looking for advice

[Stewaj5]

Hi there I'm new to this and don't know if i'm posting in the right section but here goes haha! I am looking for advice, basically at the beginning of last year I started on the anti depressant sertraline to help with my anxiety and depression. The drug really helped, although i did do some self therapy aswell and I left my hometown that summer and moved to a new city, basically restarting my life. I started a band, which is a dream I have had since I was very young, I got a job i loved and this february I met and fell in love with a girl which is also a completely new experience for me. At the end of may i decided to come off sertraline and with the support of my girlfriend, friends and family it was a complete walk in the park, May until July were some of the best months I have had in my life. And i felt more confident and happy than I ever have. In the lat couple of months I have not felt awful but I haven't felt good, I have felt a lot of my anxiety symptoms slowly beginning to come back. In september my girlfriend went away on a year abroad, we are still in a committed relationship but it is still quite tough, I'm spending a lot of time feeling sorry for myself at the moment and I need advice on how not to fall back into the trap of anxiety and depression and continue to live my life to the full. My band is also almost at the point where we are soon beginning to gig and this is making me so anxious. I feel like I have got so much now and if it were to all fall apart I would be a mess, I am struggling to live in the moment and enjoy what I have! I don't want to let this moment slip through my fingers because I am a nervous wreck! I am thinking about looking into starting counselling as well. I am basically wondering if anyone has advice on my current situation, any advice on dealing with long distance relationships and not becoming a nervous wreck again just because life has got a little tough, kind of wanted to vent as well haha Thankyou

[umm]

You might want to restart your medication as it sounds like it's benefits are starting to wear off and you need a little top up. Nip it in the bud before it gets on top of you, and you'll save alot of time. Oh, and don't worry about the gigs. SA doesn't seem to really come into it. You simply have a plan (song, music, words) and you learn it and stick to it. It's a great confidence booster too There can be a sense of bypassing the ego that goes with singing and playing music (if you really let rip), and as far as I can tell, ego is where SA lives, so taking it offline for a bit is quite frankly a massive relief.

[Chocolate Chin]

I allow myself to accept that emotions / life has its ups and downs. It's OK to feel a bit sh1t sometimes. You sound like you have good support and good coping mechanisms in place already as you have progressed so well. Try to focus on all the positives you have done and can do.

[lynella]

Hi.
Sorry that its creeping back its ugly little anxious head. I also agree maybe think of taking your meds again just to kick it out of the way for a while.