[xx(]Last autumn ago I had sinusitis and post nasal drip. As my main fears centre around suffocation and choking you can imagine how distressing this was. To relieve the symptoms of my anxiety I began coughing excessively to clear my throat. BIG MISTAKE!
[Duh!]Fast forward six months and I've got a full blown cough and spitting habit/tic that was out of control! I was literally coughing every few seconds, giving myself a sore chest and then freaking out about how tight my chest was! The spitting was also derived from my fear of choking and involved alot of kleenex[Ugh]!
[Yeah!]Two months ago howver, i finally began my CBT course and as part of my therapy, I decided to take control of the uncontrolable! the cough was painful and the bugger had to go!
I began by timing myself and see how long I could without coughing with aid of a stopwatch! My mom and dad helped me with these first tenuous steps!
I was so proud when I managed to stop coughing for seventeen minutes, however I took myself by surprise when I finally stopped for good. No clock, timer or parent was needed! All I needed was myself![Yeah!]
At 4.35pm on Tuesday in late June 2006, during an episode of Deal or No Deal I decided to be strong and stop coughing for good. I made a pact with myself that no matter how much I panicked I would not allow myself to cough. I would follow the teachings of Dr. Claire Weeks and FACE ACCEPT FLOAT AND LET TIME PASS. And I succeeded! The coughing went first and the spitting kind of followed afterwards (thank god).
8 weeks later I have yet to slip back into the habit of these particular nervous tics and am continuing to make good progress with my anxiety disorder through CBT!
THE VOICE INSIDE YOUR HEAD IS NOT THE VOICE OF GOD. IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE IT THINKS IT IS! Cheri Huber
Reply With Quote
