When I did my walk along the beach a few days ago I was met by this amazing sight. There were many huge brightly coloured kites with their intrepid surfers steering them expertly over the waves or along the Greensward which goes down to the sea.
With a lucky shot I caught this one in the air. It must be the most amazing sensation like flying.
The bracing walk did me good before returning home to a nice cuppa. Try a fast paced walk if you are feeling down or anxious and are lucky enough to be able to do this because you are able bodied. I value every day I can walk and the freedom gained from retirement. Running, walking and wild swimming helped me so much when really ill with GAD.
In the very early days it was difficult to set foot out of my home and I did not feel any better while on the walk, infact I felt worse and worse as the walk went on. At first this made me even more upset and anxious as I felt that my favourite pastime of walking by the coast or in the countryside had been taken away from me. Other favourite activities such as eating a meal with friends made me equally uncharacteristically anxious. Gradually however I realised that I could go a little further without the dizzy sick feeling taking over and one day I realised that I was not longing to return home but feeling reasonably OK whilst walking.
What definitely helped was something a fellow anxiety sufferer said to me once. I had reached the point where I could set off on a walk feeling relatively well but if I kept walking I would start to feel sick dizzy and upset. However I gradually realised that it was important to walk through this feeling until it slowly subsided. This person said that athletes exercise until they feel "the Burn" then push through it. I should do the same, almost aim for the dizzy sick feeling so I can push through it. This seemed to work as I began to realise that it was not important to do activities to feel better but the act of doing them, despite how anxious or sick they made me feel. I then felt a sense of achievement everytime I did things whatever the result.
There were other things which triggered my anxiety also, such as going on my PC, a throw back to work stress I think. These things would all trigger those scary feelings but I just did them anyway and very gradually I was able to feel good that I had achieved them. Not that I had enjoyed them, just that I had done them.
I also took a fairly high dose of antidepressants upping gradually from a low dose until I reached a high average dose. I know this is not for everyone. By this time I was around 7 or 8 months from the start of my illness and it was reducing substantially. It took nearly a year to feel really well and back to my old self again.
It is now nearly five years down the line and I feel amazing, if anything better than before I was ill.
I have remained on the same dose of antidepressants and am not even thinking of reducing or coming off them. I am aware I am still vulnerable and try to sleep, eat and exercise well and stay as positive as I can. I continue to set little goals for myself, and celebrate having attempted rather than having achieved them.
There are days when I feel a little low and really need and value family and friends support but most of the time I feel both happy and lucky to be in this beautiful world watching both the gulls and the kite surfers flying effortlessly and planning what I can do next to have my own little moments of flying high and helping others to do the same.
Your friend.
Kim
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Kkimm
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Something in this picture makes me laugh. Is it supposed to make us laugh? I see a guy on a kick scooter flying with his kite.Anyway...beautiful picture and beautifully written post. I like your strategy of "feel the burn". Isn't it called exposure therapy? While not diagnosed with anxiety, I have been extremely anxious and fearful the past couple months. My anxiety is decreasing and I owe that to staying active and doing that which is uncomfortable.
Tell me...do you have any suggestions on how to deal with the mind going nuts while on a walk? Being on a walk with friends helps, but what about being on a walk alone? I do bring my music and that helps some.
I am glad to hear that you've made great progress!! Way to go!!!
Gotta go wake my husband up and remind him he's supposed to be working. He's in the other room, but I know he fell asleep because he's snoring. Sigh...the dangers of home office...
Hi More.Yes I know what you mean about it being funny, which is great. I think it is the improbability of the scooter person hanging in the air about the walkers. Could be a woman not a man.
You are right, it is like exposure therapy but less scary and within your own control rather than having a therapist tell you what to do. If you can make yourself do it without a therapist I prefer that and it is much cheaper or you don't have to wait years for it on the NHS.
Sounds like you are doing great. A higher level of distraction could be a story tape you are really into. Not sure if this is right but I have heard that you should get the feeling and continue to work through it rather than distract yourself but anything that works for you is probably good and will definitely get you there but maybe not so quickly. If you find distraction so you don't feel upset by the feelings works then that may be better than no distraction, getting the unwanted feeling and then feeling upset afterwards rather than good about what you have achieved.
Kkimm, I have to say that your story should be published here with HU spotlighting it as a story of triumph and achievement, it shows that miracles do happen for all the thousands of people who suffer from anxiety. I rarely read the anxiety story's because honestly, I never see any improvement most of the time,and or attempts at improvement. And those asking others to help them just seems so futile when they respond that nothing anyone has suggested works for them. It just breaks my heart for those who are so stuck and suffering.
I'm proud of you and your courage to pursue even when you don't feel you can. I hope others here read your story and find the courage to try themselves.
That is such a wonderful reply, thanks so much.I do know what you mean about so many people being stuck in anxiety and like you I really feel for them.
