Anxiety recovery

[Drisque]

I have been on the path of recovery from this HA that has taken over my life, though sometimes it doesn't feel like I'm making much progress. I will have days when I feel much better that will then be followed by a week of physical symptoms, things such as fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, palpitations...the works, really. Is this pretty typical of the recovery process? Sometimes I feel like these feelings aren't going away because of something more serious, but then I pull myself back to reality only for that sinister feeling to come back sometime later.

[skymaid]

i have a different phobia/anxiety but that sounds a very similar path to my recovery. some days i think can confidently think i can bat away all the thoughts about my random symptoms. "This is just anxiety i'm gonna ignore it" kinda thing.

But then a new symptom might pop up and cause me a wave of anxiety/panic am i feel "set back". I think its part of the journey.

[Minivil]

Yes, that sounds pretty typical. Anxiety has a way of making you feel like it's the first time you've ever felt it and the alarm bells it's ringing is URGENTLY IMPORTANT even though it's the same thing you just struggled with a week ago. Panic attacks always surprise me a little...I'm thankful to have a husband who can remind me "what is true" and "science my way out of it", as we call it.
What is logical, what do I know, what is my foundation, have I been through this before, what was the outcome, what's most likely, and, the classic---you will not ALWAYS feel this way. This will pass.

:hugs:

[Traceypo]

Focus on those days you feel much better, enjoy them, then when you have a bad day you can remind yourself of that and put it into perspective. A bad day does not mean a bad week or month, non anxiety sufferers have bad days or days they don't feel 100%, the fact your recognising good days shows that you're not fully consumed by the negative thoughts.
Change your routines about when you're feeling low, get out, force yourself to take a walk, jog or swim. Anything that makes you think of positives rather than dwelling on the what ifs.
Be proud of how far you've come, a good day is a good day, put 7 together and you get a good week!
Xxx

[Darwin73]

I've had HA for 30 odd years and I've noticed that while I do have serious periods of worry (days or weeks, sometimes a month or so) and physical symptoms, there are also long periods where my anxiety is at a very low level or I can even forget about it. Speaking for myself, I think I'll always be disposed to this kind of anxiety, but it's something I can live with. These days, I hardly ever Google and try not to spend too much time on HA boards as this can cause my anxiety to rise again. I think what you are experiencing is perfectly normal for HA sufferers and hopefully you will achieve ever longer periods where you are feeling okay.

[Drisque]

I've been trying to tell myself is just anxiety, and it will pass with mixed results, but as one poster said noticing good days is a sign of improvement, and that's what I need to focus on. Thank you all for your support. Seeing that your experiences were/are similar to mine is very helpful. :)

[emmamoose]

Focus on the good days but also if you can clear your head enough then see if you can figure out if there is a pattern for triggering the bad days.
I am just starting to do this and I think it helps.
Eg. for me, and I think for most people alcohol/ hangovers can cause my anxiety to spike and then it takes a good few days to feel better again.
Also having a cold makes me more anxious. Not about the cold itself but the extreme tiredness seems to let anxious thought creep in.
If I can say to myself "yes you are anxious but it is partly because you are very very tired" then i find it easier to not get too scared and overwhelmed.

[helenhoo]

On my good days I keep a log on my phone notes of how many days I have gone without googling/forums. And then I quickly change my thought process so I don't get sucked back into it. '5 days no googling, wow. Now what's for dinner' and then something will trigger it and THIS is what I need to control but I'm working online CBT.