Anxiety attacks

D

Duneman

New Member
Location
Prarie du chien wisconsin
Question 1 Is it normal for elderly male 72 to have to have anxiety I think it's anxiety attacks. I take drink or valium for it.
Question. 2. Important
How is an elderly person to feel living at home happily married but neither has any relatives close by.
 

I'm not sure anxiety is normal in any form at any age. Sometimes we simply can't help what is going on. I'm 55 and 5 yrs ago I started having trouble with anxiety really bad. Mine runs in the family though.

I'm not sure what you mean by your second question. I wasn't aware you had to feel bad for not having any loved ones close by. Maybe it's just me.
 
I would say "common" more so than "normal"...whatever normal is.
Physical pain contributes to anxiety(and visa versa).
Sunshine, and just being outside is a mood elevator. Any kind of exercise that your body will tolerate is a good boost, not to mention helping strengthen your body for survival.
 

I'm sort of in the same boat you're in, Duneman; my huzz and I never had any kids. I have a nephew living not too far away and Huzz has a couple of nephews and a niece a little bit farther and they're all wonderful people but have their parents and other stuff to deal with, so it bothers me greatly and I worry about it all the time now that Huzz and I are older. Huzz is either in complete denial about it or doesn't give a damn, I'm not sure which. And unfortunately I can't drink any more--even about 2 oz. a day of wine causes terrible muscle cramps; I've never tried Valium but doubt if my dr. would prescribe it anyway, the docs are reluctant to prescribe much of anything anymore due to the opiod crisis I guess. So on I go worrying; just the way life is gonna be from now on, I guess.
 
MarciKS said:
I'm not sure anxiety is normal in any form at any age. Sometimes we simply can't help what is going on. I'm 55 and 5 yrs ago I started having trouble with anxiety really bad. Mine runs in the family though.

I'm not sure what you mean by your second question. I wasn't aware you had to feel bad for not having any loved ones close by. Maybe it's just me.
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That avatar! lol
 
Anxiety is a normal reaction to certain situations; it's built into our brains to worry in advance about things treacherous to life. For excessive anxiety I have mindfulness, meditation, exercise, and most of all Xanax and THC.

I wish you didn't call yourself elderly. 72 is not there yet....................Robert Plant is 72 and I think he's still the cutest guy around!
Robert Plant Interview: 'Digging Deep,' Led Zeppelin, John Bonham - Rolling Stone
 
Think at most any age, we need to learn how to replace the undesirable thoughts with more pleasant ones. That's the secret...to change the thinking and eliminate the poisons. Learn to meditate and pray. Caring about others is very important - helping others is helping ourselves. Once we become aware of the higher energies, its a naturally calming effect upon the human body. Like Spock said "may the Force be with you"...lol.
 
Duneman said:
Question 1 Is it normal for elderly male 72 to have to have anxiety I think it's anxiety attacks. I take drink or valium for it.
Question. 2. Important
How is an elderly person to feel living at home happily married but neither has any relatives close by.
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I don't understand why you think you are old at 72...also you say you are happily married. How lovely that is...many don't have that, they live alone. Some cope, some don't. Taking drink and valium is not the answer

You may benefit more from talking to a life therapist. Learn some strategies to cope with anxiety. Perhaps you are spending too much time in the house. Having relatives close by, is neither here nor there. Now is the time to seek out what facilities you can make use of in your area. Sometimes friends can be your "relatives."
 
What exactly are you anxious about? Is it that you fear something happening and there being no-one close enough to help? In Britain, we have an organisation you can sign up to, which has emergency help at the end of a button. They give you a bracelet which you press if you need help. Isn't there something similar in the States?
 
Liberty said:
Think at most any age, we need to learn how to replace the undesirable thoughts with more pleasant ones. That's the secret...to change the thinking and eliminate the poisons. Learn to meditate and pray. Caring about others is very important - helping others is helping ourselves. Once we become aware of the higher energies, its a naturally calming effect upon the human body. Like Spock said "may the Force be with you"...lol.
Click to expand...
While I've heard that the above can be a help to some, but for those of us who don't believe in any higher energies--or of anything for which there's no scientific proof, for that matter--it would be a help to have something to help forget the worst parts of reality, you know something to get through the long old days or nights. The times I've tried meditation, it just made me both bored and even more anxious at the same time somehow. (I was told back in the late 60s, maybe early 70s, that unfortunately that's a common effect for some people who try to meditate; IIRC, no one knew why.)
 
officerripley said:
While I've heard that the above can be a help to some, but for those of us who don't believe in any higher energies--or of anything for which there's no scientific proof, for that matter--it would be a help to have something to help forget the worst parts of reality, you know something to get through the long old days or nights. The times I've tried meditation, it just made me both bored and even more anxious at the same time somehow. (I was told back in the late 60s, maybe early 70s, that unfortunately that's a common effect for some people who try to meditate; IIRC, no one knew why.)
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Would assume you do believe in the ability to change your thoughts (self awareness). Will operates in opposition to mind. Mind is like a VCR that simply replays thoughts over and over again until the will directs differently.

