Anxiety: how long and what's cure ?

If you want help go to a doctor ,if you want to take medication take it.if you want to go to a therapist go to one.

All of these decisions are yours no one else can tell you what to do.

Do you want to be cripples by anxiety for the rest of your life and be sad or do you want to try and get control of it and have a near normal life.

There is no cure its a change in life style if you have a bad one medication if you want it and therapy if you want it no MAGIC CURES

Your decision

CBT has helped me greatly with anxiety and I am now on a waiting list for more robust therapy for depression.

But it is eveyones personal choice

and talking helps in the sense of we learn to talk about our experiences of anxiety disorder

and share and learn new ways of coping.

but its not the ulitmate solution.

I truly believe that once we have anxiety Disorder it will stay with us throughout our lives.

the key is to find a way to live a relatively normal life despite having the disorder.

but sadly that's not easy and takes much effort and determination

to summon the will to in a sense fight against the urge to let anxiety control our lives.

you see much of the problem is in the mind.

the way we percieve everyday situations.

for example a person with a balanced level of adrenaline won't feel anxious at the thought of walking into a crowded supermarket.

but a person with high levels of anxiety or adrenaline will view that situation in the way a person would view a lion blocking our pathway.

the lion will likely attack us.

but nothing will happen if we walk into the supermarket.

its just that we learn to fear what we shouldn't.

everyone has their own reason for percieving things in the wrong way.

and if that becomes a habit then we become mentally trapped into a negative way of thinking.

if we can change the way we view everyday situations then we are on the road to recovery

because the cause of anxiety begins in the mind.

and what we think affects the rest of our body which brings on heightened feelings of anxiety

even though what we fear won't actually do us any harm.

Petarian is an individual like Lynne and so whatever way Petarian decides to deal with anxiety is up to that person.

That's my opinion.

If you read back the 45 post on this subject of Peterian people have given her advice but all she wants is a cure she is not trying to help herself she keeps going back to the same thing a cure

You are responsible for your own anxiety if they dont want it to take over  your life then they have to do something about it 

Lynne.

I just expressed my opinion

it wasn't a personal comment on you.

I'm sending a virtual handshake to you...will you send one back?

; 0 )

Basically there is a switch in your brain that is broken it is telling you your in danger when your not we have to try and repair that switch.

I think thats an easier way to put it rather than banging on like you have.

CBT teaches you techniques to help cope with anxiety/panic even simple things like how to breathe properly

Everyone has to want to help themselves no magic cure

I take AD's but that is because I have severe depression I would not take AD's for anxiety by chose,

Everyone reacts differently to anxiety to medication to panc there is no one solution fits all

I appreciate your feedback.

I'm sorry you viewed my comment as banging on.

I wrote what I wrote based on my experience and understanding of anxiety disorder.

and I agree with you that no solution works for all.

some people have severe anxiety disorder...some don't.

I have severe anxiety disorder and I guess that's why I perhaps come across quite passionately?

but its also cause I do sympatize with people who suffer from it.

anyway thanks again for your feedback.

all the best

I tried group threapy but the stress of attending every week became too much for me so I left.

can I ask you a question Lynne?

apart from Breathing techiques

are there other ways of controlling anxiety?

I tried hand holding with a good friend of mine last week in a crowded cafe and to an extent I felt slightly calmer.

because one thing I realise about myself is that I am very insecure and so I need something to lean on in a sense to calm my anxiety

so even holding the hand of a close understanding friend I found it helpful.

Ive had this problem since childhood.

its 24/7 and makes everyday life more challenging than it should be.

I also suffer from depression.

I think that is due to my long term anxiety disorder.

I wish I could overcome this problem but its so hard.

You basically have to fil a sheet in before you attendant your first appoinment then it gets put onto a computer you have to mark you anxiety levels from 0 to 10 every week and you have to try and get your levels down.

Its just learning techniques it works for some and doesnt for others

Theres is an exposure part to it, basically one of my problems was going on the bus (I dont drive) when my anxiety first started I had a funny turn on a bus had to get off at the next available stop and get a taxi home.

So every day for a week I had to go on a bus ride making it a bit longer every day recording your stress levels.

Same kind of thing can be done for crowded place.s

You have to do the work

It is a cheap therapy people with deeper problems need more robust therapy

I must say that one of the difficult things for me is doing the things that bring on high levels of anxiety such as doing everyday things like getting on a bus.

