Our nervous system is fully able to repair itself like any other part of the body. All it needs is a period of peace and quiet to be allowed to do so. But all too often our response to the symptoms of anxiety disorder denies our nerves the period of calm they crave in order to recover.
All too often we fight our anxiety. But fighting only causes stress and tension. Our nervous system needs peace and quiet and we give it more stress and tension - and wonder why we're not recovering.
All too often we respond to the flash of first fear caused by our symptoms with second fear. Sometimes we frighten ourselves half to death imagining we have life-threatening illnesses. Once again the fear hormones we generate cause further sensitivity of our nervous system preventing the calm it needs to rest and recover.
All too often we stress and obsess about our symptoms causing more nervous anquish instead of the peace and quiet our nerves need.
It's like constantly picking a scab which only makes sure it won't get better.
In fact, the best way to help our jangled nerves recover is to do nothing. No more fighting, no more flooding our nerves with fear hormones and no more obsessing and stressing.
Instead we should passively accept for the time being all the strange thoughts and feelings that over sensitised nerves send our way.
By doing nothing more than simple acceptance we create the tranquil conditions for our nerves to rest, recouperate and recover in accord with the natural healing process.
As I've said before, we win not by the punches we give but by the punches we take.
Written by
Jeff1943
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How do you personally cope? Do you take a prescription?
I was wondering if anyone here has a sucsessful story for me?
I am day 2 of Viibryd.
I HATE taking any medication! I was desperately trying to get magnesium to do it's Job.
I'm depressed just being on a crapy pill. I just know I'm killing myself slowly. I've always had bizarre side effects. In fact, when the phycologist stated my last liver test was good. I replied ( way too quickly) "So let's kill it!"
AllHis, You ask how I cope, I am an advocat of the acceptance method for recovery from anxiety disorder in all its forms set out many years ago by Claire Weekes in her first book ' Self help for your nerves' (available new or used from Amazon or used from Ebay). In my case my anxiety is inherited so I will always be subject to it but I minimise the effect of it by practicing the acceptance method. I also occasionally use diazepam/valium.
Psychiatric medications don't cure anxiety but if your anxiety is overwhelming and you have work or family responsibilities then the right thing to do is to obtain the respite that medications can bring.
But meds do not cure, they give temporary relief. But do not underestimate their help in extreme cases.
I recommend you read the book mentioned ordering it from Amazon
or Ebay. Untold thousands have used it to bring about their recovery. But don't just read the book and put it to oneside, you have to practice acceptance with persistance. I hope it does for you what it has done for me and enables you to reclaim your quiet mind.
That's just my point. Drugs have created more anxiety! I don't like them. I don't like how I feel! I feel drunk right now, and I haven't had a relaxing night out with an alcoholic beverage for way too long!
I'm quite mad because I haven't found answers...
I can't move past the fact that I'm always misdiagnosed. I complained years ago about my appendex pain, and was treated for constipation. Well, my body healed the implosion with scar tissue. And then my gall bladder was literally rotting out, functioning at 8%, before I had the relief of removal after 3 1/2 years of "IBS."
It is my honest belief that something is seriously wrong. Every time I'm the most relaxed, something bizarre happens to me.
Maybe if someone replies...
Right side rib pain. Like a tearing. Sharp, brief and gone. Just happening more often.
My neck on the right side is so tight, I never sleep well.
Pulsating heart beat in my left ear.
Blurry vision with eye pressure behind my eyes.
Left TMJ hurts when I chew and yawn. I can't open my mouth fully.
When I wake in the early morning, my right leg and left hand are numb.
And I lost low tone hearing in my right ear last spring. Both ears act up at times like on an airplane. I can't hear but echoes within, like they're clogged.
Does anyone have like a heart vibration for hours on end after you eat? I'll often sweat profusely with this. It's like an internal shaking...
I'll look seriously into the self help book. I want off this ride!
