ANXIETY QUESTION/VS THERAPY/VE MEDICATIONS

[dragonfire101]

 

[triathloncoach]

Anxiety

If you are experiencing this level of anxiety for the first time and the only significant change in your life is the job, most would say your anxiety is situational.

 

[triathloncoach]

The Xanax Route

You can easily go the medication route, but it will kill your workouts. I may be a whuss, but I get a 2 day hang over from tranqs.

 

[EVERLAST]

well....

even situational stress, if prolonged, can be devastating.
Mine started around August 2001.
Started my company with every dime I had.
A month later the terrorists hit the towers.
April of 03 I buy out my partners with every dime I had.
Nine months later my wife cleans the accounts and left.
35k in credit cards debt I just paid off ....woohoo!
But my daughter was devasted and started cutting herself.
THAT was bad. feeling helpless and watching her self destruct while the doctors are worthless...
that wasnt enough to toatlly break me down...
so I had to hook up with a crazy former miss alabama
and be emotional strung out and acting crazy for a few years and give up on all the old ideas of love and commitments and jst get it where you can if you can. Go against all principles. Break a few commandments.

So just when I think that a job in the peace corp...somewhere in East Africa.. sounds nice...fresh start in a friendly place like western Somalia...

Her comes my girl. Sassy.
Now I'm safe and things look relatively secure so...what happens...
you guessed it...flashbacks!
Not just memories but like a am fuckin there again...
had some really good friends and he finds out she's cheating and gonna leave him like my wife did me. So he killed her and shot himself twice in the head while the cops try to talk him out.
Had some rental property and this guy went nuts and shot the whole family then himself. even his baby. the way the place smelled of gunpowder.
That chick made tamales for us and we helped them move in.
This shit is stuck in my head and just jumps out at me.


Alcohol and drugs and mindless sex used to work just fine.
I dont do the ssri's or xanax or prozac or therapy anymore...

whats left?

 

[dragonfire101]

 

[EVERLAST]

damn...

tough job dude.
I really feel for you. Kids get to me.
Fuck the grown ups, but kids are just kids.

 

[EVERLAST]

???

I dont know where we are heading...the kids here are so pissed. They scream at aech other and kick cans and make noise at 6:00 am waiting on the bus.
Once this girl was screaming so loud and long that I open window and asked them if I needed to call the cop... so a day or two later...
A rock got thrown at my window.

so what if she screams now for 3 minutes straight...

 

[rocco-x]

You can easily go the medication route, but it will kill your workouts. I may be a whuss, but I get a 2 day hang over from tranqs.

what dosages were you taking?i've found in the past that the regular 1mg tabs work wonders for me.you can also try klonopin which is in the same class but a bit weaker imo,same as valiums.i know some guys i used to train with who at the time were taking the full 2mg xanax bars,sometimes 2x a day but i think that's a bit too high.they will impede your workouts in the long run b/c you do build up a tolerence rather quickly with any of the benzo families.my attacks were so severe at one point where i couldn't get outta bed for a few minutes b/c i was like a bundle of nerves.the sweating,shaking,and crazy thoughts all seemed to hit me at once.luckily they've subsided for a while now and only have to take a xanax once in a blue moon when i think i'm really gonna need it.whatever route you decide to take just please be careful as they can take over before you know it.coming off of them once you've been on them for a while can be a pretty hairy experience.

 

[machola]

hey dragonfire. that's a rough job. this goes for many things but i think it applies here too. if you're not happy you gotta move on and find something else. life is too short to not be happy. thats the most important thing in life. the job is bringing you down. i bet if you got rid of that stressor and found a job you enjoyed you would feel like a new person. good luck

 

[Gators]

Get the Anxiety and Phobia workbook by Edmund Bourne, it's been hugely successful. I have generalized anxiety disorder, and have been on 40mg Celexa, but i'm weaning off, sobriety has greatly lessened anxiety, makes me wonder to i actually have GAD, i'm leaning towards having situational anxiety...

Back to your question, it's clear to me it's purely situational, and that's normal, that's incredibly stressful work. Meds are just a band aid, and the benzos are very addictive, i would advise against the benzos or tranq route...

 

[dragonfire101]

 

[sadie]

If someone has had a job that was so stressful and was just pure anxiety producing for the norm of the population not even, actually persons with high level of coping and problem solving skills. is it safe to say therapy and medications are not needed. I'm mean if this person worked many jobs and never had issues or anxiety with any others and many stress producing situations wouldn't this be more of environmental factor that needs to be addressed by simply changing the job.

i totally feel ya.. if the economy wasnt shit i would simply be changing jobs.. its easier said then done these days though. my job stresses me to the point where i dont sleep on sundays cause i know i have to go to work the next day.. opting for drugs since its becoming less and less delt with now that im on cycle

no trancs just a low dose of neurotin in the morning.. its the first day and i dont wanna jump out the window today yet..

