Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety

 Here are some of the persistent symptoms of depression and anxiety:

-Feelings of persistently low mood or sadness. I have been what they call cycling with my bipolar. I have periods of excitement and then periods of sadness. I really need to be back on the Lithium because of this. I have mentioned it a few times to my doctor, but she didn’t think it was that bad. It’s been like this ever since March. I think that is evidence enough.

-Loss of interest or pleasure. I don’t have any interest in the things I used to take pleasure in. I just sit in my room doing my posts and other things on my laptop. Actually, the only thing that has been constant in my life is music. It expresses how I feel when I can’t. I listen to hard rock mainly because it knows what I’m going through. The lyrics say “yes, I get you.”

-Changes in appetite or weight. In the beginning, when I was diagnosed with anxiety, I was eating everything in site. Now, I hardly eat! I just literally don’t want to eat, so I have been loosing the weight that I gained from overeating.

-Sleep disturbances. When it first started to bother my sleep, I would just wake up early. I would fall asleep ok, but I wasn’t getting the amount of sleep that was recommended. Then I started skipping a night once or twice a week. Now, I literally sleep every other night. Ever since my doctor took me off of Lithium , I’ve been having problems. I’m considering going back on it again, so I can sleep. I was taking up to 30mg (which is three times the recommended dose) of melatonin and that wasn’t even effecting me. Last night, I was asleep for about an hour and a half. That is definitely not enough sleep. I just couldn’t fall back to sleep.

-Fatigue or loss of energy. Today, I made the first step to combat the fatigue and to help me sleep better. I started going for walks. A few years ago, I was walking an hour and a half and getting my 10,000 steps in each day. I’m gearing up towards that again. I want to feel like I did a few years ago and fight this depression and anxiety. I’m tired of it dictating my life. I want to be the one in control, not the other way around.

-Foggy brain disorder. Individuals with “foggy brain” symptoms may experience difficulty concentrating, memory problems, confusion, forgetfulness, and other cognitive impairments that make it difficult to perform everyday tasks.

Physical Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety

Here are some of the physical symptoms of depression and anxiety:

-Physical aches and pains. Unexplained body aches, headaches, muscle tension, and stomach upset. I have Parkinson’s Disease, so I’m constantly moving. Funny story (well not that funny), I have the symptoms of Parkinson’s and that was caused by a medicine called Zyprexa (antipsychotic). So, if you ever go on a medicine that you’re not sure about, Google it! If I would have known about this from the beginning, I never would have went on this medicine!

-Appetite changes and weight fluctuations. As I said earlier, my weight has been going up and down. I was eating a lot, now I hardly eat. I know, no wonder I don’t have any energy. I’m trying to change that with the walking each day.

-Increased heart rate/palpitations. When my blood pressure shot up, so did my heart rate. I could just feel my heart going two forty. Luckily, when my blood pressure finally was back to normal, so was my heart rate.

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. I have been in the ER numerous times because of this. It is extremely scary when you feel like you can’t breath. Each time, there was nothing wrong with me. So now, I just concentrate on my breathing. I take deep breaths in through my nose and breath out through my mouth. It’s a lot cheaper than going to the ER !

-Nausea, vomiting, and gastrointestinal distress. I have suffered with GERD for a long time. Sometimes when I take my medicines, I get really bad heartburn and my throat is just burning. My doctor finally put me on a medicine that is helping with that. Every once in a while, I become nauseated and get sick.

Symptoms Of Severe Anxiety And Severe Depression

Anxiety:
-Panic attacks. If I stay in my room, I don’t get panic attacks. It’s when I venture out into the world, I get them. I’ve been slowly getting out of the house. If I go into the store and I’m there more than ten minutes, I have a panic attack. Although, I have been working on that and I’m up to twenty minutes.

-Intrusive thoughts. I get these thoughts when my anxiety is really high. It’s like someone is playing a broken record in my head. The words keep repeating over and over in my mind. I just try to focus on one thing and it usually stops. Although, sometimes it doesn’t and I just isolate in my room until it does.

-Social isolation. I used to stay in my bedroom most of the day. Now I go out for walks twice a day for at least twenty minutes. I also force myself to drive somewhere, whether it’s the store or for an appointment. I try not to sit in my room for more than one day.

Depression:
-Suicidal thoughts. I haven’t had any suicidal thoughts in a while, thankfully. For a while there, I was in and out of the hospital. For the most part, the medicine and the new therapist are helping.

-Feelings of worthlessness. These feelings, if they are bad enough, can lead to suicidal thoughts. If you are feeling that bad, please talk to someone. Every person is worth something even when they’re not at their best.

-Agitation. My agitation comes when I’m driving and other drivers don’t respect my space. I mean by tailgating me or cutting me off. These two things really set my anxiety off. I get pissed and then I drive worse than the other person.

Treatments For Depression And Anxiety

Here are some treatments for depression and anxiety:

-Psychotherapy. I believe that since I started seeing another therapist, I have been feeling a lot better. There are some therapists out there that just let you talk and don’t give you any feedback. You don’t know if they’re really listening or not.

-Medication. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety agents, and mood stabilizers. I’m on Cymbalta for the antidepressant and Atavan for the anxiety. Like I said earlier, I need to go back on Lithium for the bipolar.

-Exercise. Regular physical activity is beneficial for mental health, and can reduce the symptoms. I believe exercise does help, it’s an outlet for all that pent up energy in your body from the anxiety. If you’re feeling kind of down, it lifts your mood. Gets all those endorphins moving!

-Meditation. mindfulness, and deep breathing exercises. I use the deep breathing when I feel a panic attack coming on. I use to use guided imagery, but I lost the cd’s. I should get off my but and order some more because it did help me fall asleep. I’m kind of at the crossroads where I know I should be doing something that would help me, but I’ve become very lazy nowadays.

-Making lifestyle changes. Such as reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, getting enough sleep, maintaining a healthy diet, and avoiding drugs. Like I said in an earlier post, I cut way back on the amount of caffeine that I consume and I can tell the difference. I tried weed because of the sleeping issue and it wasn’t a good mix with my medicines. I ended up in the ER. So, be careful if you mix other drugs with prescription medicines.

Articles

• “Antidepressants: Selecting one that’s right for you”: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20046273

– “Anxiety and Depression Association of America”: https://adaa.org/

– “How to tell the difference between anxiety and depression”: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/anxiety-vs-depression

-“10 science-backed ways to reduce anxiety”: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-relieve-stress-anxiety#12.-Get-enough-sleep

   I know I'm not an expert in mental illness.  I just have many years of experience dealing with certain areas of it.  Most of my life, I had to deal with depression and being bipolar.  I can only give you my perspective on what I feel and what has worked for me.  I'm not saying that it's right for you, it's just my view.  If you're new to mental illness, hopefully these posts help you in the long run.  If I can stay afloat, so can you.  I'm there cheering you on!

Have A Good One,

Cindee, One Voice – Unstoppable