How Do I Cope With Extremely High Stress Levels ?

[[Tw...]]

I quit benzodiazepines 2 months ago. I cannot handle too much stress. My husband and my adult sons do not understand this. My brain is still healing. My husband was yelling and cursing at me last night, and it triggered insomnia and panic attacks to return.

How do all of you handle the stress and anxiety? 

[[kn...]]

Often I  can’t take it and have to resort to some isolation or down time under the covers by myself. Staying in contact with folks here also helps a lot. I’ve also insisted that my wife accompany me to Dr appts so she can hear first hand what’s going on with me. I’ve had to skip some family trips along the line. There are any number of daily errands and car trips I’ve opted out of also. I’ve sat down with friends and family when the opportunity presents itself and just flatly explained what I’m going through. You didn’t say much about what you were taking and how you ‘quit. Did you taper or just quit cold turkey?  You might be in severe WD that would make your situation unbearable. Do you need to see a psych doc and start over to slowly WD rather than just stop all at once?  Finally mothers often have been the go to’s for everything in the family. If that’s what’s going on in your case, you may need to school the rest of them as to why you can’t be the end all for everyone’s problems right now.  You need their help and support, not criticism. 

[[Ja...]]

Knackered/Twyla  yea having some alone time is essential if the stress/anxiety levels are high,.I just try and make sure I get the basics done when I’m feeling ok in between time outs.I think this is 1 of the hardest parts if you have family to take care of at the same time…Twyla did you say your taking seroquel,is it not helping calm you down pal

[[Tw...]]

4 hours ago, [[k...] said:

Often I  can’t take it and have to resort to some isolation or down time under the covers by myself. Staying in contact with folks here also helps a lot. I’ve also insisted that my wife accompany me to Dr appts so she can hear first hand what’s going on with me. I’ve had to skip some family trips along the line. There are any number of daily errands and car trips I’ve opted out of also. I’ve sat down with friends and family when the opportunity presents itself and just flatly explained what I’m going through. You didn’t say much about what you were taking and how you ‘quit. Did you taper or just quit cold turkey?  You might be in severe WD that would make your situation unbearable. Do you need to see a psych doc and start over to slowly WD rather than just stop all at once?  Finally mothers often have been the go to’s for everything in the family. If that’s what’s going on in your case, you may need to school the rest of them as to why you can’t be the end all for everyone’s problems right now.  You need their help and support, not criticism. 

@[kn...]Thank you for all of your excellent advice! Yes I am still having some withdrawal symptoms after 2 months from quitting benzodiazepines. I quit high doses of Xanax and Klonopin cold turkey with medical supervision. My family was supportive in the beginning, but now they are all very negative towards me, which triggers my anxiety and insomnia a whole lot. 

[[kn...]]

If you have a close friend or two, you might think about confiding in them over coffee or some such. Our kids are grown and have their own families. Adult kids ‘owe’ you in the sense that you’ve , no doubt raised, clothed, nurtured, and funded their lives .  You and your husband will age as they grow and prosper on their own. I hope they have some sense of all that means to them. One last thing; make sure any others you confide in can be trusted and are not apt to spread your disclosure to others as gossip. Best wishes in all this.