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...
It has been about a month since I was diagnosed with GAD. Since then, I've been doing everything I can to kick it - counseling, medication, yoga, self-help books. I just want to get it behind me so I can go back to my (frenetic) life. I know this attitude ignores the reality of my disorder. I know rationally, that my whole approach to life needs to change. I've been able to work on some of the habits and perceptions that got me in this mess, but so much of it goes to the core of who I am - the negative thinking, the self-bullying, holding myself to a standard I wouldn't ask of anyone else, incessant worrying, etc. It is such a tangled mess.
Yoga helps. Meditation helps. So do long walks. These things help me to get outside of myself and see how my thoughts are distorted and problematic. So I'll have a really good day and I'll think, "wow, I'm kicking this. Piece of cake." Then I will have a hard time sleeping because my neighbors were making noise or something and, boom, I'm right back where I started.
I suffered from depression before and I came to really understand it. For me, depression was predictable, steady, and without surprises, even if it was miserable. I never felt completely different from moment to moment when I was depressed but that's how I feel now.
Is this experience familiar to anyone else? Is this how GAD is?
Yoga helps. Meditation helps. So do long walks. These things help me to get outside of myself and see how my thoughts are distorted and problematic. So I'll have a really good day and I'll think, "wow, I'm kicking this. Piece of cake." Then I will have a hard time sleeping because my neighbors were making noise or something and, boom, I'm right back where I started.
I suffered from depression before and I came to really understand it. For me, depression was predictable, steady, and without surprises, even if it was miserable. I never felt completely different from moment to moment when I was depressed but that's how I feel now.
Is this experience familiar to anyone else? Is this how GAD is?
And during times of stress, it can flare up so having a plan helps.
But as time goes on, you'll have a bigger tool kit to deal with it. You've already discovered some terrific tools.
I hear what you're saying, though. The depression is pretty predictable. The anxiety is like getting whacked upside the head.
I can relate to your post. One of the common factors in people who suffer from anxiety is that we are all very hard on ourselves and self-critical. I have to constantly monitor my negative thoughts so I can try to replace them with alternative positive thoughts. I've found this can help with GAD when feeling mildly to moderately anxious, and starts to become automatic over time. I've yet to find a way to control my social anxiety though, it's a whole different process and different kind of anxiety. I also have a lot of other health worries which seem to be feeding into my anxiety, and possibly could be the biological reason for some of my anxiety, so until I get to the bottom of those, I'll just have to manage it as best as I can. You sound very self-aware and It's great how you've overcome your depression. Keep fighting the anxiety by trying different methods, and I'm sure you will overcome that too :-)
The anxiety is a different beast, but I think I can get a handle on it, too, with some work. I have started to monitor my negative thoughts and counter them with positive thoughts. I've also learned to identify the kinds of distortions in my thoughts. It is hard work, though, and it seems like a never-ending task.
I hope one day soon it will become automatic like it is with you. I want to get past this and to do so, I know I need a complete overhaul. I know I'm pretty sick of living with all this toxicity.
I see you are new here, so first of all, welcome to the group! = )
GAD is an up and down roller coaster ride! I was diagnosed with it about 6 or 7 years ago. I do suspect I've had it since I was a little girl though.
Do you know what caused you to have general anxiety disorder? I think for many of us, it's never just one thing, but rather multiple things stacking on top of each other.
Mine is due to a past history of abuse. That is what has helped me, in the sense of, dealing with my issues. Meaning, if you know the source, you can begin dealing with healing and recovery.
Keeping a journal seems to help many of us. Sometimes, you might have a bad attack and not understand why. Then you look back in your journal, and read something that happened the day before, and you say "oh", maybe that is what upset me.
Learning to identify what triggers you, is a huge part in coping, in my opinion!
I'm so glad you found this site. Keep reading, posting, and try some journaling as well.
Good to have you here.
I do know, too, that my father and probably grandfather have struggled with the same issues, so I think in my case it's partially genetic.
I have journaled for a long time, but lately I noticed sometimes I get stuck on one thing that's upsetting me and I tend to rant and ramble, which doesn't help. That's why I'm trying to break out the negative feelings a little more specifically using some worksheets. I think that will help get my journaling back on track.
It's a good idea to spend time going back and reading previous entries. I don't do that nearly enough. Thanks for the advice!