I've had severe anxiety for almost three years now. It started after my spouse passed away and it seems like it won't go away. Any one else going through this?
Let me clarify- I had anxiety all day, did the concert, and at the end the light bulb moment… I am done with anxiety. I realized I fought the anxiety all day- without realizing I was fighting!! I give up the fight. If it wants to hang out with me it’s gonna be lonely because I’m not giving it the time of day! Bring On the next concert😊
Definitely this is the toughest part , If I could belive it was just anxiety after multiple reassurances then 99% percent of the struggle would have been over.
Exactly! An anxious brain is really stubborn. It will refuse to accept those words for more than a few hours or a few days before it's back to its old shenanigans, treating everything like a catastrophe. This is why only experiences where we learn by allowing the "threat" and moving through the fear get this job done in any lasting way. VERY hard work for sure!
I feel severe Anxiety is slowly making me lose my mind. So afraid I'll wind up I'm a straight jacket. And locked up in some dementia home some day.. I'm scared I'm male 61 years old Really struggling. I'm on benzos for 3 years Thinking is becoming more difficult
Super common story. Digging in the heels and insisting that the fear is correct. I appreciate you sharing this from where you are today. Sounds like you've made some progress since then, which is great!
every time I’m confronted with leaving the house after a few days of not doing so it’s like the invisible indestructible mental barrier is back all the sudden. The never ending loop is so discouraging.
This cycle is nasty, and hard to break for sure. There is no doubt about that. Consider that what you're describing is an excellent representation of why retreating rewards the anxious brain for being wrong. When you want to go back out, the habit of retreat means your brain will scream LOUDLY that you should not do that. It never gets the chance to learn anything different. This is why I'm often so emphatic about calling this a learning issue as opposed to a healing issue. You are teaching your anxious brain better lessons when you do difficult things, and the fact that they are difficult does not make you weak, sick, broken, or incapable.
I feel I am focused on managing my anxiety and am much better than last year. Tackle it daily. Not focusing on the recovery word for now but hoping that day will come. ❤ Tell anxiety "not today, f off" my friends! 😊
I might suggest that telling anxiety to "f off" is a sign of movement toward recovery! That's not just managing it. Take some credit for making that statement. Its more of a big deal than you think! xx
Also, while I appreciate the kind words and the feedback, you'll find that I tend to delete comments that make this about me or how "great" I am. Lets keep things focused on you, because you're the one doing the heavy lifting. :-)
Great episode I know you don’t talk symptoms but this is my biggest struggle. It’s so hard to accept my chronic dizziness and neck problems pain could be just anxiety. I feel very dismissed by my doctor so I’m debating getting a second opinion from a new doctor is this a bad idea or should I just accept and not waste time?
I've had the same feelings on and off as well as the normal symptoms since 21'. alot of different stressors and loss caused it. I'm at a point I don't want to do alot of things and seeing people is hard. I just don't want to be around people.
My doctor was being dismissive to me and calling my dizziness and nerve symptoms just anxiety. I resisted that but wanted to get better and accept it no matter what. . I appreciated her addressing anxiety as I did have it, but 1st I did get another opinion just to be sure. Second doctor diagnosed me with an autoimmune issue. In my case, Anxiety wasn't causing it, but was making my symptoms worse he said. Anxiety can cause things to manifest absolutely! In my dads case, he was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety and i saw his physical symptoms from it every day. Mind body connection is real. Imo, It is good just to rule out things with a good doctor first. And address anxiety too. Otherwise you scare yourself wondering. Which creates even more symptoms ughh. I tell my brain I'm safe now, try and recognize my triggers and that helps. Wishing everyone going through it the best. 🙏❤
Thank you for this reply!!! Just the nature of my neck pain seems more to me as well. It cracks a lot and all my symptoms are in that general area. Dizziness neck pain / cracking /twitching, and head aches. Some days I’m basically bed bound. I’ve been trying to accept the symptoms but it’s just very difficult. I’ve told myself I’m going to find a more attentive doctor if they find nothing then I will let go and accept it as anxiety. Once again thanks for your story and reply I wish you the best as well!!!
There's nothing wrong with a second opinion. Just be careful about that turning into a fifth or eighth opinion. That's when things get kinda squirrely for anxious people.
Sang a concert last night Tormenting anxiety all day and during the concert When it was almost over I started feeling a little better…and I said to myself…”your good don’t give up….then a light bulb moment…yes you CAN give up…got off the tour bus and said..I’m done
Everyone always has the right to make the choices they deem best for themselves. Nobody that does what I do should ever try to convince you that you SHOULD do anything. We should only be helping you explore what you can do, if you choose to explore those things. So you get no argument from me here. Part of my job is to respect your choices, whatever they may be.
Maybe a dumb question, but would riding on “scary rides” in theme park be a good way of exposure? Even if without the anxiety I would’ve never have done it.
It could be. There's no right answer to that. But if riding scary rides isn't something you'd want to do even in a fully recovered state, you might not necessarily find it terribly helpful as a meaningful exposure exercise. Alternatives might be use other activities like exercise (for example) that might trigger sensations that feel like panic or anxiety, or watching movies or TV shows that one is avoiding because they might be "triggering". Making the exposures as close to real life as you can is usually a good guideline so you'd have to see how riding theme park rides fits into that.
have a few days away in June, have to do all the stuff that triggers me, cars trains planes and being very far away from home, just need to convince myself its just anxiety
The crappy thing about this whole thing is that we can't be convinced before we do the things. Only doing the things when we're not convinced gets that job done in the end. It's a raw deal, isn't it? Don't beat yourself up because you can't seem to convince your brain of this. Virtually nobody can until they "do it anyway" (simplified).
@@TheAnxiousTruth Drew, how you have highlighted anxiety and all that goes with it is very much appreciated. podcast books RU-vid, and all that. believe me, when I say this, you are doing people worldwide a great service. there are people who say the same things as you however they don't get it across as you do fella, so thanks and I will be going on that trip. not just because i want to show myself i can, but because its paid for and my Mrs will kill me if I don't. cheers man
I used to drink alcohol NEVER because I was afraid of anything that changed how I feel. Now I will have a drink now and then if I feel like it. Its not a regular thing but not anything I avoid. If the mood strikes, I'll pour a drink. Never sure when that might be.
