How to cope with anxiety that symptoms could return?

[lilysmith123]

I'm coming out of my worst flare up yet. Unable to leave home, week long panic attacks, the works! I bet we've all been there.
I've realised now my symptoms were anxiety based, but now I'm spending some time worrying that they'll return. When it was happening, I was worried they would never go away. Now I'm worried they return.

How do you cope with this type of feeling? How can I ease this anxiety? I'm trying so hard to use distraction techniques, I've started therapy (Finally - only 4 sessions in and had to go through a few to find my ideal one)

Please tell me I'm not alone in this feeling, and how you guys cope.

[NoraB]

I'm coming out of my worst flare up yet. Unable to leave home, week long panic attacks, the works! I bet we've all been there.

Week long panic attacks? You can certainly get continuous waves of them, but there will be a 'lull' in-between - you might not be aware of it, but there is no such thing as a week long panic attack.


I've realised now my symptoms were anxiety based, but now I'm spending some time worrying that they'll return. When it was happening, I was worried they would never go away. Now I'm worried they return.

Focusing on symptoms returning kinda becomes a self-professing prophecy because stress will release those hormones which create symptoms, and you might get the same symptoms or completely new ones - which means you're back on the HA rollercoaster. However, if you change the self-talk to something like, 'If my anxiety symptoms come back, I know they are the result of stress hormones which won't hurt me. I felt really bad before and I got through it, so I will get through it again - only this time I understand what is happening to me. I know it's my body trying to protect me. My brain doesn't know the difference between what is real and what is imagined. I will remember what I've learned in therapy and I will be in control of my anxiety and not it be in control of me.'


How do you cope with this type of feeling? How can I ease this anxiety? I'm trying so hard to use distraction techniques, I've started therapy (Finally - only 4 sessions in and had to go through a few to find my ideal one)

Distraction techniques are helpful. There is much to be said for mindfulness - where we spend some time in the present, not the past or our imagined futures. That said, I don't agree with running from anxiety - from fear. In order to gain control, we have to face our fears, and in anxiety's case - our catastrophic thoughts.


Please tell me I'm not alone in this feeling, and how you guys cope.

Anxiety can be brutal in it's severest form. I had a full mental breakdown where my body and brain threw the towel in. Health anxiety put me there, and it's been a graft to recover. But knowledge really is power, and I know it's unrealistic to think that I won't get flare-ups - even with what I know. My anxiety is high at the moment (it's why I've come back here) and my body is experiencing a lot of anxiety symptoms. IBS has flared up, but damn it, I refuse to start poking about in my poo. I simply remind myself that I've been here before, and managed to utterly convince myself that I had bowel cancer- so much so that I said, 'Are you sure?' when the consultant told me my colon was in fabulous condition! I've had some stressors to deal with over the last few months - a cancer diagnosis for my elderly FIL, my three-yearly cervix scrape which, thanks to VA (vaginal atrophy) meant that I had to 'stretch' the old love tunnel out to be able to take the smallest of speculums, my autistic son starting secondary school tomorrow, and now my first mammogram is due. My body is responding to the stress hormones I'm firing out. The nocturnal panic attacks are back, (hello, I haven't missed you) but I know that it's temporary. As long as I put the work in and do my relaxation, stop all stimulants, and cull social media and daily news - I will get back to where I was a few months back.

There will always be blips for me, and that's what they are - blips. I understand anxiety. I know that I will never go back to that awful time when I was all but broken, because I understand what happened to me, and why. Most importantly, I learned how to gain control.

The one thing I have noticed with HA is that the majority of people are quick to consult Dr Google (who it has to say, isn't very helpful) but when it's suggested that people research stress hormones and the effect on the human body - there is generally zero response. One member said this to me yesterday, 'Yes. I know anxiety is probably causing most of my symptoms, but...' which tells me that this person doesn't understand at all. Understanding the SNS/PSNS response was a key part in my recovery from health anxiety. I cannot stress enough (pardon the pun) how important it is. It removes the fear element, and it's fear that does the damage with HA. Knowledge can stop panic attacks from evolving into full-blown firework displays. It can prevent them altogether along with breathing properly. If people are going to Google anything, it should be the stress response and how to control it.

Therapy helped me, but it took two lots, and in the end the one worked where the therapist took the fact that I'm autistic into account and my inability to take in verbal instruction - so he drew me diagrams and typed everything up for me to read through with him. That guy got a box of chocs at the end. I owe him my sanity.

I hope that it helps you to know that someone can be as ill as it gets with HA and recover? It certainly gave me hope at 3am in the morning four years ago..

