Checking In

[bin_tenn]

Hey, friends, I hope this finds you well. I haven't posted anything since January so I wanted to check in. The last three or so months have been going well overall. I still experience heightened anxiety from time to time, but I'm noticing I've gotten significantly better about coping with it appropriately. This morning I attended a competition for my kid's sport, and I felt quite nervous and had signs of a panic attack. I stuck around though and I enjoyed it, and as soon as we left the anxiousness practically disappeared. That's a win, for sure.

Another source of my anxiety in the past, which I also posted about in January, has also gotten much better. There are some moles on my back that were always major triggers, and I've been avoiding checking them for at least a couple of years in order to avoid triggering anxiety. The only checking I've done in that time is very limited and very quick glances a couple of times.

Today I allowed myself to more closely inspect those moles on my back. I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to not only check them and think rationally, but also by the fact that things looks significantly less troublesome than I used to think. I tend to think my back is covered in ugly moles. When I looked today I was reminded that I actually only have five or six, and some freckles here and there. That feels like a large weight off of my shoulders because it's occasionally bugged me since I haven't allowed myself to inspect it closely in a couple of years. Another win!

I took the family on a week long vacation to a popular tourist town in the mountains a couple of weeks ago. Everyone had a blast, and we made lots of wonderful memories. That was a much needed break from the monotony of daily life.

Work is work, and that's not a bad thing. Home life is solid. Everyone is healthy. We're making improvements financially. I can't complain about much these days.

That's all for now. Looking forward to hearing from you all. Talk to you later!

 

[Jonathan123]

Hey, friends, I hope this finds you well. I haven't posted anything since January so I wanted to check in. The last three or so months have been going well overall. I still experience heightened anxiety from time to time, but I'm noticing I've gotten significantly better about coping with it appropriately. This morning I attended a competition for my kid's sport, and I felt quite nervous and had signs of a panic attack. I stuck around though and I enjoyed it, and as soon as we left the anxiousness practically disappeared. That's a win, for sure.

Another source of my anxiety in the past, which I also posted about in January, has also gotten much better. There are some moles on my back that were always major triggers, and I've been avoiding checking them for at least a couple of years in order to avoid triggering anxiety. The only checking I've done in that time is very limited and very quick glances a couple of times.

Today I allowed myself to more closely inspect those moles on my back. I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to not only check them and think rationally, but also by the fact that things looks significantly less troublesome than I used to think. I tend to think my back is covered in ugly moles. When I looked today I was reminded that I actually only have five or six, and some freckles here and there. That feels like a large weight off of my shoulders because it's occasionally bugged me since I haven't allowed myself to inspect it closely in a couple of years. Another win!

I took the family on a week long vacation to a popular tourist town in the mountains a couple of weeks ago. Everyone had a blast, and we made lots of wonderful memories. That was a much needed break from the monotony of daily life.

Work is work, and that's not a bad thing. Home life is solid. Everyone is healthy. We're making improvements financially. I can't complain about much these days.

That's all for now. Looking forward to hearing from you all. Talk to you later!

WOW! Now that is one of the most encouraging posts I have seen. What a breakthrough. 'You stuck it out'. Now maybe without you realising it you did the very thing you should all do, go with it, accept it all without adding fear to fear. Our problem is always that we react to symptoms by adding more fear with all the 'OMG's' and the 'What ifs'. You broke through the fear barrier by not reacting to events, and you enjoyed the experience. If only we could all have the experience of acceptance we would be a lot better off. Thanks for that.

 

[bin_tenn]

WOW! Now that is one of the most encouraging posts I have seen. What a breakthrough. 'You stuck it out'. Now maybe without you realising it you did the very thing you should all do, go with it, accept it all without adding fear to fear. Our problem is always that we react to symptoms by adding more fear with all the 'OMG's' and the 'What ifs'. You broke through the fear barrier by not reacting to events, and you enjoyed the experience. If only we could all have the experience of acceptance we would be a lot better off. Thanks for that.

Thank you, Jonathan!

 

[MARCC]

I am very happy you and your family are doing well.

 

[bin_tenn]

I am very happy you and your family are doing well.

Thanks, Marcc, I hope you're doing well.

