Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
I've been reading up on the links between asthma, depression, and anxiety. They seem to be inextricably connected - asthma causes depression and anxiety/ depression and anxiety make asthma worse. Here's a link with more:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/07/link-between-asthma-and-depression/1501.html
I had severe asthma as a child from 18 mos. (monthly ER visits, lots of corticosteroids, nebulizers, etc.) I think I was in fourth grade when I started to have bouts of depression and anxiety, too. Eventually I was hospitalized for depression.
My asthma has been mostly under control as an adult, but my allergies and sinus problems have not. Anxiety has been my worst problem for the past several years. Since I moved to Germany two years ago, my allergies have been out of control to the point where I've had to up all my meds and start taking shots. I don't think it's a coincidence that my anxiety has also gotten out of control.
It feels better to know there's a reason for all of this and it is linked. I felt all my life that I had the cards stacked against me, though. It's such a part of who I am, it's difficult to see how I could ever live completely free of anxiety symptoms. Can anyone else relate to this?
http://psychcentral.com/news/2007/11/07/link-between-asthma-and-depression/1501.html
I had severe asthma as a child from 18 mos. (monthly ER visits, lots of corticosteroids, nebulizers, etc.) I think I was in fourth grade when I started to have bouts of depression and anxiety, too. Eventually I was hospitalized for depression.
My asthma has been mostly under control as an adult, but my allergies and sinus problems have not. Anxiety has been my worst problem for the past several years. Since I moved to Germany two years ago, my allergies have been out of control to the point where I've had to up all my meds and start taking shots. I don't think it's a coincidence that my anxiety has also gotten out of control.
It feels better to know there's a reason for all of this and it is linked. I felt all my life that I had the cards stacked against me, though. It's such a part of who I am, it's difficult to see how I could ever live completely free of anxiety symptoms. Can anyone else relate to this?
Asthma - Fear or the refusal to take in life. Not feeling worthy to take up space
Allergies - Denying your own power. Who or what are you allergic to?
Depression - Anger turned inward. Who are you angry with and why are you taking it out on yourself?
For me, I had asthma because I didn't feel worthy of taking up space. My thought process was often "I shouldn't have been born at all". Between my toxic home life, all the sexual abuse and being overweight in a thin world I really felt like the 'world' didn't want me to live any more....which lead to the depression. I was very angry at everyone who hurt me.
Allergies were a little more difficult to figure out. Especially since I didn't remember the 7 years of sexual abuse. But within just the past year I did figure it out. I was definitely allergic to the man who sexually abused me - that was a given. Here is where it gets interesting. I was highly allergic to pine pollen. Every spring I would dread seeing those pine candles form because I knew I would be a mess for the next 2 weeks. I even had a ritual of ripping baby pines out of the ground before they had a chance to grow. That's how bad it was. Then I found out that Pine represents the lower half of the body (cedar represents the middle and another wood represents the top part - I may have those backwards though). Anyway, once I found out that Pine represents the lower half of the body it all made sense because the abuse happened in the lower part of my body. Now that I have healed from the sexual abuse Pine pollen is no longer an issue. Now I can see those Pine candles forming and instead of closing up my house I throw my window's open and enjoy the fresh spring air - pollen and all.
I agree that it does feel good to know there is a reason for all of this.
Take care
P.S. You CAN live completely free of anxiety symptoms.
I think there's a persistent belief that asthma isn't that serious or that asthma is "all in your head." At worst, society tells kids with asthma that they are weak or hypochondriac. I hate it when the fat nerdy kid in movies is always sucking on an inhaler. I had a gym teacher in elementary school who wouldn't let me go to the office to get my meds. She said I had to sit and wait for awhile to see if it goes away. By then I had lived with asthma all my life and had been taught all about it by my doctors, nurses, and counselors. I knew my disease very well and new when I needed my meds. Anyway, my dad sure ripped her a new one when he found out!
That said, asthma can definitely be stress and anxiety-induced. The more yoga and meditation I do, the more I appreciate how healing it is to practice full belly breathing. I do think it has helped to improve my asthma (though the allergies are still an issue now that I live in the country and the farmers are cutting hay twice a year). Most importantly, though, yoga has helped me to finally be in harmony with my body, which as a child I felt was sometimes my enemy.