Originally Posted by
Mojo
Some thoughts about neurotransmitter testing. It will never be completely accurate as you can’t test levels in the brain directly, leaving you with guesswork as to why tests show up as they do. Second, low gaba / allo etc is not exclusive to PFS as people going through an anxiety disorder will experience the same lowered levels. Honestly the test might be worthless to you as the result will most likely just confirm how you are feeling, which is bad.
Overloading yourself with information will just add to the chronic thoughts about what is going on with you and what to do to fix it.
I do want to add a supplement here that is never really mentioned. I started taking Saffron half a year ago and since then I’ve gotten this subtle improvement of feeling I am more in control of what is going on and it’s no longer a constant nightmare. It will not directly lower your anxiety but it left me feeling I had more confidence to tackle it without going insane.
It is the supplement that has helped me the most when combined with mental work to find stable ground.
If you want tips about dealing with anxiety:
- meditation and breath work
- pattern breaking: if you feel you are getting overwhelmed by negative thoughts and stress, break up what you are doing currently and do chores or go out for a walk.
- practice mindfulness during daily activities: just notice stuff around you. Focus on sounds and objects to be in the moment for a few seconds.
- celebrate good thoughts and feelings: don’t brush them of as temporary or fake. It is easy to fool yourself into thinking negativity is the base norm. I did the same thing. Good episodes might be short, but they are how you should be feeling, not the other way around.
- listen yo binaural tracks (easy to find playlists on spotify)
- do something creative like play music, write poetry or something.
I went to therapy for a while and made good progress. I was taught to stop using the prefrontal cortex when it comes to anxiety. That part of the brain is used to solve clear issues, like danger or hunger. It is not designed to solve longterm stress with no easy solution. It will overload and leave you stuck in a prolonged fight or flight. Use your prefrontal cortex to observe and then pass that information to the back of your mind to let that deal with reprogramming. If you feel bad and fearful, just observe and leave it at that. Let the back of your brain know that there is no immediate danger and it will reprogram it over time to no longer recognize the doubt and fear you are experiencing as a life threatening event, lowering anxiety and boosting resilience.