All Anxiety Sufferers Please Read - This Could Change Your Life

[RoadToRecovery]

***Anyone reading this post - bear with me. This is a very lengthy post, but I think there is something here for anyone struggling with an anxiety disorder. If you can have some patience and read through it, it could possibly change your life for the better. I originally made this post as a reply to this original post found here: http://anxietyforum.net/forum/showthread.php?36111-Help!. I decided to re-post my reply in hopes of people browsing this site to see it, and, hopefully, be encouraged by it. Here is my original reply:

Most of what you have described has been the story of my life for the past four years, since I first began struggling with severe, debilitating anxiety and depression. Most days I truly felt like I was losing my mind, and it was horrifying.

I have experienced a litany of symptoms since I developed the disorder, to name a few: rapid heartbeat, sweating for no reason, frequent urination, panic attacks, severe brain fog, dizziness/feeling like I'm going to pass out, depersonalization, difficulty concentrating/understanding, tingling in my feet, feeling on edge for no reason, things that should feel good would feel bad, no sexual desire, difficulty performing sexually (to the point to where I feared it), isolation from friends/loved ones, extreme fatigue that would shut me down physically and mentally, no desire to do things I once enjoyed, and many, many others.

Hands down the worst of my symptoms was the crippling brain fog. I nearly lost my job because of it. I work in a high stress job at a local bank where I have to give presentations to our board of directors sometimes (the people highest on the corporate ladder). I had times where my anxiety was so high, I would forget what I was saying in the middle of speaking, or struggle mightily just to form a coherent sentence. I would be asked questions at work and my mind would go blank, or I wouldn't be able to comprehend what they're saying, and just stutter and babble. Our president called me out in the middle of everyone about my anxiety once. It was really embarrassing. Then I would worry about losing my job because I was constantly underperforming at work and failing to meet deadlines because I couldnt get it together in my head.

It got so out of control, most days I would struggle to understand even the most basic of sentences. I would struggle to understand what I was reading. Someone could say "the cat ran across the road", and I wouldn't understand it... it got that severe, which is crazy because I did well in school. I graduated at the top of my class with honors in college.

It got so bad where I couldnt even talk to my wife or friends hardly at all anymore, and when I did, I was extremely nervous. I became a prisoner in my own mind. I would sit next to my wife and would be filled with fear, trying desperately to think of something to say, but I would usually sit in silence. It got so bad, I can barely even recall my own wedding last year, because I was so filled with fear and distracted. What should've been the happiest day of my life turned into one that I was horrified throughout the whole thing.

Through my recovery I learned that anxiety can cause severe brain fog and my memory problems have reversed SIGNIFICANTLY since I learned how to recover.

I tried medication once, which landed me in the ER. I had a bad reaction to it and nearly passed out at the wheel. It gave me bad insomnia and made doing anything sexual painful. It didn't make me feel nervous anymore, but my brain fog got twice as bad. I decided to stop taking medication and tried to overcome the disorder without it.

These past four years have been the hardest of my life. Hardly a minute went by where I wasn't thinking about it or its or the symptoms weren't impacting me in some fashion. I devoted nearly everything I had trying to find a way to beat it - running several miles a day, I dramatically changed my diet and read books and hundreds of pages of material regarding diet, I changed my eating patterns to Whole Foods, healthy fats, vegetables, fruits, eliminated my caffeine intake and most sweets, memorized hundreds of biblical passages, prayer, positive thinking, five different psychologists, medication, vitamins, tons of doctor visits with several expensive diagnostic tests (which all came back negative). I tried EVERYTHING I could possibly think of.

While some of those were helpful, the anxiety and terrible symptoms would always would come back after a week or so, and I hit rock bottom in June of 2016. My anxiety and depression got so out of control, I couldn't even function hardly anymore. Our new house we bought was going down the tubes because I couldn't do the work needed or remember how to do it. I was having panic attacks regularly (sometimes in church out of all places). And often times I would get the panic attacks without even worrying about anything. They would just - boom - out of nowhere hit me. I felt that my body had turned on itself.

