Stressed at work

[Sober2007]

I am so stressed at work today. I feel like my blood is boiling, my heart is racing, my head throbbing. There was an issue earlier - more like a challenge for several of us to figure out - and I found myself literally falling apart over it. No one else could really see that but inside I was going to pieces. I hate it when that happens - it just makes me want to run away, curl up in a ball, and just check out of everything. I'm trying to recover from it now and just needed to share what I am going through. Man, it's so hard sometimes being like this.

[Hidden]

We are with you. You are seen here. Thanks for sharing.

[Sober2007 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you!

[Beevee]

The great thing is...

1. You are at work

2. Carrying on regardless of how you are feeling

3. Facing your fears which, at some point, will no longer make you feel fearful.

4. By doing what you are doing, your confidence in your own ability will slowly increase and get to the stage that those anxious thoughts and feelings will no longer matter.

5. You will see for yourself how those anxious thoughts and feelings are one big bluff. All complete tosh but you won’t ever find this out unless you continue to complete these 5 steps.

6. By completing these steps, recovery is just a matter of time.

I have completed all these steps. You can too.

Best wishes

Beevee

[Sober2007 in reply to Beevee]

Thank you Beevee, that is really helpful. I'm going to print this out so I can remember it!

[Beevee in reply to Sober2007]

...and if you think you are falling apart (you aren’t - it’s just one of the many tricks of anxiety), learn not to stress about it. Just learn to accept all those thoughts and feelings and do nothing about them. As I always say, turn all those “What ifs?” into “So what!?” and keep moving forward, making your life bigger than anxiety in much the same way you are doing now. This is how to recover.

[Sober2007 in reply to Beevee]

I'm encouraged by your words and so grateful you took the time to respond to me today. I forgot what I read the other day about floating through anxiety rather than fighting. I was in total fight or flight mode. Starting to calm down some now. This community truly means more to me every day.

[Beevee in reply to Sober2007]

Everything I learned about anxiety (and how to overcome it) stemmed from a book published by the late Dr Claire Weekes who pioneered self help for anxiety and all other fear based disorders. Face, accept, float and let time pass are they key things to practice until they become second nature. Just like learning to drive until you don’t even think about what your feet and hands are doing. All of this can be summarised by simply living your life and taking your anxiety with you ( facing), accepting everything it throws at you and not caring so much about it (that’s the floating bit) and will eventually get bored and fade away. Time is the great healer.

[Jeff1943 in reply to Sober2007]

The book by Doctor Claire Weekes that Beevee is referring to is titled 'Self help for your nerves' in the U.K. and 'Hope and help for your nerves' in the U.S., both available from Amazon new or used for a few quid/bucks.

Not only was Weekes a psychiatrist but she suffered from anxiety disorder and the method Beevee describes is the method she devised years ago to help herself recover. It also helped myself and Beevee and untold others to recover.

That was her first book, it was written over 50 years ago. Together with her other books they have been reader reviewed on Amazon 1,600 times over the last 4 years alone and 90% of the reviews rate her method Very Good or Excellent. The phrase 'Saved my life' appears regularly in these reader reviews. Doctor Claire Weekes died 30 years ago after a lifetime of teaching her method through consultations, lectures, TV appearances (now viewable on YouTube) and most important of all her books.

Thirty years after her death her work goes on.

[Sober2007 in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you for the info - I will look into getting this book!

[hypercat54]

Oh this takes me back. We used to have team days at work where we would have an afternoon to perform tasks to achieve something predetermined. Now I am hopeless at these and just let others take charge. I would kick in any easy bits such as cutting things out coz I couldn't mess this up. x

[Hidden in reply to hypercat54]

I would look for the weaknesses or loopholes to exploit. Shortcuts. Cheat if necessary. Win or get kicked out for trying. But that's just me, it's natural.

[Kat63]

I know what it’s like to try to hold yourself together at work, or in another situation where people might not understand. I’m glad you got through it. Can you give yourself whatever you need to get back to feeling better?

[Sober2007 in reply to Kat63]

Thanks for the kind words Kat. I'm back at work today and feeling a little better so far. I hope you have a great day!