View Full Version : Accepting anxiety
It seems that acceptance of our symptoms is the way to recovery. I don't know how many of you have heard of this, but it is the basis behind Claire Weekes' approach, and many other books/guides etc.
Personally I do believe this is the way, it's just that I am so far unable to accept how I feel.
Has anyone here got experience with this?
gypsywomen
02-12-09, 15:16
everybody on here seems to swear by it ,,thats what i o
Davey boy,
After having read Dr Weekes, I am slowly getting to believe that the only way to break the anxiety cycle is to accept it..... completely
We are so scared of anxiety symptoms, which in turn ups the anxiety even more. We are forever fighting this beast. Maybe its time to just accept what it is. If we do not give it prominence, it will slowly not play that central prominent part in our thought process.
I konw it is a difficult call, since we all have been internally conditioned to try and fight this .
Hi Daveyboy,
Acceptance is definitely the key.
Anxiety does slip into the background over time, its a slow hard battle but perseverence is definitely the key. I had to remember to use distraction techniques by busying myself up to take my focus away from the anxious feelings, in time you become more natural at looking away from these feelings.
Keep with it, if you are talking like this you are definitely on the road to recovery.
Keep Strong
LK
When you accept you relax. When you don't accept how you feel you are desperately struggling to get better. Acceptance brings recovery. Without a doubt it does. It doesn't happen overnight but with practise does happen.
Myra x
What IS anxiety?
Worry? Fear?....(due to too much stress?)
What do they produce?
Adrenalin?
What does that cause?
Palpitations? Sweating? Panic?
What results?
We feel even more afraid because we feel so ill?
What do we do?
We try to fight off these feelings which causes us to tense up making the feelings 10 times worse and so inducing a state of panic due to shallow breathing because we feel so frightened?
How do we stop the anxious feelings?
We ACCEPT them, allow them to go through us without worrying us because we remind ourselves they're Just a "natural response to too much stress"?
What happens then?
We're cured?
Try it!:winks:
Tried it? I done it ;)
Claire Weekes, cover to cover, implement what you have read into your life. concentrate on Dr Weekes words when anxious, accept the feelings, don't run off, stand and accept (don't fight) mix in a bit of exercise, and say goodbye to 8 years of
life disturbing anxiety.
And all without meds (well ok, the odd beta blocker).
I can't recommend it enough.
TC
Jaco
I have to say that after undergoing three CBT sessions I am starting to accept that I have this anxiety condition. the plus point being that on Wednesday i had one hell of a day, my muscles were tense, my chest was sore and i was in a state of panic. The thinking at the time that this is my anxiety, the differnec ebings that four weeks ago i would have been in a state of depression, worried about my health and up to high heavan in fear. So i am giving myself a pat on the back that i did not let the negative thoughts grip me into a day of depression, OK it wasnt the good day by any menas but for the first time i dealth with it.
As for the books by Claire Weeks, i have noticed that she has done several, which one do people recommend.
Yes can someone recommend the book you are referring too please :flowers:
ladybird64
04-12-09, 19:04
Essential help for your nerves. Quite a long read so break it into stages but this is the one that struck chords with me.
PS. Available from the NMP bookshop! :D
sylvia-rose
05-12-09, 02:05
it is difficult for me to follow the path of total acceptance(as claire weekes encourages-her books have got me through many tough times)
because the symptoms seem to change or confuse me in a way that i feel unprepared for them or bewildered. They don't seem to follow a pattern these days and i'm thrown by their sudden appearance or the fact they seem to feel different to normal.
i think the point claire weekes makes is not to be bluffed by any strange new symptom but to practice general acceptance whatever crops up-this can feel almost impossible but i'm sure if it is mastered youre half way to taming the anxiety beast!
guitarpants
05-12-09, 19:06
I feel I can go a few days with acceptance, but I keep coming back to "what if the doctors missed something". It's due to my poor relationship with doctors, I've had to switch twice so far since they were not very good at communicating to me, and were kind of irresponsible about ruling out possible physical problems first.
That throws me right back into an anxiety fit, but I'm making slow but steady strides. It takes a lot of work.
i have just read self help for your nerves now terrified im having nervous breakdown thought it was just anxiety so i know how you feel!
i have just read self help for your nerves now terrified im having nervous breakdown thought it was just anxiety so i know how you feel!
But a nervous breakdown is simply anxiety in a heightened form...the acceptance part is exactly the same.
Whilever you say "I'm terrified", you won't get better. Instead, try saying, I'm calm, I accept.":hugs:
I have ordered the book and look forward to reading it. Thanks for the tips
Wow, some great responses here! Thanks everyone for your replies :)
I'm definitely going to concentrate on this approach from now on. It is the only thing that has "felt" right, in over 7 years of trying to get better.