[RoadToRecovery]

Work got harder and harder, and completely overwhelmed me. I would come home crying most days, feeling defeated. I could not hold a simple conversation, let alone think critically like I needed to at my job, and my boss and co workers were starting to get angry by my lack of production and participation. And my beautiful wife that I've been with for seven years told me she didn't know how much longer she could be with me if I continued to act this way and I couldn't get better somehow. She told me she felt so alone and depressed because of my absence. She was exhausted from putting up with me for four years and only seeing me decline further and further. I had not been there to talk to her because of my severe brain fog. I couldn't be there emotionally to support her. She would express her feelings to me, and I couldn't understand what she was saying, let alone know how to respond to her. I rarely ever talked to her out of fear and my symptoms. She felt so lonely, having moved hundreds of miles away to be with me and having no other friends here. She turned to escapism through video games. She played them with her friends back home to help her cope and escape our situation and the sadness she felt.

While your own situation is unique and I don't claim to have experienced everything you've went through, I have an understanding of what you are going through... it is absolutely debilitating and terrifying. It can drain you of hope and make you feel like giving up. I certainly thought of this many times because everyday was such a struggle, filled with pain, and miserable. I started to forget what feeling normal and being able to think normally was like.

However, and this is a BIG however, I also want to tell you this - I am at a place in my life now that is 1,000 times better than it has ever been in these past four horrible years. I'm finally seeing the light. I'm starting to genuinely smile again. My brain fog and other symptoms are lifting in ways that I have never experienced in these past four years. After years of searching, I finally found answers to overcoming this horrible monster that is anxiety disorder, and I want to share it with you and anyone else who is reading this post.

First off, I want to explain what anxiety disorder is NOT, in case you are afraid of this. It is not caused by a "chemical imbalance" in the brain. It is also not an illness or disease you contract or inherit. There is a great deal of confusion in the community regarding this. There are absolutely no medical tests you can get that show this "chemical imbalance". This is a myth that has been propagated by the pharmaceutical industry. One of the first articles I ever read that led me to the beginnings of my recovery was this one:

http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety/chemical-imbalance.shtml

It is a lengthy read, but I assure you it is worth your time if you have this fear. It will open your eyes and will give you an understanding that the chemical imbalance theory was never true. I think this would be a good read for you, as it addresses medication in depth, and could possibly give you a greater understanding regarding your medication.

On the flip side of the coin, there are certain underlying medical conditions that can mimic anxiety and depression symptoms. It is always a good idea to get a thorough examination by a doctor, and perhaps a second or third opinion. If they observe that this is caused by anxiety/depression, and not an underlying medical condition, you can have confidence that it is just an anxiety disorder that you have, and then take the steps needed to recover. Also understand that underlying medical conditions causing these symptoms are very rare, and should be considered the exception, not the rule with anxiety disorders.

Here is the great news: Anxiety disorder that is not caused by underlying medical reasons can be cured 100%, and you CAN return to normal, medication-free health with the right help, information, support, devotion, and patience!

I know hundreds of people who have recovered from this disorder and returned to normal, medication-free health. One person I know had a severe anxiety disorder for 12 years and has been fully recovered and hasn't been on medication for over 25 years.

I understand why you went to medication. As I said, most people do not fully understand anxiety disorder, and many believe that it is some sort of sickness that can only be resolved with medication. Some are exhausted and have tried every other avenue they know and have been unsuccessful. I have been there and was desperate to find a solution, so I tried medication for awhile. But as I explained, I had a bad reaction and made the decision to try to recover without it. I believe medication is like a band-aid that covers the wound, but does not truly stop the bleeding.

Anxiety disorders and depression are caused by our behaviors, NOT our biology. I know it is probably hard to believe because the symptoms are so intense and convincing, but they can truly make you feel horrible, as you can see with my story.

[RoadToRecovery]

People develop anxiety disorder by behaving apprehensively too often for too long. When you behave apprehensively, your endocrine system sends stress hormones to various areas of your body that produce an array of physiological, psychological, and emotional changes. This is commonly known as the "fight or flight" response.

When we behave this way for too long, our brain and nervous system can become "hyperstimulated" and start reacting even when we aren't thinking in anxious ways. This often develops into a downward spiral that looks something like this:

- Body involuntarily produces anxiety symptoms

- we worry about what is going on with our body. We may even think there is something seriously medically wrong with us.

