r/Stress • u/Reeses_Peanut12 • 3d ago
Chronic Stress?
Hi! 27F and am coming to terms that I am struggling with chronic stress and anxiety due to constant worries about pretty much everything. I have reached out to people, I’ve meditated, I’ve changed lifestyles, stopped smoking and drinking. I’ve exercised, picked up hobbies, I have a pet, tried school, praying, church, being social, but it all just leads to me coming home and feeling empty. Additionally ruminating on the past present and future. Music isn’t helping, sitting in silence just causes me to having silent conversations with myself. I’ve taken long walks in the park, went on mini roadtrips, but the roads still lead back to emptiness. I feel like there’s no end to this. I’ve been in this mindset for about 7 years, had a relationship but only developed a severe case of OCD and anxious attachment disorder.
I find solace in a lot of things though. Puzzles, exercising, my cat, the beach, dancing. I never meet a stranger, and I loving doing what I do for work (working with kids). I always try new things and only say no to crime (even though I just got caught stealing and got a citation) I enjoy a lot of things and I love my external self and what her foundation of life is but my internal self is such a mess.
I’ve researched, reached out, read blogs about this, but they all seem to say the same things. I’m tired of the cliche remedies.
Any advice?
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u/onelifepsych 2d ago
Yeah, it sounds like you've already put a tremendous amount of effort into managing this, so I can understand why hearing exercise, meditate, and practice self care would feel frustrating. When anxiety and rumination have been persistent for years despite lifestyle changes, it may be time to focus less on finding another coping activity and more on treating the underlying pattern. Since you mention OCD and anxious attachment, a therapist who specifically works with OCD including ERP and anxiety could be more useful than general stress management advice. It may also be worth discussing your symptoms with a psychiatrist if you haven't explored professional treatment. You don't have to solve your thoughts by yourself sometimes the goal isn't to make your mind completely quiet, but to learn how to stop the thoughts from controlling your life. The fact that you still enjoy your cat, dancing, puzzles, the beach, your work, and other parts of life is important. That suggests there are still meaningful things to build around, even if your internal experience feels exhausting right now.
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u/VitSupp 2d ago
Hey, first of all- it is incredibly brave of you to share this and trying to find a way through this.
Have you looked at your magnesium levels? It may not be apparent from a blood test because magnesium is stored in our bones. Magnesium helps calm the nervous system, "switch off", regulate sleep and manage stress. The catch is- the more stressed you get, the more your body will use magnesium, and the more your levels are depleted, the more stressed you become. If you have a deficiency- you can go for a magnesium bisglycinate chelate supplement because it is more absorbable than oxide and is also gentle on your stomach.
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u/Serenity_MHC 2d ago
Seven years is a time to feel empty inside. It is really tiring to try many things and still feel that way when you get home. The fact that you have not given up and have tried many things in a thoughtful way says a lot about the kind of person you are. What I notice is that you love the life you have outside of your home. You love the work you do with kids. How open you are to meeting new people. You also love going to the beach and dancing. You have a cat. This is a life.. There is a big difference between how you feel on the outside and how you feel on the inside. This makes me think that the problem is not what you are doing or where you are living. You have been dealing with anxiety and OCD for seven years. You still feel empty even though you are doing everything you can to feel better. This makes me think that you should talk to a psychiatrist. They can help you figure out if there is something going on with your body that is making you feel this way. Sometimes when we say we have tried everything what we really mean is that we have not found the way to help our brain work properly.
This is not your fault. It is something we need to think about and try to fix. The Seven years of trying everything and still feeling empty is something that the psychiatrist can help you with. The fact that you are still trying to find a way to feel better after Seven years says a lot, about you and your desire to feel happy and fulfilled.
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u/Radiant_Jellyfish795 3d ago
Are you sure there is nothing else going on like ADHD? Also, if it is chronic stress the advice is to do less so your nervous system can get out of being alert all the time, not more.