Anxiety....hope this helps

[stde]

Hi everyone, I have been reading many posts relating to health anxiety so I thought I would post in the hope someone would get some relief,

We read each day of many anxieties, there are real anxieties in life after all we are human, but many off our anxieties seem very real to us, but stem from our overactive mind.

The medical establishment label these......health anx, social anx, phobia;s....etc etc.

but make no mistake the common denominator is Anxiety. If you are in a anxious state of mind you will latch onto whatever your imagination creates, if it is not your health, you will find something else. In many cases at present I notice Health anxiety is predominant. I remember as a boy thinking I may catch leprosy from foreign coins, I can laugh about this now, but at the time it seemed a real fear.

When your mind is in overdrive you are like a deer caught in the headlights, full awareness is present along with that unknown fear, susceptable to the next imagined suggestion which seems to lodge in your mind and escalate.

Firstly realize it is fear that is driving your anxiety (you may have genuine health problems this anxiety is normal), imagined health problems are very real thoughts when you are nervous and fearful, but in this state of mind your subconcious has settled on health to worry about, if it had chosen another subject then that would have been your issue.

So how did I cope......Mind ..body...soul

The Body........... is not permanent, it ages

The Soul................ is the love we all have within us when we are born, this is our true essence which never leaves us, it may have to be rediscovered, but is eternal

The Mind.......... to me can work for us or against us. good thoughts=good feelings, bad thoughts=bad feelings, it takes in information not always knowing what is good or bad

if we were beaten as a child, we may bring up our children using the same method thinking until told otherwise that this is "normal"......a lot of our beliefs are not true ! we just don;t realize that yet....some of our beliefs are wrong !!!!! but we can learn as even our thoughts are not permanent, they can change with our feelings or experiences in life;

So how do we change....for me a good thought is a loving or compassionate thought, but any negative thought (even anger,jealousy,greed poor me,s etc etc) will brings fear or anxiety , view it as a visitor, it is an imagined thought, it is not real and will pass.

Anything we have felt in the past cannot be changed, yesterday has gone forever, and tommorow is a mystery for all of us, no-one can predict what will happen (if you can, give me the winning lottery numbers)...............but we keep trying?????? even though it is totally impossible. Today, right now is all we can be sure off, live for the moment, responsibly off course.

So the next time you feel fear don;t fight it, this just prolongs the feeling....invite it in, accept it.....tell it you know it is not part of your true loving essence, but merely a nuisance visitor which you have no real time for and watch it fade.

I suffered panic attacks, till one day, totally fed up with the restraint they were putting on my life, sat down at the start off the attack, and said "ok give me your best shot", guess what it left me.......why because i did not feed it....Instead I laughed, realizing it was a physical reaction to an imaginary though.

My tutor told me that life is like a stage play, sit in the audience and observe, as when I get on the stage and "stick my nose in", trying to organise others, control and worry about things that don,t concern me then my head races. His advice was to become the observer, this brings a sense of relief when practised.

I also though I was so important (ego) that if I left my job the company would collapse, and if I left my family they would never survive without me (ego again). I carried the world on my shoulders, now I know life goes on, just observe and don,t get involved in things that don,t concern you.......look after yourself first, this is not being selfish as with good mental health we can help and consider others, without this we only concentrate on our own (sometimes imagined problems).

Anxiety is fear, and fear will find something to fear, and for all those suffering from health anxiety, remember Anxiety (fear) is the problem, health is only the subject it has chosen, for other people it will be something else...........we all suffer from the same thing, with different subjects.

I wish you all well on your journey.......GB.......x

[lulu91]

Thank you so much for writing this it is what I needed at this moment!

[Hidden]

Hi, thank you for sharing. xx

[Bramwell]

Excellent stuff from another long term health anxiety sufferer. Thanks

[Hidden]

Really appreciated you sharing this.Thank you x

[veganese]

Thank you for your positive insight. I strongly relate to concern about my family - I'm 62 with 3 adult children and 2 grandchildren. My youngest 'child', 25, has always needed support. I realise now that although I had long periods of my life without 'fullblown anxiety', it was always sitting on the back burner, niggling away. I do try these days to put things in perspective and consider myself blessed. I do think a good deal about recovery - my balance is affected, which makes it difficult to manage day-to-day activities. I feel that this symptom alone is delaying my recovery. I try not to avoid situations that make me anxious - travelling far from home or social situations. Basically, I am trying to accept my anxiety and carry on each day.

[stde in reply to veganese]

You are not your thoughts........and you are a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for..........GB x

[veganese in reply to stde]

Thank you. x

[cuteclaire]

I love everything you have stated and I find your words are true I just think that sometimes the feeling get me so strong with the anxiety that things are alot easier said then done.but your words will be my strength I'm going to take these words in and store them in my head for what I hope will be eternal.by the grace of God I will be fine and I know you only live once so here goes.xx

[stde]

Be kind to yourself, don,t push and it will come.........

I have just spoken to a friend who only recently has suffered panic attacks when driving long distance/or stuck in traffic jams........

I,m going to buy him a little toy and stick a label "FEAR" on it to put on his dashboard, so he can talk and say "hello-you back again for a visit?"........lol

The idea that you see fear as not part of your true essence......but a nuisance visitor.

GB.x

[emetophobia_]

wow that was absolutely beautiful and amazing wowwwwee thank you so much