Is anyone ever sometimes /glad/ they're "anxiety stricken"?

[hippysilverware]

It's not a fun thing of course, and I know it inhibits the way we move through the world... but sometimes I'm almost happy with it.

It's made it so that I pick my friends rather carefully, and although I guess I don't make as many friends as everyone else, mine wind up being very long lasting. It's also kind of helpful against boredom; since I spend so much time on my own I've got a long list for those "by yourself" days.

Isn't there a perk to it for some of you too?

Don't get me wrong! I'm not saying we should all cope with it, but somehow having to deal with it seems useful sometimes.

[Dahila]

I would prefer not to have anxiety and be happy :)

[NeverToo...Fear]

In the moment of full anxiety, I'm thinking, "Oh hell noooooooooo!" But you have a point here. I've come to realize that it's just another challenge; another thing to make me a better version of myself. Yeah, it's changed my life, at first not in the best way, but in dealing with it and fighting, it has made me a stronger person...Pluses and minuses to everything, I just like focusing on the positives, and learning from the negetives... I've said this somewhere else in another thread bringing up a point similar to yours (http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?24519-Do-you-feel-that-these-hardships-have-made-you-better) ..Anxiety is like your worst enemy, but at the same time your best teacher...
Or to look at it another way, an extreme emotional boot camp, lol.. so in the end, we'll all come out stronger. We have to.. :)

I'm posting another link here to a topic that also talks about anxiety and how we benefit from it: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?24357-Anxiety-is-a-blessing-in-diguise
^ Totally worth the read and pretty dang inspiring !


Oh, and there's also the fact that if I wasn't stricken with anxiety, I would've never thought about signing up to this place and meet all the great people here. So there's that ;)

[NixonRulz]

It's not a fun thing of course, and I know it inhibits the way we move through the world... but sometimes I'm almost happy with it. It's made it so that I pick my friends rather carefully, and although I guess I don't make as many friends as everyone else, mine wind up being very long lasting. It's also kind of helpful against boredom; since I spend so much time on my own I've got a long list for those "by yourself" days. Isn't there a perk to it for some of you too? Don't get me wrong! I'm not saying we should all cope with it, but somehow having to deal with it seems useful sometimes.

I have never found it useful in any way but have grown to appreciate one thing since having, then overcoming anxiety

I sure do appreciate doing the things much more that I stopped doing when I was suffering pretty bad

Since it lasted for so many years, even the simplest things like going to the store or going out with a few friends makes me appreciate it much more than pre-anxiety days

[Kyle Morgan]

I think in a way it makes us feel stronger about ourselves, because trying to fight off anxiety is already a big challenge. I agree with what you said too Hippysilverware about the friend situation, I now know who my true friends are when I'm in a bad situation because I've realised that there are people out there that are with you for the good times, but when you're in need of support and friendship, they act as if they don't want to know you.

[Lord Jazzinho]

What I like about it is that it makes me different and it taught me a lot so I wouldn't change it and sometime when you look at how a lot of things are and have been over the 20 years part of me is glad the I was trapped in the house with it. I can't speak for anyone other than mysel when I say this cos I'm only aware of my specifics but I honestly think there are worse ways to live.

[hippysilverware]

*Dahlia - Haha! I know but I kind of thought... since some of us have such a hard time of it, maybe it's good to find something positive about it somewhere.

*NTF - You took the words right out of my mouth! At least if I had better words. Thank you for posting those links too, that second link especially. It was comforting to read, for me anyway

*Nixon - ^^; Okay so maybe not useful, but still something positive was dug out of it! And you have an appreciation that all of us need and a lot of us don't have.

*Kyle - It does! Having our own personal "then and now" can be kind of inspirational on some especially down days. And yeah, it's definitely an eye-opener in the strangest of ways. Sometimes I have to watch myself though, because I do have to take into consideration that I get a little anxious of people's thoughts or ideas about me and wind up taking offense at nothing at all; but on the bright side at least that means I think more often before I act heh...