-worrying causes our body to release more stress hormones (adrenaline, cortisol, etc)

- our bodies produce more symptoms due to the increased stress hormones in our system

- We worry more as the physical symptoms multiply and intensify

- and so on, and so on

This was the case with me, and seems to be the case with you, as you state "Im feeling very depressed and like all hope is gone of a normal life. My everyday life has become a nightmare. Im terrified majority of my time just by the thoughts of insanity".

Also understand this: you are NOT going insane and you are NOT losing your mind. I know it can feel that way, believe me, I have certainly been there. Stress hormones are very powerful. Also remember this: "crazy" people don't worry about going crazy because they don't think anything is wrong.

Even though it may FEEL like you are about to lose your mind, snap, lose control, or go crazy, you won’t. The worst that can happen is that you become afraid, and that’s it. There is NO link between being fearful and losing your mind.

When you experience these heightened fears and thoughts, remember that this is how the body responds when grave danger is perceived, that you CAN’T lose control, and that as the nervous system calms down, your thinking patterns will return to normal. You are ALWAYS in control of your actions, no matter how "out of control" your impressions may seem.

Moreover, when the body becomes stress-response hyperstimulated, the change in brain functioning can persist. So as long as the body is overly stressed, it can experience any symptom of elevated stress, including this one, even long after the initial stressor has passed.

Another thing that is helpful to know is that the body and mind are closely linked together. For example, when you are feeling exhausted, it affects your mind (makes it difficult to think/concentrate)

On the flip side of the coin, your THOUGHTS can influence your physiological state. For example, say you are at truck ralley and trucks are racing each other. One of the workers is out on the track for some reason, when all of a sudden, a truck comes racing around the corner at full speed, spinning out of control, and heading right towards the worker, who has his back facing the truck and doesn't realize it's getting ready to hit him. The fans in the stands see this and instantly, their minds become filled with fear/worry. They may jump up, their heart rates may increase, sweat, HOWEVER, the worker does not and remains perfectly calm. Why? Because the audience in the stands were THINKING in fearful ways, and the worker wasn't.

Another example of our thoughts influencing our physiology: say someone is dead tired, feeling lazy, and has no energy whatsoever. Then all of a sudden, their wife calls and tells him she just won the lottery! Instantly, this person jumps up, starts screaming in excitement, and becomes filled with energy. Why? His THOUGHTS caused physical changes in his body.

[RoadToRecovery]

Anxiety disorders are caused by unhealthy ways of thinking for far too long. In your case, it seems that a fear of death has certainly been one of the instigators. This is quite common. In fact, it was one of the main reasons I developed my disorder. My older brother was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma at age four and had a 1/4 chance to live. He struggled with the cancer for four years. I believe this had an impact on my thinking patterns and contributed to me developing the disorder later in life.

Also, understand that the majority of our personalities are already developed by the time we are eight years old. Our experiences leading up to age eight play a large role in how we perceive the world. Many people who struggle with psychological disorders often state that they had various negative things happen to them when they were younger (e.g. Physical/mental/sexual abuse, overprotective parent, over critical parent, etc). The root of overcoming anxiety disorder is to resolve the underlying factors associated with it. At the same time, there is a physical side to recovery as well. You need to be relaxing your body daily, such as meditation, light to moderate physical exercise, passive acceptance of your symptoms, and try to use your free will to limit negative and apprehensive thinking as much as you can. Over time, the hyperstimulation of your nervous system and brain will calm down and will stop producing symptoms.

Above all else, you have to be PATIENT. Many people are hoping for quick fix cures they can do, but the problem is that recovering from anxiety disorder is usually a process, not an event. Depending on the severity of your disorder, it can take many months, sometimes 1-2+ years to experience a full recovery. It can be accomplished, but it takes patience, faith, and time. It also depends on how hard you work at your recovery. It definitely will take effort on your part.

Finally, I want to share with you how I found my answers and what led me to recovery. That link I shared with you above is from a website called anxietycentre.com. I honestly don't know if I'd be alive right now were it not for the immense help this site has given me. Most of the knowledge I have on anxiety disorder has come from this site and the wealth of self-help knowledge contained in the members area of the site.