What a Lovely thing to see! And some great advice about pushing through Anxiety. I became afraid of going online too, then afraid of being with people, then afraid of going out at all. It's a Slippery slope, sometimes. I just felt I was all "wrong". Walking helped me at that time and Swimming too.
Hi Dee.When I get time to do you a proper reply to your really interesting message I will write a little about our travels to Italy so thought you might like to see this photo.
Kim
The Italian coast at Cinque Terra. Brilliant blue sea, and stunning rocky coast
Another wonderful photo. It brought a wonderful memory to mind. We have vacationed at the shore every year since 1982. When my children were growing up we would go to the beach in the evening so they could fly kites. They would laugh and see how high they could get the kites to go. Sometimes they would drop the string and I would need to run after it. When my son was older he did the running. Once he tripped and planted his face in the sand but caught the string.
Thank you also for sharing your own story and words of wisdom. In December I pushed through and went to Disney with my family. We had always wanted to go when the Holiday decorations were up. I needed to do a great deal of pushing through at times. Especially when it was crowded. But sharing this with my family was important to me.
Now I am having a bit of a setback as I wait for approval for the tests I need to receive a proper diagnosis for my back. So I find myself pushing through physical pain as well as my depression and anxiety which are worse because of the pain. But I will keep your words in mind as I do so.
Such a lovely interesting reply, thank you.I can just imagine you all on the beach with kites.
We have taken our daughter to Disney and that brings back wonderful memories. The first time she was around 8 and it was the California one we went to. Everywhere there were Jasmin's in flower and the smell always takes me back there. She insisted on going in the water fountains/ swirts each day at the end as we had never seen anything like them in the UK. We were always taking a wringing wet child back to the hotel which was just across the road😀😕🤪.
Afterwards we went to Las Vegas and stayed in Camelot 🏰 which she loved and then to the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and finally had a boat for the day on Lake Powell. She also loved the stripy chipmunks in the national parks we could feed with nuts. The last thing was her favourite however as she was in and out the water all day and enjoyed driving the boat in the stunning blue green water through towering canyons.
She's still a water baby now she is grown up. She and I are just about to go on a weekend in Bath where we have booked the beautiful rooftop Spa pool with view over the city.
I'm so sorry about your back and really hope you get some treatment that helps.
Your upcoming trip sounds wonderful. I live on the east coast. When I was 7 my Grandfather took me to California. It was the summer after my Grandmother died and we went to San Francisco. My grandmother was the oldest and when she was a senior in high school her family moved to California so we visited them. We stayed with one of my great aunts. Her husband was from American Samoa. He loved to cook for everyone and drove a cable car. My Aunt took me to Disneyland with her boys for a few days. I also spent another few days with my Great Uncle and his family. They lived just across the bay in Oakland. When I went to the beach the sand was quite rocky. Not at all like the beaches we go to here in the east. Many small wonderful memories from that trip. Only one of my great aunts is still alive. About five years ago she spent several days with us. It had always been a dream of her and my uncle to drive all over the lower 48 states. Sadly he had dementia and passed away before they could do it. So she went herself with a cardboard cutout of my uncle. She rested while she was here and stayed an extra few days. It was a lovely visit. I learned so much about my family from her. And of course there were pictures of everyone with the cardboard cutout of my uncle. Being on the east coast it takes a good deal of time and money to travel to the west coast. Other than the trip when I was young I have pretty much stayed on the east coast or visited Canada. But I still have the memories. I have been quite upset and frustrated about my back pain. The last few days have been better. I have stopped pushing past my pain tolerance and realized the insurance company does things slowly. I have the strength to hold on until I get the correct diagnosis. Once that happens I will jump in to whatever care plan is going to help the most.
So interesting to read all of this. Lovely to hear about your extended family. We've been to the East coast too and have some lovely memories of that also. The first time we went we did Disney World and then went to Fort Lauderdale to have a week in a hotel on the beach.
Our daughter was around 11 I remember. We all loved the Everglades and had a wonderful time seeing lots of baby alligators which had left the water and were walking along the paths being photographed by the visitors. The steamy swamps and rivers with lots of turtles, beautiful birds and best of all, alligators were amazing to see.
We drove to the keys and snorkeled on a coral reef for the first time. It is one of my favourite things to do now. Seeing a miriad of rainbow coloured fish is so beautiful and exciting.
America is a wonderful country with a huge variety of contrasting scenery and wildlife.
Have you seen much of your winter wildlife lately?
So glad you have felt a little better over the last few days.
I have seen turkeys and white tail deer. Also lots of birds and squirrels. I don't see the chipmunks until the warmer weather. They are quite ingenious. I have bird feeders that the squirrels can't get into. But the chipmunks hang upside down from the top and eat their fill.
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Feeling very on the edge but managing to find gratefulness 
Burning mouth syndrome 
Feeling embarrassed and ashamed
Anxiety makes me feel so ill
I feel I'm in some kind of crisis.
