Is stress a cure for anxiety?

[strawberrie]

i was just wondering what people thought about this. i started a part-time job recently, and i was really looking forward to it, but because there was someone there who checked up on everything i did, and criticised all the time, i ended up feeling on edge all the time and felt sick about the whole thing. Anyway, i put up with it for 4 months and then left because i couldnt stand it any more. So i am really relieved not to be working there any more, but my anxiety has now come back big time. It's like my usual health anxiety was put on hold while i was stressed at work, but now i dont have that stress any more, my anxiety is much worse.

Is it a good idea to try and add some extra stress to life to keep the anxiety at bay? I feel like maybe i have quite a high stress level, and if this isnt being filled by genuine problems, then the anxiety creeps in to make up for it. Does that make sense to anyone? Am i just destined to always feel anxious?

Any advice or ideas anyone?

Mag

[josephine]

I have not worked for over 11 years as i stayed at home to bring up my son. I have always suffered from anxiety but in the last few years it has got much worse. My husband says that it is because I am not out ther mixing with other people and my anxiety has been allowed to take hold without any distractions.

Maybe i would be better if i could find the courage to get a job. Maybe my confidence would come back and my anxiety wouldnt have such a grip on me.

Josephinex

[samc100]

I found that being at work often takes my mind off the anxiety and if I am having a tiny panic I can often work through it. I have focus at work.The banter from my colleagues makes me laugh which makes me feel happy. When I am doing my job well I feel so positive and strong inside.

I work part-time and find on my days away from the office I think much more about my anxiety and "feed" it.

The downside is though that lst year when I really lost the plot I stuffed up all my projects and I have had to re-earn my colleagues and clients trust. I felt such a failure. I still feel the weakest link at work. Got my appraisal soon - dreading it as never had a bad one before but going to accept I was pants due the circumstances. But I know I how hard I try at work and that will do for me.

[Magpie]

I think you've got a good point there Mag, but I would distinguish between acceptable levels of stress and unmanageable stress. Keeping the mind occupied is definitely the key to dealing with anxiety disorders I think, if your mind naturally works overtime it will be more healthy if it has something positive to be working overtime on. A certain degree of stress is natural and healthy, it pushes us to work well and exercises the mind. However, when you get the type of extreme stress people often get at work when there is an unacceptable level of pressure then it just replaces one problem with another. I guess the ideal situation is to have a job that challenges without being overwhelming. Difficult balance to get but some seem to manage it!

[mico]

Stress is absolutely not a cure for anxiety. It is generally what leads to it.

That said, it's a little more complex than that.

You said it yourself, your anxiety was put on hold while you worked. You were distracted. Sitting at home can have negative repercussions as you sit there with so little to do and so much time to think. And think. And think.

Although stress does inevitably lead to raised anxiety you've probably heard it said before that people have the capacity to cope exceptionally well under extreme stress. And they do. It's usually when the stress is over that you really begin to breakdown. When you reach that point we're you're no longer forced to cope and you feel you can relax. Except you suddenly realise that you can't relax at all.

What has really been happening is that the constant distractions of having to do this and that have been masking the sysmptoms of anxiety. So in that sense the stress deminishes anxiety from your focus. However, it's still there all the time, and when under stress it's often building. I found it quite important to learn to sense when the anxiety is building because you can counter it with certain relaxation techniques, etc.

What Magpie said is quite right. There are healthy levels of stress and there are unhealthy levels of stress. It's important that you can find that balance. Like in this instance, when you were working, it would seem that a lot of people can switch off when they get home, and that balances it for them. If you're a generally anxious person like me, then you may find it hard to switch off at all and that is definately something to work on.

I think I'm blabbering now so I'll stop.

[breeze25]

I have a very stressful 6 months and coped quite well (or so I thought) but as soon as all the stress was over and things should have been calmer, thats when my anxiety has come back and big time.

I hope you feel better soon.

[strawberrie]

thanks for all the replies. I think you guys are right and its probably the distraction rather than the stress which is helpful. I have to have a good rethink about what sort of job i should be doing as i really feel the need to get out there and be doing something rather than sitting here thinking. but at the same time i really dont want to be doing something like the last job where i feel completely stressed out all the time.

Good luck to all of you! :flowers:

mag

[Lindalou64]

stress is what brings on my anxiety,ive been agraphobic for 18 yrs but got better thru the yrs then i had all this stress and it came back with a vengence with other symptoms which brought on anxiety .....i think when you were at work ya mind was busy thats why ya didnt have many or any anxiety, ...................Linda xx

[happyone]

i don't deal well with stress. Stress definately exaccerbates my anx, big style

happyone
xx

[strawberrie]

finding the balance between stress and distraction is very difficult isnt it? i suppose there are enough stressful things that can happen that cant be avoided, that maybe its best to try and keep a low stress level in the things we choose to do - i think i'm going to be on the look out for a stress-free job (if there is such a thing!). thanks for the replies.

mag