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Day 20 - Anxiety

Old 12-20-2014, 08:10 AM
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Day 20 - Anxiety

So I've been humming along ok for past several days - even getting decent sleep . I went to the gym this morning, got home and felt good. Ate some breakfast and all of sudden like a flip of switch, I'm anxious out of nowhere. It was that sudden. I was listening to the fantastic podcast, the Bubble Hour, so maybe something in the show I was listening to hit too close to home. Or maybe it's PAWs? idk. I'm hoping to someone else can chime in on sudden anxiety (or any emotion) and early sobriety.
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Old 12-20-2014, 08:15 AM
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Early sobriety is often an emotional roller coaster, Sarah, and anxiety is common. Things will level out, in time.

In the meantime, be gentle and kind to Sarah. Warm baths, soothing music, hot chocolate . . . .
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Old 12-20-2014, 08:15 AM
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The Bubble Hour is recovery based?

Thinking about recovery is definitely a minefield. I was going to AA meetings every day in the early days, and it was intense.

Was there some issue that was raised in the show that hit close to home? Try to figure it out!

With that said, anxiety is a by-product of early recovery. Take deep breaths! Breathe out fully. Fear and anxiety causes shallow breathing, which triggers your body in a physical way.
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Old 12-20-2014, 08:25 AM
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I also deal with a lot of anxiety, The good news is that it means your brain is telling itself that it needs to start producing the right chemicals for your brain to work right.

It is a natural course of things to happen as our bodies slowly adjust to no longer being bombarded by alcohol.

You will get through it, we all do. If you can keep yourself busy, go for a walk, get outside, go to a meeting, you will probably be able to divert your anxiety a little.

You should defiantly read up on PAWS. there is some great info here and on other sights on the internet.

the anxiety will last as long as it needs to, unfortunately, it is just the body adjusting. But the advice above is right on, breathe deep, relax and do not give in to temptations, as that will only make it worse in the long riun.
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Old 12-20-2014, 08:32 AM
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In my experience, that was normal. Try distracting yourself and your mind until the switch flips again. Deep breathing excercises worked well for me too.

Hang in there.
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Old 12-20-2014, 09:01 AM
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Thank you everyone for your support. I'm still waiting for the switch to flip

The Bubble Hour is a podcast with discussions around alcoholism and support.
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Old 12-20-2014, 09:11 AM
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Hey, Sarah. First of all, 20 days is awesome. Way to go on that.

I definitely relate to the anxiety that you're describing. I think Leigh described it very well with the thread's first response by calling early sobriety an emotional roller coaster. I'm a little past two months sober, and I would definitely still say that my emotions are all over the place. The "triggers" seem to range from advertisements causing reflections on the short term satisfactions of my addiction to what seems like absolutely nothing at all.

If you don't mind the presumption necessary for me to actually recommend something for you, I would recommend that at this moment, especially while still feeling unsettled in any manner, you don't worry about what caused this "switch" to flip. (Not that this is unlike what anyone else has said so far, ). I recommend that you just be as comfortable as possible and engage in things that you enjoy, as you would any other day.

My heart is with you, and I wish you the very best!
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Old 12-20-2014, 09:14 AM
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Hey Sarah, I'm also suffering from anxiety that comes out of the blue and/or sticks around for a while. Hang in there...it's just your body's fight or flight mechanism going haywire.
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Old 12-20-2014, 09:15 AM
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And yes I think it is PAWS...
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Old 12-20-2014, 09:15 AM
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What is the actual fear you are experiencing? Name it, claim it, move on from it.

Breathe. Take a deep breath from your belly. Breathe in for a count of five. (one thousand, two thousand...) hold for a couple seconds.

Breathe out fully. Use the counting again. Repeat this until you relax. You can close your eyes and it works even better.
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Old 12-20-2014, 09:18 AM
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I get anxiety too Sarah. One thing that sometimes works for me is to just watch it from a distance, feel it's energy in my body, and not make any decisions or actions, just observer and watch it work it's energy through my body. This doesn't work all the time, but it does work sometimes, and it helps get a stronger feeling of control when the anxiety happens in the future.

Thanks for sharing The Bubble Hour. I listen to podcasts (I'm listening to This American Life right now), and Bubble Hour has great topics that i'll listen to.
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Old 12-20-2014, 10:20 AM
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Roller Coaster experiences for sure. Congrats on 20 days! I definitely have been going through waves of anxiety and emotions too. I think what helps is to recognize it, breathe, ride the roller coaster until it moves on. Keep yourself busy with other relaxing things until the feelings go away and find keep talking with your sober support network
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Old 12-20-2014, 03:21 PM
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I think it's very common Sarah - almost universal really, which is why I don't think it's PAWS (tho, naturally I'm not a Dr)

I think we relied on alcohol for a long time...removing that creates anxiety - some people get it straight away, others have a delayed effect.

Like others have suggested something in the podcast may have set you off?

D
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Old 12-20-2014, 03:30 PM
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I had an awful time of it! I am day 80 tomorrow and don't miss it now! Anxiety has now passed and I feel good!
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Old 12-20-2014, 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Dee74 View Post

Like others have suggested something in the podcast may have set you off?

D
I think the one podcast in particular "signs and symptoms of alcoholism" did it. The reality hit me that, yeah, I'm really an alcoholic and can't control my drinking. Not ever. If I relapse, my W/D symptoms will be worse. I guess it was a reality check this morning.
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Old 12-20-2014, 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Buggirl View Post
I had an awful time of it! I am day 80 tomorrow and don't miss it now! Anxiety has now passed and I feel good!
Hey Buggirl, after the anxiety wave this morning, I got hit with massive fatigue. I've been fatigued the last couple of days. I've never been a napper, now I am!

PS: Saw Dr yesterday and everything looks good
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