Surviving anxiety

[Anxiety beater]

Hi everyone - I'm very pleased to be able to join this forum. I've suffered from social anxiety and panic attacks since childhood and have finally got on top of my anxiety in my middle years. Anxiety no longer rules my life, but I know how devastating it can be and would like to share experiences and solutions with other sufferers.

[leighs]

Hi there. I always enjoy reading your responses as they are always insightful and positive! So how did you beat the ugly monster named Anxiety?

[annie]

Yes i second that. Looking forward to reading more of your posts. kind regards Anne.

[GDA_mum_to_be]

congratulations on beating your anxiety.. but how did you do it?

[Anxiety beater]

Hi - thanks for those responses. I think the main thing that helped me was facing up to the fact that the answer to my anxiety lay within myself - that it was no use blaming anyone else or worrying about what had caused it, I had to take responsibility for my own recovery - I think the problem stems from my very early childhood, but I realised that it wasn't helpful dredging up the past or apportioning blame. One of the best ways I found to deal with my anxiety was to learn to be 'in the present moment' - to enjoy what's going on right now, rather than worrying about the future or fretting about the past (I think one of the sad things about anxiety is that it often stops us appreciating the here and now). Another important thing was facing up to the monster, recognising it for what it is (a natural, protective response that had just got out of control) and realising it couldn't actually harm me. I forced myself to stop avoiding situations that made me anxious - when I did experience symptoms of panic or anxiety, I kept reassuring myself that it wasn't the end of the world and that they'd eventually pass, which they always did. I also stopped 'fighting' my anxiety - when it came along, I just accepted it and let it pass. Lots of other practical things helped, too - like taking lots of exercise - I have two dogs and I started jogging with them as well as walking them regularly - I found the vigorous exercise really helped to ease my tension and anxiety, lifted my mood as well. I also sought out activities that would engage and absorb me - for example, I bought a book about writing poetry and had a go at that, which helped quite a lot. At the end of the day, I just became absolutely determined that the rest of my life wasn't going to be dominated by anxiety - life's so terribly short and I decided I want to enjoy it! I'm now doing things I never thought I'd have the courage to do and feel like I'm starting a new life. I also keep noticing little ways in which I've changed - like I went to have my eyes tested this week and had to choose some new specs - I was on my own, so I accosted the shop assistant to ask her opinion about what suited me - I would NEVER have done that before, I would have been much too anxious and 'shy'. I also wouldn't have posted on a forum like this!

Just thought of one other really important thing - I started to believe that I could change, to realise that I could get over it - I stopped labelling myself as an incurable 'anxious' type. Anthony de Mello's book 'Awareness' was a big help in that regard - I would highly recommend it.

Sorry if that's a bit of a long waffle - hope it makes some kind of sense!

[GDA_mum_to_be]

Thank was really inspiring! I, too, would love to enjoy my here and now