I have got a lot of anxiety at the moment I have had some kind of virus for a week and we have not been able to go out and I depend on going out . I get very down when stopping in. We seem to have a lot of appointments here and there which is not nice . All II need is something nice to look forward to. There hasnt been many messages on this site for a few days and I do enjoy reading everybodies messages that keeps me occupied as I am sitting here a lot. Sorry about the moaning hope you are all alright. Norma.
Dear Norma
i am also sitting here feeling incredibly sorry for myself.
isn't it amazing how quickly the low mood descends.
Too windy for the garden.
so I am resolving to go into the greenhouse and tidy up. My joints know what I am proposing and they are screaming at me.
even my cat has got the grumps today. He hates the wind. Perhaps he will stay in tonight.
my reward has arrived.....a fraction of sun is peeping through the clouds
big smiles
colin
Cheer up Norma. We all get low days,often unexpected. Today I have been constructive: washed the breakfast crocks, watered the plants in the summerhouse and prepared the veg for our vegetarian pasta later. Now having a mug of coffee before my nap.
We are lucky because we have heating in our summerhouse and can use it on good days up until November. If we breakfast there, we can look at the garden and watch the birds feeding. Why not put Classic FM on? Although the music is a bit repetitive it is soothing.
I listen to Classic FM too, in the morning, you are right about the music, I was recently wondering if they get sponsored by recent classical renditions, and are obligated to play the same piece over and over again. However, I do enjoy Alexander Armstrong's session, and I once requested The Pink Panther theme, that was fun.
Hello Norma, do you play board games with your husband? They can be very stimulating, and it is always fun finding new and appropriate ones to play. Especially useful for a day stuck indoors. I play one with my son called Leaf match where you lay the cards out randomly, and have to match the type of leaf to the type of tree. It is a simple memory game, so useful for brain stimulation also. I have a winter me, and a summer me. The winter me has indoor hobbies which I have accumulated over the years when I need to be snug and warm inside, and occupied.
Hi Norma, it's good to know that you've had some lovely replies, people on this site are so caring and very generous with their support and suggestions. I haven't had a stroke, and I know I'm very lucky, but even I sometimes have moments of feeling anxious for no apparent reason, these usually pass quickly fortunately, but I can imagine it must be so miserable to experience these feelings without getting a break.
It is always helpful to have something to look forward to, I totally agree with you. Are you able to manage a short time outside - maybe with a bit of help? Our village has a weekly coffee morning - just an opportunity to see different scenery and talk to other people, I know things like that are really helpful for people living alone, or who aren't able to get out very much.
I love my bird-feeders in the garden, trouble is, I could sit and watch the birds for hours, it's very relaxing and interesting to see the different characteristics of the birds - the greedy, bossy green finches and the cheeky gold finches!! The most exciting thing was a parent wood pecker teaching its baby to use the bird feeder - I lost hours that day!! The distraction just gives a break from whatever is worrying us.
It's been very wet and miserable here in Norfolk, so we've pretty much been confined to barracks for the last day or so - but this too will pass!! I hope your anxiety passes soon, and that you find a distraction that works for you ??
Take good care, keep smiling ? xx
Every now and then I have a thought about having another stroke.
Basically, if your on your medication, you will be all right. Keep on doing as much as you can, viruses allowing. The best medicine you can have is to get on with a full life. I am getting close to 3 years and at 80 years I am lucky, I still cycle and walk and a glass of wine.
hope this helps. Mike
Hi Norma
i'm not on the site very often , like you I get depressed easily and I'm missing the summer sunshine ☀️ the best way I cope is to try to embrace all the seasons so autumn his here and every thing is turning that lovely autumnal red in my garden, I'm 3 years since my stroke and still worry about having another one !!! I try to push those thoughts to the back of my mind but that's not always easy ? I hope you are feeling better and can get out and about again now , the best thing for all of us in my opinion is to keep occupied and keep smiling sweetheart
best regards
Dotty
God bless you.
I am Aloysius.i can't say anything.if you like please read Psalms.nobody can't understand you..only God knows your situation.people say lots to me without encouragements .i will encourage you.you are strong. God Jesus bless you.
