I am once again suffering from crippling anxiety and would welcome chatting to others with the same condition
This episode has been going on since March this year and I feel hopeless and helpless
I don’t know what to expect from the forum, but hoping for mutual support and encouragement
Thank you for reading my introduction
Hi John, Welcome to the Anxiety Support Forum, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the support and encouragement you will receive. This is a group of men and women of all ages who have gone through crippling anxiety as well as those of us who have successfully gotten through that stage. We share our journeys with anxiety and it's issue both good and bad experiences. We learn from each other.
It's a safe, friendly group that I hope you will share into. Looking forward in knowing more about you and what brought you to this chapter of your life once again. We care John 
Hi Agora, thanks for your kind words, they are much appreciated...I keep hoping there is a way out of this dark forest called anxiety.
But struggling to see it again, after battling this before I’m becoming very exhausted and tired of fighting an invisible enemy x
John777, that's the one thing that we all have to learn and that is to eliminate the word "fight" out of our vocabulary. Anxiety is invisible physically but is alive and well mentally. It's something we have the power to change by changing all negative thoughts into positive ones. By Accepting anxiety as not being dangerous but a figment of our mind causing physical symptoms.
A reputable book that is used by many on the forum (including myself) has been Dr. Claire Weekes book on "Hope & Help for your Nerves" It's available on Amazon as a book or CD. If you wanted to review it first, you can watch and listen to Dr Weekes on YouTube in getting an idea what her teaching is about.
Accepting the fear John, sounds too simple I know but with practice and determination to beat anxiety, it is the way to go. The more we learn about anxiety the better we can understand why Dr. Weekes theory has been successful over the many years.
I had severe anxiety that branched off into Agoraphobia (hence the name) For 5 years I was house bound. Doctors, nurses, therapist all came to me. I found with the internet I could literally become a hermit and live within the 4 walls of my home. But that's not living, that's existing. The worse thing we can do is get "stuck", paralyzed with fear. We get no where fast.
I personally believe there is always a reason behind anxiety. It doesn't just manifest itself one day for no reason. Finding out what is the root of your fears helps you address that as well. It's a lot of different issues that play into anxiety but the outcome depends in how you approach it. It is in your control. Believe that. This invisible enemy, The Anxiety Bully, Anxiety Monster, whatever you want to call it, is powered by our FEARS.. Once we accept the enemy has a cowardly entity, it will back off as we take control of our own life once again.
Stay Positive John.... you will get there
Hi Agora, again thanks for a comprehensive reply detailing a lot of what I know and I am trying to gain acceptance of the condition, in the hope that I can begin a real recovery
I have heard the book mentioned many times and will give it a go and see if it helps as much as it has others x
John, I will back off for now so you don't get overwhelmed. I did tell you it was a great group of people ready to help each other. Someone is always here to respond, to comfort, to understand and to care. Have a good day.
Just ask for any help john, someone on here will be able to help. Afraid i cant offer you much other than encouragement but there's some lovely people on here who can help. xx
Hi Sarah thanks for the welcome message...I hope I have the strength to keep on fighting once again and feel exhausted by it all once more x
Im sure you can do it. You did it once you can do it again. It does exhaust you, and you get to the point when you think its not going stop. Good luck xx
Thank you Sarah this is my 4th episode of anxiety and depression, albeit it’s high anxiety and low level depression this time
I recovered quickly with meds the first 2 times ie. poroxetine...However my 3rd episode took soooo long to recover and makes me feel so discouraged about this 4th episode x
I can imagine. This is my first experience of anxiety and its been hell. Im hoping im over the worse. Sleeping is my problem at the moment but im sure i'll sort it out though. x
I was very lucky first time meds just turned me around in 6 weeks like a poster child...I’m glad you are over the worst of it Sarah x
John, it's time you gave anxiety its marching orders, something you and everybody else experiencing anxiety are well able to do.
Forgive me if I tell you what you already know, have already read, as I know little about you. But sometime in the past you went through a period of stress, over work, worry and/or disappointment and too much of this can cause our nervous system to become over sensitised. In this state it starts to play tricks on us: small worries become exaggerated into major fears, we can become convinced we have some major illness (anxiety is very good at imitating genuine physical illness), we feel some impending doom, we can experience agoraphobia or claustrophobia, a feeling of unreality, the list is endless.
The only good thing is that we're unlikely to experience all the symptoms of anxiety at the same time😁
These symptoms generate fear in us and our sensitised nerves thrive on fear. So we enter a vicious circle of symptoms causing fear causing symptoms causing fear and so on.
