Depression, Anxiety, or other Mental Health Conditions

I think happiness is a bit of a misnomer, as you can't be happy all the time. Being happy all the time is biologically wrong, in fact, it's not even remotely possible.

Content or "safe" is a much better word. Most humans in this country are safe from the vast majority of natural hazards. That alone is a reason to feel safer than in some other walks of life. Sometimes I just think about how I'm sat beneath the stars and my life isn't immediately at threat from anything, but perhaps that's a pretty low bar to set. It still makes me feel better in some situations worrying about work or whatever.

Have any of you tried CBD oil? My insomnia and this anxiety has gotten really bad again and I need to do something about it.

Hime wrote:Have any of you tried CBD oil? My insomnia and this anxiety has gotten really bad again and I need to do something about it.

I did years ago, found it helped with both. May very well have just been placebo effect.

False wrote:my stutter gets worse when Im stressed but tbh most people you encounter dont care

the worst is when people try to finish words for you - its a strange sensation but its like your brain pauses on the word and you cant unpause your brain until you say it, people mean well and try to help but you cant get by without saying it

I have a very minor stammer when I'm anxious, but the big thing for me is that I say the wrong thing. I know what I want to say but cue the wrong sentence up in my head, then a few words in I realise I've strawberry floated up and have to go back on myself and start again. Alternatively I'll reach a natural pause point in my sentence and just be unable to continue. I'll have to have a massive pause while I get everything straight in my head so I can carry on.

If I'm in a casual situation I'm usually confident enough to laugh it off or deal with it. Even when I'm talking to patients I can make a joke about the record skipping and it's all good. The worst is when someone pounces on it and makes a big thing about it so you completely get derailed, or if it happens in a big meeting and someone uses it to butt in so you don't get to say what you needed to.

Rocsteady wrote:

Hime wrote:Have any of you tried CBD oil? My insomnia and this anxiety has gotten really bad again and I need to do something about it.

I did years ago, found it helped with both. May very well have just been placebo effect.

I tried it and it did nothing for me

thc vape worked wonders though..

Hime wrote:Have any of you tried CBD oil? My insomnia and this anxiety has gotten really bad again and I need to do something about it.

It's really really helping with my break up recovery just now. Really eases my mind and calms my anxiety. I only started ten days ago. Started with 20mg a day, now up to 40mg and will stay here. This is the stuff I got: https://cbdiablo.co.uk/product/cbdiablo ... il-1000mg/

Green Gecko wrote:I think happiness is a bit of a misnomer, as you can't be happy all the time. Being happy all the time is biologically wrong, in fact, it's not even remotely possible.

Content or "safe" is a much better word. Most humans in this country are safe from the vast majority of natural hazards. That alone is a reason to feel safer than in some other walks of life. Sometimes I just think about how I'm sat beneath the stars and my life isn't immediately at threat from anything, but perhaps that's a pretty low bar to set. It still makes me feel better in some situations worrying about work or whatever.

I do agree with this.

Life isn't about seeking constant hapiness, its about being able to deal with sadness and depression, being able to accept that life isn't great, and being able to look forward to things. Those who seek constant happiness are doomed to not be happy, those who are content with mediocrity, them people have got it figured out.

blackoutHERO wrote:

Hime wrote:Have any of you tried CBD oil? My insomnia and this anxiety has gotten really bad again and I need to do something about it.

It's really really helping with my break up recovery just now. Really eases my mind and calms my anxiety. I only started ten days ago. Started with 20mg a day, now up to 40mg and will stay here. This is the stuff I got: https://cbdiablo.co.uk/product/cbdiablo ... il-1000mg/

Thanks all, I don't really want to go to the doctor's yet as I'm not quite to out on anti depressants or anything like that so I'll give these a try.

Curls wrote:

Green Gecko wrote:I think happiness is a bit of a misnomer, as you can't be happy all the time. Being happy all the time is biologically wrong, in fact, it's not even remotely possible.

Content or "safe" is a much better word. Most humans in this country are safe from the vast majority of natural hazards. That alone is a reason to feel safer than in some other walks of life. Sometimes I just think about how I'm sat beneath the stars and my life isn't immediately at threat from anything, but perhaps that's a pretty low bar to set. It still makes me feel better in some situations worrying about work or whatever.

I do agree with this.

Life isn't about seeking constant hapiness, its about being able to deal with sadness and depression, being able to accept that life isn't great, and being able to look forward to things. Those who seek constant happiness are doomed to not be happy, those who are content with mediocrity, them people have got it figured out.

Try watching the video.

Clarkman wrote:

Curls wrote:

Green Gecko wrote:I think happiness is a bit of a misnomer, as you can't be happy all the time. Being happy all the time is biologically wrong, in fact, it's not even remotely possible.

Content or "safe" is a much better word. Most humans in this country are safe from the vast majority of natural hazards. That alone is a reason to feel safer than in some other walks of life. Sometimes I just think about how I'm sat beneath the stars and my life isn't immediately at threat from anything, but perhaps that's a pretty low bar to set. It still makes me feel better in some situations worrying about work or whatever.

I do agree with this.

Life isn't about seeking constant hapiness, its about being able to deal with sadness and depression, being able to accept that life isn't great, and being able to look forward to things. Those who seek constant happiness are doomed to not be happy, those who are content with mediocrity, them people have got it figured out.

Try watching the video.

I haven't had 45 mins yet, sorry if that's exactly what the video says clarky.

Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

What's your general sleep hygeine like - evening caffiene intake, alcohol use, screen use before bed etc? That was discussed when I was having therapy, and all I was doing was staying awake ruminating on whether I should've punched a banana split that particular day

It's likely to be one of the first things they ask you and will want you to change, so you'll be further along the treatment pathway if you can say you do switch off and have a cup of warm milk before bed and you're still struggling.

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

Yeah, I have. My insomnia was made worse by depression / anxiety, so they gave me antidepressants that had a sedative side-effect. It helped.

Karl_ wrote:

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

Yeah, I have. My insomnia was made worse by depression / anxiety, so they gave me antidepressants that had a sedative side-effect. It helped.

I've recently been chucked onto the Sleepio programme (Free to sign up) and doing that course at the moment... then I'm not sure what they'll do with the data when I've finished the course. It's quite a useful free tool/course, to be honest. Worth a look. Starts with a week purely of logging your sleep, though, so don't expect sudden results.

Dowbocop wrote:

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

What's your general sleep hygeine like - evening caffiene intake, alcohol use, screen use before bed etc? That was discussed when I was having therapy, and all I was doing was staying awake ruminating on whether I should've punched a banana split that particular day

It's likely to be one of the first things they ask you and will want you to change, so you'll be further along the treatment pathway if you can say you do switch off and have a cup of warm milk before bed and you're still struggling.

Yeah that's what I'm worried about as I feel like you get patronised with "just go in another room and read", sometimes that works but other times I need to watch a video or something to take my mind off whatever I'm thinking about. It's mostly to do with work so I can totally appreciate that as I'm normally having full blown arguments with people in my head . Other times I'm totally calm in that I'm not thinking about anything negative but still have the feeling of being anxious if that makes sense. These are what I find most difficult as there doesn't seem to be any reason it happens.

I feel like night shifts will get the brunt of the blame but other than bad times like now (on my third night shift running on about 8 hours sleep over the 3 days) night shifts help as knowing I don't have to wake up early to an alarm can make it easier to sleep.

Karl_ wrote:

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

Yeah, I have. My insomnia was made worse by depression / anxiety, so they gave me antidepressants that had a sedative side-effect. It helped.

I'm really not keen on taking anti depressants or beta blockers anymore, I felt like they worked some of the time but I had weird side effects like I'd be walking along and feel like I'd just put my foot in a hole, like I was falling. Horrendous acid reflux and heart burn was another. I wish I could just take a mild sedative that I new would knock me out for 8 hours. I imagine even that has negatives as now I'll take melatonin and nytol when I'm working. Sometimes it works like a dream but others I don't also at all and function like a zombie for the morning which isn't ideal with a lengthy commute.

Hime wrote:

Dowbocop wrote:

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

What's your general sleep hygeine like - evening caffiene intake, alcohol use, screen use before bed etc? That was discussed when I was having therapy, and all I was doing was staying awake ruminating on whether I should've punched a banana split that particular day

It's likely to be one of the first things they ask you and will want you to change, so you'll be further along the treatment pathway if you can say you do switch off and have a cup of warm milk before bed and you're still struggling.

Yeah that's what I'm worried about as I feel like you get patronised with "just go in another room and read", sometimes that works but other times I need to watch a video or something to take my mind off whatever I'm thinking about. It's mostly to do with work so I can totally appreciate that as I'm normally having full blown arguments with people in my head . Other times I'm totally calm in that I'm not thinking about anything negative but still have the feeling of being anxious if that makes sense. These are what I find most difficult as there doesn't seem to be any reason it happens.

I feel like night shifts will get the brunt of the blame but other than bad times like now (on my third night shift running on about 8 hours sleep over the 3 days) night shifts help as knowing I don't have to wake up early to an alarm can make it easier to sleep.

Karl_ wrote:

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

Yeah, I have. My insomnia was made worse by depression / anxiety, so they gave me antidepressants that had a sedative side-effect. It helped.

I'm really not keen on taking anti depressants or beta blockers anymore, I felt like they worked some of the time but I had weird side effects like I'd be walking along and feel like I'd just put my foot in a hole, like I was falling. Horrendous acid reflux and heart burn was another. I wish I could just take a mild sedative that I new would knock me out for 8 hours. I imagine even that has negatives as now I'll take melatonin and nytol when I'm working. Sometimes it works like a dream but others I don't also at all and function like a zombie for the morning which isn't ideal with a lengthy commute.

The amount of times Arsenal have gooseberry fool the bed on a weeknight game and I've laid awake at night processing is probably too many to be healthy, and I imagine we're similar in that respect

If you've had previous mental health discussions with your GP then it's probably best to just speak to them as they'll have your medical history. The fact is that all the patronising soft stuff is important, you might not feel like it helps you get to sleep but if you didn't do it you'd be a lot further away from drifting off if you get my meaning. In my experience, if you can say that you are practicing the self-care aspects already, and sometimes they don't work, then they have more to work with and are actually less likely to say "well just go and count sheep lol". I work in ophthalmology and get patients complaining about dry eyes. I ask them if they've seen their GP and they say they got drops from the GP or chemist but stopped using them because it got better. I advise them to speak to the GP, but in reality they'll just tell that patient to carry on with the drops because they were advised or prescribed a treatment and it worked, so carry on doing it! If they follow the doctor's advice and it doesn't work or stops working then the GP has more information to go on and may suggest a different route.

Dowbocop wrote:

Hime wrote:

Dowbocop wrote:

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

What's your general sleep hygeine like - evening caffiene intake, alcohol use, screen use before bed etc? That was discussed when I was having therapy, and all I was doing was staying awake ruminating on whether I should've punched a banana split that particular day

It's likely to be one of the first things they ask you and will want you to change, so you'll be further along the treatment pathway if you can say you do switch off and have a cup of warm milk before bed and you're still struggling.

Yeah that's what I'm worried about as I feel like you get patronised with "just go in another room and read", sometimes that works but other times I need to watch a video or something to take my mind off whatever I'm thinking about. It's mostly to do with work so I can totally appreciate that as I'm normally having full blown arguments with people in my head . Other times I'm totally calm in that I'm not thinking about anything negative but still have the feeling of being anxious if that makes sense. These are what I find most difficult as there doesn't seem to be any reason it happens.

I feel like night shifts will get the brunt of the blame but other than bad times like now (on my third night shift running on about 8 hours sleep over the 3 days) night shifts help as knowing I don't have to wake up early to an alarm can make it easier to sleep.

Karl_ wrote:

Hime wrote:Has anyone ever had any help from the NHS with insomnia? I feel like I'm getting into a bad cycle of not sleeping, feeling tired all day then getting anxious I won't sleep. Obviously shift work doesn't help but I actually like working shifts so I don't think of that as a problem.

Yeah, I have. My insomnia was made worse by depression / anxiety, so they gave me antidepressants that had a sedative side-effect. It helped.

I'm really not keen on taking anti depressants or beta blockers anymore, I felt like they worked some of the time but I had weird side effects like I'd be walking along and feel like I'd just put my foot in a hole, like I was falling. Horrendous acid reflux and heart burn was another. I wish I could just take a mild sedative that I new would knock me out for 8 hours. I imagine even that has negatives as now I'll take melatonin and nytol when I'm working. Sometimes it works like a dream but others I don't also at all and function like a zombie for the morning which isn't ideal with a lengthy commute.

