If I went to a psychiatrist I wouldn't have mentioned that they gave me the all clear for my physical health. It was a regular doctor to make sure the dizzyness and general pains were not a deeper problem.Did you go to a general doctor or a psychiatrist?
I think you need to take the reverse tack. Let things go. Give yourself permission, time, and space to relax. Right now you can't watch a movie without feeling guilty about all the work you're not doing because you're behind.the fact that my work is falling behind and all my creative hobbies have comes to a grinding halt, and I can't seem to bring myself to get out of the slump no matter how hard I try to focus on the problems. If I focus to hard I go into a panic attack.
Don't get me wrong. It is not like I don't have free time. I play games when I get home, like WoW, or Skyrim, or Arkham City. It's more about the lack of concentration in other areas of my life that I want to pursue, creative or professional outlets, that are also important to me. I want to be able to tell myself "Ok this idea didn't work, I know people expected me to do this, but it didn't work, I need to move on and I am sure people will understand" without turning that into "Everyone is going to hate me, I am such a flake why can't I make this work! I can't seem to carry out my promises!"
It's not like I am a workaholic that can't give myself time to relax. It's that I dwell on the things too much and fall behind more and more as I attempt to relax myself rather then moving on to other things that should get done.
I do need to exercise. I have an elliptical that I never use, mostly because I find myself getting extremely bored standing on it. The boredom is worst then the actual soreness of working out, because my brain can't "stand still" for as long as it needs to be to get the workout. If only I could get my computer on it.
Melatonin is amazing if you need to regulate your sleeping. I don't know how I would function with my shift changes without it. Most guys in my line of work rely on huge amounts of coffee, I just pop a couple melatonin tablets and I'm asleep at 6 am like I would be going to bed at 11 pm two days prior.If you have a hard time getting to sleep at a decent time I suggest you try melatonin. It is a natural sleep aid that helps your body think it is time for bed. I can attest that nights I don;'t take melatonin I am up till at least midnight and usually later but if I take a melatonin an hour before I want to go to bed I can get to sleep easily. Some nights even if I take a melatonin I am up late but for the most part it has significantly helped me get to bed at a decent time. I also second getting exercise. I joined a gym recently and have been working out for at least an hour everyday a few hours before I plan on going to bed and I have noticed that I sleep much more soundly. Even with taking the melatonin I usually would wake up several times throughout the night but between the gym and the melatonin I have been sleeping pretty soundly at night.
I cannot agree with this statement enough. I had exactly the same symptoms you described for several years. I'd try to get to sleep before 1am, but I wasn't exhausted enough, and if I was exhausted, I couldn't sleep because I'd be thinking non-stop about stuff that didn't get done or past failures, then when I finally did start drifting off to sleep I'd hear my heart rate slow and freak out thinking I was having a heart attack. I had left-side and center-mass chest pains and pain radiating down my left arm. The doctor said I didn't have a heart problem, but that didn't shake it and even a clean bill of health didn't help me stop worrying so damn much. Trying herbal teas or Melatonin just freaked me out more, pretty soon I was having full on panic attacks because I was convinced that me falling asleep was me dying. Then I found a gym and started working out. I'll be honest, the first time my trainer ran me through his basic intake course, I very nearly did have a heart attack because I'd been living a completely sedentary lifestyle for close to a decade. But that was the last time, save one really stressful week, that I ever had any chest pain. Working out helped me sleep, which helped me be more rested, which help me be more ready to get stuff done, which helped me feel better about myself, which helped me want to work out more, and the cycle continues.Get on it man. I believe firmly in a three-way balance between physical, mental, and spiritual health. One thing out of balance throws the others off too.
This is also a good point. I would be remiss if I didn't go on to say that while exercise and better sleeping certainly helped and got rid of all of the physical symptoms I had, it didn't clear up completely so I went to my regular doctor and asked for a prescription of Wellbutrin (bupropion) half as an anti-depressant and half as a smoking cessation aid (it's the same drug as Zyban). It's a low dosage kind of a drug, it doesn't completely change your personality, and it doesn't have to be a "you'll be taking this med forever" kind of a deal.Sleep and exercise are big a help for the mood that you are feeling... but don't rule out pharmaceuticals. We are largely large bags of chemicals, they could even help get you focused enough to get out and exercise. Which can help you get to the point you don't need the pills.
Have you tried stretching? I've had shooting pains that were helped greatly just by stretching regularly. Might be an easy fix.It does sound like you an me have much of the same problem Gared, I also sometimes have the arm pain that also sometimes radiates down to my leg on the right side. I don't really have the fear of death, but I did have that odd feeling when my heart slows down and I wondered if something was wrong because I was not used to it beating so slowly.
Also, remember that this isn't an either/or thing. It's not medication or diet/excercise. Chances are what will work best for you is going to be a combination of things. Medication, if appropriate, will work better in conjunction with diet and exercise (and sleep, and/or counseling, and better ergonomics at your desk, and....). It might take lots of little changes in order to make the big changes you're hoping for over-all.Exercising might be your best bet, as your doctors say. Maybe look into a healthier diet (though I don't know what your eating habits are like, now). Also, speaking again as someone with focus problems, yoga is a great exercise for just that. Twenty minutes a day of yoga can do a world of good.
Keep at it, man. And never be afraid to seek help. Your health is important, and that covers physical and mental.I appreciate all the advice from everyone here. As soon as I got home I worked out for 45 minutes, stretched, and drinking a lot of water. Will take time, but I think this will help. Thank you.
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Also, I'm under the impression a psychiatrist isn't a regular, weekly thing like Therapy. You go once and get a prescription and what not.
Atta boy. Baby steps. Doing something is better than doing nothing. That's my motto.I appreciate all the advice from everyone here. As soon as I got home I worked out for 45 minutes, stretched, and drinking a lot of water. Will take time, but I think this will help. Thank you.
I dunno about this. My friend has ADHD so bad that he has trouble focusing even on games. Even the constant interaction in most games can't keep him from getting distracted by things outside the game.I have ADD... It stinks...gaming is the ultimate cure
I'm the same way. The amount of times I alt+tab while playing computer games, or fidget around, or randomly wander off, or start playing with my phone.... yeah.I dunno about this. My friend has ADHD so bad that he has trouble focusing even on games. Even the constant interaction in most games can't keep him from getting distracted by things outside the game.
That was pretty much my life a year and a half ago when my nerves decided to go on overload. Ask bananadicks about it