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 never been a part of a support group. my therapist told me it would be good for me to open up to people who share the same anxieties i have and see how others have helped themselves. i started having bad anxiety this year but looking back i think i've always had it. some days i'll wake up and have anxiety all day and other days i'll find a way to give myself anxiety about something i can't control. i keep telling myself i need to meditate, do more yoga and journal but i'm in a rut and can't bring myself to do it. i feel like a lost cause
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I did the dumbest thing today. I charged my earbuds, unplugged the block and put the block in my little bag instead of the earbuds. I wasn't happy about that when I got to the gym. What a dummy!
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Ever since I stopped doing therapy because of insurance, I've been feeling that old tense and irritable sense of anxiety and stress. I hate that. I was making so many strides and changes during therapy, my therapist would acknowledge all of my progress and accomplishments, and I miss that reassurance. Today I thought about it, and I made those changes! She would always tell me that I chose to...
Please take some comfort in knowing we have all been there. We all know what it's like to feel stuck in a rut with anxiety. Heck, some of us are in that rut currently!
I havent been on this forum long, but one thing I've seen it lacking is details. A lot of us know what we "should" be doing for anxiety. It's a typical list: meditate, journal, go to therapy, pray, CBT, etc.
One thing I struggled with out the gate was "how"! And to what degree? These are more personal, so I believe a lot of people simply hold back from describing some of this online, as it becomes a bit more vulnerable to people.
I can tell you this: being in a rut with searching/implementing solutions is terrible. And often times the anxiety can spiral into depression.
There are no easy answers for motivation, but for me, as it is for so many, I didn't have a choice. I have family to take care of, and that alone (well, and the unfair weight of societal pressures) triggered me into at least SEARCHING for solutions and then that a spark to light under myself. And its not easy when you just want to crawl away and hide in a corner!
One thing that helped me is diving into YouTube and finding inspirational stories of people struggling with anxiety. Often times, something in their story would resonate or spark something I could connect with, and that would move me forward.
Watching Functional Medicine and Naturopathic Doctors address anxiety was always helpful to me and reminded me how much excercise was so important. And that meant, just starting small. Walking around your neighborhood and getting some sun when/if you can. I knew I had to do this for physical health anyway, so I just started walking 2-3 blocks every day to start (I would just take my toddler son!)
I also am an avid reader, so reading inspirational books helped me too. I literally did random searches on Amazon and filtered by customer reviews.
At the end of the day, be kind & compassionate to yourself. No one truly knows what you are going through except other anxiety sufferers and we are here to tell you, be kind to yourself- this battle is heavy and it takes a lot out of you.
Hopefully you will find that spark and then be confident in taking just some small baby steps to get the ball rolling.
Blessings!
What IS normal, though?
What I have found in my personal experience, is that many of us are deep thinkers, often creative, intellectual and contemplative.
Anxiety is simply these amazing brains just getting away from us at times!
I don't want to make light of it all; anxiety can bring some dark times in our lives. Its deep and it can feel helpless.
Baby steps. Yes. Just make some small moves. Some small goals. Then, give yourself credit for that. Remind yourself it isnt easy, but you got this. Keep your brain from wandering into negative thoughts. A great baby step is focusing, as often as you can in a day, the trigger that starts the negative thoughts. Try and play detective during your most conscious moments; where did the anxiety spiral start? You're almost playing CSI with your anxiety; maybe even at the end of a panic attack.
#1- it takes work and patience. I didnt understand that for the longest time. Prepare yourself mentally and spiritually to put the work in and treat the anxiety battle like you are training in a gym. You are honing a skill set and it takes time.
Keep us posted!
You've taken the important first step in writing it out.
This is a on line community forum, where people share their experiences, and provide help with understanding, acceptance, and support for each other.
What works for one person may not work for another, because each person is unique and individual.
Keeping a daily journal will help you to see the progress you make as you figure out how to find and work with your better balance.
My first psychotherapy appointment was in May, 1972 and I have acquired quite a smorgasbord of psych dx'es since then, partly because the psychiatric sciences keep changing and partly because I'm JPC. Just Plain Crazy.
Peer support makes a huge diff in managing my many psych symptoms. My pro support is valuable, but my peers are the ones who are in the trenches with me. They have my back while my pros are out of the office.
Hope peer support helps you as much as it has helped me.
Welcome aboard. You are not alone.