Does helping others set your anxiety off?

[jen2503]

i personally love being able to come on here and help as many people as possible with their anxiety, whether they just need a shoulder or whether they need calming down during a panic attack ect but ive been giving a freind of mine help today (not from here) and ive now gone dizzy and feel a little sick after talking about her anxety and explaining mine is the same ect ect trying to help. which i did and now my friend is calm but now i feel weird!!

im not having an anxiety attack as such and i havent had one now for nine days so im quite happy but its as though the anxiety has to try harder to attack now im managing to keep it at bay and its like it thinks because ive been talking about it to someone that im a little vulnerable and it wants to attack. i havent let it but i am feeling sizzy without the anxiety feeling if that makes sense! more like the nervous dizzy feeling you get before an interview or driving test.

does anyone else find this sometimes? im not going to stop helping others. im just wondering if anyone else occasionally finds the same thing. also im tired today as i didnt sleep last night very well.

anxiety is a <<insert swear word!>>. lol we will all beat it though xxx

[gypsywomen]

it can do because when we hear other people problems our brain automatically take it in its like a sponge processing all ,, then we find we feel same ,, if a friend told you they had cancer you would be worried if you had it ,, its strange but true when we talk about our problems to a counselor we get rid of bad thoughts that why we do it hope this makes sense

[jen2503]

i wonder if counsellors need counsellors?! i think i would. your right, it makes sense. it could also be that you notice things more when your thinking about them so if your talking someone through their panic attack its only natural to feel a little odd yourself.

its just a pain. but like i keep saying, i lived 25 years without anxiety, i dont need anxiety now, it has no place in my life and i will get rid!

[gypsywomen]

yes they do have counsellers mine told me they have to have ,can you imagine how they would be if they didnt ,, you will be ok its good you can help others try not to take to much onboard

[Bill]

Does helping others set your anxiety off?

Personally, no, because I really enjoy trying to help others. It's just so satisfying when you hear they're smiling again and now able to get on with their lives. However, there is also a downside when they feel they can't move on and you feel unable to help them further.

There are also 2 elements to this. You have to feel well enough in yourself otherwise you can take on too much which can then affect your own anxiety. Also though, if like myself, you do stll have certain fears, they can be triggered when they are brought to the surface by trying to help someone and I think that's partly what's happened in your case...ive now gone dizzy and feel a little sick after talking about her anxety and explaining mine is the same ect ect I say partly because if as you say im tired today as i didnt sleep last night very well....when we're feeling very tired, tiredness can easily make us feel anxious because we feel we can't concentrate and tiredness in itself can make us feel dizzy. We like to feel "safe" so anything that affects our secure feeling can make us feel more anxious so I think perhaps in your case it was the 2 things combined which may have triggered your anxious feelings. Just remember your limits and try to give too much of yourself when you're not feeling 100% otherwise you could end up paying the price as you have today.

People like yourself are naturally very caring wich is a truly admirable quality to have but sometimes we forget ourselves and end up caring "too" much which then creates problems for ourselves.

People have sometimes said to me I should consider being a counsellor which I find flattering to say the least but I feel if I attempted it this would Certainly apply...i wonder if counsellors need counsellors?! because I know I'd not be able to remain detached and I'd get too involved making me hurt too much. Hurt is one thing I really struggle to cope with. When I lost my father I felt my heart crack as the pain was too much. When I lost my dog, the hurt was just too much to bear. Even when I couldn't save a hedgehog recently it hurt alot watching it suffer and feeling helpless to do anything. I sometimes feel no matter what I do, throught my life I've ended up losing people or animals I've cared about whether through my own mistakes or through things beyond my control. I try telling myself I did all I could and these things just happen because that's what life is but really, the hurt never goes even when I know it was never intentional or unavoidable. It just lies under the surface until it's triggered again and I honestly have no idea how to heal it other than to try and build a shell which I know is the totally wrong thing to do but I just feel I always either end up causing hurt to others or to myself if I don't keep a distance. I do really enjoy helping others though but hurt is the one thing that's always there within me which never seems to heal so yes, I'd definitely need a counsellor if I tried to help full time!:hugs: