Introducing New here

[scarlet]

Hi! I'm new to these forums and thought I should finally post an introduction. I am in my 30's and have had anxiety as far back as I can remember. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, and I deal with my anxiety issues every day. I've had some help through therapy and that has made it a bit less overwhelming, but I am always looking out for new ways to reduce my symptoms as much as possible. I find that doing art, listening to music, dancing, walks outside, playing with my 3 cats, and relaxation/meditation help me the most.

Anyhoo, I look forward to chatting with everyone here, and sharing ideas and stories

[paul m]

Hello Scarlet and welcome. Please feel free to ask questions, answer other people's questions, post comments or article and/or use the forum to vent out some of life's frustrations. I have bipolar 1, ,anxiety issues and depending on which shrink you talk to I have problems with PTSD as well. Therapy has helped me as well, although medication, life style changes, diet and a host of other items are all part of my life these days as well.

I hate doing meditation, although I know that it is helpful to many others and is a good technique. I prefer reading, chess, the great outdoors and other things, but that is not a criticism of anything that you do. While I don't mind cats( we have had 7 so far) I prefer dogs, currently we have one dog and one cat. Take Care. paul m

[AJ]

Welcome to the forum Scarlet. I also deal with PTSD on a daily basis (among other things) and I find that walking works best to ground me.

[uni]

Welcome Scarlet, it's great to have you here. Sharing ideas and stories --- some of the best medicine ever!

I'm prone to depression and anxiety both. One thing about it, they're very treatable, with lots of options to try. It sounds like you've found a few that work, so you're ahead of the game already.

I do some of the same things as you, like listening to music and walking, and playing with cats (my neighbour's). I also read quite a lot, often referring to the same passages in the same books that have helped me before. As well, I have certain phrases I've memorized by using post-it notes stuck around the house. A couple of my favourites are silently telling myself "cool your jets" and "it's a minor detail in a big operation like I run" (haha).