QUESTION OF THE DAY REGARDING ANXIETY!!!

[ladybj]

Do you blame your inner thoughts for your Anxiety or do you blame Anxiety for your inner thoughts? Why?

This is a very deep question and I had to really think about it before answering. I blame myself/my inner thoughts because I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember and I know anxiety comes from my thoughts. Not sure why I have been holding on to certain fears but I am ready to release them... it has caused my muscles to be very tensed and stiff. I am very thankful I am still in counseling to help me conquer my fears/anxiety.

 

[Cuchculan]

It depends on what you anxiety is related to. For example, my anxiety began when I ended up under a car. Thus my fear after that was cars when I was outside the house. A car started the anxiety and the fear. By knocking me down. The mind then takes over. Obviously you don't want the same thing to happen again. The mind tries to protect you from your fear. In doing so the mind is actually creating your anxiety. By way of protecting you. I know people find it hard to grasp that panic attacks are simply the mind's way of protecting the body from any danger signals it might pick up. Odd way of protecting us. But protecting us it is. We need to look at the danger it is protecting us from. Is that real danger or false danger? Mostly false danger. Things we are now seeing as dangerous. In my example a speeding car would be a trigger for danger. The mind would react. To protect me. But cars as a danger was something first brought about by been hit by a car. So the mind learned something new that day. Cars were dangerous. That thought brings about the anxiety. If that thought wasn't there I would have no need to be anxious. Because there would be no danger sensed in the first place.

 

[ladybj]

It depends on what you anxiety is related to. For example, my anxiety began when I ended up under a car. Thus my fear after that was cars when I was outside the house. A car started the anxiety and the fear. By knocking me down. The mind then takes over. Obviously you don't want the same thing to happen again. The mind tries to protect you from your fear. In doing so the mind is actually creating your anxiety. By way of protecting you. I know people find it hard to grasp that panic attacks are simply the mind's way of protecting the body from any danger signals it might pick up. Odd way of protecting us. But protecting us it is. We need to look at the danger it is protecting us from. Is that real danger or false danger? Mostly false danger. Things we are now seeing as dangerous. In my example a speeding car would be a trigger for danger. The mind would react. To protect me. But cars as a danger was something first brought about by been hit by a car. So the mind learned something new that day. Cars were dangerous. That thought brings about the anxiety. If that thought wasn't there I would have no need to be anxious. Because there would be no danger sensed in the first place.

I wish I could pin point my anxiety. I have different triggers. But thank goodness, it is wayyyyy better than it was. One of my triggers is driving because I have been in a few auto accidents which was not my fault...but that is much better because I continue to drive and its not as bad as it was. So I know my thoughts cause my anxiety...especially when I wake up through the night but its getting better. I had terrible health anxiety years ago... but its MUCH better now. It is great when you know your anxiety triggers.

 

[Cuchculan]

I do believe our main anxiety can change over the years. Like it evolves. Panic attacks are not something I even think of these days at all. Cars don't bother me. Over the years other things have taken over and the main anxiety points and pished the original ones away. So were our anxiety might have began at a certain point, I find it moves on from that one point and develops many other points of attack on our system. With me I became an Emetaphobic. Person with a fear of throwing up. That became something big in my life. Once that took over the likes of panic attacks and fears of cars stopped existing for me. I had something new to be anxious over. Then came the acid reflux. Normal at first. But that got much worse over the years. Causing body infections and then Gastritis. Which in turn gave me an Ulcer. Which in turn burst and left me in hospital for a month and needed 3 operations. I think the whole car thing started the anxiety off. But over time I became anxious about other things and forgot about the original things I was anxious about. They no longer mattered. There was something new there to keep me anxious now.

 

[MainerMikeBrown]

Does your emotions influence your belief system or does your belief system influence your emotions?

I think it's a little bit of both.

 

[Cuchculan]

God doesn't make me emotional and my emotions don't tell me I need a God. How about all those people who were raised Catholic? That was how they were raised and they continue on what they have been taught since childhood. No emotions needed at all.

 

[Trying123]

I blame my thoughts and past experiences for my anxiety. I also hope to release my fears and increase my faith in God and life. My triggers include loud noises, arguing with family, and work issues.

 

[smilingsoul]

In my case, it seems the anxiety comes first, and it can lead to a spiraling cycle of worry and anxiety as one feeds the other. For me, I have found mediation very helpful, as it teaches you to view thoughts as external things that come and go, rather than identifying with them.