Dragon food

[Emc]

This is perfect. Thank you.

[Fishmanpa]

BUMP!

Bill posted a great thread in the GAD section comparing anxiety to a parasite.

Anxiety is like a parasite because it attaches itself within us and then bullies us by creating intrusive thoughts, what if's and worries so it can feed off your fear so it can stay alive.

When you starve it of it's food by not giving it the attention it seeks by not dwelling on the thoughts it creates, it cannot survive

I've compared it to a campfire...

Anxiety is like a campfire. When you're in the midst of a spiral the fire is burning bright and hot. When the flames die down, there's still a bed of red hot coals burning away just waiting for some more fuel. You may not feel anxious but your body is still on high alert and has a bed of hot anxiety coals inside just waiting to flare up. Just like a campfire, the hot coals of anxiety take a long time to finally go out.

Some here, including myself call anxiety a dragon. It breathes the fire of worry and doubt, making your life miserable.


So what food does the dragon eat?

Dragon food:

The dragon's favorite food IMO is Google. The dragon sees Google and salivates as you open the browser and type in symptoms. It's like potato chips in that you just can't stop at one and he knows it. Before you know it you've devoured the entire bag of chips and the dragon is breathing his fire full force! Even when he's full he'll get you to keep browsing.

Then there's reassurance. Ahhh... yes... reassurance. The dragon will get you to spend money you don't have on doctors and medical tests. He'll have you seek it from friends and family to the point they want nothing more to do with you. He'll have you come to the forum and post thread after thread and have you hang around for hours and hours, sometimes all day, neglecting your life just to hear something that will quell the worry and doubt if even for a minute. And that's the problem. That's all it typically does until the fires of doubt come burning back into your brain.

Self examination... The dragon loves that! He'll have you poke and prod, shine lights down your throat, post photos of your body parts, moles, freckles, fingernails, pimples and all sorts of normal things that your skewed anxiety ridden mind sees as sinister. And nodes? He'll whisper the word node in your ear all day long and have you poke and prod until you're black and blue and sore. He'll skew your perception to make you believe their swollen when in fact that's the furthest thing from fact! He'll have you try to measure them, convincing you it's 3+cm in size when in fact it's less than one when measured by an ultrasound that you paid hard earned dollars for. And then?... he'll convince you it has to be wrong!

There are more foods the dragon loves to eat. These are the big three IMO. What do you feed him?

The way to get him under control is to starve him. Like the parasite in Bill's comparison and the campfire in mine. Starving him is the way to get him off your back. Time to start starving the dragon. Don't be shy about asking for help from a professional dragon slayer (therapist) and a fire extinguisher (meds).

Positive thoughts

[bulan]

Nicely put, Fishmanpa. Thank you!

[KK77]

BUMP

[Fishmanpa]

BUMP!

Bill posted a great thread in the GAD section comparing anxiety to a parasite.

Anxiety is like a parasite because it attaches itself within us and then bullies us by creating intrusive thoughts, what if's and worries so it can feed off your fear so it can stay alive.

When you starve it of it's food by not giving it the attention it seeks by not dwelling on the thoughts it creates, it cannot survive

I've compared it to a campfire...

Anxiety is like a campfire. When you're in the midst of a spiral the fire is burning bright and hot. When the flames die down, there's still a bed of red hot coals burning away just waiting for some more fuel. You may not feel anxious but your body is still on high alert and has a bed of hot anxiety coals inside just waiting to flare up. Just like a campfire, the hot coals of anxiety take a long time to finally go out.

Some here, including myself call anxiety a dragon. It breathes the fire of worry and doubt, making your life miserable.


So what food does the dragon eat?

Dragon food:

The dragon's favorite food IMO is Google. The dragon sees Google and salivates as you open the browser and type in symptoms. It's like potato chips in that you just can't stop at one and he knows it. Before you know it you've devoured the entire bag of chips and the dragon is breathing his fire full force! Even when he's full he'll get you to keep browsing.

Then there's reassurance. Ahhh... yes... reassurance. The dragon will get you to spend money you don't have on doctors and medical tests. He'll have you seek it from friends and family to the point they want nothing more to do with you. He'll have you come to the forum and post thread after thread and have you hang around for hours and hours, sometimes all day, neglecting your life just to hear something that will quell the worry and doubt if even for a minute. And that's the problem. That's all it typically does until the fires of doubt come burning back into your brain.

Self examination... The dragon loves that! He'll have you poke and prod, shine lights down your throat, post photos of your body parts, moles, freckles, fingernails, pimples and all sorts of normal things that your skewed anxiety ridden mind sees as sinister. And nodes? He'll whisper the word node in your ear all day long and have you poke and prod until you're black and blue and sore. He'll skew your perception to make you believe their swollen when in fact that's the furthest thing from fact! He'll have you try to measure them, convincing you it's 3+cm in size when in fact it's less than one when measured by an ultrasound that you paid hard earned dollars for. And then?... he'll convince you it has to be wrong!

There are more foods the dragon loves to eat. These are the big three IMO. What do you feed him?

The way to get him under control is to starve him. Like the parasite in Bill's comparison and the campfire in mine. Starving him is the way to get him off your back. Time to start starving the dragon. Don't be shy about asking for help from a professional dragon slayer (therapist) and a fire extinguisher (meds).

Positive thoughts

[sollythegolly]

There are some very good analogies there, and they make perfect sense. However, although the solution is simple, it's not that easy. It's a bit like trying to lose weight. The simple formula is 'eat less, do more'. Simple, but not necessarily easy. But I guess we all have to start somewhere, and the Dragon Food analogy is as good as any.

Thank you Fishmanpa for your wisdom.

[Fishmanpa]

BUMP!

[KK77]

BUMP

[WiseMonkey]

A good post FMP, the dragon (or whatever else it could be called) feeds off our anxiety & fear which is brought about by our lack of self confidence and resilience and belief in life's processes. When we feel out of control, it takes control and distorts our rationality.

Many of us in the grips of HA have reacted to the dragon (force) in the same way for so long, that it is second nature to us. We have to change our emotional response to health adversity and that's the hard part. Most of us can't do it alone, we need professional help. Saw my Dr yesterday to talk about counselling. Her advice is don't go to a counselor, see a trained psychologist (or psychiatrist) with many years of experience and who has dealt with HA issues before. Mine is a direct result of my dysfunctional childhood, I know it's origins and how it's manifest within me, but changing my response to my HA is my challenge.

[MrLurcher]

Thanks so much for this fish. I really needed to read that today! I was bordering on a big google session tonight but reading that has helped me stop.