 

[overman]

suggestions

Psychotherapy can offer the following:

- developing assertiveness
- changing your perceptions, thereby changing your emotions and behaviors
- relaxation techniques

If you are properly motivated, using Mood/Thought Logs can be incredibly beneficial. These LOGS encourage you to recognize and record your 'automatic' thoughts about any given situation, then evaluate their accuracy, rationality, etc. Trust me, our thoughts are contaminated with all forms of distortions that actively influence (or directly cause) our feelings and behaviors. Assertiveness training can teach you invaluable communication and interpersonal skills. Relaxation- well, relaxation!!

Overall, I would recommend a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Medication to simply reduce the ruminations (excessive thinking or worrying) and lessen the intensity of your "experiences" (emotions). Psychotherapy to augment the medication and help facilitate change/develop more effective "coping" strategies.

Look for an experienced clinician working from a Cognitive or Cognitive-Behavioral Model. No need to delve into early childhood or family dynamics at this point (unless you have larger, more systemic problems).

Oh yeah, make sure you are getting restorative/adequate sleep. This is crucial in stressful environments.

I can recommend a few books if desired. Good luck.

 

[overman]

well

You wrote, "I mean I make decisions that impact the life's of other person forever. I can write a report to the Court recommending a child be adopted and their parents rights terminated and they never see their child again. I can make a decision of leaving a child in a home that I thought was safe and be on the news the next day because that child was harmed and it was the wrong decision."

You can restructure these beliefs- to me, it sounds like there is an element of "understandable perfection" (i.e., I must always make the right decision. If I make a bad recommendation, a child/family will be destroyed. A bad decision, means I failed.). However, these rules or beliefs will undoubtedly make you feel shitty, awful, stressed out, etc. I gather you are committed and truly concerned about the welfare of your clients: EXCELLENT! I also imagine you have criteria, expectations, and qualifying information that informs your decision (although, I bet alot depends on your intuition). I understand the demands of your job and the high expectations (both of you and your agency); however, your investment and attachment to your clients is different. I am familiar with these types of jobs and the inherent stress. A little stress is effective and adaptive; TOO MUCH is detrimental, destructuve, and results in poor decisions (work performance). You also mentioned being "too assertive, all day long." Is this unnatural or inconsistent with your natural disposition?

I would really encourage to record your thoughts on a mood log to see EXACTLY how you are thinking.
- "Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't see this."
- "Why didn't I anticipate this."
- "I am responsible for this situation. I went bad and it reflects on me."

Medication can provide relief (temporary or long-term) depending on your motivation or willingness. What is preventing you from pursuing medication? Specific beliefs...You equated medication with escape and immediate relief (drunk or high). Interesting belief...If you took medication, what would that say ABOUT you?

Therapists may recommend you consider quitting, which is reasonable. If you have real bills to pay and a wife to care for, this may not be the best time. Also, depending on their theoretical orientation, you may engage in supportive or "generic talk" therapy. Sounds like you would prefer an engaging, directive type who is challenging (and supportive) and will hold you accountable. Most of it boils down to motivation.

"If things don't change, things don't change."

 

[machola]

Ya been trying, but have o pay the bills , but the job is putting a strain on my marriage. Wife says it has changed me since I been doing it and wants the old me back.

i hear ya. just keep looking and something will come up. its just a matter of how long it will take to find it. i think you know what you need to do. if you really apply yourself to finding a new job you will get it as soon as possible. don't wait for it to happen... also, you don't need drugs. just a career change

 

[RLara85]

If someone has had a job that was so stressful and was just pure anxiety producing for the norm of the population not even, actually persons with high level of coping and problem solving skills. is it safe to say therapy and medications are not needed. I'm mean if this person worked many jobs and never had issues or anxiety with any others and many stress producing situations wouldn't this be more of environmental factor that needs to be addressed by simply changing the job.

Absolutely. Take any "normal" person (ie. without anxiety), sleep deprive them for a few days, give them a few repetitive, challenging tasks and put them in a room at an extreme temperature (either high or low) and you can induce anxiety in even the most well-grounded person. If the environment is as bad as you say then it would be ideal to change to one more suitable for you.... are the people around you all having such bad anxiety? If so then it truly is a bad environment, if not it may just be an environment not suited to your personality.

 

[JustWannaBeHuge]

dude, i have dealt with anxiety and other mental health issues for years. i have had numerous attacks at work which caused an even greater amount of stress for me... my advice is simple and actually very easy to do.

Admit that you're not perfect.... then go see a Psychiatrist to get on the correct meds and than see a therapist to get the stuff off of your chest.

the meds won't make you *not care about anything*, but they will lessen the amount of anxiety you're feeling at work.

talking on the board may help, but its *my opinion* that you should talk to a professional, face to face.

you can talk to people on the board, and even discuss why you feel that meds aren't needed, but until you actually see a professional, you're going to keep feeling the same way as you do now.

Step up to make a change... don't do this for your wife, but do it for yourself. Be the person you used to be and learn better coping techniques for the stress and anxiety, there's no reason for you to be so stressed out on a daily basis. Get the help now and start feeling better soon.

Rob

 

[king1033]

tough job dude.
I really feel for you. Kids get to me.
Fuck the grown ups, but kids are just kids.

x2 on this one, also another thing you might wanna think about is you sound like a sensitive guy, maybe your job isnt for you. even tho you love it you shouldnt let a job ever get you to this sorta point to where to consumes the best of you