose.

biminiblue

How about trying some meditation? You can Google mindful meditation. I find meditation to be really helpful. It gets me to concentrate on breathing, which is huge for anxiety control, and it helps me regulate my thinking.

Prayer is also helpful.

Hang in there, it gets better.

Hawkeye13

My anxiety got worse progressively when drinking, and it did peak for brief time when I quit for good.

However, as time passed, it began to slowly go away and now I feel pretty peaceful and sleep well at night.

I think the alcohol really triggered it for me, and after it was out of my system for awhile, I felt much much better.

jaybee1

I've thought about mediation. I will google it, and see what I can find.

jaybee1

I believe that alcohol also triggered anxiety for me as well, but I was masking it with the booze. It certainly seems like it gets out of control for me when I quit drinking. I've relied on exercise to get me through times like this, but with this chest infection I'm not really able to do that.

biminiblue

You mentioned exercise.

Exercise also helps with breathing. There's a trend here...

Seriously, slowing your heart rate through meditation helps alleviate the feeling of anxiety and breathing deeply helps rid the body of carbon dioxide which also increases physical feelings of anxiety. I've learned so much about the value of correct breathing over the years. It's even a tool in therapy for anxiety. I used to get prescriptions for anti-anxiety meds. No more. All natural. It works.

Alcohol depresses the central nervous system, which slows your heart and breathing and brain function. As you come off it, everything ramps back up.

jaybee1

I never would have made the connection. very cool! Excercise helps, so maybe meditation will help as well.

I've also been interested in meditation as a stress reliever. I believe my anxiety is secondary to stress, or rather my inability to deal with stress.