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mlondon
28-08-08, 17:03
Part 2

A year ago I wrote part 1 of my story. I would love to write and say I am back to normal, everything is ok and I feel great. But is has been and still is up and down. I am not who I used to be and things have been tough. HOWEVER in the past year I have achieved a lot and I feel I need to write about these achievements to emphasis them for myself because they can sometimes slip away and all too often I focus on the negative. I remember the first time I went to the cinema after I developed anxiety. My therapist suggested I go, I did and felt great and so proud of the achievement.

I still find it difficult to believe this is anxiety. Today I was sitting at work, 8 colleagues were sitting around me and I felt there was a barrier between them and me, I feel hazy. But last year I didn’t understand this was dissociation and it totally scared me.

A year ago I had just begun working in a new job. I have been in the job for a whole year now and am getting a promotion in September. I am also going part time so that I can study for my second degree and whether I get round to studying or not I must remember I have got onto the course, that in itself is an achievement.

Last year I felt like I would never be able to go away again. From feeling like I couldn’t leave the house for fear of collapsing, doing something dangerous or going mad I have been away to France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Australia! Australia was my biggest achievements in one way as it was the one I feared the most but another huge achievement was Holland because I flew on my own. I travelled in the UK to a work meeting, trips that are familiar or local to me are often worse than ones that aren’t. I have also stopped my medication though am considering taking a small amount again. I am beginning to realise that fears are all produced by my thoughts.

I think recently I have been jumping ahead of myself, I went to Holland on my own and stopped taking the meds and said to myself ‘that is it, the anxiety is over’. From then on I expected it to be over and got frustrated with myself every time I felt it again. Whereas at Christmas when I went shopping I was so proud of myself!

One thing I find hard to deal with is the tiredness, the second is questioning whether things would be too much for me. I don’t feel as much for life anymore as did so I worry that I am depressed and am scared I will never feel that lust for life again. I guess I am frustrated more than anything and need to have patience.

Some days though I have felt good, the sun has been shinning, I have been engaged with work and the world. The thing I say to myself is it is just anxiety, I have experienced it before and nothing bad has happened. Everything is actually ok I think I just need to realise it and trust that realisation.

If anyone wants to read part 1, please feel free to contact me...

xxlisaxx08
28-08-08, 18:19
The fact that you've managed to go away to all these countries with all your anxiety problems is really inspiring!! I feel at the moment that i'll never leave my town again!

You sound like me in respect that you want to do too much at once, my therapist always tells me off for this! I don't think you're depressed I think you're just used to doing 'normal' the first few times you manage to do something its great and you feel you can achieve anything but then it wears off and you feel like there's nothing again. Although the reason you're feeling down and negative may be stopping your meds. I think that you should have stayed on them for a while longer

Take care x

lorac
28-08-08, 19:15
Hi

It sounds to me like you are doing very well but I do understand how you feel about having to remind yourself of the realisation.

I think I am in a similar position to you, not travelling as far as you but still doing alot more and understanding more about the anxiety. Sometimes we still feel the anxiety and think we haven't got very far forward but when we take a check on things we can see just how much our lives have improved and how far forward we have come. I wish you luck with your success.

Carol