Yet, most helpful would be, "yes, anxiety causes all this..."
For 9 months I've been trying to convince myself anxiety, and then I get another symptom and another specialist...
AllHis, all the symptoms you mention are symptoms of anxiety disorder but if you're not convinced see your doctor again. I think the book will bring you greater understanding about how anxiety works and how it expresses itself through health anxiety.
AllHis, anxiety takes many forms but it is always still anxiety. Anxiety works through our nervous system abd our nervous system covers the whole of our bodies from our toes to our ears. So anxiety can express itself by mimicking genuine physical illness in any part of the body. You can't tell it from the real thing. Until you try to x-ray it, blood test for it or have a scan for it - then it DOESN'T show up because it is fake not genuine. For example, chest pains caused by heart problems will show up as blocked arteries on a scan. But the same pain caused by muscular tension due to anxiety won't show up on a scan or any other medical test.
Even when you're feeling relaxed anxiety can strike because your nervous system is still over sensitised. That book tells how to desensitise it through acceptance.
Can I just say that none of us are medical or psychiatric professionals, we are just people who are experienced in having anxiety and through exchanging what we know and reading self help books we are able to help each other. But we are not qualified to diagnose a health symptom, that has to be done by a doctor or specialist maybe using tests. Only when anxiety has been professionally diagnosed should we advise, otherwise we could end up telling someone their symptoms are anxiety when in fact they might be physical.
Jeff, I agree. "Simple acceptance" is wise advice. I don't think we are here to struggle. Assuring yourself calmly that all will be well helps also.
Well said and we all need to learn from that. I really need to start meditation.
Today I have bought a tea called 'Happy Me' - I have been feeling a little low but for no apparent reason, although I do have Emetophobia and I've been trying to think differently in order to overcome this. I recently bought a tea 'Yogi Tea Stomach Ease' as I have IBS, I've never drunk a tea that I thought would make me feel so much better.
Other age old remedies for anxiety include a tea made from the leaves of the lemon balm plant also called verbana and for stomach distress a tea made from paper thin slices of fresh ginger root.
There is no time, days, months and years for the nervous system to get repaired. It’s all about acceptance. Once you stop feeding nervous system with fear hormones it will dissapear.
Kyle is right, it can range from weeks to several months. We spend ages getting ourselves into this state, we should at least allow a decent period of time for our nerves to heal themselves with the help of Acceptance.
JUst how many years does one tolerate stress? I accept your point about accepting things but I have been in "fight or flight" mode since the age of 6. I am now 79. A horrendous childhood. And marriage. Husband left after 30 years having had affairs throughout. I have ET, CFS , COPD and Bronchiectasis. Am waiting for a brain scan, endoscopy and referral to endocrinologist after repeated UTIs since 2016 with no improvement. I live alone, see a neighbour maybe once a week,have had to give up driving. That is a précis of my life so yes, I agree acceptance is a good idea, just how. Ich does a person have to accept. My haemo. nurse suspects my immune system is shot. So, comment s please anyone. Mary
Garden987, sorry to hear about your problems, there has clearly been a lot of stress in your life which has caused your anxiety disorder. When we use the word Acceptance we definitely don't mean 'putting up' with the symptoms of anxiety for ever. As advocated by the late Doctor Claire Weekes her Acceptance method for relief and recovery from anxiety disorder means that we accept the symptoms FOR THE TIME BEING without fighting them or constantly stressing and obsessing about them and with the least amount of fear. This is what one must practice in order to frame our minds around acceptance. The symptoms will of course continue to trouble us but by not adding more fear hormones to our nervous system we allow them to eventually desensitise and recover and the symptoms disperse. Claire Weekes first book is titled 'Self help for your nerves'. It was written when you were 36 years old and I was 32 years old so it has withstood the test of time. It has gone through dozens of reprints. The book is available from Amazon or used from Ebay. I recommend it to you.
