You Have to Do the Work...

[PanicCured]

I figured as much however just wanted to be sure. Matters little to me either way.

Keeping in tune with this thread, here is is a song from my play list that goes along with with Kirk's Ringo Star Quote:

No Easy Way Out - original version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On-x_DtofzQ

Helps me to keep working when things get tough. Although does not mean we have to beat ourselves up.

Funny how Ringo didn't have much of a career after The Beatles besides a few things here and there. I am friends with a guy who plays the drums for a Beatles tribute band, and he told me his style actually is pretty difficult to play, much more than you'd expect.

I get messages sometimes from people wanting advice and stuff. A good example of what I am talking about, is this guy I was trying to help was telling how much better he is doing now that he leaves his house to go to work and loves his job. That sounds great but upon further inquiring, he just expanded his safe space to be this small area near his home which included his work, that he would walk to. Outside of that tiny area, he would get anxiety and avoided it like the plague. I tried hard to encourage him to get out of that safe space, but he insisted he needs to get his anxiety better first by taking supplements, breathing exercises, etc., all the good stuff he should doing, but he felt he needed to fix himself first, but refused to do the most important part, which is venture off into the "danger area" and learn to deal! You can't fix yourself first, because the main fixing happens by doing the work, or taking action.

[Anxiousexplosion]

Well, it's more complicated than just "doing" the work", anxiety is an emotional disorder, with deep seeded roots of depression. If by "work", you mean, taking steps to improve your life (and get it going more in the direction you want) certainly that is true, but obviously that doesn't happen over night, nor is there one solid, "fix", to everything. The best anyone with anxiety can do is take steps to feel better each day (through exercise, diet, hobbies, medications, whatever..) till accomplishing bigger things is possible.

[Teafrenzy]

In the case of anxiety, serious anxiety such as in the case of trauma, I don't agree with stepping out there right away.

This is exactly what I did when I got my AD. I decided to "beat it up" right away. I went outside, walked, went to stores, interacted with family , right from the get go.

In retrospect I should have waited. I should have done the simple anxiety treatment methods and became a hermit for a few months until I was ready to go out.

When you leave your comfort zone too soon, you can become stressed. The stress impact makes you feel worse and adds to the vicious cycle of anxiety.

[Ponder]

You don't have to beat yourself up to do the work. Whilst it's not as "simple" as that; we live in a Society that loves to complicate matters and then come up with easy solutions. Whilst it's simple, it's not easy - the road to recovery never is no matter how soft a road you wish to take.

She'll be right, just sit back and let the easy way out do all the work for you. Such mindsets shun responsibility. Their too busy stuck in the past, blaming others and make excuses using the latest studies.

[PanicCured]

Such mindsets shun responsibility. Their too busy stuck in the past, blaming others and make excuses using the latest studies.

This is a great and funny quote! I wonder if you meant it to be funny but I thought it was. You could outline the absolute fool proof plan to have someone go from a 10 anxiety disorder to a ZERO in 5 days and people will fight you why it won't work for them. I guess human beings are excuse making machines that perpetually create denial to resist change. It's funny all the diet plans and schemes and gimmicks when it is really all to avoid eating less! That is all one has to do to lose weight, is just eat less calories. There are other details to how one would go about doing this, such as which foods to chose to eat and eliminate to maintain low calorie and health, but essentially, eat less calories you lose weight. Yet nobody wants to do this. Because that sucks to know you can't eat chiliburger, and big ass nachos while guzzling down beer and still lose weight. There must be some other angle, right?

[Kirk]

Many things in life I attribute to the luck of the draw.

[gypsylee]

Well, it's more complicated than just "doing" the work", anxiety is an emotional disorder, with deep seeded roots of depression. If by "work", you mean, taking steps to improve your life (and get it going more in the direction you want) certainly that is true, but obviously that doesn't happen over night, nor is there one solid, "fix", to everything. The best anyone with anxiety can do is take steps to feel better each day (through exercise, diet, hobbies, medications, whatever..) till accomplishing bigger things is possible.

Thank you.

[fixmybrokenmind]

Whenever Panic posts it turns into an all out war. What Panic stated initially is absolutely true, if you want to overcome your issues it is going to take hard work and lots of uncomfortable situations. I have lived with anxiety for as long as I can remember and the only way it ever improved was with effort.

Effort can include things like finding a medication that works for you and it doesn't discount the fact that your problems are real. If you are overweight you have to diet to lose weight it doesn't just happen, if you have a cold you rest and take medicine and if you suffer with anxiety you must also take measures to overcome it.

Little steps everyday add up. "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can" - Arthur Ashe

[Teafrenzy]

For me, the only thing that has really seemed to help was exposure therapy. I tried a lot of things, eating right, exercise, supplements, meditation, lots of water and tea.

See the thing about anxiety is, it persists. You can be doing everything 100% right and see no progress. That's completely different than losing weight. With losing weight, you actually lose weight relatively quickly. In 2 weeks of strict diet and exercise, you will definitely see a few pounds drop and your clothes feel looser.

That's why anxiety is so hard. Anxiety seems like something that should be easy to overcome but it isn't.

[Kirk]

I believe exposure therapy is an excellent method and have been told and read the same.