Hope you all have a GOOD day today :)

[Trueman]

Well yesterday was pants for me :wacko:

I'm apprehensive this morning that the day is going to take a turn for worse again but I'm going to try to be positive.

So sending hugs :hugs: to everyone wishing you a brighter day and progress with whatever is bogging you down.

Let me know how you get on..

I will let you know if I manage only 10 heart rate checks rather than 100! My task today is to be able to drive to the Petrol station and get some petrol in the car. Sounds simple :winks:

[lyndau63]

Good for your. Good luck!

[Gary A]

You've probably already been told this, but checking your heart rate while you're suffering from anxiety is an absolute minefield. The chances are you'll notice spikes simply due to the anxiety of taking your heart rate and what the results might be. This, of course, will only serve to make you worry more about your heart rate and will leave you taking it again and again, with it staying at an increased rate each time.

This is only going to feed the fire, you need to attempt to stop taking your heart rate and realise that even if you do, the chances of it being increased are very high, simply due to the anxiety of the situation.

[Trueman]

You've probably already been told this, but checking your heart rate while you're suffering from anxiety is an absolute minefield. The chances are you'll notice spikes simply due to the anxiety of taking your heart rate and what the results might be. This, of course, will only serve to make you worry more about your heart rate and will leave you taking it again and again, with it staying at an increased rate each time.

This is only going to feed the fire, you need to attempt to stop taking your heart rate and realise that even if you do, the chances of it being increased are very high, simply due to the anxiety of the situation.

Yes. It's a state of mind you get stuck in. Stuck stuck stuck..

I've checked about 3 times since I got up at 6am. That's pretty good for me! Will keep trying. It's the exercise that I struggle with. I need to exercise but it gives me the same symptoms so I get scared. But I know exercise will help tremendously. It's a constant battle..

[Gary A]

Excersise is supposed to increase your heart rate. The fact you're focusing in so intently on your heart is what is giving you symptoms, it's not that there's anything wrong. If I went for a two mile jog and paid attention to nothing but my heart I'd probably think there was something wrong as well.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Its the same as an OCD ritual, by checking you give into an obsession and complete a compulsion. Completing rituals in OCD reinforces the compulsion. This means its key to break this chain.

Even after you break the chain, the obsession can still exist and take further time to resolve in OCD.

Don't try to supress the thoughts to make that check either or it results in you thinking even more about it.

You could try an ERP exercise in cutting this down that will allow you to record how you feel about it and if you do the check, you just start again by exposing yourself to the trigger. The trigger might be intentionally thinking about the issue that causes you to make the check, for instance.

http://self-help.tools/assets/worksheets/Exposure_And_Response_Prevention.pdf

You could try that because if you are constantly checking its closer to an OCD trait.

I would suggest combining it Thought Records which should work well in this instance as you can tie it in with how you feel in the exercise. You can find some on here including one geared towards HA specifically:

http://psychology.tools/download-therapy-worksheets.html

[Trueman]

Wow thank you Terry! I will certainly look at those and use them. No harm in trying. Yeah I think it is a little OCD. Definitely obsessive..

Really appreciate that and I will feedback once looked at them.

PS Made it to the petrol station (half hr journey). 4 HR checks on way and load of anxiety.. But did it. As usual anxiety less on way back :doh:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Elements of the various forms of HA are close to OCD in various aspects but there are some key differences. I just think if you are performing this check so often you should consider whether it is closer to OCD and then using OCD reduction methods to tackle it.

It can be hard to separate them out from each other on the basis of whether there are more obsessions in HA since there are forms of OCD that are illness based too but these will include mental rituals to counteract the thoughts. Then you have the Pure O forms of OCD that are heavily rumination based which is a key feature of HA forms!

One big factor in OCD is anxiety in general. I have GAD & OCD and when my GAD is high, the OCD is too. Reduce the GAD and the OCD greatly drops. So, look towards not only tackling the issue in hand but overall reduction. The fact you found your anxiety dropped on the way back should mean you checks will decrease with it hopefully which will prove the issue of general overall anxiety levels impacting on it.

Well done on taking the steps though!

Breaking rituals isn't just about proving that if you don't do them, nothing bad happens. This is what is commonly said. I view as an Behavioural Experiment that not only proves nothing bad happens but also proves that nothing good happens from doing it either hence the compulsions are worthless.

[Trueman]

Elements of the various forms of HA are close to OCD in various aspects but there are some key differences. I just think if you are performing this check so often you should consider whether it is closer to OCD and then using OCD reduction methods to tackle it.

It can be hard to separate them out from each other on the basis of whether there are more obsessions in HA since there are forms of OCD that are illness based too but these will include mental rituals to counteract the thoughts. Then you have the Pure O forms of OCD that are heavily rumination based which is a key feature of HA forms!

One big factor in OCD is anxiety in general. I have GAD & OCD and when my GAD is high, the OCD is too. Reduce the GAD and the OCD greatly drops. So, look towards not only tackling the issue in hand but overall reduction. The fact you found your anxiety dropped on the way back should mean you checks will decrease with it hopefully which will prove the issue of general overall anxiety levels impacting on it.

Well done on taking the steps though!

Breaking rituals isn't just about proving that if you don't do them, nothing bad happens. This is what is commonly said. I view as an Behavioural Experiment that not only proves nothing bad happens but also proves that nothing good happens from doing it either hence the compulsions are worthless.

I really appreciate this input. Thank you. I haven't considered that GA would cause an increase in my HA and that tackling GA as a whole would work long term. I am constantly anxious about most things. Travelling, driving, socialising, speaking to people, supermarkets etc etc then my HA seems to take over. But normally I feel like I can handle my GA but when the HA isnt as pronounced. The HA takes over everything in an obsessive way. I do also have slight rituals like touching wood if I think an unhappy thought and if I don't do this I really believe it will be my fault it happens. But I don't have to do this too often. It's more panic in public situations, HA affecting me doing things.

Anyway I will look at everything you said and consider steps forward so thank you.

I've had a good day today. Felt anxious, checked my HR maybe 15 times or so which is pretty good for me. I think it is automatic - if I think it it I have to do it. Battled panic and drove half HR went to supemarket rushing in and out I might add. Didn't get half the things I should have but did it.

Thank you.

[MyNameIsTerry]

The touching wood thing is known as Magical Thinking, its one of my big OCD forms.

When I ws at my worst my OCD was off the chart all day everyday. Hundreds of rituals a day, checking things endlessly (mostly reading numbers, lable, licence plates, signs, house numbers, lamposts, etc). I tried working on this in CBT and got nowhere but when I switched to bring my GAD down I found a lot of my OCD went on its own or at least reduced and I found I could start effectively using CBT to address it.

Does that sound a bit like how your HA makes you feel?

My GAD was bad anyway but what triggered me into this horrible cycle was the adrenaline interaction from Duloxetine. My OCD was pretty mild before that.