I've actually been trying to accept this anxiety disorder for about 4 or 5 years now, but only recently have I "understood" what that means. I'm now thinking of my symptoms as something like flu, which anyone can catch, and makes you fee awful, but you can't do anything about. This does take the fear out of it, and it's amazing how much easier it is to live with the symptoms. I just think, "Well this really sucks, but I guess these things happen, and it's more than likely going to go away in a few months".
As well as Claire Weekes, I have been reading another ebook by someone who recovered from anxiety using the "acceptance" method. In fact I would say his book has helped me even more than Claire Weekes'. I'm more than happy to tell people where they can get this if they want; I haven't put a link here as it might sound like I'm trying to promote or sell something.
Unfortunately it is not all good news, as I am not having total success with accepting my anxiety yet. My mind seems unable (or unwilling) to let go completely, and I keep finding myself clinging on to one last sensation and thinking "but maybe this is more than just anxiety...?"
I have a slightly different position to the average anxiety sufferer in that I have abused drugs quite a bit, and through research I know it is possible for these drugs to produce anxiety and depression. So my mind, being the obsessive little scamp that it is, constantly chatters away with things like "your anxiety is different, it is incurable because you have damaged my brain". Whilst logically I know that it is more likely that this is just a psychological condition, it is still possible that I do have brain damage.
Then there are even more complications, such as worrying over (again) brain damage (it's a common theme!) from head trauma, such as bangs to the head. I have never hit my head very hard, but I have always worried about a couple of minor concussions I had when younger. Then just a few days ago I fell over and hit my head again. I was drunk when it happened, and I can't really remember how bad it was. I'm 90% sure it was nothing serious at all, but my thoughts constantly try to search for answers they will never find, as I want proof that I didn't cause brain damage that will complicate my recovery from GAD.
Agh... writing all this makes me sound like a mad man! I guess most of you can sympathise with the irrational thought processes that go on during anxiety though.
Well, anyway, in summary it seems near certain that acceptance is the best, and maybe the only way to recover. I just need to throw myself in 100%, and that hasn't quite happened yet. I think my biggest problem is this strange new sensation I got about 18 months ago where I feel even more detached than before. It seems more than just derealisation, and I can't really hold a thought at all now. I guess it is all just anxiety/depression though.... I just need to believe it.
catherine.v
08-12-09, 14:46
Tried it? I done it ;)
Claire Weekes, cover to cover, implement what you have read into your life. concentrate on Dr Weekes words when anxious, accept the feelings, don't run off, stand and accept (don't fight) mix in a bit of exercise, and say goodbye to 8 years of
life disturbing anxiety.
And all without meds (well ok, the odd beta blocker).
I can't recommend it enough.
TC
Jaco hi hope u dont mind me asking but is the book called more help for your nerves ?? i want to buy the book . am willing to try anything !! thanks could you message me :hugs:
I feel like I'm accepting my anxiety right at this moment in time :)
It feels good :)
Just what I want to hear :winks:
Book arrived today, cant wait to get stuck in. I flipped through straight to palps of course but, nope I will start right from the beginning, or try to.
Has anyone read 'At Last A Life' by Paul David? I've just started it.
http://www.anxietynomore.co.uk/the_book.html I'll let you know how I get on with it.:)
Please can somone give me a name of one of the claire weekes books they sound like a step ion the right direction, im new to all this anxiety iv been told several times that im suffering from it but i cant stop thinking its somthin else i think i just need to get to grips.:wacko:
Has anyone read 'At Last A Life' by Paul David? I've just started it.
http://www.anxietynomore.co.uk/the_book.html I'll let you know how I get on with it.:)
Thats that book I was referring to in my last post in this thread. I think it's REALLY good, and I would recommend it to anyone. It basically describes the same approach as Claire Weekes, but in a slightly different way. So if you don't quite "get" the whole accepting thing, this could help.
I am beginning to see that before I can accept anxiety, I must first accept me. This is what I find most difficult because I never think I will be able to "love me." It is all so very confusing and I am realizing that it is not anxiety I am trying to run from but really I am trying to run away from me. I have always been so good at figuring out problems and how to solve them, but this is just becoming so difficult to resolve.
how do you accept it though?:unsure:
how do you accept it though?:unsure:
You need to read the book lol.
No, it's hard but when you feel a symptom, instead of thinking about it and ruminating just say to yourself 'oh that's the anxiety' and carry on with your life. Like, if you start having intrusive thoughts (that's my problem) just think 'there's another thought. Just anxiety' Don't start thinking about it or convincing yourself you're not thinking that thought or arguing with yourself. Arguiing with yourself *really* doesn't work and just makes you feel worse cos it wears your brain out! Just carry on doing with whatever you need to do.
It's really hard and I only started the book 3 days ago but it's helping at the moment.
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