Kind regards,
Aloysius.
it really helps to know that other stroke survivors also suffer from anxiety. is it quite common?I was not expecting to feel this way and it is disconcerting - very at first.I prresume my brain is struggling to come to terms with the shock of what happened Luckily life is starting to resume again, choir is back and WEA classes and Art Society and a good book on the go is a great help.It seems a lomg time since my stroke in Feb 2018 and I hope that this anxiety will start to dissipate soon
Hi all! My stroke was almost 30 years ago but, since the first lockdown and living alone, like many I have reflected inwardly and became very depressed. Hating my disability more and more daily, as all my regular gym appointments etc had stopped. Again like many, have lost a lot of confidence during this time, and only go out once a week now, for bits of shopping. Main shop is done online these days. Am really paranoid and scared now about the future.
Hi All !
I had my stroke 3 months ago and my main problems now are caused by anxiety. Most of the time I get random physical symptoms even when there is no apparent trigger similar to panic attacks . It's hard to decide whether this is anxiety or signs of more problems which only adds to the anxiety especially when you think you're having a good day !anyone else experiencing this ?
Hi Norma. I hate people telling me to cheer up and saying it might never happen, do you? Makes me feel worse!
when I have a black dog day, I make myself go out. I go to the library and borrow a few books and hope one of them will take me to ‘another world’. I treat myself to a coffee, and, strangely, I find doing something for someone else helps.
I also ring friends and try to arrange to meet up. I ring or email family. I know there are no magic answers.
does anyone else have answers on what to do on black dog days?
I had my stroke just three days before the first lockdown. I was bundled out of hospital after just five days. That possibly saved me from catching Covid tho.
Ihad my stroke in November 2019 and suffer anxiety. It only affected me nominally, by slight loss of memory and certain words wont come. However, I feel anxiety every day. It said on the NHS system that you are likely to have another stroke within 5 years and I keep worrying about this. I am on medication and I presume this helps, but can you help me - is 5 years likely?
Sorry to be so morbid
Pleased to announce that I am coming up for six years and no second stroke.
I do have about eight million tablets, but no doubt you keep BP about right and you do reasonable exercise.
anxiety is common but in my opinion the anxiety might often be in place long before a stroke pops it's head up..
could you perhaps get some therapy for anxiety. Probably online at the moment.
if you can reduce the anxiety then so much will fall in to place.
I have never heard about the five year thing. At two years you are about the stage when the brain has settled down. but I don't know about five years.
best wishes
colin
I find that smiling helps a lot.
false, fake or forced will do. And not necessarily smiling at someone.
I reckon the brain is fooled in to thinking all is well and thus my mood improves.
I love my black cat and he helps me to dodge black dogs.
I was under the impression that the first three months were the critical period, and then the first year for a potential second stroke, but after that it all comes down to managing whatever conditions one has. I guess a lot depends on what caused the stroke in the first place, with me, it remains cryptogenic which means unknown cause, but being shrewd in lifestyle choices helps; stress, diet, blood pressure, medication, et cetera. I'm on anti-platelet medication for clotting which does raise the risk slightly of a haemorrhage down the track, so there's no path forward other than managing any anxiety I might have about that.
Hello Sarah, I have lived with panic attacks for about fifteen years, I had a stroke September 2020, and still had panics. I use medication to manage them. I tried CBT and hypnotherapy, both didn't completely work for me. Generally, panic symptoms are sudden and can be triggered by an immediate response to something, but the seed of a panic attack can also be planted days before, that's why they can sometimes appear to come out of nowhere. I have had sudden periods where, completely relaxed and content, a panic arises. For me, the common symptoms of a panic are clammy feet and hands, sometimes pins and needles, shortness of breath, feelings of "heart palpitations", and an existential crisis in my head that is represented as a muddled detached feeling, ultimately, leading to fear of mortality. That's if I am having a full on panic, there are degrees of panics, so sometimes they can be milder. The meds I am on supress the panic, and so I do get some of the symptoms, especially the clammy feet and hands, sometimes hot flushes, but not a full blown panic. I also, discriminatingly, use benzodiazepines if I feel I am having a particularly strong panic or the feeling of it is lasting for over an hour. That med pretty much extinguishes it, but it is a highly addictive medication that should not be used everyday or long-term, so ten tablets can last me for a year.
At first, I too was concerned that the panic feelings might be additional complications, but I observed that the symptoms were recurrent enough without any additional changes to my state of being to suggest another TIA or stroke, that is, they didn't encompass any TIA like symptoms, just anxiety symptoms which would go away.
I think pushing oneself to go out for a Walk is the best remedy. It is for me. Meeting up with somebody is good too, anything that takes you out of yourself and worrying about things. Sometimes i ring one of my children but i try to do that as little as possible as i dont want to worry them.