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by npwr
1636 days ago
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Here's what works for me : - An SSRI treatment, because generalized anxiety doesn't usually go away on its own. - Heavy schedule compartimentalization. - At least a moderate level of daily physical activity. - 9 hours of sleep. - Minimize caffeine & alcohol intake. |
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This is mostly in order:
1. No drugs. Booze and pot need to be sidelined while dealing with this. Minimization or stopping caffeine if possible. Don't quite smoking right now.
2. Exercise. Do what you like that can get you into the zone. Try and do it without external inputs like podcasts etc. Let the exercise take over your brain. 3 days a week is minimum. There is a good chance you will want to do more.
3. Sleep. Full sleep for whatever it is for you. I can't sleep 9 hours but 8 is good. This is a personal variable, but you should feel good when you wake up.
4. Talk to a friend. Hangout or call a friend that is low maintenance. You may or may not talk about what's challenging you. Having someone to go back and forth with is a great to get you back to who you are and will give you some perspective directly or indirectly.
5. See someone professionally that can help. There is a lot of science based approaches out there that aren't too far out or just sitting on a couch spending money. Find a councillor that you can say "I want to stop or reduce my meltdowns" and give them a few sessions to do so. It shouldn't be forever. The sessions should be basic and practical. Understanding how your adrenal gland pumps you up just before you have a meltdown is really helpful. How to get out of your head and back to reality - you aren't under mortal danger like your mind is telling you and your body is now in full flight or fight mode. How to you recognize this before it happens and make sure that when it does you have a process to get through it without melting down. It works pretty well within a few sessions.
I've had a lot of good feedback from my colleagues. 1-3 does it for a lot of people. The fact that we are talking in some ways takes it to 4. 5 is a hard step to take as there is a lot of stigma around it, but if you are melting down at work or with your family it is worth it. Work meltdowns suggest that this has gotten out of control.
I suggest to anyone that has been through this with some success to reach out to anyone that they see having similar issues. This has been a real positive as a manager having my own experience to share.