Stay positive feel the fear and do it anyway

[Laura123]

Hi guys

It's been a long time since I posted or visited nmp and I thought you might like to hear what's been happening since January I think it was I last posted. This time last year I had gotten so anxious that even taking my kids to school was terrifying. I would start to panic, feel dizzy, faint, sick just at the thought of walking into the local shop. I struggled on until around October when I finally gave in and saw my gp. I was prescribed sertraline. I was terrified of taking it but after a few weeks I started to feel less terrified all the time. Late October my dad was diagnosed terminally ill and I took a bit of a tumble again while I tried to get my head around it. Dads cancer has taught me a new coping strategy, when I started to feel scared about something like going to the shop I would imagine my dad doing it, I would think about his scared must feel every day facing death in the near future and I gained a strength from this. I started to feel the fear and just do it anyway. At first it was hard and I did panic all the time. But if you stick with it, it honestly works. Don't get me wrong it's hard, but you can rid yourself of this horrible anxiety if you learn not to fear the feeling of fear. I guess I am just saying hang in there guys, I know your mind is exhsusted but I promise you, you can learn to control this thing. Xxx

[Gmanina]

Strange, my mom died last year of cancer and I find myself saying and doing the same things! It is hard but we must fight it as much as we can or, face it

[Annie0904]

Lovely to have you back on NMP Laura and hear how well you are doing now. I agree, I have taken the same attitude these past few months and I am just feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Like you say it is not easy and I have had a few stumbling blocks on the way and quite a few tears but my determination has won through. xx

[Clint70]

Great advice and heartening to all to hear from someone making positive progress. Ironically it was my dads terminal illness and passing that made my contributed to my anxiety recurring.
I think it threw my own mortality and that of my loved ones into sharp focus, but I'm glad to say like the op I'm feeling the fear and trying to work my way through it, and doing quiet well, feeling a lot better then when the anxiety originally recurred.
The weird thing is when I get anxious and I am at my worst I start doing way more then I normally would its like I have to prove to myself that even feeling frightened, sick, lightheaded, detatched, floaters in the eyes nerves burning stomach filled with dread thoughts out of control , I'm still strong enough to do what needs to be done.
Writing this I realise I'm lucky to react that way. :-)

[Tessar]

You are absolutely right Laura.... Sometimes doing the things we fear so much is the only way to learn that we can do them..... And of course in so doing..... We do discover the fear was mostly unfounded

[Laura123]

I owe the main part of my recovery to sertraline tbh, it just took the edge off enough for me to learn how to switch the anxiety tap off. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I am totally fine now, because I still have nervous anxious horrible days but I am now in a place where I can still go out even though its a bad day, I no longer feel the need to cling to my soda with a blanket scared to leave the house. It's something I think you need to accept, something that will always be there in the background and I have just accepted it and allowed myself to be ok with having off days because I know it will be better the next day. X

[swgrl09]

I am glad you are doing better. I agree with you totally. Anxiety and fear are easier to handle if we accept it for what it is instead of fighting it. It makes it easier for me at least to say, "Oh, that's my anxiety speaking up again." and then just move on and do what I have to do. I too needed to go on an anti-depressant though to get the motivation back to try again. It was one of the best decisions I have made. :hugs:

[starlight78]

Laura, thank you for sharing this. It's really encouraging for everyone. Wishing you lots of luck x

[Laura123]

I think that when you are in the depths of a panic disorder you feel like such a shadow of the old you and everything is such a battle of wits that you have no energy to do anything to help yourself because you are battling all day long just to try and appear normal. Although you may think you are going mad, you aren't I promise. You get to a point where you just don't know how to help yourself anymore, and you honestly believe there is no escape from the horrible fear inside you all the time, it does get better, don't lose hope, see your gp, ask for help, for some therapy does it, for others medication, whatever it is, take the help, you do not need to be scared of medication, once you get the right one for you, your life will change so much, you will be you again. And always remember, you are not alone, there are millions of people who are going through or have gone through what you are. You will smile and laugh again I promise. X

[Tufty]

Great post thank you Laura. It's good to hear your doing well. What you say about accepting anxiety is true, I've lived with it for 16 years but for most of the time it has been in the background and I have just accepted it, your post has reminded me that my goal is not to rid myself of anxiety but to learn to accept it and live my life regardless.
Sam

[LittleSongbird]

I remember an saying "You Never Know How Strong You Are Until Being Strong Is the Only Choice You Have"

Yes it is exactly in this case. My case: I have panic attacks, GAD, pure O and so on. But now I'm working alone, first time separated from my parents, working in a strange country, strange people and living alone. Did I panic? Yes. But geez never let worries control you.

[Col]

I'm sooo sorry but I hate the title to your thread. I see it recurring and every time it annoys me , I'm sooo sorry to say that but I'm sooo much better but still if only it was as simple as your title states. It takes practice and patience and enormous amount of time , it does run its own course. Yes you can help it along but it's all about time and inner strength and getting yourself back, if you know what I mean , I felt like a zombie for ages and just couldn't get a grasp although I knew I needed to calm down and get a grasp.

Sorry just my opinion , I'm sure you'll be in agreement with knowing its not that easy - but it's just seeing the title thread.:flowers: