Welcome to the Anxiety board at DS.

You've taken the important first step in writing it out.

Keep writing it out.

Go problems are common with anxiety. The anxiety literally has your bowels in an uproar. No pun intended. You did not have your anxiety under control because it came back. You said you “battled” it. There is your answer, you beat it back by sheer force of will but you didn’t address the underlying issues that caused it. Your level of confidence is at the root, your negative thinking pattern is a direct result of your confidence. Or maybe they go hand in hand. The fact is your anxiety returned because you didn’t learn how to deal with it effectively. Fighting anxiety or “battling” with it only reinforces it’s existence. I’m recommending a book called “it’s Only Anxiety” by Carl James available at Amazon. Well worth the read.. Ir is based on an acceptance method for effectively dealing with anxiety, was developed by Dr Clair Weeks who suffered from anxiety too.

MTD thank you! I been reading a lot of books about anxiety lately because you’re right. If i overcame anxiety it wouldn’t have came back. That’s why this time I’m trying to be more active in beating rather than getting passed it. Definitely going to order the book and give it a read. Thank you for the recommendation!

My pleasure, I really hope it helps you.

Hello again, High Hopes. Welcome back.

Personally, I take GI symptoms as a psycho nag flag that my mental health issues are getting the upper hand again. Anxiety ties my gut into knots before my beleaguered brain has a clue that I'm crazier than usual again. Typically, when I can catch that process early enough to ply anxiety management tools before it escalates, I can head off allot of collateral damage.

It sounds like you learned quite allot during your previous rounds on the not-so-merry-go-round. Gentle support while you master those new skills.

For what it's worth
My hubby went to a doctor for a sinus infection last week. I'm still not afraid of The Virus, but I had a panic attack over the possibility of it being Corona and him being whisked off to a confinement camp and the masked police coming to whisk us all off to suffer imprisonment with him. I still can't quite convince myself I was just being paranoid. For sure, a post-nasal drip doesn't mean what it did in 2019.

Arfie,
I agree, anxiety plays a HUGE part in how I’m handling the situation. Unfortunately for me I was diagnose with a stomach problem which was gastritis. I’ve been told countless times its nothing to worry about and with the right diet it will heal on its own. But due to my anxiety which was ignited from having Covid I have convinced myself I have cancer and I need a colonoscopy ASAP. The GI didn’t agree and believed I have nothing to worry about but still accepted it was my choice. I have been told by countless doctors it doesn’t seem like anything serious and just wait to see if you feel better after a couple of weeks. But once again my anxiety has turned that into all the doctors knowing I have cancer and no of them having the heart to tell me. I know it sounds crazy, even for me I could never believe my mind would ever go this far but this is where I’m at. I’m convincing myself I have cancer even though my symptoms are already doing better from the diet and medication they have giving me.

I am in total disagreement with the mainstream justies on my stomach problems. Anxiety based digestive disorders can and will escalate into such joys as diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis and stomach ulcers. My own family tree is chock full of the phenom and the pains in my own gut are far from justy, even when being spoon fed a specialized diet by professionals.

Treating it like a psych symptom while addressing the physical components simultaneously but separately has gotten me further than all the expertise in my pro and armchair quarterback parade. I'm the only nut in my family tree crazy enough to treat it like a psych symptom. The rest of the family is still looking for their relief in the medical sciences and I reserve the right to spare myself the entertainment of listening to their latest medical procedures.

I'm new to this on line, but have yrs of experience with Anxiety Disorder since I was little raised by alcoholics so yep can relate to every symptom and fear here....The worst way to react to someone with Anxiety I feel is Argue.....Anger is our Monster and we will suffer for days/weeks after a fight. Calm and agree to disagree helps me:) Talk it out or walk away until you can....People have no clue how hard life is for us and how we suffer in silence daily....

oops sorry my reply went on the wrong conversation....It was a Mother and daughter fighting lol