Some questions to help me with a book idea

[leafar]

I'm thinking about writing a book for people who have anxiety, and I'd like to get some idea of what approach I should take.

I have some questions which if you could answer at least one or two of them, it will help me get a good idea of what people want.



1) What's the ultimate reason for you wanting to overcome anxiety? I mean, how would it make you feel? How would it make your life better? What would you ultimately get out of it? What would you be able to do?

2) What's the biggest problem, difficulty or frustration that you're having?

3) What do you worry about the most?


Thanks.

[inCOGnito]

I'm thinking about writing a book for people who have anxiety, and I'd like to get some idea of what approach I should take.

I have some questions which if you could answer at least one or two of them, it will help me get a good idea of what people want.



1) What's the ultimate reason for you wanting to overcome anxiety? I mean, how would it make you feel? How would it make your life better? What would you ultimately get out of it? What would you be able to do?

All roads point to happiness


2) What's the biggest problem, difficulty or frustration that you're having?

Dealing with the daily grind of anxiety - which is the physical feelings, emotional feelings, and thoughts (it's the thoughts/beliefs that create the cycle)


3) What do you worry about the most?

All anxiety is about the future (5 seconds, 5 days, or 5 years from now) and how one will be in it (ie worse, the same, etc etc)

[.Poppy.]

1) Anxiety is hard to overcome since it originates in our own brains. It's like it's tailor-made fear that has to be battled on a daily basis. Being able to defeat something like that is a major accomplishment, although even when you can get past it there's is always the chance you'll have to deal with it again.

2) My biggest problem is that anxiety isn't often understood by people who don't have it, and people who think they do. I don't mean to devalue anyone's pain but to have someone who gets nervous about, say, semester grades and nothing else tell me they understand because they have major anxiety as well is hard. Often, the things we are anxious about are looked at as silly or trivial or even difficult to explain. For example, I went two years where I could only eat certain foods in front of other people or my hands would shake. I am slowly coming out of this, but it got to the point where I would have panic attacks at formal dinners where I had to eat but couldn't. How to explain that to someone? I can't even explain it to myself!

3) I used to have a bad time with HA and GAD. Anymore, I only get weird popups of GAD (like the eating thing) and rarely some HA freakouts that are short-lived. I do worry a lot about the future and where I'll end up, if I'll finish my degree and find a job, etc.

[leafar]

Thanks both of you. I appreciate your take on it.

Anyone else?

[Dan1975]

1.its more about what you wouldn't feel, what you wouldn't have to do etc.
2. An anxious person has messed up perception and thoughts.
3. Not sure

[debs71]

I'm thinking about writing a book for people who have anxiety, and I'd like to get some idea of what approach I should take.

I have some questions which if you could answer at least one or two of them, it will help me get a good idea of what people want.



1) What's the ultimate reason for you wanting to overcome anxiety? I mean, how would it make you feel? How would it make your life better? What would you ultimately get out of it? What would you be able to do?

2) What's the biggest problem, difficulty or frustration that you're having?

3) What do you worry about the most?


Thanks.

1. I don't personally envisage or think about 'getting over' anxiety. I would more like to be able to not be afraid of it anymore, and just be able to manage it when it flares up again. I have lived with anxiety for over 10 years. I accept I am an anxious person, and so be it. As long as it doesnt't interfere so badly with my life, I can live with it. Life would be better without it of course - to be able to just go to an appointment without my heart beating out of my chest, or travel abroad without worrying I will panic mid-flight...that would be like a weight lifted off of me. To be able to do ordinary stuff like 'normal people' without a seconds thought. How it would make life better is hard to explain....it just would be normality.

2. Panic attacks in public - specifically when in queues and prior to and during appointments of any kind - GP, hairdresser, dentist, etc. I deal with general anxiety pretty ok, but panic attacks have never left me and always scare me. They take a lot of effort to get out of or calm down.

3. I am not quite sure if this is what you mean by your question, but the biggest worry for me is my entire life set up at present. 43 years old...living with parents....lost my career..relationship problems..no real direction....no money. These are the stressors that have perpetuated my issues with depression, anxiety and panic. I can't visualise an end to my mental health problems as they would depend on an entire life shift, so I have to end up just coping in the interim.

[Catherine S]

I agree with Debs...anxiety is part of life for everyone, nobody can expect to live life without it, that would be impossible...its how we react to it that's the key. So you perhaps should be asking not how to overcome it but how to learn to live with it. Good luck with the book.

ISB x

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi leafar,

How will this differ to your previous book?

If you are researching there are loads of user stories out there such as on Time For Change if you are trying to determine needs as opposed to the conventional methods that look at the problem. I guess that would take it closer to Schema therapy.

[leafar]

Hi leafar,

How will this differ to your previous book?

If you are researching there are loads of user stories out there such as on Time For Change if you are trying to determine needs as opposed to the conventional methods that look at the problem. I guess that would take it closer to Schema therapy.

Well the first book is about anxiety in general (which is free to anyone here who wants it, just let me know).

What I want to do now is create something that focuses on a specific aspect of the problem. For example I have a few ideas in the pipeline such as affirmations, what kind of food is best for people with anxiety, and how to handle social situations for those who have trouble with that.

I based the first book on my own perspective mostly, but now I'd like to really get an idea of how other people think.

I think I'm a good writer and I can speak about the topic from personal experience, but I'm also new to all this so I think it's time to get into the habit of hearing exactly what others have to say, so that I can cater to and appeal to them more.

So, if anyone can write even just a couple of sentences for each question, it will help me with that.