How do you know when its time to return to work.

[jrsmith]

I am very new to this. My depression and anxiety/paranoia has slowly become worse. After trying some new meds that made me feel very zombie like I cut my wrist and was put in the psych hospital for a few days. It has been a few weeks now and I want to go back to work but I don't how to get through the anxiety and paranoia? Any suggestions.

[jj]

Have you thought about some sort of talking therapy? Since I started therapy a couple of years ago I hardly get anxious anymore. You can also get medication for anxiety. I'm not sure about paranoia though, I'd think again therapy might help though. But your doctor would be able to give you more advice.

If you want things you can do yourself though to help you get through a day of work or something, breathing techniques can really help with anxiety. Having proper control of your breath can help you control your heartbeat and lessen that feeling of it all bubbling up.

Have a search online for the three-part breath. It's called dirga pranayama and is a yogic breathing technique to calm your breathing. You could also try meditation which would help calm your mind and your thoughts. Yoga too. It's all about calming everything down and relaxing. You'll get the best benefits out of it if its something you practice regularly, and you'll get better at it too.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you look into any of it *hugs*

jj

[jrsmith]

Thank you for your response. I am doing talk therapy but just recently started. I will look up the breathing techniques. My therapist suggest some different sights to look up. All this is very new to me.

[jj]

I'm glad you are here with us sharing your journey

Good to hear you are in therapy. Let us know how it goes for you

It's helped me a lot so far I hope it does for you too

[Alaska1958]

I have limited experience with anxiety and none at all with paranoia, but I was seeing a therapist recently who told me about her issues with anxiety. She said that getting a fair amount of regular exercise (like every day for her) made a big difference in her ability to make it through the day. Also, as someone already mentioned, seeing a therapist and doing your homework should be a great help.

Good luck