Can't find the reason I have anxiety

[diamondgeezer65]

Hi,
I've been suffering from anxiety for many years and was just wondering if anyone is in the same boat as me. I wake up very anxious which eases off a bit but it stays with me all day. The thing is I don't know what I'm being anxious about a lot of the time, its just there. My doc/pysch keeps asking what I'm worrying about and what sets it off. Feels like I'm never going to figure it out.

[ana]

I feel the same, though with time and through therapy, I've learnt to recognise my triggers. Sometimes, what triggers the anxiety is an upcoming event, a past event or a present situation. It can be anything or anyone that sets your anxiety off,and this is the 'beauty' of this condition...

[akb]

If you listen to Claire Weekes or the new ACT dudes, you will learn that there is very often no cause for anxiety and in any case, its irrelevant to recovery through mindfulness and acceptance techniques. Us older people have had more time to stack up a bunch of memories about past defeat and its these damn memories which are our worst enemy.

[ana]

You can't ever erase the bad memories, but what you can do, is create new ones. Reprogram yourself by having good experiences, by making accomplishments you're proud of. It takes time, but it's worth it.

[AntsyVee]

Often times anxiety is the body's response to a build up of stress over time. Many things can trigger it such as prolonged stress, poor diet, poor sleep, major life events, etc. I agree with the other posters that the solution is not so much finding out what caused it initially, but to keep a journal to identify your triggers and work on techniques to refocus your thoughts.

[MyNameIsTerry]

GAD is like that, constant worry about nothing. Then there are also many triggers that mean it's too general to categorise as anything else.

Often the analogy of a thermostat being reset to a higher minimum level is used to illustrate it to people.

I had a breakdown due to stress. I have triggers, I also have anxiety for no reason whatsover. It's just there. This doesn't mean you can't resolve it, it just might mean it's more about healthy behaviours & changing thinking/core beliefs rather than trying to sort through some event in the past.

[Rick(amateur)]

Hi,
I've been suffering from anxiety for many years and was just wondering if anyone is in the same boat as me. I wake up very anxious which eases off a bit but it stays with me all day. The thing is I don't know what I'm being anxious about a lot of the time, its just there. My doc/pysch keeps asking what I'm worrying about and what sets it off. Feels like I'm never going to figure it out.

Here's a suggestion that might help you. Keep a journal and write about your day and what might have made your anxiety worse. Then, pretend you're a detective and try to find patterns in them. I always enjoyed puzzles where you get some clues to make connections. What you are doing here is to see a pattern and maybe determine if a certain habit or routine has been causing it. Sometimes, the smallest things can cause anxiety and only you can really find out. If it's a tough puzzle, just take your time and eventually you'll crack it.

[akb]

I guess knowing the cause of your anxiety can help some people, including the brain mechanisms what cause it.

I can only speak for myself. I know all the causes and all the triggers but I'll be damned if that has helped.

Regarding triggers, it may be good to avoid certain situations but what when gets you unexpectedly.

If recovery lies in fully accepting all the crap that gets thrown at you, then facing rather than avoiding would appear to be the way to go.

[ankietyjoe]

The brain likes to repeat things, it's how it learns.

The trick is to train it to learn to relax again, which is why (in my opinion) meditation and mindfulness is better long term than medication and pills.

Either way, it's a long process, but meditation teaches you not to focus on a day being good or bad, it just is. It's really helpful.

[akb]

Agreed AJ

Id add that even focusing on recovery does no good. By being mindful we can just learn to take whatever life throws at us without getting upset by it.

Ive still got a long way to go but its helping

[diamondgeezer65]

Yes I've started practising mindfulness with the headspace app. I will give the journal idea a go too. Thanks for the reply's :yesyes:

[ankietyjoe]

Agreed AJ

Id add that even focusing on recovery does no good. By being mindful we can just learn to take whatever life throws at us without getting upset by it.

Ive still got a long way to go but its helping

Couldn't agree more. Good luck with your continued recovery. :)