Hi, anxiety and the many different manifestations

[eleveno]

Hi,
I just arrived at these forums. I hope to get help and share experiences along with other people who are dealing with anxiety.

I have treated depression with medication and CBT, along with a support group similar to this one, which was very good to treat the depression.

Some of the CBT techniques for depression also helps with anxiety, but anxiety is very tricky compared with depression, because it have so many different manifestations.

[MiST]

Hi and welcome. Yes anxiety is complicated and if you don't recognise it for what it is, can be very scary, particularly the oh so common breathing issues.

Recognising it for what it is really does help. I had cancer from aged 16 to 21 and I can honestly say that anxiety and its symptoms are worse.

Everyone living with the condition are very strong people and we would all benefit from giving ourselves a pat on the back one in a while, living with anxiety isn't easy.

[salvator here]

I understand; I also have many unexplained manifestations as well (especially as of lately). Muscle spasms have been quite difficult to manage. Sometimes my neck gets so stiff its hard to turn my head. Though, I do realize its the anxiety. I still use some CBT methods I was taught and they do help somewhat, even if it just changing 1 thing to disrupt the routine/cycle that is contributing to you anxiety symptoms. Its sort of hard to explain really, does help though if you give it a chance. Agree with Mist that recognizing its anxiety is important, otherwise, we wind up focusing on every problem separately (I used to do that as well).

Its looking like I may need medication again and I not looking forward to it, but my Therapist/APRN will insist when I tell her the state of my current mental condition...ugh!!

Anyhow, welcome to the forum

[Kirk]

Mist, I am sorry to hear you had cancer, but am glad you are OK now.

[MiST]

Mist, I am sorry to hear you had cancer, but am glad you are OK now.

Thanks Captain, for a while I used to freak out whenever I found any kind of lump or bump on my body.

I found Cancer easier than anxiety because, well you know what it is, and it's going to have either one of two outcomes, your either going to live, or your going to die, and I made my peace with both options pretty soon in.

You just have to get on with the treatment and keep fighting and hope it's enough. Luckily, I had youth on my side.

Anxiety is just stupid, it presents itself in many various and annoying ways, it seemingly has no end goal, at least Cancer was trying to kill me..lol..

Anxiety just wants to make us persistently miserable and confused. DONT LET IT!

Recognise it for what it is, just a perfectly normal body response to increased adrenaline levels, for whatever reason.

It's fight or flight, when there is no reason for it..lol

I laugh at it now, if my body wants to be anxious, meh, I just let it do its thing and go about my day as best I can.

I've said it once and I'll say it again, Claire Weekes, read her work, read it again, and then read it again.

Sure there are more recent books that may delve deeper into the condition, but her work resonated with me as it has for so many others.

Like she says, accept your anxiety, don't fight it.

Have a great day everyone.

Wayne.

[gypsylee]

"Anxiety is just stupid, it presents itself in many various and annoying ways, it seemingly has no end goal, at least Cancer was trying to kill me..lol.."

LOL. Well said MiST! Anxiety is indeed all just mind games but it's such a tricky beast. I still get badly sucked in by it and as Claire Weekes would say, add about 50 fears on top of the first fear until I am an irrational mess. One day I hope I can laugh at it.

[Kirk]

I agree with you that anxiety is stupid and makes no sense. I believe anxiety has its roots in our inability to accept uncertainty.

[Kirk]

I myself have had a few real health issues, although not as serious as yours Mist. At age 20, I had a compression fracture of the 11th Thoracic vertebrae and
was hospitalized for observation for 6 days and had to wear a back brace for a few months. It has healed over the years, but on a recent chest xray I had, the radiologist
report says mild to moderate vertebrae fracture. At age 47, I had an esophageal ulcer and it was pretty painful. At age 52, I had a basal cell carcinoma on my nose and a
Moh's surgeon removed it in his office. My daughter who is now 25, had a friend who had Hodgkins Lymphoma at 19, Stage 4 and survived and is OK today at age 27.

[MiST]

Once you witness baby's ravaged with tumours with tubes coming out of them every which way, and their parents forcing a smile at you as you walk past them knowing full well their little one only has mere days to live, it kind of puts things in perspective and having anxiety, well it just doesn't seem like that big of a deal anymore.

Cure for anxiety? five minute walk around the children's cancer ward. Guaranteed to make anyone's problems seem insignificant.

Note: I'm not trying to belittle the unpleasantness of anxiety, it really does suck donkey bollocks..just saying that it sometimes help to remember that however bad we might feel on a given day, there are people far worse off.

[MiST]

I agree with you that anxiety is stupid and makes no sense. I believe anxiety has its roots in our inability to accept uncertainty.

Totally agree with this too. Accepting the uncertain is key, once you learn not to care so much it all becomes much easier.

[Kirk]

My wife had a sister who had a brain tumor and passed away at age 4. Her mother was never the same afterwards. it makes all of our troubles appear pretty inconsequential.