My Problems Just Will Not Go away

[Jarv]

Hello Everyone

I am really feeling very bad today. I have had physical anxiety symptoms for about 2 years now and it just WILL NOT go. I have a variety of physical symptoms but the ones which annoy me the most are problems with my eyesight and a constant feeling of tiredness. The eyesight problems consist of a type of foggy vision as well as manic floaters and spots in my vision. The tiredness feels like a fog hanging over me and I think this may be contributing to my vision problems.

I believe that my anxiety has come to me as a result of the stress I put myself under when at university. I have read that the best way is to remove the stressors but I cant do this as I need my job. Also I dont actually cinsider myself to be stressed at the moment but this problem still will jot go or leave me alone. Tne tiredness or zombie like feeling is just so stubborn and I have had enough. I feel so upset and I just want it to go away.

Sorry for this message I just need to talk to someone as I am so down now.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Jarvis

[Robbed]

You may be at a point where your life in general is not as stressful as it was when you were in school. BUT, I somehow don't think that yor job is the source of your stress. Rather, I believe that it is you continued symptoms that are increasing your stress levels - you seem more worried by the fact that your anxiety symptoms continue than your job. And I believe that THIS is the cause for your continued anxiety disorder. Believe it or not, this is actually MUCH more common than not when it comes to anxiety disorder. What you need to do is become less fearful of your symptoms. Now I am by no means suggesting that you can flick off a switch, and lose that fear. Acceptance of your symptoms will come only with time and practice. Try not to react with fear when symptoms hit. And try to carry on with your life as best as you can, despite continued symptoms. By doing this, you will lower your stress levels, and, with time, your symptoms. Just keep in mind that this WILL take time - possibly (but not necessarily) several months to a couple of years. And be prepared for symptoms to escalate out of the blue - setbacks are inevitable. But as you become more relaxed, symptoms will (on average) decrease.

[Jarv]

Hi

Thanks so much for the reply, it really helps to hear that someone knows what I am going through and can offer me such good advice as you have.
I think you are right that it is my continued symptoms that are adding to the stress rather than specifically my job. I am also convinced that the answer and the way to deal with these feelings is to just try and ignore them but this is just so much easier said than done. I just find it so difficult to actually ignore the symptoms, especially when I can feel them all day, everyday. Its just so hard not to react when you can constantly feel the symptoms and in my case physically see them everytime I look at something.
The only thing really keeping my going at the moment is the knowledge that there is a way of getting rid of this, but it seems like it is nearly impossible to achieve it.

Once again thank you for the reply.

Jarvis

[Robbed]

You must ACCEPT, not ignore. Ignoring means trying to force forgetfulness. And this is not really possible. Rather, you must acknowledge the presence of your symptoms, while carrying on with your life as best as you can. Now I don't mean that you should be unnecessarily thinking about your symptoms as much as you can. Rather, when the thought DOES come up, don't try to force it away. But if you find that you are NOT thinking about your symptoms at some point, then this IS a good thing. But you should not try to STRIVE for this.

A word about acceptance. Acceptance is just one of those things that CANNOT be turned on like a light switch. At first, you are just not going to be able to accept your symptoms very well. But the key thing is to try to accept them as best as you can - even if only just a little. By doing this, you lower your overall stress levels, and symptoms decrease (even if just a little). As a result, you feel more accepting, and symptoms decrease further. See what I am getting at here? Just keep in mind that this is NOT a fast process. And there will be ups and downs. You just have to be patient to recover fully.

[Jay12345]

When i had high intense anixety i felt exactly the same as you did.. The symptons are so difficult to live with, i literally cried for years, everyday. 'Robbed' is absolutely right, you have to learn to just 'accept' it, but not ignore it and continue with your life, and in time it will go. The more you think about the symptons the more it will get worse, it just works like a big uncontrollable cycle in your brain..

The reason why anxiety is so much more difficult to overcome is because if you were to have a broken leg for example, you can visibility see the recovery through time..... however with anxiety, you are unaware that you are getting better, and therefore it just takes so much longer!

Its not impossible, you have to have try and live with a positive mental attitude and 'learn to live with it'.. After taking CBT.. you come to terms with the symptons and kind of realise that it actually doesnt matter..'who gives a shit, it's only a thought. im perfectly fine' and it just goes in time.. The worst thing you can do is stay at home... go out as much as you can!

