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11 years and counting

Timbo637

2024-10-31 6:49 AM

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Feels like hell week all over!!

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2024-10-30 9:38 AM

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Roller Coaster Withdrawal

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2024-10-14 12:28 PM

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Smile....and don't shoot the messenger

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2024-09-27 3:17 PM

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looking for panic /anxiety !!


17 years ago 0 2101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Yes i was about four years without meds where i basically functionned in a way i consider as no panic and no anxiety problems. I had a relapse in December. A lot of things happened in my life all at once and the old aniety/panic came back at me. But yeah was about 4 years reletively anxiety free, in the sense that i was no more anxious then another human being who doesn't suffer from an anxiety disorder. But i consider myself on the path to recovery atm and this program is helping me alot. I try to stay positive about things and see what i accomplish and celebrate my successes. But yes, I get what you mean in this thread. Anyway, i am not even sure I am making sense atm, I am pretty beat had a big day.Take care :) -Diva
17 years ago 0 77 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thanks for your responses guys. Diva, I have no idea how to hook up, it its technical, count me out ! I can't do it !! And talking out loud, I think thats a great idea, because then you can reaffirm beliefs and stuff, and give yourself a good talking to ! I guess in some ways its inevitable that if you have a bad period in your life, to some degree you're always going to have thoughts about it recurring. I have a friend with Crohns disease, and he says the same, if he has the tiniest tummy ache, he's afraid he's going to have a bad episode, so its kinda similar I guess. Will have a look at the programme again. You did good on the freeway too, well done !! Had a busy day in the garden today, in the sun ( yes we do get the sun in the u.k !! ), and didn't think about it once, so thats positive. Isn't it difficult tho' sometimes to get the balance between activity, ( avoidance ? still not sure about that one ) and doing too much ? Still learning I guess. Diva, did you also have a long period of being well ? Coz you talk about a relapse in December.
17 years ago 0 2101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Well I am sure the looking for anxiety thing fades eventually, especially if you become aware of your thought pattern and you challenge it. And btw wholesale congraulations on the freeway thing, that is so awesome and well, I can't speak for the others but I am certainely not sick of hearing about your great successes. I know that is a big deal and you are doing fantastic and that makes me feel good that this thing can be beaten. So thanks for keeping us updated on your successes :) Congratulations you go girl! -Diva
17 years ago 0 33 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Yeah I haven't quite made it to the "recovered" stage or anything yet - but I have been having great success with some of my exposure stuff - especially with driving on the freeway (as I'm sure some of you are probably sick of hearing about - but it's a big deal to me, and I'm amazed at the steady and measurable progress I've been making after so long of not being able to do it at all without having a total meltdown). Anyways - my point is that I've noticed I have that same "looking for panic/anxiety" feeling. Like today I caught myself doing it as I was driving down to visit my sister (she lives in a town an hour down the freeway). I wasn't feeling anxious in the old normal way, but I was still on edge because I was sort of waiting for it or watching for it to strike. I have found that talking out loud (when I'm alone so people don't think I'm crazy or something talking to myself :p) helps sometimes when I need to abruptly redirect my thoughts. So I just said to myself "You're fine. You don't have panic attacks here anymore. Just relax and enjoy the scenery." It worked. I haven't had a full blown panic attack on the freeway for 3 or 4 weeks now, and reminding myself of that helped a lot. I'm hoping that the "looking for panic/anxiety" thing will fade away as I start to really trust that I can do certain things with little to no risk of having a panic attack.
17 years ago 0 2101 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hiya Sue! Well I had a relapse in December, and I am not quite recovered though I do consider myself as recovering well :) But yeah I know EXACTLY what you mean... I am having a good relaxing day and yet my base anxiety level is just a bit too high and I wonder why then I realize that it is because in the back of my mind I am just enumerating all the ways my anxiety or panic disorder can ruin my day. And then I think, oh wait, by doing that I am ruining my day all on my own! I find that challenging my anxious thoughts helps me a lot. Sometimes it takes a whole hour and many sheets of papers to battle through it all, but eventually my anxiety does go down and I relax more. I think that it is just so bad, when it is really bad, that when we are well we fear it getting bad again. But challenging those thoughts is important I think. plus you seem to be doing everything humanly possible to have harmony and good balance in your life so I think you can go the last little way and challenge that last little thought or fear. I really believe you can. Way to go Sue on taking such good care of yourself and keep us posted. Oh and when you suddenly realize you've gone several days or weeks without thinking about your anxiety (and I just know it will happen for you) come back here and let us know :) -Diva P.S: If you like spiritual reading, I think I know a book that would really be good at helping with this. That book is really helping me change my outlook on life and it doesnt clash with anything learned on this site. Since we cannot advertise books on this site, if you are interested, write to me a few different times where we can meet for just 5 minutes on the CBT chat thingy and I will set up a time we can both be there for 5 and I will tell you what book it is lol Anyway, thanks for talking about this, it made me realize how I do it too lol.
17 years ago 0 8760 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Sue f, Our members will be along shortly to share their experiences with you. I think you'll find you're not alone. Many members fear relapse or anxiety attacks. You may find it helpful to review/work through session 2 & 3 as these sections focus particularly on challenging anxious thoughts. Keep us posted. Danielle _______________________ The PC Support Team
17 years ago 0 77 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
This may seem strange, I'm not sure, but has anyone 'recovered' or maybe recovering , and having a good day, relaxing or whatever, and then find that you're just waiting or expecting anxiety to hit ? It generally doesn't, but you almost gear yourself up for 'it', so you're never fully relaxed ? I've been panic free for a long time, completely changed my life around, and started looking after myself properly, plenty of nice, relaxing hobbies and stuff, but then because the time when I was bad, was just so bad ( there's not many days when I don't think about it, in some way )I find sometimes that I think about it too much, and almost expect something to happen. I hope this makes sense. It may sound feeble to those of you battling so hard, but being so ill 5 years ago, frightened me so much that its difficult not to think about it really. I just never want to go through that again. Can anyone relate to this in any way ?

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