I'd wish you the best of luck, but it isn't luck that you need here - it's knowledge, perseverance and determination to kick HA up the bum!

[pulisa]

Fabulous post, Nora..(It's SO important to have visual prompts with ASD..am so glad that you have really challenged your HA and won!)

Wishing your son all the very best for tomorrow..It's a momentous day but I'm sure that you'll have made sure that the staff are prepared and you'll be on the ball anyway should there be any teething problems. Don't hold back!

[lilysmith123]

Week long panic attacks? You can certainly get continuous waves of them, but there will be a 'lull' in-between - you might not be aware of it, but there is no such thing as a week long panic attack.



Focusing on symptoms returning kinda becomes a self-professing prophecy because stress will release those hormones which create symptoms, and you might get the same symptoms or completely new ones - which means you're back on the HA rollercoaster. However, if you change the self-talk to something like, 'If my anxiety symptoms come back, I know they are the result of stress hormones which won't hurt me. I felt really bad before and I got through it, so I will get through it again - only this time I understand what is happening to me. I know it's my body trying to protect me. My brain doesn't know the difference between what is real and what is imagined. I will remember what I've learned in therapy and I will be in control of my anxiety and not it be in control of me.'



Distraction techniques are helpful. There is much to be said for mindfulness - where we spend some time in the present, not the past or our imagined futures. That said, I don't agree with running from anxiety - from fear. In order to gain control, we have to face our fears, and in anxiety's case - our catastrophic thoughts.



Anxiety can be brutal in it's severest form. I had a full mental breakdown where my body and brain threw the towel in. Health anxiety put me there, and it's been a graft to recover. But knowledge really is power, and I know it's unrealistic to think that I won't get flare-ups - even with what I know. My anxiety is high at the moment (it's why I've come back here) and my body is experiencing a lot of anxiety symptoms. IBS has flared up, but damn it, I refuse to start poking about in my poo. I simply remind myself that I've been here before, and managed to utterly convince myself that I had bowel cancer- so much so that I said, 'Are you sure?' when the consultant told me my colon was in fabulous condition! I've had some stressors to deal with over the last few months - a cancer diagnosis for my elderly FIL, my three-yearly cervix scrape which, thanks to VA (vaginal atrophy) meant that I had to 'stretch' the old love tunnel out to be able to take the smallest of speculums, my autistic son starting secondary school tomorrow, and now my first mammogram is due. My body is responding to the stress hormones I'm firing out. The nocturnal panic attacks are back, (hello, I haven't missed you) but I know that it's temporary. As long as I put the work in and do my relaxation, stop all stimulants, and cull social media and daily news - I will get back to where I was a few months back.

There will always be blips for me, and that's what they are - blips. I understand anxiety. I know that I will never go back to that awful time when I was all but broken, because I understand what happened to me, and why. Most importantly, I learned how to gain control.

The one thing I have noticed with HA is that the majority of people are quick to consult Dr Google (who it has to say, isn't very helpful) but when it's suggested that people research stress hormones and the effect on the human body - there is generally zero response. One member said this to me yesterday, 'Yes. I know anxiety is probably causing most of my symptoms, but...' which tells me that this person doesn't understand at all. Understanding the SNS/PSNS response was a key part in my recovery from health anxiety. I cannot stress enough (pardon the pun) how important it is. It removes the fear element, and it's fear that does the damage with HA. Knowledge can stop panic attacks from evolving into full-blown firework displays. It can prevent them altogether along with breathing properly. If people are going to Google anything, it should be the stress response and how to control it.

Therapy helped me, but it took two lots, and in the end the one worked where the therapist took the fact that I'm autistic into account and my inability to take in verbal instruction - so he drew me diagrams and typed everything up for me to read through with him. That guy got a box of chocs at the end. I owe him my sanity.

I hope that it helps you to know that someone can be as ill as it gets with HA and recover? It certainly gave me hope at 3am in the morning four years ago..

I'd wish you the best of luck, but it isn't luck that you need here - it's knowledge, perseverance and determination to kick HA up the bum!

Nora thank you so much for this post. You make me feel like I can be strong too!!
You're right, total hyperbole on my part hehe.. it's just very exhausting mid flare up!

I just wanted to say thank you, your post is something I'll keep reading whenever I feel bad, I really needed to hear your successful story and even though we are strangers, I am so proud. Funnily enough, to counteract my Dr. Google obsession, my therapist has tasked me with whenever I feel like googling, to read about health anxiety and the stress response!

I'm so glad you found a therapist who provided you with the best way to work for you. and I really hope your son had a good first day.

Thank you :bighug1: