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sudden surge of anxiety


9 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Cara

To get rid of the DR/DP you have to get rid of the anxiety or at least get it down to a tolerable level. To do this you have to go back to the beginning. Back to where your thinking started to go negative. Places to look are peer pressure. adult influence as a child and any trauma no matter how mild. Anything that would get you thinking false because false thinking can not deal with reality in a real manner and causes anxiety. The DR/DP is an over reaction to the question "why". So you need answers to the question "why". All my DR/DP symptoms would lesson or fade during a panic attack because fight or flight in me shut down almost all thought, time and space. I could not have wrote my own name even.

A lot of people don't want to discuss their problem in forums so if you have any questions you want to ask and not have them in forums you can get my Email address from Ashley by sending an Email to her through the contact  at the bottom of the page. You should still continue the program and I will explain the things you don't understand.

Davit
9 years ago 0 169 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Yes Davit, pls help me. I need your knowledge to get over this hump.
9 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Cara

Very good as long as you believe it. I mean really believe it. Because if you don't then it means I lied to you and Ashley lied to you and that would be a core belief in the way of recovery and until you changed that we would not be able to help you. You would continue to add a negative onto the end of every positive thought all be it subconsciously and that would destroy what you are trying to do. Try to catch the negative thoughts and call them liars. They are.

I don't know if this will make sense, what you think and feel is real because it is facts that come out of memory. What isn't real is their place in reality. A lie is just a bunch of facts put together wrong. Anxiety is a bunch of these that look like they are real. Repeated they become real unless you change them. A truth can use the same facts as a lie just put together in a different order. So it isn't the facts but what you do with them that causes the anxiety. It is like playing scrabble. How you see the pieces is up to you. 

Again I have to say this is not a disease and it is not the trigger but how you see the trigger that is the problem. That is why this is a disorder. The order of how you see things is not right is all. That can be changed and I will help you do that. As for recovery there is hope in that word, it is recovering how you were when you were born and realigning everything since then. It will take a while but will go faster than you think.

Davit. 
9 years ago 0 169 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Davit and Ashley,

Thank you for your reply. 

So when I get these thoughts "I'm never going to get better, what if my life is like this forever, what if I go crazy? What if I can't cope...what if?" - first step: accept. Second- say to myself "I've felt this before, and it's not came true. I am still here and still Intouch with reality. It's just my anxiety talking again. Sometimes what you feel isn't always real and thoughts are always realistic.?"...

9 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Cara

One on one CBT would definitely be better because the focus would be on you with no dilution from others problems. 
A good therapist can do this. A good therapist will have answers and techniques specific to your problem. If you can find one it would be a good plan. 

Davit. 

Ps, the ten questions Ashley mentioned is both cognitive and behavioural in that answering them is both changing thought patterns and a coping skill in the form of a distraction. It is a CBT technique that works. Again there can be no maybes. If the answer is yes or no you can have a number of reasons why but it still has to be yes or no.
9 years ago 0 11226 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Cara423,

It does sound like anxiety. It also sounds like you know your triggers and you have even pin pointed a thought that is perpetuating the anxiety. Challenging this thought will be one of the steps to recovery. 

10 Questions that Help Fight Anxious Thoughts
1.   Is it "true"?
2.   How do I know it’s true?
3.   Is the anxious thought 100% true? (Something less than 100% true is not true)
4.   What's the evidence for it being true?
5.   What's the evidence against it being true?
6.   Has it ever happened before?
7.   What's different now?
8.   How bad would it really be?
9.   What's the worst thing that could happen?
10. If the worst thing happened, how bad would it really be? 
 
 
Aside from these questions how else can you challenge these thought? For one, you are not going crazy - anxiety does not lead to other more serious mental health issues. Also, you can cope with anxiety. You have been doing it and you can get better! Keep working on it and you will get these.
Ashley, Health Educator
9 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Cara.

This is a disorder so it can be reversed. With disorders you have a choice of at least two ways to function. What you do is use the wrong one. You are not alone everyone has this choice, even me. A very large part of the reason a person takes the wrong way is due to attitude and mood. The third reason is core beliefs. Negative core beliefs all have one thing on common. "I can't because" That alone is enough to choose the wrong path so to say. Almost instantly this opens up mood. Between the two you have attitude. If you really think you can't change this then you will reinforce the core belief and strengthen the mood. It goes round and round like that mythological snake that eats it's own tail. Don't feel bad because this really is hard to stop. 
If I have any say in this you will not have anxiety ruining your life. It can be cured. 
The difference between concern and worry is that concern has an answer even if it is wrong and worry has too many or none. Worry is not being able to make a decision. This is why you keep bringing up anxious thoughts and can't get rid of them. You have to think concern instead of worry. Those two words might seem to mean the same thing but far from it. With concern you look at a question, give it an answer and move on. With worry you can't move on because it still needs an answer or a decision if you have too many answers. One on one always. And always a positive answer which means you need a positive attitude and a positive mood. With concern there can be no maybe. It has to be a definite. 
So to use concern you first have to accept you are anxious, no maybe, but a definite. "I am anxious" That is the one answer to that concern. Next concern, "what do I do about it" Accept it. "it is there". Next concern, "why is it there" 
Definite answer, "because I let it". One answer only, no maybe's or buts here, if there are any you have to start over. This is the beginning of changing any core belief that is causing the anxiety in the first place. By now you should be able to accept that is not a trigger doing this but your thoughts on the trigger. So the next concern is how do I stop this. 
This looks like worry doesn't it, But it isn't because each concern has an answer. Worry would not, worry would jump all over the place. So back to the next concern, "how do I stop this" This one has a number of answers but again you have to pick only one. And that one is by thinking positive. Here is where you get to add techniques. This is the only place you can have more than one answer. Everything before this can have only one answer because you are trying to keep the thought in a straight line with no branches to cause worry or confusion. 
So now you should be thinking you have an anxiety disorder and you are going to fix it, not that you are anxious and there is nothing you can do and that others will suffer because of it. Every time you think you can do nothing about it ask yourself why you think that. Because you haven't been able to before. Well that is just another concern and if you treat it with one answer only and a positive one it will not turn to worry. Why can you do nothing about it. "because your core beliefs tell yo so. Next concern, "why do they do this" Single answer, because they always have. Next concern, "how do I change this", by not believing them. The truth is and you want to build  core belief on this is that you can change that thought. So now some positive thoughts starting with acceptance and belief. Accept that for now and only for now you have an anxiety disorder. You have to believe me when I say you can cure it or you never will. Stop worry in it's tracks by switching it to concern. Be assertive, no maybes You have to think positive and convince yourself you can change your thought patterns. And finally accept that even though this works you are going to spend what ever amount of time it takes even if it is weeks to make it work. No what ifs or maybes. You are going to think positive and it is going to work. Remember every time you think one of those "I can't thoughts" that you are setting yourself back. You can and you must because this won't go away unless you make it. Can you do this? Can you accept it is temporary and you will not always have to do this?

Davit.
9 years ago 0 169 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Thank you for this Davit. 
 
This is what I do:  I know it like the back of my hand coz I do it so often.
Please tell me what I'm doing wrong.
 
I constantly think about my anxiety....sometimes I look for it and it comes.  I think that oh no " I have anxiety, this is awful. what if i feel like this all the time, all this floating feeling and derealization? What's wrong with me? Why can't I be like I was before? How will my kids be taken care of if this anxiety gets worse?  What if i go crazy? and I do have a mental health problem."  I always think of these thoughts, worse when driving because I'm along and I can think to myself.  After I think these, my feelings of panic start to happen, my nervousness, panic feeling, feeling unreality....feeling like I can't calm down and feeling NOT NORMAL.
 
Why do I do this to myself? I'm doing group CBT but would like to start doing CBT individual.
 
 
9 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Cara

Hello.

A lot of therapists will tell you this is GAD, generalized anxiety disorder and there is nothing you can do about it because it comes from nowhere. That all you can do is use coping skills and wait for it to go away. Well truth is that is outdated and has been since professionals started mapping how the brain works about ten years ago. So if someone tells you this, it isn't their fault, they are just wrong. You can stop it. in fact you can prevent it. The only thing they have right is that it is a disorder. Which just means you are doing something wrong. Usually when I tell someone they are doing something wrong they get mad. I've insulted their intelligence. Well I can't help people who are not open to alternative thought. Especially if that is the reason they have anxiety in the first place. 
So getting down to fixing this. Let me give you a comparison. 
If you were in a mall and saw someone you knew would you not acknowledge that it was someone you knew even if they didn't see you and more so if they were staring at you. You could not ignore the fact they were there. Now lets add a feeling to this. Say you like them, it wouldn't bother you then that they were in your space so to speak. But if you didn't like them them what would you do? Accept that they were there and just get on with your shopping or run away. If you run away you take the chance that next time you go there they will be there again and if you run away you won't get your shopping done.

You have an anxiety disorder which just means you are doing something wrong. That simple. Instead of accepting you are anxious and letting it go you are trying to ignore it and wondering if it is still there. Just like if you turn your back on the person you saw. You will continue to wonder if you really saw them. Even after you get home. Add an emotion like dislike and the feeling gets stronger. That feeling can make the thought last longer. It can even override other thoughts. But if you treat the anxiety thought like someone you know even some one you don't like you can make it go away. Since for the next while as you progress this is going to happen it has too. This is a program where you deal with anxiety and just thinking about that makes everyone a bit anxious. 

What I did was when I would get that skin crawling itchy feeling that I was getting anxious I would stare it in the face and say to it "oh you are here again, what are you going to do to me now". Then I would say things like" well come on then, I haven't got time for this" or "just go away for now." Keep it positive and it will go away. You can even tell it to go sit in a corner and visualize it as sitting in a corner. 

Our minds are designed to observe and discard almost everything we see and feel. Including anxious thought. But you can't do this till you acknowledge that there is something to discard. Otherwise it just keeps coming up saying what about me. Like an annoying child looking for attention. You have to give it something else to do.

Davit.
9 years ago 0 169 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Does any one have a sudden surge of anxiety and fear? I know my triggers, its when I think I can't cope with this anxiety...it makes me more anxious.and then I feel a sudden surge of nervousness, heart beats faster and I get super scared.
 
Is this panic?  How can I stop these feelings?

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