To recover we have to break that vicious circle, stop flooding our nervous system with fear hormones on an hourly basis. This gives our tired nerves a chance to recover and when they do we begin to feel normal again and life is sweet once more.
How do we achieve this? You have to do the very opposite of what you've been doing until now - you must stop fighting anxiety. Fighting only causes more stress and strain, to recover your nervous system needs less. So surrender to your anxiety, agree to accept it for the time being, co-exist with it.
The secret of recovery is to recognise that anxiety is a confidence trickster: it makes us feel ill, feel awful, feel fearful, gives us stomach ache and palpitations yet it can't kill you or disable you or send you crazy. It's a fraud, a fake, a blip in your over-worked nervous system. So frame your mind to ACCEPT all the bad feelings and symptoms calmly and with the minimum of fear. Carry on with your life as normal despite the symptoms, only now you accept then for the moment without giving them undue importance or attention.
You've coped with the symptoms so far, just cope with them a little longer only practice accepting them. You can't truly accept them and fear them at the same time so by accepting them we give our nerves a break from fear and they begin to recover. Not today, not this week but with practice and persistance you will achieve a full recovery.
This Acceptance method has helped untold thousands to recover from anxiety in the last 50 years and you will be no exception. Google the book in which Doctor Claire Weekes first set out her Acceptance method titled 'Self help for your nerves' in the U.K. and 'Hope and help for your nerves' in the U.S. Then read a few of the hundreds of reader reviews about Weekes' method, you will notice that 90% rate her method Very Good or Excellent. It's a shortish book that avoids complex medical terms and you will soon recognise yourself in its pages.
John, whatever course if action you decide on I wish you a speedy recovery and before too long the return of your quiet mind.
Hi Jeff, thanks for a detailed and comprehensive response...I have ready many times to accept and not fight anxiety and have been trying hard to put this into practice, however I’ve struggled to adopt that way of thinking
I have heard of the book you mentioned and wonder how a book can change my mental disorder...I’m not saying that acceptance is not possible, it takes a lot of practice and I’m trying
Does take a lot of practice accepting the panic and anxiety and can be scary but it has helped me a lot. At first it didnt work at all for me but thats because i wasnt brave enough and kept reaching for my comforts, but I'm getting there now and I'm sure you will too x
Hi Sarah good to know acceptance is helping you I will download the book tomorrow and begin the journey thanks for your support x
Hi John, practicing acceptance without hearing it from the horse's mouth so to speak is a disadvantage. The answer to how a book can change a mental disorder is to be found among those 350 reader reviews. Even where anxiety disorder is genetic or inherited this method can make a big difference if it re-occurs.
Hi jeff1943 I really liked your reply to John 777.It was well written and excellent explanation on anxiety.
Have I been to you gp ?
Hi Lou Lou...I have had the condition for many years and am currently under my GP and psychiatrist thank you
I'm sorry you have suffered for such a long time...it can seem that nothing will ever change and you will always feel this way..one trick I found out was to break up the day - in one day you will have an ebb and flow of your anxiety times where it is very bad and times when it is less so - I think our mind tricks us to thing that we feel the same level of anxiety the whole time but we do not..at some points it dips but because that is our normal state we take it for granted...try to recognise the times that you feel less anxious and then focus on them no matter if it's a second or a minute or 10 minutes...see if you can recognise times even when you think you are anxious you are less so...this morning I felt very anxious and I found it hard to get out of bed - voices in my head were telling me I can't cope and I can't do anything..meanwhile I was on my computer doing some work..in my mind I was in bed a gibbering wreck but no I was actually doing work!! See- I can cope...I then got up and got on with my day and for most of the time I was anxiety free..right now I'm peaking a bit again but I'm writing to you and it makes me feel a bit better and when I check how I feel RIGHT NOW I don't feel anxious...perhaps a minute later I will feel anxious again etc. etc. REALLY feel the dips when you feel good and calm and then imagine them again and again...and they are your little islands of piece...
Hi Laney
Thanks for your response my anxiety does edd and flow as you have described and I do capitalise on the not so bad moments of time
I will try to be more accepting and read the book recommend by Jeff, as I feel this might be a good place to begin a greater insight and different approach to recovery than I’m used to
Thank you
I agree with Jeff on the book but the one book that really turned things around for me was Jon Kabat Zin - The mindfulness way through depression- I had chronic anxiety for months and months at that time and was in bad shape...reading the book and doing the exercises on the cd made a difference - I know you can do it...don't give up
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