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...

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How Do You Know?

arfie
arfie

A recurring question in my long and complex mental health herstory, is, "How do I know when a psychotic episode is passing?" When is it safe to let down my therapy guard and breath a sigh of relief that I survived another one and can safely return to now-routine therapy maintenance.


Details unimportant to this particular discussion, but I believe I am stabilizing after an especially long and tough ride on the not-so-merry-go-round. My potential indicator that this round might be stabilizing is that I am able to calm the obsessive thought and anxiety loops which accompany ALL of my identified psychotic episodes.


Experience, thoughts, opines and reality checks welcome.


How do you know when an episode is passing?

JShovel
JShovel
Good question. Let me know if you figure it out, I woke up this morning trying to decide whether I was still in a week long panic. Any shaky moment feels like it might be reentry into a storm of anxiety.
silverlight
silverlight
When i can laugh again.
arfie
arfie
Works in progress to figure ^it^ out, JShovel. I haven't ruled out the possibility that I'm barking up the wrong proverbial tree again. Psychosis does such. It wouldn't be the first misdirect on my personal trail of tears.

I like that one, Silverlight. I suspect Ethyl Barrymore would, also. She believed we take our first step toward maturity when we have our first good belly laugh at ourselves.
Janinebelle
Janinebelle
Usually for me it’s when I don’t wake up thinking about anxiety and can spend most of my day without an obsessive thought. It’s a slippery slope though. I may think about how well my day is going, then think about the anxiety and thoughts I was having... it can either pass or pull me back in to worrying.
arfie
arfie
I know what you mean about that slippery slope, Janine. Discovering I'm not really **over it** hurts worse than the initial fall. **They** make it sound so easy on Facebook! ! !

It helps to know I am not alone.
sc523
sc523
For me it’s when I don’t wake up with a feeling of doom or when my irrational thoughts don’t feel rational anymore
LoneRangersFriend
LoneRangersFriend
The only thing I know is when I'm sleeping a solid 9 or 10 hours also my obsessive thoughts for most part or mostly gone and then also the anxiety and PTSD is down so that's the only reason why I know that when it's gone or at least at Bay.
carlyj1202
carlyj1202
I think you will know when anxiety goes away...because it is not there. So don't welcome it back.

If you are able to sleep that much...that is just not fair. :-)

Most of my nights are worrying about tomorrow, Don't get me started on so very odd dreams as they all seem so real.

Sorry to write my own journal on yours. I just got carried away.
xoxo
arfie
arfie
Restorative rest is a big indicator for me, as well. When I am anxious to the point of restless dreams, nightmares and/or insomnia, by brain tuns into a hunk of liver. Life makes so much more sense after a restorative rest, with or without the anxiety issues.

I've heard anxiety goes away for some people. Lucky them. My own case is pretty extreme and I'm not holding my breath to join those lucky some people any time soon.

This is a forum post, Carly. The journal portion of DS is a bit different, but here the dialogue is welcome and even more appreciated. I hope you will get carried away more often. X's and Oh's.
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