Anxiety?

[nikkistowe]

Does anyone elso experience anxiety when transferring? like your falling or is it just me?

if so, what do you do?

[february]

Dear Nikkistowe, I don't use a wheelchair, only a cane, but suffer from anxiety, as I've taken some pretty nasty falls, when not using it! Every time I've fallen, it knocks my confidence down a peg. I think anxiety and ataxia go hand in hand! My best advice is to tell yourself over and over you can do it! Sounds simple, but it works, as I couldn't step onto the UP escalator anymore. I froze! I was shopping with my daughter one, day and she said I could do it, think positive. So, I kept telling myself I could. I did it (twice), and all my pent up anxiety washed away. My best to you...,;o)

[nikkistowe Volunteer in reply to february]

Hi February I'm glad I'm not the only one, I'm studying CBT and it says roughly the same as u so I'll give it a go thankyou

[heather778]

Hello Nikkistowe

Does your anxiety come with all your transfers or certain ones? For example transferring in the bathroom? The Anxiety could be psychological like you mentioned or maybe from your body positing, how your transferring and weaken upper body strength? Maybe this could be linked to how safe you feel when your transferring.

[nikkistowe Volunteer in reply to heather778]

hi heather778. its weird sometimes i transfer fine but some days i struggle one transfer after another and it seems to vary place to place. if someones talking to me i can transfer fine so i dont know if its reassurance that if i fall i wont be on my own or just distraction. my upper body is surprisingly strong, i mean not body builder but i can hold my body weight, i can weight bare on my legs but i dont trust them as my knees tend to give way so i can walk anymore but can stand ti get in cars. i think the anxiety stems from, before i used my chair i have some bad falls which resulted in me breaking my ankle, and variour other bones but one that has badly affected me is falling when i was on my own all day and my phone was just out of reach and i was stuck without being able to get help. i think im scared of that happening again and the hurt of when i do fall. if that makes sense?