Hey everyone,
45M married, kids, with severe anxiety. Been seeing a therapist for about a year now and it’s helped but I recently had a huge setback which had put me back close to where I was before starting therapy.

I know I don’t do enough to help myself. I’ve been bad at meditating, personal mantras, grounding techniques. I want to develop a routine and am looking for ideas.

I eat healthy but exercise has been problematic because I have a fear of getting my heart rate up. I recently started cycling but had another setback and have been afraid to start again. I also don’t drink alcohol and have a max of 3-4 Oz of weak coffee in the morning. I keep a dash diet.

I am interested especially in people who aren’t taking SSRIs, but anyone is welcome to share. Just please let me know if you’re on an SSRI or not. I alleviate with Xanax right now but I know is not sustainable. I am seriously weighing going on an SSRI. My main hold back is the sexual side effects. Lost 130lbs over the course of a year and sex has been better that the past decade. I’m hesitant to screw that up.

What is your daily self help/maintenance routine like? Mediation, yoga, a round of grounding techniques, etc? What works well for you during a high anxiety moment or period?