Anxiety recovery stories

Do you have any, in my case I suffer a Chronic Condition and can go through  periods of remission.

Today has been a real pain literary, and have been in a great deal of pain. Whatever my situation is I have to push myself and that is counterproductive sometimes.

It has been a sweeties day I am afraid

And You

BOB

Yes! I have a recovery story.

I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder in my early 20s. I was home on break from graduate school, and had to go back in a few days. I had finally turned in the 80 pages of papers I'd written after hauling half of Harvard's library home on the train. The train I took because I was too anxious to take a plane, especially since the 9/11 attacks had happened just a few months earlier. And I was stressed about going back to school, where I hadn't found many friends. I don't remember what I was doing that day, but somehow I ended up on the living room floor, crying, "Somebody make it stop!" I barely made it through that final semester of grad school, taking half my classes pass/fail and doing a lot of therapy and a lot of crying on the phone with my mom.

That was almost 15 years ago. Recovery has not been a straight line; I doubt it ever is. I will always be at risk for the flare-ups. But I'm now a Director at a major museum. I wouldn't have believed you if you'd told me 15 years ago that I would be able to handle that kind of role.

If you do the work - and oh, it is HARD work! - but if you do the work, you gain so many tools. Every time you have a flare up will be different. You'll notice the anxiety earlier, so you can intervene sooner. You'll have more tools to use to intervene. Some people have more severe anxiety than others. Your recovery might look different than mine. It might not mean anxiety never happens again. But recovery is absolutely possible.

I hate anxiety. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. But you know...it's taught me a lot. I'm kinder for it. I notice the importance of dsily acts of kindness, like an on-call doctor who reassures me, or a pharmacist who helps me make sure I'm using my medications correctly. I'm better at dealing with normal life stress than most people I know, who do not have the kind of training I do in how to cope with anxiety. I'm not afraid to be with a friend who is going through some anxiety or depression, because I know I don't have to say the right thing; I remember what it's like to just need someone with me. And I've learned how important it is to me that I share my struggles, to help combat the ridiculous stigma around mental illness. Every time I tell people I have anxiety, multiple folks come up afterwards and tell me about their anxiety, or their brother's depression, or whatever. And they thank me for sharing, and tell me that it helps them to know they are not alone.

Recovery happens. So does suffering - from anxiety, or a death, or a layoff, or a physical injury or disability. Life won't always be easy. But you'll never be alone in that suffering. Build your support system to help you in the hard times. Do the work with your doctors and therapists. And try to remember that every flare-up is a chance to learn how to support yourself better next time. It won't feel like it at the time, but I swear it's true. Come on by here if it gets too bad, and we'll help you remember.

<3

Beth