i cant win lol

[prin]

Hi everyone
I have had GAD for 5 years now and really feel as if i am starting to get somewhere with it..My symptoms are still very much about and i am still not going out as much as i would like but i feel my thinking on waht is going on with my symptoms etc has improved a great deal. I try not to focus on them and just get on with things.
Firstly though i often wonder what other people do that cant get out of the house much, i tend to sit and watch a lot of tv, although i am not much of a tv junkie i have a habit of monitoring myself before i even get up off of the couch to how i am feeling and how i will feel when i do something, so i know i need to change that.
Secondly i dont know why i do it, but i can feel a few symptoms but reasonably better, then all of a sudden i tend to throw in "why am i feeling better, what is going to happen now, how come one minute i can feel awful the next i feel this good" and obviously throw myself back a step, does anyone else do this? I guess i am thinking of my symptoms so much that i realise the minute i start to feel better, and when im not monitoring myself so much i will just feel better and not even notice?
Anyway just wanted to run some stuff by you all.
thanks
take care
prin

[Magpie]

Hi Prin, I'm new to the forum but not to the problems! It sounds to me like your anxiety disorder is manifesting itself as an obsession with your symptoms, which is going to make it pretty difficult for you to get stable. Probably you're already seeing someone for treatment, I'd mention this to them if I were you and see what they suggest you could do to lessen it. As for what to do when you can't get out much, I find something crafty is often good - there's no use starting when your anxiety is high as you probably won't have the concentration (I often don't) but for those days where you can concentrate a bit, something like building model aeroplanes or making jewellery seems to be quite good. You're concentrating on something outside of yourself, so it helps you exercise your brain without adding too much to your anxiety (at least once you get into the swing of it). That's what I find anyway!