Senior anxiety: How do you manage new on-set anxiety as you age?

Agree but selling and buying real estate is not as simple as putting on a sweater. So it will take time to resolve.

Sorry, but I agree with your doctor regarding the phone call. Unless you are expecting a life-or-death emergency call from a loved one--which you would have explained to the doctor in advance--telephones should be silenced or turned off during appointments with professionals.

Well, I learned this just a week ago from my therapist. I told him that I had made an appointment with a psychiatrist's office, anticipating that they would help me get off Effexor. He said that psychiatrists no longer do therapy, but deal with only hospitalizations and managing medications. Between my primary care physician and an especially helpful local pharmacist, I have the help I need to obtain various strengths of Effexor. I cancelled the psychiatrist appointment (not to be confused with a psychologist, who would offer therapy).

I have looked this up in the past, and I agree that phones should be silenced by both parties of a professional visit, however it is prudent and perfectly legal in many states to surreptitiously tape a doctor visit…there is much feedback and instruction that cannot always e retained during the visit… and with voice recording, you can replay the visit over and review…in addition it would be to everyone’s benefit to just keep quiet and nobody gets offended or feels on edge.

I've posted elsewhere on this forum about my "morning dreads". Starting around 5 or 6 am, before I am fully awake, I get a miserable feeling of fear that's both physical (adrenaline-like rushes) and mental (kind of existential terror).
This started three years ago with a cancer diagnosis and the traumatic breakup with my partner. I live alone now, and I'm not getting any younger (74). So every morning I wake up in fear.
I've been seeing a therapist since the beginning of all this, and even though he's a great "cheer leader", he hasn't got a solution. So I gave in and went to a psychiatrist to talk about meds. We settled on buspirone, and I tried it for a while. It helped somewhat with daytime anxiety, but nothing for the morning situation.
Any ideas, fellow sufferers?
I'm gettin' kinda desperate..
Thanks!

@esikora

Hello and welcome to senior anxiety 😬…I can empathize with you and offer my own experience with these awful early morning fears…when I get these which is every morning and sometimes in the evening after I wake up from a nap, I try to get up and get going..doing something if no other than walking up and down my corridor and fixing some coffee in the morning and a coke or root beer in the evening…I just finished my appointment with a psychiatrist and left before the appointment was over…we were in accord that I had been mistaken in thinking 💭 she could offer couch therapy..she kept going over my meds and this became tedious and I told her so..downhill from there..anyway I’m taking .05 Klonopin at night and sometimes I will split a .05 and take it if my anxiety and intrusive worry starts to give me problems…I have always wanted to be apart of a group of individuals that all of us seniors could get or feel or relate or share with our common bond of the morning anxiety 😥 I am 77 and have been so lucky 🍀 and I hope you will be ok..and you will..because here, it is good, and a good place to come to is getting harder to find…some wonderful people, and mentors share and respond here..I can feel what you’re going through…but you will do ok 👍🙏. pvctom

Nothing beats a self-help group ... it makes the participants feel good about themselves to have come up with their own potential solutions as people trade their views and fears and challenges bouncing off with Each Other it can spark new possibilities to cope with our issues.
Good luck pvctom

Thanks esikora

And I agree with what you have said in your post…I was thinking 🤔 and wondering along those same lines…this is a great forum and a very good way to do what you’re saying…100% agree…and good luck luck to you and to all 🙏 pvctom

I suffer from the same extreme morning anxiety. I wake around 3:30 and feel the cortisol pumping into my chest and stomach area. It started about 2 years ago, after my dad died and family issues were stirred up. I am desperate for help with this, I do take sleeping medication, but it doesn’t help with these early awakening and dread. I am very physically active, practice yoga, meditate several times daily and push myself into socializing with others. I would appreciate any help with this. I might add that our bedroom is cool and dark at night.

@carolynmcn ,

Hello and I can say I have the same feelings…I have read about the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR)
with seniors and it’s something that a lot of us have.. mentioned this to my PCM at my visit on the 26th Jan…I can say that I feel some help just coming here and posting a comment or responding to another’s comments or reactions…I feel that this helps me…it’s a group of people sharing on a forum with mentors and people who give feedback…I am a worrier especially now at my age…I am 77 and I honestly don’t know where the last 5 or 10 years have gone…I want them back or at least slow time down…I would say to you that coming here and posting your concerns is a very good way to help yourself and others…please keep sharing your feelings and there is a discussion group on journaling that a nice mentor put me onto…. I also have a general Anxiety Disorder…(GAD)…but this is a good place to come to.. I find it safe and I get a good feeling when I have posted or responded to someone or a problem that is nagging me…Morning Anxiety is a problem for me … I also sometimes get up and walk up and down my corridors….our home is a shotgun type of house with plenty of corridor…and last night it was chilly…good luck and keep posting 🙏
pvctom