Severe anxiety mostly at night? How to cope without meds?

[busydaycarelady]

Hello all!

I have developed quite severe anxiety. I have had serious trouble sleeping for the last 2 years and have been trying to deal with it without the aid of sleeping pills. I know my sleep issue originated with anxiety over finances as well as having a particularly toxic person present in my life. 2 years later toxic person is 100% absent from my life and has been for 3 months but my mind and body still feel anxiety even though everything is now fine. Most days I can get through the day feeling relatively okay but once I lie down in bed I'm wide awake with anxiety, running things over in my mind that aren't even a problem. I begin to feel sick to my stomach and my heart races. This sometimes lasts all night and I only get a couple hours sleep. All if this in turn makes me feel very down. I need this to stop so I can relax, feel calm and be present in everyday moments with my family. My family doctor says I am healthy otherwise and just need to calm down and relax, but how? I need to know how to control my mind and thoughts, rather than them controlling me. Any ideas? Experiences that helped you? Thank so much.

[busydaycarelady]

Thank you for the ideas everyone! I will try some meditation music and some visualizing a nice scene. So very frustrating to feel this way, like it is my mind that controls my thought patterns rather than me. Thanks again!

[motherofour]

I do the same thing! reading, watching TV tends to distract me enough that sometimes I doze off before I even take my Kavinace.

[dolphin8808]

I also have meditation music on my IPOD and listen to it all night, I have the ocean and soothing music. I love it and it really puts me into a deep sleep and helps to distract me as well.

[mammo]

I have found that falling asleep while watching TV distracts me as well as reading to fall asleep.  Any "down" time just allows people like us to think too much and that's where the problems starts.  These two things have worked wonders for me, plus a therapist gave me some good advice.  He told me when trying to fall asleep to visit in my mind my favorite vacation spot and to go there.  For me it's the ocean, he said to feel the breeze, hear the sounds, feel the warm sand beneath my feet and just keep building on it and you will fall asleep.  This works every time for me!  I hope this helps, it's what allows me to sleep.  Take care.