Coping mechanisms and relapse

[AnnaValentine]

Hey Everyone,
Looking for some advice. I had bad anxiety when i was younger at around 16. Up until now the methods i learnt through CBT have kept my anxiety at a manageable level. Recently I have seen it creeping back. It is so scary when you remember how hard life was when my anxiety was severe to even think about heading back to that state. Has anyone else felt like this ? How did you mange it?
I also wondered if anyone had any good coping mechanisms for the rumination thats involved in anxiety? At the moment i'm finding it very hard to stop thinking about the situations that make me anxious.
sorry for bad spelling i'm dyslexic !

[raggamuffin]

My symptoms are creeping back too. I'm finding myself falling fowl of the methods taught to me in cbt. I'm finding it harder to rationalize symptoms etc. I keep thinking i'm not that anxious hence i shouldnt' be getting symptoms. but in all honesty I think i'm slipping back into bad habits.
I can recommend a boo that might proove useful. its called "A Life At Last" by Paul Brian. I found it a very easy read and quite helpful.

If there's situations making you anxious you should try slowly introducing yoruself to them. To realize it's not situations that cause anxiety. it's the worrying and fretting about the situations that the anxierty feeds off. It's like people who have a panic attack in a grocery store. Then they might associate groecry shops with danger and from then on avoid them or feel extra anxious when in such a shop.

Ed