This is a beautiful post! Thank you for this.
I am too practicing “acceptance” and seeing a professional for my on-going anxiety. In my last session, my doctor asked me what is it I am trying to achieve and my reply was “acceptance and peace”. I am exhausted and all I want to do is to enjoy my life. I am constantly DOING something and relaxing on a couch on a Sunday gives me anxiety because I simply cannot “chill” by myself and become overwhelmed with my thoughts and fears. I forgot the last time I felt relaxed. I forgot the last time I felt being present in a moment. Instead, I am always busy and always moving (which can be a good thing if it wasn’t so destructive every time you want to stop and take a break). So, therefore I am practicing acceptance, ie who I am with all my flaws and imperfections. I am trying to accept that I can be vulnerable and weak. And I am trying to achieve peace, not happiness but peace as I come to realise that you can be happy when you are at peace with yourself but you can never be happy when there’s a constant war inside you and you are always on a losing side.
Also, just downloaded a book you suggested and will definitely read it.
Please always qualify such OPINIONS as just that. What makes your opinion so dangerous is because there is a great deal of truth to it BUT there is also a vast amount of context and perspective that is missing. Simple acceptance generally requires a long time to master and knowledge of both numerous tools, at least rudimentary anatomy and physiology, some grasp of psychology, and a dozen other things I could mention can all prove immensely useful; some indispensible, and to repeat IT IS NOT APPLICABLE TO EVERYONE.
I just happen to be schooled in Buddhism, psychology, anatomy & physiology, and in addition to living with chronic anxiety since adolescence (which in part is caused my a genetic condition which causes spontaneous fight or flight response for NO reason; it's a pure genetic quirk - which I can manage through acceptance because I know about it but it's still horrendous and sometimes goes on for so long that I take medication to stop myself vomiting. Only if I were a Buddhist master, hindu yogi, or some other such expert who had spent three decades mastering my body would I be able to control this phenomenon), I have also worked in mental health and am now in the process of setting up a charity dedicated to providing accurate, verified, qualified and ethically sound information on mental health issues. So I know what I'm talking about.
Please consider the possible ramifications of anybody reading what you post and not realising that it is highly contextual.
I only address people who have been diagnosed by professionals as having anxiety disorder and I frequently point out the importance of this as you have just discovered. In many cases it is clear from the posting that the person posting has received medical attention.
I repeat here the teachings of Doctor Claire Weekes who was a psychiatrist.
Do ... NOT ... shout. You've just made my eyes bleed with all that uppercase nonsense. Apart from anything else, there is quite simply NO need for that type of ill-mannered silly behaviour. None. Period. Thanks.
I’ve worked as a psychiatric social worker in hospital and in community clinic for many years. Anxiety presents in many forms . There is no one size fits all solution. Let’s all respect the variety of conditions our community represents. If you are under medical care and you feel it’s working, then keep at it. If a non medical method works, then continue. But for everyone, please show respect and humbleness. This is a support community, not an arena for evangelism of any sort. Direct message me with any questions or comments
Personally, I used to experience anxiety only a normal amount up until the age of 30. So .. starting a new job , a first date etc. Since developing a disorder (which was self inflicted , not hereditary or genetic in my case) I then used the acceptance method to overcome it. I consider myself recovered now. As in... back to the way I was before I developed the disorder. Granted there might be people out there that have had this since they were born and therefore the acceptance method to the point where they are in complete remission , won’t always work. So for those who developed irrational fears and phobias to things , walking head on and facing them over and over again is the only way to tell your overactive nervous system to stop misfiring. Eventually, through a hell of a lot of patience and repetition , this works. The nervous system itself will also fire off randomly during this process ... which isn’t a bad thing, it’s healing. Release the anxious energy inside you, float over it and accept. Do this long enough and the symptoms become inconsequential to the point they are finally no longer there.
Normal living despite the anxiety = Inevitable Recovery .
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