So sorry that you're feeling like this Sona!
I don't have any experience with anxiety that comes up as a result of side effects from medication, but I have experienced anxiety before - not fun
Totally agree with Zapotee - walking is the best. There is something about walking that helps you "move forward" - and get past whatever it is that is causing so much anxiety in your mind. Now granted, I'm not sure if this is true of medication-side-effect type anxiety - but I'm sure it won't hurt. Just the action of putting your feet on the ground and moving forward actually seems to help your brain process stress and move on. Does that make sense?
It's also very good for depression too - as effective (if not more effective) than anti-depressant medication. This isn't to say one should discontinue their anti-depressant medication if they need it, but rather - to say that exercise is is a lot more powerful than most people realize.
Further - engaging all of your 'other' senses helps get you "out of" anxiety - walking, cooking, creating, crafting, using your eyes, ears, sense of touch, sense of smell - it all works to help ground you and bring you back to earth, so to speak.
Getting together with a good friend who needs your help works wonders too - because it gives you an opportunity to focus on someone else's problems and still feel like you've got some amazing things to offer, despite any anxiety you might be battling.
As bad as things feel - try and move a lot more, do some serious walking (with a friend if things are too panicky), because exercise is amazing for blasting anxiety out of one's system.
Ack - what a horrible thing to be experiencing.
Um - the type of counseling/therapy that you're receiving matters too. Now isn't the time to be delving deep into some weird past stuff (no need to get yourself even more freaked out, if you know what I mean). A good CBT counselor is excellent during times like these. A way to feel safe and comfortable in the present is much better than ..."So tell me about the time your mother _________" or digging/nagging at you about some long-ago issue that never quite got resolved. No, this isn't the time for that kind of counseling (imo).
Meanwhile, I also believe that dreaming and thinking about your future is a really good thing at a time like this. Sometimes, when in the midst of really bad anxiety, it can be hard to picture one's future. This is a very good time to think about all the things you are looking forward to, can't wait to try and can't wait to do. This kind of thing helps pull you out of the "muck" of the present anxiety - and helps you remember that the anxiety you're battling right now isn't going to last - it's temporary, and you will definitely get through it and past it.
Sending over some good movies, some fabulous new fashion magazines, some Tazo brand "Calm" tea, a cooling breeze, some nice running shoes, comfy hoodie/tee and expensive, trendy yoga pants. Here's hoping you get a chance to go out into the woods ...walking, sipping on your water, chatting with your DH or a good friend, talking about your plans for the future. Or you might listen to their problems and offer up good advice - which is an excellent way to get a break from the anxiety.
Hang in there Sona - thinking of you!
PS - as bad as you feel - do something silly - crank up some loud music and dance all over the house - the physical activity will blast some of the anxiety out of your system and make you feel less stressed, and more grounded.
PPS - I once wrote "No Thinking" in pink lipstick on my bathroom mirror - seems ridiculous, but it helped. In times of bad anxiety - *doing* is much better than thinking about anything. And if the "doing" engages as many of your senses as possible, so much the better. You need a vacation from the anxiety. A chance to experience some joy and a way to get out of it (the high-stress anxiety) for awhile. Invite someone over, and cook up a storm (cakes, breads, casseroles), while yakking away about your friend's problems. Get out of the house and take a good friend with you and hit the sales (NAS!). Re-paint your living room. Spend lots of time with other people - it'll help, I promise I hope this doesn't sound too wimpy or so minor that it couldn't possibly help - believe me, it will help. Even in the midst of full-blown panic-type stuff.
PPPS - My favourite mantra? "I will take care of you". What this means is that if you're lying there in the middle of the night, dealing with awful anxiety - you get up out of bed, make yourself a mug of "Calm" tea and read a novel or a fun magazine. It also means that if the anxiety is so bad that you're freaking out and you're in a grocery store or something - you give yourself permission to just leave. Leave the cart there in the store and walk out. Calmly. Nobody will notice, and it will be ok to do this. End result is that you feel safe within yourself. Try it sometime. When you feel bad, keep telling yourself, "I will take care of you." If there's some trauma there lurking in the background, maybe it means deciding to deal with it later, when the waters are calmer, so to speak. You get to decide if, when and where. Just keep saying, "I will take care of you" to yourself.
