Hears The Water
22-08-17, 02:54
So, it has been years since I was here. I had pretty bad anxiety and panic which resulted in phobias and health anxiety back then. They lasted for years before I found this site, and I do believe that learning how to breathe and distract were the foundation of healing for me.
But now I am back. I have some health issues, (Oh he irony!) that require vigilance and that, I think, started the slow creep back into fear behavior based phobias. Then two years ago the anxiety started coming back as part of the symptoms of my illness, mild at first, but manageable. Three weeks ago I had a pretty good melt down and I have been dealing with the anxiety ever since.
So I knew to come back here, and I have tried to avoid most of the health related posts because I just don't need something new to worry about. I have been breathing and saying positive affirmations to try to change the self-talk and distracting when needed. I don't have much energy to begin with, and this battle is taking up so much of what I have left, but I do try to rest as much as possible.
Now my question. I know that I need to face the things that scare me, otherwise they will turn into entrenched phobias. Avoiding the scary stuff makes me feel like a failure, but I did kind of take the weekend off to rest. This morning I started facing the things that scare me, and most of the day was crap. It was like by opening up the part of me that feels the fear, it kind of just stayed open all day. I have been more sensitive to movement today, more easily startled, felt more just general anxiety as well. And I had what I think might have been a bit of depersonalization, as well as a buzzy feeling head and legs, all of which I know are fairly common for us. (On a side note, the eclipse did not help at all either, I am in the US.) But now I am exhausted and am wondering if this does eventually get better. I can't seem to remember many details of the last time I fought the anxiety, I know I did get better, though. I guess I just need some reassurance. If I keep on standing up to the fear, keep on breathing, changing my self talk, doing all the things we are supposed to do, does it eventually get easier?
God bless you and yours
Deb
But now I am back. I have some health issues, (Oh he irony!) that require vigilance and that, I think, started the slow creep back into fear behavior based phobias. Then two years ago the anxiety started coming back as part of the symptoms of my illness, mild at first, but manageable. Three weeks ago I had a pretty good melt down and I have been dealing with the anxiety ever since.
So I knew to come back here, and I have tried to avoid most of the health related posts because I just don't need something new to worry about. I have been breathing and saying positive affirmations to try to change the self-talk and distracting when needed. I don't have much energy to begin with, and this battle is taking up so much of what I have left, but I do try to rest as much as possible.
Now my question. I know that I need to face the things that scare me, otherwise they will turn into entrenched phobias. Avoiding the scary stuff makes me feel like a failure, but I did kind of take the weekend off to rest. This morning I started facing the things that scare me, and most of the day was crap. It was like by opening up the part of me that feels the fear, it kind of just stayed open all day. I have been more sensitive to movement today, more easily startled, felt more just general anxiety as well. And I had what I think might have been a bit of depersonalization, as well as a buzzy feeling head and legs, all of which I know are fairly common for us. (On a side note, the eclipse did not help at all either, I am in the US.) But now I am exhausted and am wondering if this does eventually get better. I can't seem to remember many details of the last time I fought the anxiety, I know I did get better, though. I guess I just need some reassurance. If I keep on standing up to the fear, keep on breathing, changing my self talk, doing all the things we are supposed to do, does it eventually get easier?
God bless you and yours
Deb