“Opening up a can” on Anxiety

Posted by Brandon @ 10:08 pm

August 10, 2009

Don't worry, B. Happy

For those who don’t know, I’ve spent a portion of my adult life dealing with the wonderful effects of anxiety! I’ve had a lot of great people help me throughout this time that have really made a difference in my life, and helped me to understand how many people out there deal with the same stuff.

During my time, I’ve perused a lot of comment boards with messages from other sufferers, a lot of them feeling hopeless and terrified about whats happening. Today, I decided to add my own comment. But this one I intended to show them that there is light at the end of the seemingly grueling tunnel.

Here’s my post. Hopefully it helps some of them, or even you it strikes a chord for you:

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Hey guys – I’m not a medical professional. But I’ve been on multiple sites like this after suffering many of the same terrible, terrifying symptoms. And I have some (hopefully) happy news.

First the great news: Every time this happens, you’re going to be just fine. Every time you wake up out of the blue gasping for air, are sitting in a crowded area, or with a close group of family and friends, and start to worry and begin to feel like your throat is closing or you have a pain somewhere in your chest or back or stomach or head. Or if you start to feel warm all over, and your head starts to tingle, and your arms and fingers feel prickly. Or if your heart starts thumping, maybe its not thumping fast enough? Or did that feel like a heart swoop that took my breath away? You are NOT going to die. You are NOT having a heart attack. Your lungs are NOT collapsing.

I’ve felt and thought all of these things… and more. These things are almost certainly anxiety, panic attacks, etc. Anxiety can manifest itself in some of the most unexpected, and frankly terrifying ways imaginable. But the reality is, it is anxiety. And you can’t die from anxiety. Isn’t that great news? Think about that the next time you wake up out of breath and start to worry, or the next time your heart flutters and you wonder what could be terribly wrong with your body. You are going to be fine.

Now, the more difficult news. Anxiety is something that requires a LOT of hard work to get rid of. And, at least in my experience, doesn’t feel like its something that will ever go away completely. But with tools to understand and manage it, you can take a LOT of the bite out of an attack, and eventually get it down to a degree where its managable or even gone!

I’ve done this. This isn’t to say these feelings haven’t come back, or that I haven’t needed help from numerous arenas to deal with it. But when they do, I remember my rational truths. I’m not going to die. This is anxiety, a fight or flight reaction that saved my ancestor from getting eaten by a lion a long time ago. Now, there are no lions (lets hope). Just our jobs, and families, and kids, and homes, and new cars, and boy/girlfriends, etc., etc.

If you’re like me, you’re naturally a 1%-er. What I mean is, when my heart flutters, my first thought is, “is that a heart attack?”. Rationally, there’s a 99% (or more) that I’m just fine. But man, can I cling to that 1%! But the truth is, I am almost certainly going to be just fine.

Things that have helped me get by that may help you:

• The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook – Does a great job explaining your anxiety to you and telling you why you’re ok http://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Phobia-Workbook-Edmund-Bourne/dp/157224223X
• Find a professional psychologist – Getting to the root of whats causing the feelings is the key to fighting them. They can help
• Consult your physician – to give you piece of mind nothing bad is happening, and determine if medication of some kind might help

My hope is that these words from a fellow anxiety sufferer will help someone else. I’ve had the bad days and nights, and I’m living an exciting, happy life now. You can too!

Posted in Brandon's Posts, Life n' Stuff