Cyclic Anxiety?

[Jebdog]

Does anyone else experience Anxiety is a cyclic manner?

I mean I will have 1-3 weeks where I'm pretty good, in control of anxiety, I mean it's there but my techniques work, I can ignore it and get on with life and then suddenly it kind of overtakes and the what ifs hit hard, controlling it seems much harder and I become obsessive about getting better (includes what if I don't get better despite me coming out of the spell every time).. This lasts 1-2 weeks.

Anyone else go through similar I feel pretty alone in this pattern.

Historically, I've had this since 2007, although did go through 2012 to 2016 in control which included stressful situations. It's very confusing and I think anxiety or even OCD is behind it. Although I do get down about it to during the spells.

[Jebdog]

Looks like no one has encountered this type of cyclic nature before.

Quite scared at the moment. In one of my bad spells again. Would love to hear from someone who can relate.

[Bill]

Hello Jebdog,

See if you think you can relate to this as I'm guessing (because I couldn't find more about your situation) this might be happening -

On day one, you go out for a walk. Someone hands you a large bag of diamonds that they tell you is too valuable to leave behind.

On day two, someone else finds a large bag of ruby's and they ask you to carry them for them.

On day three, someone gives you a a large bag of emeralds and again you carry them.

This pattern carries on day after day and you feel quite capable carrying the load until one day, someone gives you another bag of jewels which you just can't carry but still you feel you ought to carry it.

After 3 weeks of carrying this ever increasing load, you feel you just don't have the energy to keep walking because you're too overloaded.

Now imagine you're at work and your boss gives you a caseload. The following day your boss gives you another load, and so on. Each load has to be dealt with but each day you feel you can't keep up with the pace of the loads given to you. Your mind becomes overload and anxiety surfaces.

Once the anxiety is triggered, your over stressed mind creates all the "what if's" you never get better which keep surfacing because your anxiety is constantly being fuelled by the daily stress which has also gradually built up over the period.

After a couple of weeks, the workload may decrease, your stress levels go down, you feel more able to cope so your anxiety lessens and so the "what if's" stop worrying you...until that is, you become overstressed again and the "cycle" starts all over again.

That would be my guess, that something happens to cause your anxiety to be triggered. Sometimes it can be due to a specific stressful event but sometimes it can be due to a gradual build up of stress too. It's often when it's gradual when we don't see it coming until our mind tells us by way of anxious feelings, that it can't take any more and that it needs a break.

Years ago, we'd see a lion which would make us want to run. The stress created by seeing it would us to run faster and we'd feel fine (unless it ate us) until we saw the lion again. In todays society, the lion takes another form called "work"...we feel ok while we can manage it but when it gradually ends up getting too close and we feel we can no longer keep it under control, we get anxious because work is our income.


Does that help?

[Jebdog]

Hi Bill thanks for the reply and sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

I've again had a decent couple of weeks but now am feeling anxious and down again. In some ways it's like I pre-empt it and it feels like I have very little control over the anxious spells. In addition when I'm down and anxious I just can't see how I'll feel better again even though I know I have many times before.

I fear I've hard wired the cycle if you like. This has gone on for six years, with a four year break (2012-2016) and then the last six months. Funny thing is when I'm having my better spells I can almost forget about the anxiety but it's always hiding away in the back of my mind. The fear of having another bad spell.

I know all anxiety experiences are different but I'm struggling to find someone with similar symptoms. Which again makes me fearful.

I wonder if a long time anxiety (10+) can be beaten. Especially one as on-off as mine.

[Cakelady]

I do get these cycles. Its really hard work. Like you, when I feel ok I can almost forget about it but I do have a fear that it will reoccur. When it does I too think it will never get better & can get very depressed. Sometimes there are triggers, stress & worry but sometimes there can be no reason. When it eases of I like to try to get on with things & hope this time it will be gone but its needing more than hope because sooner or later it returns. Feel for you x

[Annaines]

I'm currently at the bad part of the cycle. It came one evening out of nowhere and it's already lasting three days. My anxiety definitely comes in cycles. I'm always angry at myself that I didn't try to find a therapist when I'm feeling good, because I know that I certainly will be unable to seek help when I'm at my worst. But when I feel good I just forget about my anxiety. It's really confusing.

[maianixon]

I sort of get the same, after a bad anxiety episode I'm usually perfectly fine for about 3-5 days and then it suddenly hits out of nowhere, usually even worse than a previous time. I'm just (hopefully) getting out of one of these bad phases and have just started medication so I'm hoping that will help me break this cycle, but we'll see.