I would highly encourage you (and anyone else reading this post) to check out anxietycentre.com Their information has been so very helpful for me to understand this beast of anxiety disorder and what I could do to overcome it. Most of it I had never known before. There are HUNDREDS of testimonials on their site from people just like us who have overcome debilitating anxiety with their help. If you would like to see what I mean, follow this link:

http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-testimonials.shtml

And the testimonials you read on that page aren't even half of them. There are a ton of others on the members only portion of the site. I highly recommend you (and all other sufferers reading this) to get a membership there. It is only 9 dollars a month and fully refundable if you aren't satisfied. It has changed my life. I'm starting to smile again and feel a peace I haven't felt in years.

One thing that i love about the site is that the founder, Jim Folk, and every other therapist on the site has had anxiety disorder, AND has overcome it as well. Jim Folk is actually the one I was referring to when i mentioned the person I knew who had the disorder for 12 years and overcame it.

These people have overcome anxiety disorder, and they UNDERSTAND it. I don't know about you, but that was my biggest problem with my doctors and psychologists I saw before discovering this site. My psychologists were knowledgeable with a host of psychological ailments, but I never felt they truly understood what I was going through. They told me things that I have since discovered were incorrect and harmful to my recovery. Doctors are highly intelligent, and mean well, but most simply do not have a full understanding of anxiety disorder. Since they are trained from a medical perspective, their biological bias leads them to believe anxiety disorders are caused for biological reasons, and they treat them accordingly. However, as I have said, anxiety disorders are caused by our BEHAVIOR, not our biology. And since doctors are not trained in behavioral/mental health issues, their approach to mental disorders, in my opinion, has many times caused more harm than good.

[RoadToRecovery]

Another thing I love about the site: they have several different therapists. You can pick your therapist (all who have lengthy biographies on the site that list what they went through when they had the disorder) and meet with them on the phone or through Skype. I see my therapist on Skype from the comfort of my home.

My brain fog is lifting and my insane fatigue, depersonalization, and strange tingling sensations in my feet are starting to go away. I finally have accepted, after all these years, that I'm not going crazy and there isn't some mysterious underlying medical cause that the doctors have missed. I don't go to "Dr. Google" anymore. I'm not saying I'm completely there yet or dont struggle sometimes, but I'm truly starting to get there. Month by month, I am seeing genuine progress, even though it's not as fast as I'd like it to be (we anxious personalities are often impatient). I feel better than I ever have in these four years of hell, and in some ways, I feel better than I did BEFORE I developed this disorder. It's been the most eye-opening experience of my life.

Also, please understand that I am not an employee of the site trying to advertise to generate revenue. I am simply someone who understands what it's like to be deep in the pit of anxiety disorder, and I want to show you (and others) a resource that can help them to overcome this horrible disorder. I know how much I would've loved for someone to tell me about this resource when I was at my worst.

Please do yourself a favor and check the site out. Its changed my life, and in time, it may change yours too. You have nothing to lose, but a whole lot to gain!

- Jordan

[barbimay]

love this! Thank you Jordan!!

[tiredoffeelinganxious]

I have read this post several times. Thank you Jordan! I also subscribed to anxietycentre.com for a month just to check it out! so far so good!

[RoadToRecovery]

I have read this post several times. Thank you Jordan! I also subscribed to anxietycentre.com for a month just to check it out! so far so good!

I'm glad to hear you gave the site a try :) there is a wealth of knowledge contained in that site that will help you to understand what anxiety is, what it isn't, how we develop these disorders, and how to successfully recover. They are also releasing a brand new section specifically covering depression here within the next couple of months that I am looking forward to reading.

Remember tiredoffeelinganxious that recovery from an anxiety disorder is a process, not an event. I cannot stress that enough. You will almost certainly have days during your recovery where you feel terrible, but remember that this is normal. It takes awhile for the body to calm down. I've noticed in my own recovery that I am usually taking two steps forward and one step back. But I have changed so much for the better physiologically and psychologically since I began, it is a very, very good feeling. And when I have bad days, I've noticed that now I am able to recover much faster than I used to, because 1) my body isn't as stressed/stimulated as it once was, and 2) I am learning how to think in healthier ways and how to cut off my anxious thoughts before they get out of hand.

Most of us are searching for a miracle cure that can heal us within a week or so, but that is simply not the case with almost all anxiety disorders. They take time and dedication through working on the physical and psychological aspects of recovery and identifying our unhealthy thinking patterns and making healthy changes.

