Anxiety friend or enemy? Elaborate please.

[ADD]

I would like to know the best way to treat Anxiety, as this can help me and many others in getting better results..

[camilla91]

Accept it, that's whatim trying do and I seem t be getting better, I class mine as a friend, it helps me, when I feel like I can't deal with the world my depersonalisation comes along, it scares me slightly but I also like it because I actually feel protected as sad as that sounds, distraction techniques are probably the best though and I've heard CBT is supposed to really good, I start that on wednesday so I'll let you know :)

[Buttercup]

I found that learning about anxiety was very helpful- educate yourself about the ins and outs of it, why your body reacts the way it does to perceived threats and accept that the symptoms you are having are anxiety related and not a heart attack, stroke, brain tumor etc etc. I found that once I understood it wasn't going to kill me I could make the move to getting better. I did this with the help of meds and professional talking therapies. Thoughout my life I have had three bad bouts of anxiety that knocked me on my ass and I was out the game for months at a time. When that happens you need to pick yourself up and start working through your anxiety again. It's hard but can be done with help and support from family, friends and professionals. Thinking positively and seeing light at the end of the tunnel is a must because giving up and just letting the anxiety take over will never help.

In a way I view anxiety as a friend, i am now 32 and had my first really bad spell when I was 20. I feel that anxiety has made me a better person, I am more understanding and empathetic, it has sent me on routes in my life that have in turn turned out to be positive. I won't go into details but if it wasn't for anxiety I wouldn't have ended up meeting my partner, I wouldn't now be in a job that I love and I wouldn't have as much life experience. Anxiety is an eye opener and I find that during periods of recovery you want to do more, experience more and live life because you know how shit it is living in fear and being a prisoner to it.

[ADD]

I like both of your prospectives when it comes to treating Anxiety as friend, I can relate to that, as I am trying to do exactly that.
What I try to focus on mostly is the positive aspects of how my life has improved overall since anxiety came into the picture.
I want to thank you both for pointing out these important factors, I will try to make them the center of my attention God willing.

Cheers.

[Sedigive]

I don't see mine as a friend boy if I had friends like this in real life I would dump them! I am educated about it and realize the symptoms I have are caused by it but that only helps some. Everything thing I do is a struggle eating, sleeping, waking up, going to work, shopping, exercising... I could go on. I feel double minded at war with myself guilt because as a Christian I should be placing all my cares on the LORD!

[NatalieRegina]

Anxiety isn't outside of you, it's inside of you. It's a part of you that will always be along with you, but I agree with the above. Your life will go on and you will find a career, partner, etc. that you feel best with. Sometimes the anxiety will be intense, and at other times, it might seem to disappear. It's just the ultra-imaginative, creative and overly-analytical part of your brain that throws a tantrum every once in awhile. Let it pass and find a way to make peace with it, whether you consider it a friend or not.