Will it ever leave me???

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-28-2006
Will it ever leave me???
2
Sat, 07-22-2006 - 8:34pm
I have had GAD since high school, 20 years or more and most of the time it seems to leave after a while. I have had this anxiety for 6+ months and it is staying the same. I have been in therapy for about 6 months but just when I think that it is getting better it is not. I feel like a real mess. I keep it together in front of everyone including the kids - My husband is the one who is so supportive and know the real side of it. I always have anxiety over the same things and cannot seem to get past them. I think about these situations all of the time and cannot get it out of my mind (something happening to my kids, ect. ect. ect.) Does anyone have any advice. I could really use some, my therapist is on vacation until the 1st.) I have not had luck with meds and I really do not want to go that route, any suggestions?
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Sat, 07-22-2006 - 11:59pm

There are ppl who have learned techniques to deal with their anxiety. I use the belly breathing & positive thinking. I allow myself 20 to 30 minutes to dwell on the scary thoughts. Then I make myself move on. Keeping physically & mentally active diverts my attention away from the thoughts. This takes practice & you need to be motivated. Have you asked your therapist for ways to cope with your fears? I learned relaxation exercises in my *T's* office. For me, practice makes perfect. I had to learn them when I was NOT anxious. Then, they were second nature when the intrusive thoughts hit.


As for meds, I don't like to take them. I have had many good years when meds weren't needed. For now, I am coping well & not using meds. But, I do believe this is a chemical imbalance. I know that @ anytime, I may have a return of severe anxiety & would need the meds. This isn't a flaw in your character. It's a flaw in your chemistry. If you were a diabetic, you would take insulin. This is the very same situation.


Good luck in whatever method you choose to cope. We will support you in it. Good luck! (((hugs))) jan





 

 


 



iVillage Member
Registered: 10-02-2004
Sun, 07-23-2006 - 9:35am
Hi. I know what you mean. I have periods when I am ok but then I seem to get to feeling weird and then one of my typical worries will surface and the anxiety begins. It is such a horrible cycle, I know. I have like a set of worries and one or more will surface. It is always the same crap too. I will think I have put one to rest and have it all worked out and it will go away but then comes back during anxious times and I am back to square one with it again it seems. I am not on meds anymore and do not wish to be either. Sometimes I feel they are needed but overall they seem to cloud my mind a bit too much. Therapy is good but only if you find someone you can really relate to and that can take time. One thing I am learning through therapy and just through working through these things is that it is a bad thing to allow yourself to always reassure yourself when bad things enter your mind and spiral out of control. At first that sounded crazy to me. But now I see how always giving yourself that crutch can cause you to get into such a habitual cycle of "bad thought then reassurance" that your brain never allows it to stop. I can't explain it well but it now makes sense to me so when the worries or thoughts come, I am trying to ignore them and get my mind on something else rather than allowing myself to pay attention to the worries or thoughts and reassure myself that they are not going to happen. That seems to be the key to breaking the cycle but boy is it hard to do at first. Real hard. But well worth it once it starts to work. It is scary to do but it makes sense if you really think about it.