I wish you all the best!

Jordan

[RoadToRecovery]

Just giving this thread a bump in hopes that newbies to the site will see it and read it. I know how much I would've loved to have known about this during those four miserable years before I found my answers to recovery.

[RoadToRecovery]

Same reason as my last post above - it's been a couple months since I gave this a bump. I sincerely hope this post will help some folks struggling with anxiety disorder.

[Huan]

I just need to be sure you are really giving us a solution and not just another advertisment of a page so it can just suck on our money. Cause I can pay 9 dollars for a month, but I really want to know it will help me.

[metal4life]

Geez its really hard or almost imposible to read this with my ADHD.... began to read it, didnt even finish the first post :/

[RoadToRecovery]

Sorry Metal4Life. If you want to make a long winded story short, you can skip to my last post where I talk about the solution I found. Yes I admit it is very long....perhaps too long. My goal was to help others understand more about how severe my disorder was before going into how I found help.

[Kirk]

RoadToRecovery, your post was well written and thought out.

[Ponder]

I agree with Kirk. :)

Love the passion that went into this.

I also understand where metal4 life is coming from (Learning to skim read helps) but I too also love to write long winded posts myself although not as well thought at as this.

I feel you have achieved you goal most effectively RoadToRevovery.

[martin05]

I just need to be sure you are really giving us a solution and not just another advertisment of a page so it can just suck on our money. Cause I can pay 9 dollars for a month, but I really want to know it will help me.

I haven't used the site, so I can't vouch for that. But I know Road to Recovery is a decent chap, and isn't trying to promote some crap.

One of the old moderators on this site, Forwells, was also a big fan of the Anxiety Centre. If you're in the midst of a chronic episode, it could be worth joining just to check out the content.

[RoadToRecovery]

Kirk/Ponder/Martin - I really appreciate your kind words! I care about everyone who is suffering with problematic anxiety and want to help if I can. I know there are those out there in despair and don't know of a way out of this. I've been there and it was probably one of the worst feelings in my life. I hope this post can help some out there who struggling.

[Barong Baj Baj]

This is a truly inspirational post. Thank you for sharing this.

[RoadToRecovery]

Just giving this post another bump. It's been a couple months. I hope this will help some people!

[worthquotes.com]

thank you for sharing ... i like it :)

[MattS.]

I think you are describing me there. For 2.5 years now I live in a constant state of anxiety. 24/7 almost. Only at night I feel better till I get up and start my day. Then it`s back to full on anxiety symptoms for the rest of the day. Fog, can`t concentrate as I used to, feel tired, have problems in bright light ( confusion kicks in big time), make mistakes finding the right words when speaking, etc. Of course I do start worry about these symptoms which in return makes it all worse and never stop. I know my main anxiety is health related, first fear of Mad Cow disease back in 1999, then cancer from 2007-2012 and then from 2014 till now I really worry about dementia. In between I do worry about my kids health too. Afraid of flying too, so a relaxing holiday in exotic countries is out of question.

[RoadToRecovery]

It's been a few months since I gave this post a bump. I hope everyone gets a chance to read it!

I am happy to say that thanks to anxietycentre.com's help, I am nearly 100% recovered from my anxiety disorder. In some ways, I am healthier than I was before I developed the disorder too! If you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, anxietycentre.com can help you! They are truly experts in the field of this disorder, in my opinion. I've learned so much about anxiety and myself from their help. When my disorder was out of control, I never would've believed I would feel this good again. It is such a wonderful feeling. It is my hope and prayer that everyone who is reading this message and suffering will give the site a try!

[RoadToRecovery]

Just giving this post a bump - it's been awhile and I want to make sure those that are newer to this site have an opportunity to read it. I feel better now than I think I ever have and I have recovered from my anxiety disorder! And if you struggle with anxiety disorder, you can overcome it too!

[PonderThe2nd]

lol - because we are all like you.

Glad you overcame your symptoms. Anxiety is as natural as fear. Nothing to be overcome - just a label that sells really well and makes books sell.

I want to be sure those new to the site understand that ANXIETY is not the enemy or anything to be overcome and or cured. Symptoms and Causes ... Core issues ... well those we can do.

