overwhelmed by cripping anxiety with no real cause

@lotsofpain 🙋🏼‍♀️Same here - and I too feel the need to keep my mind constantly! We are living in such uncertain times now, most people can relate to you - and you certainly will find a lot of people here on Mayo Connect dealing with same or similar issues.

rashida and lotsofpain,
our sympathetic nervous systems have long memories. Fight or flight becomes more intensely triggered by collective fears. I suspect that every person over 50 has a collection of post traumatic stress. The only flight available is distraction.

I too have anxiety which has caused tremors and jerking, especially in my head and shoulders. The leg jerking has actually woken me up at night.

Thanks to my current therapist, I’m now a big believer in parts therapy. We all have parts and can talk to them with caring and curiosity (can you tell me why you’re anxious, etc.). The big relief came when I started asking the part ‘do you like what you’re doing’ and the answer is usually no. I then give it a chance to tell me where it would rather be. I have parts living large in NYC, a part in a cozy cottage, and several parts which just wanted to sleep.

Not everyone will be able to wrap their heads around the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, and yes, it will be the craziest thing you ever do, but acknowledging you have parts and they want to be listened to is huge. You actually experience parts everyday. The part of you who wants to lay in bed vs get up and start adulting; the part who wants to say screw it vs the part that says no, this needs to get done. Those are all parts!

Consider doing an experiment. Sit in a quiet, private place and when you feel calm, ask (out loud) ‘would anyone like to talk to me’ and then wait for the response. Ask ‘how old are you’ (it’s sometimes surprising how long these parts have been around), ‘why are you anxious’ (I usually already know based on the age of the part), and then just talk to it. Ask if you can change the outcome of their trauma and/or if there is somewhere it would like to be. Then be aware of the changes in your body — do you feel calmer, happier, more at peace, all of the above. That is parts work.
https://ifsguide.com/what-is-ifs-ifs-basics/

@suzleigh I am trying IFS myself! Thanks for inspiring me to listen to the “No Bad Parts” audiobook by Richard Schwartz today. I’m working through it slowly but surely.

@indyanthony Awesome! If you are dealing with trauma, I highly recommend Joanne Twombly’s book, Trauma and Dissociation

There are also a couple of podcasts I listen to (both of these have provided some great insight):
IFS Talks
The One Inside: An Internal Family Systems

I have had ADHD since birth, now thankfully only struggle with daily anxiety.
Last year, sought a new therapist that introduced me to an alt to anxiety medication, called an Alpha Stim. Basically it uses tiny electric pulses to calm your brain. Its not for everyone and most people I have spoken with use both, medication and stim. It must be prescribed by a therapist. And its FDA approved.

Because I take a lot of diff medications for diabetes and breast cancer treatment, did not want to add another medication to the mix.

malebreastcancer47, is Alpha Stim working for you.

@gently Yes.
Initially it takes a few weeks of using daily.
I use it when I am very restless mentally, cannot sleep at night or cannot focus at work.
I started using it for 20 min initially, twice a day. Now its 60 min, as needed. And I don’t take anxiety medication.

Ask your doctor if Buspirone 10mg would help take the edge off overthinking which causes the anxiety. It certainly helped me and it’s not addictive. Your body will let you know when it’s not needed—you’ll just find you forget to take it and still feel fine! I stopped taking then1’dose at night after a couple of weeks. The best part is knowing it’s not addictive and can be stopped at any time without any withdrawal symptoms! I hope this helps you! 🙏💕🙌