If i was to list all the possible symptoms of anxiety, i would be here all week. There are many common symptoms such as feelings of dread, intrusive thoughts, elephant on the chest, blurred vision, lump in throat, bowel issues etc etc. There are also many other symptoms that may be unique to each sufferer. However, the important thing is (caveat..your doctor has told you, maybe on more than one occasion that you are fit and well), whatever your symptoms might be, they should all be put under the umbrella of anxiety. And because of this, the treatment to remove your inappropriate anxiety is also the same, regardless of the symptoms you might be experiencing. The way to recover is by truly accepting all those symptoms and having an attitude of being ok about not feeling ok. Acceptance also means not constantly self checking for symptoms or constantly seeking reassurance about one new symptom or another. It's just anxiety! Like i said, it is about being comfortable about feeling very uncomfortable and carrying on with your day in the same way you would do if you didnt have anxiety. No hiding, no supressing, no avoiding or doing anything to not feel anxious.
Acceptance takes away the fear you are adding to your anxiety and the sole reason sufferers continue to suffer, breaking the vicious cycle. It creates a space and time for your mind and body to repair itself and for peace of mind and body to follow. This process wont happen overnight. It takes time to shift your attitude to one of acceptance instead of fearing and a bit more time for the mind and body to heal. The beauty is, all this happens naturally in the same way a person recovers from a physical inury or common virus. You dont have to do anything whatsoever other than to look at the symptoms differently. You can also stop doing things to try and rid yourself of anxiety because this has the opposite effect to what you are hoping to achieve. I tried all sorts of things to stop feeling anxious 24/7 which I've covered previously but none provided permanent relief. The only thing that worked for me was learning to accept. I ditched all my coping techniques and let my anxiety do its worst without resisting any of it. Over time, all those symptoms just melted away, some without me even realising they had gone. The only thing i changed was my attitude towards the symptoms. I just stopped caring so much about them and any new ones because I understood that it was just anxiety trying to trick me into thinking something was wrong. Once you lose your respect of the symptoms that bother you so much, you are well on the road to recovery.
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Beevee
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Great post Beevee, it also perfectly sums up my experience. I even got to the point of looking forward to the anxiety attacks and daring them to happen, something i never wold have imagined a few years ago. The other thing that helped was practicing mindfulness. I would make a point to practice when i was feeling good so it was easier when i wasn't. Mindfulness is truly the tool for detaching from anxious thoughts and letting them float away.
Perfect.... being ok about not being ok is where I’m trying too hard to reach over analysing why I feel like I do where did it come from when what how ???? But you’re right I need to change my thoughts.....
Don’t try to change your thoughts. That’s nigh on impossible because you have no control over thoughts that pop into your mind uninvited. You do, however, control how you react to those anxious thoughts. Presently, I suspect an anxious thought will pop into your head. Propelled to the forefront of your mind because of an almost physical like force, demanding your attention. Dr Claire Weekes described this as first fear. In a sensitised state, this is natural and you have no control over this so don’t try to do anything about it. Let the thought come, let it scare you. Let it do its worst. The next part is important which can be described as second fear. Second fear can be described as all those “What ifs”, or any other adverse reaction you choose. How you react to second fear will determine whether or not those thoughts keep coming or melt away into nothingness. They are the creation of a tired anxious mind which is only capable of churning out anxious thoughts. They won’t be there when anxiety is removed.
To remove those thoughts, develop a passive approach after the first fear flash. Watch the thoughts come, say hello, let them have their say (they will any way) observe what they are saying and then let them go. Learn not to question them , analyse them or fight them. Don’t try and suppress them or do anything about them. Developing a passive attitude towards these thoughts stops adding second fear which is the only reason they stick and/or gather force. By not adding second fear, you starve the thought and it gradually loses its power to shock and fades away.
The same principle of acceptance I have described also applies to any physical feelings caused by anxiety. Learn to let go of all symptoms.
Thank you so much, this is so insightful and exactly what I need to read, it’s strange because if I was in a better /stronger mind frame I’d be telling myself or whoever was suffering the very same thing but right now that’s not really working, but actually reading your post over and over is really helping
Thank you so much for taking time to write such supportive posts
Beevee...You said it well !..much better then then Clair weeks book..."Hope and help for your nerves" . Which was a very helpful book to me when i was in a severe anxiety state years ago. We know the way into Anxiety and we have to learn the way out. Did you know that after coming out of an anxiety State we are so much more stronger then when we went in! Anxiety taught us what we needed to change in our lives,mostly our negative thinking anxiety also made us realize who we are . We are able to help someone get through an anxiety State because we have been there.. Most therapist, psychiatrist cant begin to understand anxiety and how it can be hell going through it..you have to experience it in order to help someone else..that's why this site is so wonderful ..because we can help someone else recover and that makes me feel good!
People in a Anxiety state almost always have all the same symptoms..some have less symptoms like stiff, neck, chest tightness..all of which will never hurt us. What you have experienced is it ! nothing more will happen ! it is limited . with this knowledge, we loose the fear of the feelings and they get less and less, we start to no longer fear the symptoms and they go away. Millions and Millions of people are experiencing anxiety..we are not alone.
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