Do you think checking this forum hurts or helps?

[Scotttt]

I have no doubt that this forum has helped me through the height of my anxiety.

However, as I move forward with treating my anxiety I wonder if I should stay off all forums, even If I am not seeking reassurance for medical worries.

this is a great place for support, but I wonder if its keeping the fire alive..so to speak.

Id be interested to know what y'all think.

[Catherine S]

Hi Scottt, I think it depends on the person and how much of a trigger some subjects would be going forward. I joined when my health anxiety was at its height and nmp got me through the worst times. I'm relatively well these days and nothing is a trigger for me fortunately, I can even Google symptoms without going into meltdown.

Having said that, I have lifelong claustrophobia and that can sometimes be a problem...not on the forum but just in life generally so I still do have to cope with certain situations but at least I can sympathise with others on nmp if they feel the same way.

ISB ☺

[up a ladder]

For me: It helps. Some articles trigger me sometimes but after spending a day at work coming on here lets me know I am not struggling alone.

[snowghost57]

I don't have HA and it seems that my little experience with the meds have eliminated my GAD. For a while the threads would bother me, so I just skip the ones that I feel are of no support for me or will cause me distress. I do like to encourage others with GAD and share my success. It's a personal decision.

[Ihavelostmymarbles]

I come here because I feel so alone with this. No one understands my HA. I do have some health issues, but people think I'm just supposed to accept it and move on. Instead, my mind focuses on worst case scenarios. Coming here helps me not feel so alone, and it keeps me from irritating the people in my life. I just irritate all of you now :roflmao:

[Cakelady]

Some days I wonder if it makes me think about my anxieties more but if i don't come here I am very alone with them. I hope to not need the site someday because that means I have finally moved on & made progress but atm I would be so lost without this place xx

[D Ray Morton]

This is a very good question had the same convo with my brother yesterday. Ive not been coming on long and sometimes its brilliant just to see people like minded as in life there isnt a lot. But also you can scan it and it can add to your own anxieties bring things up you never even thought of.

Very hard 50/50

[Fishmanpa]

It depends on the individual. I personally know many that have left the forum and moved on. I also know a therapist will discourage participation as it just perpetuates the cycle.

While there is a certain comfort in knowing you're not alone, posting and waiting around just feeds the anxiety. Reassurance seeking definitely is detrimental and it's proven by post histories.

That all being said, sadly, not everyone is in a life situation that permits them to get the professional help they need nor do they possess the mental fortitude to do it on their own.

Positive thoughts

[paranoid-viking]

It never hurts:)
It is good; i a way; to see that I am not alone in irrational health fear.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Is therapy helpful or just talking about symptoms? Are peer support groups run by charities helpful?

It's about how you use them. If you spend all that time engaging in negative behavior, it can be frustrating. But the difference in therapy & guided/monitored peer support groups is that they move you on.

So, how many any on this board go on Success Stories, Top Tips, Therapy, etc? From my experience across all the boards, I've found HAers to be uncommon on those boards, so much so that I tend to regard this board as a "forum within a forum".

So, are you asking the right question?

And something to also consider is that recovery means being able to confront triggers and not be triggered. So, you also have to be mindful of leaving triggering places out of avoidance too.

I thought my anxiety was all going great the first time around. I later learned it was more that I hadn't continued to work on my fears so when one came along...

[Scotttt]

Very good point.

I've noticed that as my anxiety lessens I look more at threads about recovery and dealing with anxiety, rather than seeking reassurance.


The community aspect is undoubtedly beneficial.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Very good point.

I've noticed that as my anxiety lessens I look more at threads about recovery and dealing with anxiety, rather than seeking reassurance.


The community aspect is undoubtedly beneficial.

That's great news! :yesyes::yahoo:

Have you had spikes in anxiety and found your obsessive side worsens? I have with my OCD and I've spoken to plenty who have found the same.

Something I also experienced was a Cognitive Shift after 6 months of daily Mindfulness practice. It was very noticeable, I felt something change in my mind and found myself looking at things differently. Recovery can be about jolts forward and blips/bumps in the road, Weekes even talked about "layers".

It's good to hear you are shifting from the obsession driving you to you wanting to recovery and searching it out. A former panic sufferer explained the importance of wanting to do things and how it empowered you, I've found it go be true.

I should explain about my earlier point further. I've seen people leave here stating it's too triggering and hindering recovery. That's fair. But later on exposure tests how far you've recovered. I found some were saying they were feeling better and couldn't be around others talking about it and I got the impression they didn't realise that was an avoidance to work on too.

[GlassPinata]

Usually helps; occasionally triggers.
I try to avoid threads that i know will trigger me.

[Hancock]

In my opinion, it hurts. It's definitely a good place to be when you're struggling, helping others helps you, and in turn, you basically get to pep talk yourself through something as you're giving a pep talk to someone else. I think it's detrimental to constantly seek reassurance as so many people on here do, though.

Personally, when I'm doing good, I try to stay faaaaaar away from here as certain things can trigger me into a bad mode of thinking. Plus, it's generally frustrating when you're at a high point and you're trying to help someone and they refuse to listen to reason. So typically, I'll just end up angry or upset if I'm visiting this forums on a good day/week/month/etc.

Great question though. I think a lot of people here use this forum as a continued crutch. It's a great safety net when you're spiraling, but everyone has to learn to walk on their own at some point.

[AthenaFaeyrn]

I've often just felt that my use of this forum when reassurance-seeking for my symptoms is just a part of the HA: - it's neither good, nor bad, it just "is". I think more generally it depends on how one actually uses the forum, how severe their HA is, and what the extent of their reliance on the forum as a crutch actually is.

In my case, I've used this forum every single time I've had a "serious" concern about my health since I joined up, (I put "serious" in quotation, because of course it's always turned out to be nothing, but my HA has convinced me that I am actually dying of what I fear it is). I feel it has helped me honestly.. As much as people can reassure me that I'm NOT dying, their support and knowing that I'm not alone is a seriously big help in those times I feel like the sheer panic I experience due to HA is actually killing me.

This is the only place I can come to where people understand what I go through. Everyone in real life I know I think is tired of my HA, reassurance-seeking and fears of death / serious illness. People here get it when the rest of the world just rolls its eyes at us.

[Pip78]

I have to say, I find the postings here a great help. I am feeling anxious at the moment because of a particular health test for which I am awaiting the result. I have no special symptoms to make me concerned, so that there is as yet no foundation for my worries, and yet I still worry. I feel ashamed of myself that I give in to this HA, and struggle to shake it off. But then this is where the postings here come into play. It is as if my thoughts are shared, and of course there is that old saying - a problem shared is a problem halved.

[unsure_about_this]

Sometimes it makes me worried I am worrying I have either got testicle cancer at the moment because I cant stop checking, worried about my heart and about 500 other types of cancer.