It took me 4 years to get better from this horrible cycle, and in my spare time i want to help people and give advise to those who are unfamiliar with this.. Im no doctor or anything but ive been there and done it!

[02Batmobile]

Yes, its true. Acceptance is key. Accept what you are feeling is anxiety. Understand that it is anxiety and nothing else. Part of the acceptance stage also deals with education about your anxiety. Be educated on the symptoms of anxiety. Feeling tired? It's very common amongst anxiety sufferers. Feel like you can't take it? Like you are going to lose control? Again, Very, Very common amongst anxiety sufferers. I used to freak out about feelings of unreality and feeling like I was going to lose my mind. I then read an article on Donny Osmond who said, "I saw a Beautiful Mind again last night and I can relate so much to that movie, about the unrealistic world we create." That made me feel so much better. Knowing that I am not alone in feeling this way. And you are not either. Anxiety is the number one mental health complaint in America with millions of sufferers. Yes that is correct, it even topped Depression which surprised me. You are not alone. We all feel the same as you do. Hopeless and worried. Again, reassure yourself with acceptance and education. It has worked for me as well. Look into Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

About the little eye floaters: I see them too. I used to freak out about them as well. I would see these little clear floating things spanning across my vision and thought something was either wrong with my mind or my eyes. It's because we are all keyed up and notice everything. We notice every little sound, every little atom that moves in our line of vision and every sensation that touched a receptor cell in our skin. I bet you this: I bet you that you don't notice them when you are distracted right? It's the same with me.

Hang in there, :)
-James (AOL Instant Message Me!!)

[Robbed]

Anxiety is the number one mental health complaint in America with millions of sufferers. Yes that is correct, it even topped Depression which surprised me.

Actually, I'm not surprised. A hectic, high-stress life is actually MUCH more likely to cause anxiety than depression for the average person. As for depression, most TRUE depression (and NOT just unhappiness) is actually the chemically caused depression that results from anxiety disorder itself. Pure depression is actually MUCH more rare than you might think.

[cynic]

Jarvis,

I work at a university too. I am a researcher. And I have had problems with anxiety since 2006. I can't really give good advice coz I have resorted to meds and have not yet learned to accept. But I just want to say you are not alone. Believe me, most people who work in the academia are like us. And it is true what they all said, part of acceptance is getting educated about your symptoms.

Also, baby steps. I try to force it sometimes, which makes matters worse. I tell myself, "ignore the symptoms, forget about it", which of course makes matters worse. I try so hard not to be too anxious, and get more stressed in the process.

Now, I know getting better takes time.

[Jarv]

Hi All

Thank you so much for all of the replies and sorry I have not been able to get back to you earlier.

I suppose that acceptance is the key and you are all correct but it is just so hard to do. But I know I can get there and I am determined to make sure that I just keep on trying.

I am finding that it is a different kind of acceptance for me though as I am fully aware that anxiety is my problem but this doesnt seem to help make the symptoms go away. I think I need to work on just accepting the symptoms rather than trying to fight them all of the time as this seems to be making the problem get worse.

Thanks so much for all of the help.

Jarvis

[02Batmobile]

"I think I need to work on just accepting the symptoms rather than trying to fight them all of the time as this seems to be making the problem get worse."

That is your problem. Before, I would feel the anxiety and I would say, "No!! You are not coming back! No, not now! Never!!" It actually aggravates it. Now, if I feel that I am breathing rapidly and feel like something bad will happen, I would say: "Ok, this is the anxiety. These are normal symptoms to anxiety. Rapid heartbeat? That's normal. Feeling like something bad is going to happen. That's normal too. I am aware of what I am feeling and I will just ride with these feelings. It's ok." After some positive thinking and conditioning like the above statement followed by being active and keeping your mind busy instead of focusing on the anxiety, my "episodes" duration and intensity shortened. I believe before I would feel anxious and then it was a downward spiral from there. I would worry and then freak out. Now, I feel anxious and be able to talk myself out of it.

Hang in there!!
-James (AOL Instant Message Me!!)

[Robbed]

I am finding that it is a different kind of acceptance for me though as I am fully aware that anxiety is my problem but this doesnt seem to help make the symptoms go away. I think I need to work on just accepting the symptoms rather than trying to fight them all of the time as this seems to be making the problem get worse.

Acceptance does not make symptoms go away. It simply allows your mind to heal.