Can any one give me some advice

[tricia56]

can any one tell me how they try and stop thier anxiety taking over thier lives as ive got gad having cbt dont want o take pills but every day i wake up and all thats on my mind is anxiety im trying to do the worrieing time thing but i cant seem to do it im doing the relaxation exercises every day but it seems that my anxety has took over my life as every time i think id go and do something or go any ware i think to my self i cant do that cause of my anxiety and wat if this happens or that happens so i dont know how to stop it taking over my life like it has done i have trouble sometimes challenging my thoughts. could it be that i havent exepted i have anxiety ? so any advice people could give me to help me and how people copewith it or am i doing it all wrong

[reallyfedup]

One of the techniques I've been taught is distraction. Try to do something that will occupy your mind so that you are not focussing all your energy into thinking about your anxiety. That said, my anx is bad at the moment but I am on the computer and plan to watch a bit of t.v. in a while. What about a crossword or puzzle, book to read, music to listen to, phone a firend?:bighug1:

[jill]

Hi hun

I know its dame hard for you right now, but please don't be to hard on yourself, its DAME hard work understanding anxiety, BUT, YOU WILL get there in the end with a lot of hard work, time and the right support.

CTB is a good tool to have under your belt, this will in time, help you move forward, but hunny, IT IS HARD WORK, you have to keep trying to chip away at your anxiety.

ITS OK, if you have trouble challenging your thoughts, ohhhhhhh PLEASE, please, don't be to hard on yourself, even if your having trouble challenging thoughts, talk to yourself, use reassuring statements, eg, "Mmm, having a little trouble here, BUT, thats OK, this is going to take time, I will get there in the end" changing the way we think is NOT easy, BUT, CAN BE DONE, with time.

Its not only challenging anxiety thoughts, but the the thoughts that run up to your challenge and even if you THINK you can't do something, its how you react to that too, eg, there is NO SUCH THING AS FAIL, we keep trying, keep pushing, keep chipping away at our anxiety.

You say that every day you wake up and anxiety is on your mind, hun, I was like this, My heart goes out to you, its soooo blinkin hard.

I have not been active for awhile on this great site, but I used to advice, PLEASE, believe you can get better, if you believe, REALLY believe, your mind WILL FIND WAYS TO DO IT, it WILL hun.

Learning reassuring statements is not easy, I think if your have anxiety 24/7 its soooo dame hard to except it, but we have to try, EXCEPT how you are, FOR NOW, use reassuring statements eg, "I have anxiety today, its OK, FOR NOW, I WILL not be like this forever, it will pass, I WILL make sure it will, its just going to take time"

If you anx is 24/7, look for small breaks in your anxiety, they ARE THERE, but at the mo you mind is sooooo focus on the horrible bits, Mmm thats ok, but you have to look really closely at your day, there will be beaks from time to time when your mind IS distracted by other things and the anxiety goes for a short moment.

YOU ARE NOT doing anything wrong, please don't think this, YOU ARE doing really well, please be proud of yourself, living with anxiety is DAME HARD WORK, BE KIND TO YOURSELF.

If you can look at it this way, if a friend came to you with a problem, you would sit and talk to her, you would use reassuring statements, helping her understand, that this problem will pass in time. This is how we need to learn to talk to ourselves.

Its hard dealing with the what ifs, isn't it?, don't worry hun, your not alone in finding it hard dealing with what if's. Try starting with something a little small, learn to distract yourself and learn how to notice when fully distracted how your anxiety goes, Mmm this can be hard, because sometimes, as soon as you notice your anxiety gone, oppps, it back again, why because you notice it was gone, but this is ok, what your after is just to prove to yourself, it DOES GO, AND ,in over time, the times it goes WILL get longer and longer.

I AM panic, high anxiety free, because of this great site, I still do get some anxiety but it is down to a more manageable level. I am pleased with my progress.

I do hope this has been of some help, even if its just knowing your not alone

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XX

[tricia56]

thk u jill u have really helped me so very much and i will start not beating my self up and learn to live with and dont let it take over my life like it has been doing and try doing some of things u have said so once again thk you

[Patsta]

Hi Tricia,
I was like you 9 years ago, when 9 months after a marriage break-up, I just lost the plot!
In the beginning, I couldn't even get in the car and drive, I became incapable of performing my day to day duties. I had two young boys as well, so I had to get better for them. I moved in with my parents, which helped me, especially my dad who totally undertood what I was going through, as he has also suffered from it for years.
After a month of trying to beat this thing myself and failing miserably....I sought the help of a doctor, whom had helped my Auntie 20 years ago with the same thing.
I didn't want to take medication, I thought I was stronger than this thing, but in the end I did take the medication, and I have to tell you, it is the bedt thing I ever did!
Within a month, I was feeling much better, my anxiety was under control, and I started to enjoy life again!
Since then, I have been on and off medication. The longest I've been without it is 2 years. The one thing I learned, was that it is OK to take medication! Its not habit forming, non addictive and it helps you function and get back to normal!
So what I'm saying is, don't beat yourself up, if you can't do it alone, if you don't feel like you're coping with it, and your quality of life is bad because of it, then get an opinion about medication. Just be aware, that it takes time for it to work, up to 8 weeks in some peoples cases, and initially the side effects can be bad...but once it kicks in....its worth it!
Good Luck!