Spot on Drew! This year long journey taught me patience and still teaching! We all want a quick fix and anxiety gone but doesn’t work that way. It does take time and persistence in not giving up and practicing exposure. Being kind to yourself and allowing emotions feeling and anxiety to settle at it’s own pace 😊. Love you Big Guy!
I'm sure Drew has said this before, perhaps even during episode 199, but anxiety recovery is difficultly deceptive. First, gains often come in such small, imperceptible ways. As Drew said in episode 199, very often you don't realize how much better you are doing until you compare how you were previously. For me it was the realization that my nerves didn't feel like they were electrified all the time. Instead, they feel like they are filled with apple cider vinegar, which is definitely an improvement. Next, improvements are hidden/camouflaged/obscured when we are focused on difficult sensations/feelings/thoughts.
Patience…. Oh boy! I find that at times I have enormous amounts of it and at others none at all. As I mulled this over I had a bit of an epiphany I wanted to share. See I have large amounts of patience for things I perceive as beyond my control, regular stuff like traffic, people who work/move slower than I do, long lines at the store. So then here I am looking at this whole health anxiety thing and I listen to this mornings “The Anxious Morning”, and I see that I am NOT patient with myself AT ALL….Wait, why not? I thought I was patient when I felt like things were beyond my control. And it hit me….. you’re not being patient because you DO see this as something you can/should control. I’m being impatient with and for the most part angry with myself because I feel like I CAN and SHOULD fix this. When I hit a rough spot, or my symptoms are stronger again (as they can be some days), I see that as failure and berate myself. I will then spend most of the rest of those days tearing myself apart for not being strong or brave enough to keep those things at bay. I’m moving forward, I do see that, a year ago I couldn’t even shower without fear, now it’s a daily habit without a second thought…but my anxiety loves to remind me that I’m not doing it all yet…. And a big part of me sees that as unacceptable and there I go again losing my patience …. Ugh! Patience….this was a good reminder, thanks!
I made the mistake of declaring myself “fully” recovered because I had not had any irrational anxiety for about 3 weeks. Well my anxious brain loved that. All the sudden I began scanning, checking it to see if I was right. I found what I was looking for alright. Then I reviewed some earlier Anxious Morning emails and realized it doesn’t matter when you recover. Keep doing the work. It’ll come when it comes. There’s no timeline or schedule to abide by. Thanks as always Drew!
"The direction of travel is defined by what you do-not by what you think and feel." This is another fantastic gem!!! I'm putting this on an index card and posting it on my dashboard! (Right NOW!) Thanks, Drew!!!
Really interesting. Just realised this is a big thing with me and my health anxiety , lack of patience willing not to act snd be patient as opposed to reacting and doing like with my other anxieties which then helps you overcome the anxiety. Thank you
Spot on Drew! This year long journey taught me patience and still teaching! We all want a quick fix and anxiety gone but doesn’t work that way. It does take time and persistence in not giving up and practicing exposure. Being kind to yourself and allowing emotions feeling and anxiety to settle at it’s own pace 😊. Love you Big Guy!
I'm sure Drew has said this before, perhaps even during episode 199, but anxiety recovery is difficultly deceptive. First, gains often come in such small, imperceptible ways. As Drew said in episode 199, very often you don't realize how much better you are doing until you compare how you were previously. For me it was the realization that my nerves didn't feel like they were electrified all the time. Instead, they feel like they are filled with apple cider vinegar, which is definitely an improvement. Next, improvements are hidden/camouflaged/obscured when we are focused on difficult sensations/feelings/thoughts.
Patience…. Oh boy! I find that at times I have enormous amounts of it and at others none at all. As I mulled this over I had a bit of an epiphany I wanted to share. See I have large amounts of patience for things I perceive as beyond my control, regular stuff like traffic, people who work/move slower than I do, long lines at the store. So then here I am looking at this whole health anxiety thing and I listen to this mornings “The Anxious Morning”, and I see that I am NOT patient with myself AT ALL….Wait, why not? I thought I was patient when I felt like things were beyond my control. And it hit me….. you’re not being patient because you DO see this as something you can/should control. I’m being impatient with and for the most part angry with myself because I feel like I CAN and SHOULD fix this. When I hit a rough spot, or my symptoms are stronger again (as they can be some days), I see that as failure and berate myself. I will then spend most of the rest of those days tearing myself apart for not being strong or brave enough to keep those things at bay. I’m moving forward, I do see that, a year ago I couldn’t even shower without fear, now it’s a daily habit without a second thought…but my anxiety loves to remind me that I’m not doing it all yet…. And a big part of me sees that as unacceptable and there I go again losing my patience …. Ugh! Patience….this was a good reminder, thanks!
I made the mistake of declaring myself “fully” recovered because I had not had any irrational anxiety for about 3 weeks. Well my anxious brain loved that. All the sudden I began scanning, checking it to see if I was right. I found what I was looking for alright. Then I reviewed some earlier Anxious Morning emails and realized it doesn’t matter when you recover. Keep doing the work. It’ll come when it comes. There’s no timeline or schedule to abide by. Thanks as always Drew!
"The direction of travel is defined by what you do-not by what you think and feel." This is another fantastic gem!!! I'm putting this on an index card and posting it on my dashboard! (Right NOW!) Thanks, Drew!!!
Really interesting. Just realised this is a big thing with me and my health anxiety , lack of patience willing not to act snd be patient as opposed to reacting and doing like with my other anxieties which then helps you overcome the anxiety. Thank you