What would help?

Question

I have been on xanax xr for about a week and a half, and i have generalized anxiety disorder. it has helped with my stomach, but i still feel like i have a lump in my throat. what's the problem, and what should t try?

Answer 1

You can try several things such as practicing relaxation techniques exercise, and cognitive therapy.

For relaxation, try to intentionally relax your muscles, and take very slow, deep breathes for a few minutes while picturing yourself sunbathing on a beach or some other relaxing thing you like to do. This causes the pulse rate and blood pressure to drop which lowers anxiety. Use you imagination to take your mind away from the feelings of anxiety.

Cognitive therapy is adapting the way you think and react to feelings of anxiety. With a little practice, many people can learn to recognize when they are beginning to worry because they are starting to feel anxious, and then get in control of their thoughts so the anxiety doesn't escalate from further worrying. One way to do this is to recognize that the anxiety feelings are caused entirely by adrenalin, and feelings of anxiety are normal when adrenalin is released by the body into the blood stream.

The problem with adrenalin is that anxiety causes adrenalin to be released and adrenalin causes further anxiety because adrenalin makes a person feel nauseous, faint, and shaky, and it causes the pulse and breathing rates to increase, and the mouth to feel dry. All of these feeling make a person feel like they can't breath and that they are going to pass, so panic starts to develop. But even though these feelings seem like you are nearly going to die, they really aren't anything more than uncomfortable feelings that can't hurt you. Its ironic that panic attacks occur because a person starts worrying about having a panic attack when they start to feel anxious, so the worrying releases a spike of adrenalin, and its off to the races. If you can accept that adrenalin causes the panicky feelings and is not actually harmful to you, and even expect this to happen whenever you are anxious, people can sometimes stop the whole panic cycle from escalatingby applying relaxation techniques and reassuring themselves that the uncomfortable feelings that are going to happen in next few minutes are not actually a real threat - nothing to worry about.

Exercise such as walking for 20-30 minutes also helps many people in the long term because it makes the body more relaxed and improves breathing. Its also helpful to try stretching or yoga.