I started to think of anxiety as a chapter book. Chapter 1 is the worst chapter. It's scary and depressing... and it took the longest to get through. Seemed like years although it was only months. Chapter 2 is anicipation. Anticipating chapter 1 happening again. Anticipating getting better and getting your life back but still feeling helpless and confused. Chapter 3 is weird anxiety symptoms and side effects. In this chapter we obsess about everything and anything and make our minds exhausted which further distorts our way of thinking. Chapter 4 is lack of confidence. Still not feeling back to your old self but also way better than you were. You've learned anxiety's tricks but you are getting exhausted of being tested by them still. You wonder if you can beat it 100% or if you'll always find a reason to worry and get in the way of your happiness. Chapter 5: depression. Sad... you are disapppointed in yourself for getting setbacks and feel tired from them. Chapter 6: BYE ANXIETY.
I'm not sure what chapter you're stuck on but I'm offering to give advice to those who are stuck. Here's some advice for each chapter:
1: NO YOU ARE NOT GOING CRAZY. NO IT WON'T ALWAYS BE LIKE THIS. YES IT WILL PASS. I wish someone would of told me this. Chapter 1 is the scariest.
2: I know you just went through some crazy stuff in chapter 1 and you are still unsettled. You don't trust yourself and you're trying to find things that are wrong with you. But don't. It's okay to have weird thoughts and irrational fears in this stage. Your brain is exhausted from Chapter 1 so it's gonna do some weird things. Just roll with it. Don't add power to the weirdness. Just breathe and let it go. It'll leave as long as you stop giving it power.
Chapter 3: Side effects such as being vigilant to your surrounding for no reason, random stomach churning, scary irrational thought, looking at things differently and weird, over analyzing things, eye twitching, being more jumpy than normal----it's all normal. It's all normal GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES. Another thing you just have to accept and move on--it'll linger awhile because you gave it power but don't get discouraged, it'll go away.
Chapter 4: alright, most of your symptoms don't phase you as much anymore but you still have some side effects and they are making you not believe in yourself. I'm here to tell you to NOT be discouraged. It takes TIME!!! It can take 6mos to a year (or longer) to feel 100% done with your recovery. You just gotta stop judging yourself and how you feel every minute. You gotta care less that you're not healed yet. It'll happen.. it takes time and patience my friend.
Chapter 5: maybe distractions help you but when you get home you feel sad. And then you pity yourself for feeling sad and you start feeling anxious. Nope. Don't. Your body is still adjusting and it is still run down. Give it time to heal. Don't let yourself lay in bed all day. TALK. TO. SOMEONE. Tell them your worries and fears (tell a family member or close friend) let them rationalize things for you so you can see things from a different perspective. It's okay my friend, depression sucks but it will leave. It's just a lovely anxiety off shoot.
Chapter 6: you've made it through the anxiety book! You might brush up on a few chapters... for example; you might have an old thought cross your mind and it might make you anxious for a second. But YOU KNOW NOW to not give it power and it'll simply fade away. You now have an understanding of anxiety and you can brush off all the anxiety residue that's left. And now you're free!!!
It'll be weird to get back to yourself or to not have a busy mind... you might make up scenarios to test yourself and scare yourself but that will fade eventually too.
Good luck my anxiety friends. You got this. It's all about how you REACT. Don't overreact... we've all been there lol it's not fun.
Xo
10 things a pastor/author did to dig out of crippling anxiety/depression
Something I've been going through lately. Hope you give it a read. Have you felt the same?
Anxiety tips
