Mail Man,

I don't understand what you mean "Now, I just feel somewhat isolated even when I am laying down."

I would suggest you try 5-HTP and L-Theanine instead of the St John's Wort. Are you taking any other vitamins and/or supplements ?

Thanks for the quick response! Basically, when I had the concussion, I would feel fine when laying down. Then, I would sit up, or stand up, and feel really foggy, and disoriented.

Although I still feel a little weird, the reason why I am on bored with the idea that anxiety is causing it, is because when I forget about it for a few minutes, I feel fine. In addition, when I get out of bed, or get up from sitting down, I don't feel any different. Instead of feeling perfectly fine when laying down, I now feel a little weird, which I attribute to anxiety.

I am currently taking Fish oil, B-12, and Vitamin C. I will definitely take your recommendation though! Thank you!

I forgot to mention. Do not take St John's Wort if you are taking 5-HTP. It is one or the other, not both.

Mail Man,

I am dealing with some of the same anxiety issues as yourself. I seem to have lost a great deal of confidence in myself since this happened and constantly wonder how I feel, if I am making how I feel up, will doing something increase symptoms? I too question many things I do.

I realize this is an anxiety issue. I read my bible a lot to calm down.

Bud

Hi Mail man,

I have had a huge increase in anxiety since my concussion and with each subsequent one. Anxiety had never been a problem for me before (although I had struggled with depression for a long time pre-injury).

The hardest part for me is that my anxiety is often not attached to particular thoughts, so it is hard to work with. For example, I don't get worried about safety or worried about hitting my head. I often just get intense physical symptoms of anxiety that don't seem to be about anything, which makes me feel totally crazy. This goes on most evenings.


Things that have worked for me in varying amounts:

- being outside. either just sitting, or going for a walk, or anything.

- gardening or yard work. obsessively now that it's spring. If I do enough time of it, it keeps the anxiety down for the whole day. Unfortunately, I am then physically wiped out for the remainder. I think what helps is the combination of being outdoors, being in the dirt/working with plants, and the physical exercise (that's where I have to be more careful with the movements). It's kind of a catch 22 because I am escaping the anxiety, but to do so I overdo it... tricky.

- I take a mood stabilizer and an ssri which had to be increased unfortunately, but for now that was necessary.

- I have done a lot of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, so those skills are helpful for me. it is mindfulness based.

Hope this helps. you're not alone.
julie