The amount of times Arsenal have gooseberry fool the bed on a weeknight game and I've laid awake at night processing is probably too many to be healthy, and I imagine we're similar in that respect

If you've had previous mental health discussions with your GP then it's probably best to just speak to them as they'll have your medical history. The fact is that all the patronising soft stuff is important, you might not feel like it helps you get to sleep but if you didn't do it you'd be a lot further away from drifting off if you get my meaning. In my experience, if you can say that you are practicing the self-care aspects already, and sometimes they don't work, then they have more to work with and are actually less likely to say "well just go and count sheep lol". I work in ophthalmology and get patients complaining about dry eyes. I ask them if they've seen their GP and they say they got drops from the GP or chemist but stopped using them because it got better. I advise them to speak to the GP, but in reality they'll just tell that patient to carry on with the drops because they were advised or prescribed a treatment and it worked, so carry on doing it! If they follow the doctor's advice and it doesn't work or stops working then the GP has more information to go on and may suggest a different route.

Yeah fair enough, it just sometimes feels like you're in a battle to prove you're not a total idiot and that correlation is not causation. I also understand your point that they deal with a lot of idiots so it's tough on their part too.

Curls wrote:

Clarkman wrote:

Curls wrote:

Green Gecko wrote:I think happiness is a bit of a misnomer, as you can't be happy all the time. Being happy all the time is biologically wrong, in fact, it's not even remotely possible.

Content or "safe" is a much better word. Most humans in this country are safe from the vast majority of natural hazards. That alone is a reason to feel safer than in some other walks of life. Sometimes I just think about how I'm sat beneath the stars and my life isn't immediately at threat from anything, but perhaps that's a pretty low bar to set. It still makes me feel better in some situations worrying about work or whatever.

I do agree with this.

Life isn't about seeking constant hapiness, its about being able to deal with sadness and depression, being able to accept that life isn't great, and being able to look forward to things. Those who seek constant happiness are doomed to not be happy, those who are content with mediocrity, them people have got it figured out.

Try watching the video.

I haven't had 45 mins yet, sorry if that's exactly what the video says clarky.

I watched it. Interesting video. The bit about mood susceptibility (I think) is definitely my major issue. I can swing from elevated to anxious and down quite quickly. I’m working so hard at a lot of things about myself right now. I’m hoping the last year of my life and the coming months and years where I really delve into my own psyche a bit more are the making of me.

Eighthours wrote:Thanks for the support and advice, folks.

You've had loads of great answers, but just wanted to add that reading your initial post felt very similar to what I was going through in 2018.

Extremely logical brain likes to make sure it is labeling everything correctly, so how can I know if I have "anxiety" because I don't objectively know exactly what I should be feeling to be feeling anxious. Also my self identification as being logical started to make things worse because worrying about stuff that I shouldn't be worrying about is illogical, so why am I doing it? I am not illogical! etc.

This all lead to me having a panic attack over work and quitting my job there and then. It was again very similar to what you described - having loads to do but just staring at your computer screen doing none of it.

I have found that talking to a therapist and meditating every day has really helped me vastly. Also when I can be bothered, eating right and exercising (even just walking!) also is very conducive to a good mental state.

Just further to my last post, I've had a fairly up and down time of lockdown myself, feeling the most depressed I have in a couple of years. I think forcing myself out the house and picking up running has helped, but I've been taking meditation a bit more seriously, and trying to bring mindfulness into my every day life, rather than for 20 minutes when I sit quietly at the beginning of the day.

It's great to notice the little victories. Like this weekend gone is a classic case of when I would be freaking out because the gathering that was planned wasn't the "perfect" day I imagined because the weather was gooseberry fool, or having to meet up with friends is eating into my gaming time. Instead I just acknowledged in the moment that it's perfectly normal to be feeling frustrated that the weather was bad and I want to do other things and it's fine to be feeling like that. And just noticing that frustration was enough for me to not identify with it and get on with having a nice time, and stop letting perfect be the enemy of good for a change.

It's a journey and I definitely have periods of more bad days than good, but it's important to notice that I have come a really long way and am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.