I know it sounds silly...after all what is the need to fear getting on a bus?

but for some reason It does bring on strong feelings of anxiety.

I think part of the reason is cause I'm very shy?

I'm very self concious and so my mind is too focused on how I look etc and I waste time worrying about how I look in other people's eyes?

last weekend I accepted an invitation to meet a very good friend of mine in a public place

but days before I was so so so nervous and I was physically trembling and I even cried a few times all because I decided to step out of my shell and do what I normally avoid which is to go out socially.

doing that is a major challenge for me because I have high anxiety.

but I took my med and it helped to calm me down and so I met my friend and had a really nice time.

I was nervous the entire time but I was glad I endured the anxiety rather than hide away.

I intend to do it again hopefully next weekend.

If so I'll let you know how it goes?

you sound like you are getting better lynne even if the progress is slow.

you sound confident and that comes across in your posts.

is your anxiety noticable or does it only show in certain situations that make you feel anxious?

also have you ever tried to find out why you feel anxious boarding a bus?

could it be a confidence or self esteem issue?

sometimes those things are the roots of anxiety.

and what is your social life like?

are you able to get out and about despite your anxiety?

my anxiety problem goes right back to my childhood.

I was told it was because the medication that I was on had stopped working.

With a medication change CBT and 6 months off work I feel I am getting back to normal I still get anxiuos but I tell myself Im ok it cant hurt me.

The bus thing I thinks its because I had an panic attack on it and this was before I had lots of test done with my heart and stomach I thought I was having a heart attack and that has stuck in my head hence the bus was my enemy.

I dont socialise my depression is from deep rooted family problems I have been estranged from my family for over 20 years.

I have so many regrets and that is why my CBT therapist thinks I need more indepth therapy for my depression.

I am going back to work soon I go shopping etc when I feel like it but dont go to crowded place or anything like that

I think you are doing well.

as I said you come across as confident even if your not like that in person.

I can relate to your troubled family problems.

I grew up in a family plagued with violence drugs and alot of anxiety.

and me being a sensitive person I think it left its mark on me and Ive never been the same since.

Like you I haven't worked for a while but I'm starting to get that feeling that I want to get out there again

but the shyness and anxiety always gets in the way one way or another.

I'll be 50 next year and so I don't have much time left so I have to get back on top one way or another even if I have to bear the pain of non stop anxiety.

I take propananol for my anxiety.

have you tried them?

I find 80 mill works for me.

When i was on the stronger does I would feel spaced out all day.

its really horrible being trapped in a world of anxiety.

I think this is one of the reasons I suffer from depression?

because I feel I can't really enjoy life like people who have normal levels of anxiety.

when your level of anxiety is always high like mine

it make life hard to enjoy because one is restricted by inner fear.

I think this is also why Ive never been successful when it comes to relationships?

I worry that my anxiety will freak a woman out and she'll chose the more confident guy than me.

I can see you getting back to work Lynne cause you come across confidently in your posts

and that can help you find your way back into work.

and as you said

you tell yourself you are ok

and that can help as well because in fact I think that is the key to overcoming anxiety since much of it is due to how we think.

so if we can change the way we think

we are halfway to freeing ourselves from a year (in my case decades)

trapped in a world of irrational fear.

I wish you all the very best Lynne.

Take care

hiding away never helps and yet it is so easy to become used to hiding away rather than putting ourselves out from time to time in order to become accustomed to living rather than hiding.

I also agree that Taxi's are too expensive...I think trains are too.

buses are cheaper.

have you ever thought about buying a bike and going out for a long ride perhaps to a nice park and bring a packed lunch and try to enjoy the peace and tranquilty before cycling back home?

that may be beneficial?

in fact I'm thinking of trying that...but need to get a bike first lol.

but I always managed to find a way to cope.

my last job was as a traffic warden.

did it for 5 years.

wasn't easy as you can imagine but I coped reasonably well.

wouldn't want to do that job again though lol.

my long term ambition is to be a postie.

I guess cause I enjoy walking and I like being outside despite my anxiety.

if only I could fulfill my ambition that would be so good Lynne.

what sort of work do you want to do?

I don't want to work in a supermarket

that seems too stressful for me.

anyway I'm off to fill my tummy

so I'll wish you good evening

and its been lovely communicating with you.

all the best lynne

bye ; 0 )