Help...

[Erika]

I´ve been doing so much better the last year with my anxiety, but the last two weeks it feels way worse again. I am constantly anxious and scarred of beeing sick or going mentally ill. It feels like im in a constant panic attack.

I was doing so well!

[mamascrazy1985]

yeah me too... its almost like over the winter i was okay.... not perfect but better than last summer and now that summers back its like that is all thats on my mind even though i know that i will get over it.. but its still there waiting for its next loophole to come through...

[Erika]

Its terrible... I have moved, beeing really happy, successfull at work and even travelling alot. And today it just hit me.

I am so scarred of going crazy.

[forwells]

HI Erika :D

I am so scarred of going crazy.

Thats your problem right there .

Fear is the only thing that keeps anxiety alive

I read a great saying from a well known doctor yesterday

THE ONLY STRESS IS THE STRESS BETWEEN OUR EARS

Ask yourself why is it that you are scared of going mad ? Is it soley because you dont understand the connection between being under stress and the mental symptoms that arise . My guess would be yes . See anxiety is built of fear but the fear itself is built on lack of understanding . Oh and by the way from someone that was there you are not going mad , there is a connection between the different parts of the brain and when understress they work out or wack . The fear section of the brain becomes more active when stressed because it is looking for the cause of the stress but it cannot tell the differents between real danger and the danger you are thinking . This is were changing your thinking plays into it . Just because the brain has learned to work out of whack does not mean it cannot relearn what is correct .

Lets take a symptom such as high heart rate . If you dont understand why this is happening and how it works from being understress and the body releasing to much Adrenaline then how can you logical tell yourself that it is just your stress and that it will not hurt you . It is drummed into our head from a early age that heart or chest pains are a heart attack but this is not the case for most . But because it is something we learn it is the first thing we think it is . Which of course feeds that fear .

My tip for you is educate yourself towards your anixety . Stop focusing on the symptoms as being something bad. The problem with anxiety is 100s and 100s of doctors tell people they have anxiety but they tell no more , They explain nothing and this feeds the anxitey . If you get a good doctor , one that understands anxiety then they will explain it to you , explain how all those symptoms come about and this and this alone will stop the fear .

Once you stop the fear , then you just have to work on reducing your reaction to stressfull things . As you start to heal and your brain and body relearn how to handle stress you start to handle stress better and better untill you get back to where you were before anxiety hits .

cheers and wish you well kev :D

[Erika]

Thank you for that inspiring reply!
I have a feeling I will read that one over, and over... You are so right. Some of my symptoms aren´t symptoms anymore jsut because I stopped beeing afraid of them.

Thank you again for you advice!