tired of pacing/ any sugestions?

[gwen2002]

How does someone deal with anxiety?........when I get it I cant sit still....I pace pace pace----the whole day to the point where my feet and legs get so sore i'm in major pain.I cant lay down to sleep even,so I pace the day and night almost away. Does anyone else do this? any sugestions on how to get rid of this anxiety?

[kevintool]

I also used to pace when I was anxious, and still do at times.  WendyLady03's suggestions are all good.  Find something to focus on.  In the worst part of my anxiety/panic three years ago, I started building doll houses (wood kits you can get at craft stores) first for my daughter, then for other friends' girls.  Rigorous exercise also helps.

To tell the truth though, the thing that really gave me my life back was Pamelor.  It is an older tricyclic antidepressant, but it worked great for me.  I just could not tolerate the newer Effexor/Paxil-type drugs.  I now take just a low dose of the Pamelor, and extended release Xanax from time to time.

The other thing that helps me is just knowing I am not alone.  I recently purchased the autobiography of Howie Mandel (Don't Touch Me) and although he has OCD, it is an anxiety disorder and very similar to other anxiety disorders.  It gives me strength to know that others have had this problem and can deal with it.  He has three kids and a wife, so if he can work and live and take care of his family, then so can I.

Hang in there!!

[WendyLady03]

I also use to pace when I got anxious. I feel really antsy, I can't sit still, and most of the time I have to get outside because being inside a room also makes me anxious.

Eventually though that got really tiring, so now I try to find something else to focus on. I'm not particularly crafty or anything like that, but my mom bought me a few really easy punch needle pictures to make. When I feel myself getting anxious I'll start doing one of those and concentrate on it instead of the anxiety. I also listen to music or start reading or start watching a movie......anything to try and get my mind off of it.

I also started excercising more, which has helped a lot. I don't feel as antsy anymore, I think maybe because I'm getting out all of my access energy through excercise. I also do abdominal breathing......basically you breathe in through your nose while counting to three and try to make your stomach expand instead of just your chest, hold your breath while you count to three, then exhale through your mouth, almost like you're whistling, while counting to three. It helps me a ton.

Good luck, I know how hard it is to deal with this nonsense. I hope you're doing well!