Stop giving Anxiety permission to make you... - Anxiety Support

Anxiety Support

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Stop giving Anxiety permission to make your life a misery.

Jeff1943 profile image
16 Replies

If you're suffering from anxiety don't just put up with it and hope it will go away. Whatever the symptoms you should take control of your recovery as so many other people have done on this forum successfully.

The first thing to understand is how anxiety works. It's usually preceeded by a period of worry and stress until finally your nerves have had enough of it. When this happens they become ultra sensitised and this results in all sorts of symptoms. These can include a feeling that something dreadful is going to happen, stomach pains, dizziness, visual disturbances, headaches, breathlessness and palpatations to name but a few. Immediately you think you have some serious organic disease and surfing 'Doctor Google' only serves to confirm your worse fears. But of course if you're experiencing anxiety disorder it's NOT some serious physical illness, it's your over sensitised nervous system playing up and sensitive nerves are very, very good at impersonating real organic illness.

The first thing to do is to see your doctor and fully describe your symptoms. You need him or her to examine you and maybe send you for some tests to make sure that it is 'just nerves'. That's very important because there's always a small chance that it is something physical like a thyroid problem that can be easily treated. If you're disatisfied with your doctor's diagnosis see him or her again, ask to see a specialist or for a second opinion. And when that only serves to confirm that it's anxiety disorder, as it invariably will, then accept the diagnosis without further question. It's amazing how many people don't believe their doctors but remember: your doctor went to medical school for 5 years, you didn't.

Many people on this forum are worried about going on medication. But meds have their part to play in recovering from anxiety (and the secondary depression that sometimes accompanies anxiety). If the bad feelings are overwhelming a shortish 'holiday' on meds allows us to gather our thoughts and marshal our strength. But you don't want to be on meds for ever - so that means looking for a talking or reading cure that will be permanent. Once you've decided to stop giving anxiety permission to make your life a misery, that is.

Those of you who see my trying-to-be-helpful posts on this forum are probably getting bored with my advocacy of the same old solution. But every day new casualties appear on this forum so that's my excuse for my repetition - that and the fact that it is the only remedy that worked for me. The method I embraced 40 years ago is the method devised by Doctor Claire Weekes and described in her first book 'Self help with your nerves' also titled 'Hope and help with your nerves' in the U.S. Both books available new or used for a few pounds/dollars on Amazon. Claire Weekes' solution is to temporarily Accept all the bad feelings and symptoms without fighting them. Fighting means creating more tension and more fear - and sensitised nerves feed on tension and fear so fighting only prolongs our illness. Stop adding tension and fear to your sensitised nerves and in the fullness of time they cease to be sensitised and we recover from the nightmare and return to normality.

So how do you Accept the bad symptoms that frayed nerves are bombarding you with? You now know, because you have read this far, that anxiety disorder isn't caused by real physical illness. It's caused by blips and glitches in your nervous system. Are you really going to go on being bullied by blips in your nerves? They are FAKE illnesses, they are FRAUDS, the are confidence tricksters. It's time to tell them they've intimidated your life for too long and your giving them their marching orders. And you do that by Acceping them for the time being and not fighting them. You have the measure of them and your fear of them is coming to an end - you are going to starve them out of existence by denying them the fear on which they thrive.

As I often say, imagine you are a rock on the shore and the waves of fear keep breaking over you. Again and again the waves come and wash over and around you. But the rock endures. YOU are that rock. No matter how bad you feel now, no matter how long you have been ill, Claire Weekes' Acceptance method will work for you as it has for tens of thousands of others. It's your decision. But I commend her book to you. Read it and before long you too will become a fellow traveller on the Yellow Brick Road to recovery!

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Jeff1943 profile image
Jeff1943
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16 Replies
TheResilientOne profile image
TheResilientOne

I needed this !!!! Thank you!

TheResilientOne profile image
TheResilientOne

I can use the same concept for my PTSD?

Jeff1943 profile image
Jeff1943 in reply to TheResilientOne

I think Acceptance works for PTSD too, I would be interested in your observations in due course.

Oh my gosh....thank you so much for this post! This is exactly what I needed. I will check out that book for sure.

daisy-17 profile image
daisy-17

I first seen Claire weekes on you tube and followed her accept, floating techniques and they do work with loads of practice of course. I also am reading her book at the moment she has helped a lot of people. I do feel less nervous following her advice and will continue to and hope 1 day I can feel a bit normal again.

Saz12345 profile image
Saz12345

Amazing thankyou xx

Helena877 profile image
Helena877

Excellent post, but I must pull you on a couple of things!

Firstly, thyroid disorders do cause anxiety in a large proportion of sufferers but they are not always so easy to cure as popping a pill. Far from it and Drs fall short on understanding the basics so you end up having to take your health into your own hands. On the thyroid forum we are constantly advised by well respected veteran sufferers to demand increases of medication or proper management of our treatment before agreeing to be put on antidepressants. Anti-ds are a "cop out" when most of the time all we need is more thyroid hormones.

My advice is to get a full blood panel from your Dr. Find out if there is anything physically wrong that may be causing the anxiety. Obtain a copy of the results so you can see for yourself where you fall in the ranges.

Drs have limited knowledge on a whole spectrum of illnesses. Some are great, some not so great. They are people. They make mistakes. They do not always know best what is best for us. I think it is very important to remember that.

Thanks for a great post. I especially liked how you mentioned taking anti-ds as to taking a holiday - great advice. I'm a newcomer on here and will check out the book you mentioned.

Jeff1943 profile image
Jeff1943

Thank you for your advice particularly on thyroid issues.

Helena877 profile image
Helena877 in reply to Jeff1943

and thank you for yours too. Most helpful :-)

Dr Claire Weekes helped with my recovery also, her book's are a must read for anyone suffering from anxiety xxx

Vbee profile image
Vbee

Yet again Jeff - great post! Keep up the drum beat - they will hear it and no matter how many times i read it, each time i get another drop of helpful information.

Elizabeth04 profile image
Elizabeth04

Amen. You are so right

grudgekyoko profile image
grudgekyoko

You're pretty right on, I've read that book too and I've found that I have to reread it every so often because I will revert back to my anxious state. It is definitely the most helpful book I've found for anxiety!

Jeff1943 profile image
Jeff1943 in reply to grudgekyoko

As you say, grudgekyoko, sometimes we can have relapses, but having used Acceptance successfully once then we know what to do and that includes rereading Claire Weekes' book.

Cat33 profile image
Cat33

Thank you Jeff for your fantastic post its going to help so many people

Dr Claire Weekes was so important to my recovery her book was my "Bible"

DARE too by Barry McDonagh is great and he references Claire Weekes teachings a lot

It is great that you have taken the time to give your wonderful advice 😉

Banjorosie profile image
Banjorosie

Great words .

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