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View Full Version : Have I lost a piece of my soul forever?



Teafrenzy
01-27-2017, 02:20 PM
I am on my way to recovery, I am not 100% but I have seen a lot of improvement the past few months. That's the good news.

But even though my heart expects a full recovery, I have a few friends and acquaintances that have experienced panic disorders of their own. I don't think what they have is even as bad as what I went through, but of course that is highly subjective.

But what I do know is their personalities now..

A really good friend's wife went through panic disorder for 1 year before it finally went away. She's not the same exactly. There's a laundry list of things she will not eat or touch. She won't use regular toothpaste for example, she doesn't like fluoride. She won't use a microwave. There are many different food additives she won't touch. She won't eat sugar, artificial sweeteners or drink alcohol. Probably lots of other things.

While, this may actually be physically healthy I am not so sure it is mentally healthy. It comes from a place of worry. Going through panic disorders, you realize how vulnerable you can feel and I wonder if this sense of vulnerability ever fades. It's good to have some concern over your physical health, especially as you age, but not at the expense of extreme worry which can cause the anxiety disorders to come back.

I also have a second friend who went through panic disorder. After he has come out of it (not really sure if he has), his behavior is the polar opposite. He eats a lot of junk food, smokes cigarettes, drinks excessively, still uses marijuana and has even uses cocaine sometimes. When I talk to him he will say a lot of strange things. There isn't a conspiracy theory he doesn't think is untrue. He believes aliens live under the white house. He is insanely cheap though he makes a decent living and has a lot of wealth for his age (34). Ironically, he is also one of the most religious people I know. On New Year's eve he prays instead of parties. However, he does not give a cent to charity. I believe his piety comes from a sense of selfishness (in it's own way it makes you feel good) rather than believing the scripture.

I miss the old me. He was an awesome guy. He was a fun guy to be around. He always had a smile or a joke. People used to meet at my apartment before we went out for the night to pre-drink and have some fun. I was kind of the guy who planned the night around. I am worried, even if I recover 100%, that would be great but have I lost a piece of my soul forever?
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DizzyPixie
01-27-2017, 04:18 PM
Look, intense experiences change people. Your first friend that you mentioned probably still has some excessive anxiety about her health? Panic disorder isn't the only thing that can make you realize your vulnerability. The most usual case is some physical illness or accident. I had an accident when I was little, which has made me super aware of death, maybe a bit too soon. But it's all part of a journey, don't see it as a dead end. You can manage these feelings too, you can evolve through them, however difficult it may be.
As for your second friend, I bet he's like that because of alcoholism and drugs. Drugs do that.

fixmybrokenmind
01-27-2017, 08:13 PM
I can tell through this forum that you seem to be doing much better ,and I am super excited for you!

I think you, and everyone else for that matter, can totally live the life you want. However like someone who deals with addiction, you need to recognize your triggers and lifestyle habits that start setting you back down that hole. I've been to dark places I never expected to escape, and I stayed there for years. Now my life is great, and I feel truly blessed, if I can do it so can you!

As for your "religious" friend, he sounds lost. I am religious at a comfortable level and it has made huge changes in my life. I give to charity despite little wealth, I definitely don't do cocaine or other drugs, and I put others before myself whenever possible. However I hardly pray or read the bible. The term religious or Christian is misused and the idea of what it takes to be a real Christian (or any other good hearted religion)is measured by your character not how often you pray to god while you are off doing blow and hoarding piles of money. Sorry for the rant

Teafrenzy
01-27-2017, 09:26 PM
I can tell through this forum that you seem to be doing much better ,and I am super excited for you!

I think you, and everyone else for that matter, can totally live the life you want. However like someone who deals with addiction, you need to recognize your triggers and lifestyle habits that start setting you back down that hole. I've been to dark places I never expected to escape, and I stayed there for years. Now my life is great, and I feel truly blessed, if I can do it so can you!

As for your "religious" friend, he sounds lost. I am religious at a comfortable level and it has made huge changes in my life. I give to charity despite little wealth, I definitely don't do cocaine or other drugs, and I put others before myself whenever possible. However I hardly pray or read the bible. The term religious or Christian is misused and the idea of what it takes to be a real Christian (or any other good hearted religion)is measured by your character not how often you pray to god while you are off doing blow and hoarding piles of money. Sorry for the rant

No, your rant aligns with my way of thinking.

I am doing better (thank you). Not 100% yet but I see the end of the tunnel finally.

From my experience, I had to re-evaluate my relationship with G-D (I was taught not to write his name)

When I was younger I never really even gave religion much thought. That is not to say I was atheist exactly. I just didn't think about it except on Holidays.

When I came down with my disorder, I prayed again. I asked for help. But I also wonder why G-D would create things like PTSD and panic disorders and why he would allow these things to happen to me.

As I recover and my mind becomes more like it used to be, I find myself not thinking about religion again. I don't think about religion because the religion reminds me of the worst days of my panic disorder. I don't want to reconnect. I want my mind to bury my experience so deep into my subconscious that an army of hypnotists couldn't get it back out again.

That being said I am going to visit my religious sister in a few weeks. I just want to ask her questions. Even though I have so many questions about religion, I like to be around religious people.

fixmybrokenmind
01-27-2017, 09:59 PM
I used to resent the idea of a G-D who would let myself and my mother go through what we did both physically and mentally. In the end going to church is the catalyst that changed my life, and I now see all my struggles of the past had a purpose. I am not one too push religion on anyone but the clarity and peace of mind it gives me is priceless. It is not something that happens overnight, faith like anything takes time and work to build.

If you have the time, this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHZ89s1tpiI) is absolutely phenomenal

If you don't relate to the beginning skip to around the 17 minute mark where it gets really good.

My life in one year of choosing faith has progressed me more as a person mentally and successfully than I did in the 5 years prior thinking I could do everything on my own.