Don't mind me using a new nick ... just taking the opportunity to notch of another post so I can hit 25 and let it rip.
___________________

What have you been up to?

[Dahila]

Anxiety is a tool for survival, people do not realize it, it is not disease, it is your response to stress. People who do not have anxiety , high anxiety they are able to respond to stressful situation accordingly. This is not Disease; Anxiety ..........
I am happy for you RTR but .............there is a lot of buts. I am dealing with anxiety for whole my looooooooooong life (I am probably the oldest here on forum) and I had never "recovered" from it, but I do control it pretty well

[PonderThe2nd]

It's not so much the dictionary meaning of the word 'overcome' that's under debate, but more the weight that people place on the term 'anxiety.' If we are to be pragmatic, then let's not lose site of that. For the record, I have stated many times I am not into the club mentality. Your going to have to do better than that to get under my skin. If you wish to keep the best interest of the forum in mind, then perhaps easing up on the personal attacks when ever you post - would be a good place to start.

Edit ... the new Nick is aimed towards dropping the ego the 5000+ posts. (Would LOVE to discus Ego!!!) whilst having a joke at the same time ... More than 90% of those posts are about shedding my ego ... albeit susceptible to clinging at the same time. I must thank you for your comment. I ended up taking a good photo today with you in mind.

Anxiety is not a monster that needs overcoming. Not within the context that is haphazardly talked about in this forum.

Happy to further discuss this generalization and or the demonizing of such terms and how people use said cliches to hide from core issues. Eckhart talks a lot on this point. You had the right brush Polly ... just the wrong paint.

Thanks again PollwWolly :)

srry - could not resist.

[Imperfect]

I second what PonderThe2nd says ... because I am his EGO! That Dahila sounds like a fairly switched on old duck as well. Thanks for helping me nail my new user name PollyDolly.

[Dahila]

Imperfect you think it is a good example of sheeple?

[Imperfect]

Imperfect wouldn't ever think such a thing. To do so would mean applying labels, as well as indulging in egoism by believing his life philosophy is superior to others'.




Nobody said anxiety is a monster. But it is a very unpleasant collection of physical and mental processes. When one begins to alter these processes in a way that makes them feel better, it's not unreasonable at all to say that they've overcome them.


Just as a quote is nothing more than a container used to encapsulate all the words that come in it, so too ... it is that labels are somehow meant to do that same thing. The problem is that we humans spend far too much time searching for quick solutions to life long problems, that we fail to put into context the labels we attribute to our lived experience. We are too busy using others as scapegoats. So it is that we twit our way with a txting mentality into illusionary states of being. Haphazardly so. We continually kid ourselves by shaming and blaming others:

... and Yes ... we just did it with you. Matters little to me who started it. I care less for the accusations in terms of the labels attributed to me, other than what I can do with them and how I apply them to my own experiences. In doing so it's not about being better than anyone else ... it's more about making the effort the only way I know how to improve upon a shitty existence seemingly controlled by those those we label as elites. Like you ... I think I am ignoring them by speaking as if they do not exist. BOO!

In the end we would do best to drop our stories and unlearn all that we are taught as well as - embrace our fear. Then they will truly no longer exist.

... and Yes ... In forums like these, people are indicating that Anxiety is a monster by failing to deconstruct the label and see it for what it really is. Yes they want to improve - they want to stop suffering, but most of the cliche's and metaphors used are delivered as nothing more than excuses to paint a picture of anything other than one's own causes or core issues. Instead it's an image that their egos want them to see. Is it so with the image at the end of this post? ... Does the little girl have her ego in chains? Perhaps the Girl is the ego of the monster that really does not exist? I'm guessing it depends where each of us stands as to what we and how we see.

... and Yes ... I struggle with my ego daily. I'll grant you that. Clearly. ( ...anything else I need to know about? : )

It took a lot of respectfully challenging where in the end, you, I and the others are starting to unravel, the inner workings to what we are all trying to painfully say. Instead of using worn out terms like G-O-D ... these lose labels - that we so haphazardly define - Anxiety: Blue Pill or Red Pill? Stop ... stop ... HOW DO I MAKE IT STOP!!! Anxiety arrrrrr.

It's also worth considering that the most effective long term changes, take place when we are not trying to 'control' and also when we learn to sit with discomfort so that we can embrace unpleasantness and in doing so it then becomes more pleasant ... this is what I mean about accepting and befriending anxiety. What we see these days is a herds of sheep looking for external bliss in an image of someone else's imagination; never stopping to think and feel for themselves. (I was going to say 'an image that does not exist' in fact I did ... but have now changed it because what we think and feel becomes real enough)

Instead we write about it like it's something to run from - like it's a bid bad monster that needs to be controlled. Something that should never be felt. So instead of BSing ourselves ... More time, thought and words are required than we currently care to give when it comes to tackling the core issues and we would do 'better' (another worn out label) expressing it from a personally perspective ... none of that 'The University of such such ...' Studies Now Indicate bla bla ba' 'Sign Up Here to be Cured ...' 'What Pills Can I Take To Stop Anxiety' and on and on with all that BS ...

That's all we here in places like this. Far better to be in a forum with a few that don't mind facing demons, rather than be with herds who thrive on ignoring core issues.

You keep quoting, you keep hitting out as long as you need. In the mean time we will each do what we need. Our reactions show more about us, than it does about those we claim to see.

This is how 'I' and thankfully now a 'few' others are coming to see ... anxiety. Accept the discomfort and don't try to control it ... learn to accept it for what it is. Writing like this is less a struggle - as it is to resist your definition of me. The more people write without acknowledgment to our friend anxiety and the more they play into haphazard terms ... them more I am at ease to express the way I do. Have a blissful day my friend. Just kidding ... but do go in peace. Before you go please accept this gift. A fishing rod for you. :) ok ok ... that's my ego. Just laughing at myself. I read something that just felt right ... that it's also good to laugh at our reflections. At any rate ... it's good to laugh.


Your most welcome to do the same with me or perhaps @ me ... I'm good either way:
https://image.ibb.co/mOd5G7/Feeding_Your_Demons.png


I'm glad we are now all taking about that same thing.

[RoadToRecovery]

lol - because we are all like you.

Glad you overcame your symptoms. Anxiety is as natural as fear. Nothing to be overcome - just a label that sells really well and makes books sell.

I want to be sure those new to the site understand that ANXIETY is not the enemy or anything to be overcome and or cured. Symptoms and Causes ... Core issues ... well those we can do.

Don't mind me using a new nick ... just taking the opportunity to notch of another post so I can hit 25 and let it rip.
___________________

What have you been up to?


Hey Ponder! I do agree with you that anxiety is not a monster. Rather, since the symptoms of anxiety can be very unpleasant and debilitating, many of us tend to become afraid of anxiety sensations and symptoms and make them out to be some sort of monster that will attack them without them having any ability to defend themselves. I know because I used to behave this way. And what happened? Because I was afraid of anxiety, the fear response caused more stress hormones to be released, which just intensified my symptoms even more. It became a vicious cycle!

I think you may have misunderstood my post. I did not say that anxiety needed to be overcome. Because anxiety can be very healthy and necessary in situations where we are in true danger. It gives our bodies and minds that extra boost we need. We should never expect to be completely rid of anxiety or perceive all anxiety as being "bad" or "wrong". I said anxiety disorder can be overcome.

There is a big difference between anxiety and anxiety disorder. anxiety disorder occurs when we behave anxiously and too frequently. This causes the nervous system to become hyperstimulated and produce symptoms of stress. And these symptoms can come erraticly and involuntarily. For me, it was very bad brain fog, memory loss, difficulty speaking, concentrating, talking, fatigue, depersonalization, tingling I feet, and others.

Anxiety disorder can be overcome. I have seen many many people overcome it since I found the right help. Nobody needs to suffer needlessly. Anxiety disorder is completely correctable with the right help, information, and support. No one needs to suffer needlessly. No one.

You say "lol - because we are all like you." No, not at all! We are all unique individuals! What I am saying is that anxiety disorder can be corrected. It is not some sort of lifelong condition that once you get, you're stuck with, such as diabetes. Therefore, no one with this disorder needs to suffer needlessly. I want everyone to understand that they are not in some sort of hopeless situation where they will be trapped for the rest of their life. Because I once felt that way and I wanted to end my life because I didn't think life would be worth living if I had to endure all the symptoms I was experiencing.

Hope you are doing well.

Jordan