How to stay calm during anxiety?

Question

Hello doctor,

I was getting many headaches from overthinking and anxiety. My boyfriend broke up with me one year ago. I went into depression for six months, and later I recovered. Now I again have thoughts about him every day, getting headaches and weakness. I have anxiety and need to stay calm, and I regret a few things. Normally, I overthink anything, make worse decisions, and regret them later. But the break up affected me so much, and my career is also not going well, and I am doing an unsatisfactory job.

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Thank you for taking help from a psychiatrist. I can understand your situation and your problem. You may have major depressive disorder due to relationship issues. There is non-pharmacological management for your depression; you should try to follow the below guidelines to deal with it. It will help you.

You must move on from him.
Keep yourself busy and active.
Discard all the stuff related to his memories.
Do not stalk him on social media.
Delete all his contact details.
You should do exercises daily for 30 to 45 minutes, like at least going for a walk.
You should do meditation for 20 minutes daily, just sit in one place in a comfortable position, and try to concentrate on your normal breathing, do not stop or force yourself to stop your thoughts, just let it be. It will help you to relax.
You should eat healthy home-cooked foods and avoid junk foods.
You must drink enough water.
You should spend quality time with friends and family daily or do video calls if you are living away from your family.
You should spend time on creative hobbies like reading good books, writing journals, painting, drawing, and learning new skills, language, or musical instruments.
You should get seven to eight hours of sleep daily.
You must avoid tobacco and alcohol or any substance abuse.
Live your life; do not just waste it for someone else who left you in pain. Be bold and confident.
You must start tablet Escitalopram (antidepressant) 10 mg daily in the morning after breakfast. Consult your doctor and take the medicines accordingly.

You must follow up after 10 days. Please do the following investigation-

CBC (complete blood count).
Thyroid profile.
Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3.
RBS (random blood sugar).

I hope this helps.

Kindly follow up if you have more concerns.

Regards.

Thank you.