Newbie963
02-15-2017, 07:07 PM
My story - I'm going to keep my story as short as possible because this isn't about me, but I just want everyone to know that I am very informed and experienced :) I recently suffered from pretty bad daily (hourly, minutely, secondly :) ) panic attacks and anxiety. General anxiety had been going on for a long time, but I was functional and never really had to put a name on it until the past year or so. Like most of you, it seemingly hit me out of the blue. Immediately I dropped everything and went to a CBT. I read and watched everything I could get my hands on because I had no idea what was happening to me. Fast forward and I have been doing great for the past month or two (after many struggles, of course). I still get anxious of course, but I know how to deal with it as best as I can. What has really worked for me (after understanding what was physically happening, that it isn't dangerous, etc...) is mindfulness (among many other things). I also find great comfort in reading about Buddhists' views on life, and their path. It may be one I adopt as my own in the future. Anyhow.....
My girlfriend has been suffering from anxiety (I would say GAD) for 6-7 years now. It's to the point where it's fairly manageable - it doesn't really stop her from doing the things she values. However, it manifests in her breathing, i.e. she is constantly gasping for her next breath. She recently went to the doc and her blood pressure was through the roof. She's now going through every test imaginable to see if something is physically wrong. So, the issue is that she doesn't like to talk about it. Whenever I raise the issue and try to offer advice (because men want to fix things, LOL), her defenses go up immediately. Obviously, for the rest of this post, I am assuming that nothing is physically wrong, although the jury may be out. To make a long story short, I know that all our paths are different - what works for me may not work for her. However, I am worried that she has accepted this as "her life", and she has said many times "I just deal with it and life goes on." I know that she does not have to suffer as much as she is. So I am stuck in a place where I don't want to try to give specific advice (hey, mindfulness works...hey, meditation helps...etc...) because she is not receptive. I have urged her to see a therapist, and she seems receptive, but has not acted. Is there a good way that I can approach this - I know she very much has to find her own answers, but again, I am worried that she is of a mindset that if she keeps trucking along and doesn't address her issues that it may just go away. Obviously, I don't think it will. Perhaps she is afraid of acknowledging it as a real issue, but I'm no psychologist.
Help appreciated! I hope everyone is doing well.
Also, I don't have all the answers, but I love sharing my story and the things that have helped me in my journey, because I know how bleak things can seem, so feel free to ask.
My girlfriend has been suffering from anxiety (I would say GAD) for 6-7 years now. It's to the point where it's fairly manageable - it doesn't really stop her from doing the things she values. However, it manifests in her breathing, i.e. she is constantly gasping for her next breath. She recently went to the doc and her blood pressure was through the roof. She's now going through every test imaginable to see if something is physically wrong. So, the issue is that she doesn't like to talk about it. Whenever I raise the issue and try to offer advice (because men want to fix things, LOL), her defenses go up immediately. Obviously, for the rest of this post, I am assuming that nothing is physically wrong, although the jury may be out. To make a long story short, I know that all our paths are different - what works for me may not work for her. However, I am worried that she has accepted this as "her life", and she has said many times "I just deal with it and life goes on." I know that she does not have to suffer as much as she is. So I am stuck in a place where I don't want to try to give specific advice (hey, mindfulness works...hey, meditation helps...etc...) because she is not receptive. I have urged her to see a therapist, and she seems receptive, but has not acted. Is there a good way that I can approach this - I know she very much has to find her own answers, but again, I am worried that she is of a mindset that if she keeps trucking along and doesn't address her issues that it may just go away. Obviously, I don't think it will. Perhaps she is afraid of acknowledging it as a real issue, but I'm no psychologist.
Help appreciated! I hope everyone is doing well.
Also, I don't have all the answers, but I love sharing my story and the things that have helped me in my journey, because I know how bleak things can seem, so feel free to ask.