phil6
23-10-13, 10:37
Hi all,
Please don't think that I have come up with these suggestions. It is just a culmination of lots of reading on the Internet and some good ideas I thought I'd like to share.
If you are like me you are continually looking to relieve the symptoms of GAD. It is also a little frustrating to continually read about coping with panic attacks rather than GAD which is often a continuous feeling that we live with.
Of course there is always good advice like medication, relaxation exercises, and exercise to relieve are anxious symptoms, but I still find myself continuously looking for an idea that sticks with me, to help cope with all those awful faulty thoughts.
Therefore I have come to the opinion that there are three very important things that I must do. I hope these can help you to overcome your anxieties.
1. To stop resisting your anxiety. That is to really accept how you feel and to live with it at this time. And remember that true acceptance doesn't mean trying to use acceptance as any means of getting rid of the feelings. They are here and they do not mean you are in danger or will lose control.
2. To stop looking for and asking for reassurance. By this I mean stop looking for guarantees that things will always be okay. Please be sure that you are not in any danger, but that your continual need for certainty of that is part of the problem.
3. Understanding that you cannot fix all the possible things that could go wrong in the future. Our worries seem to be always about what might happen. We have to accept that we cannot fix this. So give your mind at rest and stop trying to fix the problem, because you can't. Worry is worry and with anxiety it never resolves anything. Your automatic mind will trigger anxiety and there is nothing you can do to stop this, but you can stop adding fuel to the fire by reacting with resistance and worry.
I have not added anything more to these 3 things, as I believe we need to keep things simple as our minds alway want to ruminate. I am also a supporter of mindfulness and you can add these additional things to your toolbox, BUT I do believe that nothing should detract form the 3 suggestions above. I mean that deep breathing, mindfulness practice all will help as long as we do them for the right reason any NOT to rid ourselves of the anxiety as the basic truth is that our minds have to learn that when we are anxious, there is nothing to fear! We cannot avoid this lesson if we want to recover.
Finally, I am not in any way recovered yet. I have suffered for many years and am having a rough time at the moment, but doing this in the past has resulted in long periods of feeling OK. And I mean long periods.
I think I just forgot the rules.
Like I say, I am sure this will work for me again and I hope it is of some help to you, however difficult we find it to start with.
Just wanted to add, that you can do all of the above with the knowledge that sticking to it will bring peace... Eventually.... But don't make this your reason for doing it... Do it and have patience... Let time heal you... You don't have to!
Good luck.
Phil
Please don't think that I have come up with these suggestions. It is just a culmination of lots of reading on the Internet and some good ideas I thought I'd like to share.
If you are like me you are continually looking to relieve the symptoms of GAD. It is also a little frustrating to continually read about coping with panic attacks rather than GAD which is often a continuous feeling that we live with.
Of course there is always good advice like medication, relaxation exercises, and exercise to relieve are anxious symptoms, but I still find myself continuously looking for an idea that sticks with me, to help cope with all those awful faulty thoughts.
Therefore I have come to the opinion that there are three very important things that I must do. I hope these can help you to overcome your anxieties.
1. To stop resisting your anxiety. That is to really accept how you feel and to live with it at this time. And remember that true acceptance doesn't mean trying to use acceptance as any means of getting rid of the feelings. They are here and they do not mean you are in danger or will lose control.
2. To stop looking for and asking for reassurance. By this I mean stop looking for guarantees that things will always be okay. Please be sure that you are not in any danger, but that your continual need for certainty of that is part of the problem.
3. Understanding that you cannot fix all the possible things that could go wrong in the future. Our worries seem to be always about what might happen. We have to accept that we cannot fix this. So give your mind at rest and stop trying to fix the problem, because you can't. Worry is worry and with anxiety it never resolves anything. Your automatic mind will trigger anxiety and there is nothing you can do to stop this, but you can stop adding fuel to the fire by reacting with resistance and worry.
I have not added anything more to these 3 things, as I believe we need to keep things simple as our minds alway want to ruminate. I am also a supporter of mindfulness and you can add these additional things to your toolbox, BUT I do believe that nothing should detract form the 3 suggestions above. I mean that deep breathing, mindfulness practice all will help as long as we do them for the right reason any NOT to rid ourselves of the anxiety as the basic truth is that our minds have to learn that when we are anxious, there is nothing to fear! We cannot avoid this lesson if we want to recover.
Finally, I am not in any way recovered yet. I have suffered for many years and am having a rough time at the moment, but doing this in the past has resulted in long periods of feeling OK. And I mean long periods.
I think I just forgot the rules.
Like I say, I am sure this will work for me again and I hope it is of some help to you, however difficult we find it to start with.
Just wanted to add, that you can do all of the above with the knowledge that sticking to it will bring peace... Eventually.... But don't make this your reason for doing it... Do it and have patience... Let time heal you... You don't have to!
Good luck.
Phil