 

[Ms.Honey]

Glad you are doing well @bin_tenn!

 

[shay1988]

That's awesome! Great job! I have been trying myself to stick things out more often. Like going to park and walking. Use to i would panick before ever getting there and just go back home! I also have some moles and other spots on me that scare me. But Dr has seen them before and told me they are ok. So i have been trying not to focus on them. It's hard at times cause a couple of them are on my face and it's very hard not to notice. Nobody else can really see them but I do lol we notice so much that others wouldn't even pay attention to. It's crazy ain't it. I need to work allot harder on not panicking when I feel different sensations in my body, like tingling and spasms. Those are major triggers for me for some reason. But you are doing great! Keep it up!

 

[bin_tenn]

That's awesome! Great job! I have been trying myself to stick things out more often. Like going to park and walking. Use to i would panick before ever getting there and just go back home! I also have some moles and other spots on me that scare me. But Dr has seen them before and told me they are ok. So i have been trying not to focus on them. It's hard at times cause a couple of them are on my face and it's very hard not to notice. Nobody else can really see them but I do lol we notice so much that others wouldn't even pay attention to. It's crazy ain't it. I need to work allot harder on not panicking when I feel different sensations in my body, like tingling and spasms. Those are major triggers for me for some reason. But you are doing great! Keep it up!

Thanks a bunch! I understand it's difficult to not be triggered when they're easily visible, but yes I know what you mean about other people not even noticing. They usually don't because like you said we tend to be have that heightened awareness about ourselves. Others do not. Until I inspected my back and the moles again recently I had been remembering my back covered in so many moles. But the reality is I only have a handful or so.

I need to work allot harder on not panicking when I feel different sensations in my body, like tingling and spasms

Don't try to work on not panicking, but rather work on allowing the panic/anxiety to exist. That's it; let it be. My approach for this has been to spin it as a positive: "my body is in fight or flight mode, and that's a good reminder that I'm alive and well." The same can be said of aches and pains, if you're feeling then you're alive. I believe this is the same thing @Jonathan123 repeats to us about not "fighting" and not "battling", but I'll look to him to confirm.

 

[Jonathan123]

Thanks a bunch! I understand it's difficult to not be triggered when they're easily visible, but yes I know what you mean about other people not even noticing. They usually don't because like you said we tend to be have that heightened awareness about ourselves. Others do not. Until I inspected my back and the moles again recently I had been remembering my back covered in so many moles. But the reality is I only have a handful or so.



Don't try to work on not panicking, but rather work on allowing the panic/anxiety to exist. That's it; let it be. My approach for this has been to spin it as a positive: "my body is in fight or flight mode, and that's a good reminder that I'm alive and well." The same can be said of aches and pains, if you're feeling then you're alive. I believe this is the same thing @Jonathan123 repeats to us about not "fighting" and not "battling", but I'll look to him to confirm.

It should be obvious to anyone with anxiety that to fight or struggle with 'IT' is counterproductive. But it's not and why? Because the reality of the physical symptoms are so overwhelming, so unbearable at times, that we begin to imagine all sorts of erroneous thoughts. The pain overcomes rational thinking. Acceptance is not easy by any means, but it can be done given the the three 'P's. Perseverance, Persistence and Practice. It has to become a way of life, a habit to replace the habit of fear. Always, without exception, the root cause of anxiety is fear. We must fear something to have anxiety. We may need to sit down and ask ourselves what we are afraid of. Look it squarely in the face and ask is it a reasonable fear.
Heath anxiety seems to predominate all other symptoms. The 'what ifs' come thick and fast. But when in anxiety our ability to reason and see things as they actually are and not as we believe them to be, is difficult. 'IT' takes over and we come under 'IT's' influence. We become wide open to suggestion. When I had GAD if someone said 'you don't look at all well' it took days to get over it. Chance remarks by ignorant people can throw us. Sort the goats from the sheep, and don't go near the goats!
The 'dismal jimmies' are everywhere. Try not to tell everyone how you feel, only those you know who will understand. There is no substitute for having 'been there'.
It is possible to recover from anxiety, contrary to what you may think. Many have by practising acceptance. What have you got to lose? Acceptance is free.