Hypo84
04-07-15, 20:18
I know most of us here are still suffering from HA, but maybe there is someone who had HA and then got rid of it or there were times where some of us had lower anxiety and it was caused by something with it, so I want to start a topic to move into right direction basically...curing HA.
For a long time, I've been thinking that HA will stop when my symptoms. That proved to be true of course, since when I didn't have symptoms I didn't have anxiety and I was happy, but, there is a catch. Symptom free period is usually very very short and I think that wishing for symptom free time is worthless since it just won't happen, ever.
There are couple of scenarios :
1. You have some symptom and you are constantly terrified of 1 particular disease and then you get new symptoms that confirm your diagnosis.
2. You have a symptom and you are afraid of 1 disease, and then you get new, different symptom, so, you have 2 diseases at once ?! Or maybe you don't have both, but you have to have 1 of them...I mean look at the odds :)
3. You have a symptom, you get checked and you stop being afraid of disease.. Huuray...anxiety free time...and after a couple of days usually, maybe a month you get new symptom, new disease and it keeps repeating.
I will first list things that didn't help at all, they are just making things worse :
1. Googling - Problem with Googling is that now, even when I Google a little, I have read so many bullshit stories and I know so many diseases that now I don't even have to do it anymore. Fear won't go away.
2. Constantly checking your symptoms - This is definitely hurting you. Do I have lump here? and 5 minutes later you check again, and after 5 minutes again, and again... No way you can stop thinking about it if you are constantly checking it.
3. Seeking reassurance - Now, I am not sure about this one. I read online that this is not helping at all and that it is making things worse in a long run. Problem with this is, that it does help in short term, and it's hard from this perspective to see big picture.
Things that could help but are not doing much for me :
1. Antidepressants - Tried them 2 times, Cipralex and Prozak, didn't help me at all I think (was taking it for 5 months each). I mean, maybe it is because I am not depressed. I get depressed when I am so afraid of diseasebut if that fear would stop, I would instantly fell happy and fine, so I don't have real depression. So, not sure about this one, but it didn't help me.
2. Anti-anxiety meds - Klonopin was great for me 4 years ago. I was taking 3x0.5mg and it did help. Now, it's not doing much I think. (And you can't take it all the time, since you can get addicted to it, I think the longest time I was taking it was couple of months).
3. CBT - This should help I think, and I think I might try it again since I can't really complain it didn't work when I wasn't doing it as regularly as it should be done. Feeling Good by David Burns I didn't like that much , so any recommendations are welcomed.
4. Exercise - can't say really about this one since doing slow weightlifting exercising I think is not helping much and cardio would be much more beneficial, but I am not sure about that.
Things that did help me :
1. Swimming - when I was going 5 times a week I definitely felt better. Maybe there is something about rhythmic breathing that helps, I am not sure, but it definitely does help.
2. Therapist - I always feel better when I come back from session, but I am not sure if t has a lot to do with reassurance I get from my therapist. Anyway, in my opinion it helps.
Please share your opinions and experiences. I am sick of this disease, I am sure most of you are as well so let's cure it.
Copied from anxiety zone
For a long time, I've been thinking that HA will stop when my symptoms. That proved to be true of course, since when I didn't have symptoms I didn't have anxiety and I was happy, but, there is a catch. Symptom free period is usually very very short and I think that wishing for symptom free time is worthless since it just won't happen, ever.
There are couple of scenarios :
1. You have some symptom and you are constantly terrified of 1 particular disease and then you get new symptoms that confirm your diagnosis.
2. You have a symptom and you are afraid of 1 disease, and then you get new, different symptom, so, you have 2 diseases at once ?! Or maybe you don't have both, but you have to have 1 of them...I mean look at the odds :)
3. You have a symptom, you get checked and you stop being afraid of disease.. Huuray...anxiety free time...and after a couple of days usually, maybe a month you get new symptom, new disease and it keeps repeating.
I will first list things that didn't help at all, they are just making things worse :
1. Googling - Problem with Googling is that now, even when I Google a little, I have read so many bullshit stories and I know so many diseases that now I don't even have to do it anymore. Fear won't go away.
2. Constantly checking your symptoms - This is definitely hurting you. Do I have lump here? and 5 minutes later you check again, and after 5 minutes again, and again... No way you can stop thinking about it if you are constantly checking it.
3. Seeking reassurance - Now, I am not sure about this one. I read online that this is not helping at all and that it is making things worse in a long run. Problem with this is, that it does help in short term, and it's hard from this perspective to see big picture.
Things that could help but are not doing much for me :
1. Antidepressants - Tried them 2 times, Cipralex and Prozak, didn't help me at all I think (was taking it for 5 months each). I mean, maybe it is because I am not depressed. I get depressed when I am so afraid of diseasebut if that fear would stop, I would instantly fell happy and fine, so I don't have real depression. So, not sure about this one, but it didn't help me.
2. Anti-anxiety meds - Klonopin was great for me 4 years ago. I was taking 3x0.5mg and it did help. Now, it's not doing much I think. (And you can't take it all the time, since you can get addicted to it, I think the longest time I was taking it was couple of months).
3. CBT - This should help I think, and I think I might try it again since I can't really complain it didn't work when I wasn't doing it as regularly as it should be done. Feeling Good by David Burns I didn't like that much , so any recommendations are welcomed.
4. Exercise - can't say really about this one since doing slow weightlifting exercising I think is not helping much and cardio would be much more beneficial, but I am not sure about that.
Things that did help me :
1. Swimming - when I was going 5 times a week I definitely felt better. Maybe there is something about rhythmic breathing that helps, I am not sure, but it definitely does help.
2. Therapist - I always feel better when I come back from session, but I am not sure if t has a lot to do with reassurance I get from my therapist. Anyway, in my opinion it helps.
Please share your opinions and experiences. I am sick of this disease, I am sure most of you are as well so let's cure it.
Copied from anxiety zone