Anxiety once again

[Jittery024]

So here it goes. My anxiety has started up again..... I have been feeling good for about 6 months now and this last week, I started having left shoulder and neck tension. Of course my mind wanders and I do the most common thing everyone probably does, go to "dr Google"! I know it's a bad habit to kick. So as I'm looking up symptoms, the answers show more of muscle spasms and my neck could be out of wack, but then there is that one post where it says heart attack. So reading that one post sets the anxiety level HIGH!!!! I am a mother of four and have a busy work and home schedule. I hate feeling like this. I feel like I have to stay busy and keep moving in order to keep from having anxiety, because once I sit down to relax the anxiety kicks right in. Clammy hands and feet, a warm sensation that runs from my chest to my stomach. Anyone else have these issues?

[Jeff1943]

No, Jittery024, it's most definitely NOT heart attack and deep down you know it - muscular tension in the shoulder and neck and clammy hands etc which you mention are all common symptoms of anxiety. Specially so if you are trying to 'fight' it because fighting it makes for more tension and stress and that's two things your over wrought nervous system doesn't need any more of, thank you.

Instead of fighting it and making things wirse you should do the opposite which is to ACCEPT the muscular tension and feelings of anxiety for the time being. This doesn't make the bad feelings go away straight away but by Accepting the symptoms with the minimum amount of fear you start to give your jangled nerves a rest and if you do that for long enough they return to their normal state and recover and when your nerves recover then so will you. So I say: Stop fighting, start accepting.

It's good to keep occuppied during periods of anxiety, it prevents too much introspection, but don't try to blank the feelings of anxiety out of your mind, just practice accepting them temporarily. Imagine you are a rock standing on the sea shore and the great waves of anxiety come crashing and splashing around you and past you but the rock endures - you are that rock, Jittery024.

Everybody says "You should relax", eadier said than done, but how do you relax? My way is to imagine every muscle in your body (including an imaginary muscle in your brain) and imagine these muscles relaxing the one after the other, first the limbs, then the body, then the neck and shoulders and finally the 'muscle' in your brain. Imagine each muscle go limp and hold it. Practice relaxing like this and your stress and tension level will drop.

So stop frightening yourself to death over the symptoms of anxiety and practice Accepting and relaxing because in that direction lies your recovery and your escape from the bad days of anxiety disorder.

[Jittery024 in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you Jeff1943 !!! I really needed to hear that. I know I need to accept my anxiety and let it in. I ha e practiced this over and over many times. I guess I just let this cloud my judgement and had a set back. I have even given my anxiety a character so I know what it looks like and usually invite her to come sit in my shoulder so to say. I will try the muscle technique you mentioned.

Thanks again 😊