Surely there are some pleasant things and happier thoughts you "do" believe in. The key is to change the (mind) thought patterns and to then concentrate on the now desired thought patterns. That changes the old (mind) thought patterns,replacing them with the desired ones. Thoughts are things.
 
You might be misdiagnosing yourself about anxiety attacks. Lay off the drugs and booze and get some good sleep and you will feel better.
 
Something within our world (the person usually has no self-awareness of what it actually is) is causing such acute anxiety, it results in a panic or anxiety attack. Heartening to know it’s only neurosis and not psychosis and can be cured and will eventually pass once things improve.

Neurosis is a mild mental disorder NOT arising from organic diseases – instead, it can occur from stress, depression or anxiety.

Psychosis is a major personality disorder characterised by mental and emotional disruptions. It is much more severe than neurosis – often impairing and debilitating the affected individual.
 
officerripley said:
While I've heard that the above can be a help to some, but for those of us who don't believe in any higher energies--or of anything for which there's no scientific proof, for that matter--it would be a help to have something to help forget the worst parts of reality, you know something to get through the long old days or nights. The times I've tried meditation, it just made me both bored and even more anxious at the same time somehow. (I was told back in the late 60s, maybe early 70s, that unfortunately that's a common effect for some people who try to meditate; IIRC, no one knew why.)
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Hi officerripley...I agree meditation is not for everyone. It can be very scary to sit in the quiet and try to go inside the mind. I love it but then I have been meditating for many years.

One thing I would say though is that having a mantra playing in your head during the times when feeling things are getting on top can help a lot. Even when I am not meditating and something has the possibility of riling me up, I use my mantra. I have a specific one...it's important to choose one and stick to it. The fewer words the better. Mine consists of four words....and no! it's not "I love eating chocolate!" :ROFLMAO:
 
Liberty said:
Would assume you do believe in the ability to change your thoughts (self awareness). Will operates in opposition to mind. Mind is like a VCR that simply replays thoughts over and over again until the will directs differently.

Surely there are some pleasant things and happier thoughts you "do" believe in. The key is to change the (mind) thought patterns and to then concentrate on the now desired thought patterns. That changes the old (mind) thought patterns,replacing them with the desired ones. Thoughts are things.
Click to expand...
I don't believe in anything; in fact, I dislike the very words "believe" or "belief." I prefer the word "think", for instance, "I think [or do not think] there is enough evidence to support..." The only pleasant or happier thoughts I have access to are memories of the past and I think it's a trap to think too much about the past since it's over and done with and (in my case and the case of a lot of older people) will never happen again. So thinking too much about the past is unpleasant to me since it contrasts sadly with the present and the likely future. I prefer to study information and facts I'm interested in, preferably in the form of reading.
 
officerripley said:
I don't believe in anything; in fact, I dislike the very words "believe" or "belief." I prefer the word "think", for instance, "I think [or do not think] there is enough evidence to support..." The only pleasant or happier thoughts I have access to are memories of the past and I think it's a trap to think too much about the past since it's over and done with and (in my case and the case of a lot of older people) will never happen again. So thinking too much about the past is unpleasant to me since it contrasts sadly with the present and the likely future. I prefer to study information and facts I'm interested in, preferably in the form of reading.
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Well, if you "prefer to study information and facts I'm interested in, preferably in the form of reading"...why not concentrate on that and change your thinking to a more positive mode. The key is to change your built in fear based negative thinking to a more positive program, like switching channels.
 
anxiety is a real pain in the back side!! I live alone with no family anywhere! I deal with this problem constantly being mostly shut in due to acute COPD and oxygen usage. I have rx for zanax,ativan. I used to drive around town and just look at things, then when I went home I felt better.
 
was in a local grocery store a couple of years before the pandemic. Looking over the veggies when two older women met and hugged each other, then another came up and hugged... nobody hugged me. and I said gee I never get hugged,,, of course I got the evil eye from all three....prevert. and yall may think it funny but I do not!! I wear a cap stating my veteran status, so why pass me off?
 
You’re not alone. It’s said everyone experiences anxiety. It’s when it becomes overwhelming and prevents us from doing everyday things is when it becomes a problem.

When I get over anxious I use a deep breathing exercise I read about 25 years ago. I take as deep of breath as I can through my nose and mouth, hold it for 7 seconds, then slowly release the air for 8 seconds. It helps me anyway. I’ll repeat it, until I feel relaxed.
 

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