Advice that is wonderful for life stress is so often bad for anxiety disorders. I had a friend who told me to “Be a human being, not a human doing.” He wanted me to take time for myself to relax and do nothing. The problem was, I WAS doing nothing all day except sit on the couch, because of my panic disorder! I actually needed to get up, get busy, and stay more active.
This is an excellent example. I'm sure your friend was genuinely trying to be helpful. But without an understanding of the situation, that help can go off the rails. Thanks for sharing Heather.
Thanks Drew! I can attest to what a horrible idea listening to your body is for someone with an anxiety disorder. I spent a year and a half listening to all the scary symptoms and thoughts after a health scare and things really went off the rails. The symptoms grew and grew until they were all I could see, feel, live….it’s was, and sometimes still is awful. I left a job that I loved and stopped driving so long that my husband decided it was time to sell my car to make up for the loss of income. I’m am starting to come out of it. Starting to get better at living again. I am so thankful for all the guidance you’ve given us it has helped me immensely. I am looking forward to todays “Recovery Monday” episode, the timing of the topic is so perfect for me!
Drew I’ve had Cancer twice n now in remission but I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve had therapy but was no help at all! So what should I do to relieve my anxiety as it’s crippling me!!!
I'm sorry Susan. That's a terrible experience. I'm happy to hear you are in remission now though. The bad news here is that I can't tell you how to "relieve" your anxiety. That's not what I'm ever writing about. I'm talking about understanding the mechanism then working to form a new relationship with anxiety so we can bring it back into a normal place in our lives. I know you are looking for instant relief but I want to be totally honest and tell you that I can't provide that for you.
Really good advice, I have been confused too with this information, because I have read a lot of books about listening to your body and even though I was not sure how to do it, I found myself questioning that then if I listened to my body, I would run away from a shop, or I would not go to a restaurant. So it makes senses that the "listen to your body" message can be really useful maybe if you don't have an anxiety problem.
Advice that is wonderful for life stress is so often bad for anxiety disorders. I had a friend who told me to “Be a human being, not a human doing.” He wanted me to take time for myself to relax and do nothing. The problem was, I WAS doing nothing all day except sit on the couch, because of my panic disorder! I actually needed to get up, get busy, and stay more active.
This is an excellent example. I'm sure your friend was genuinely trying to be helpful. But without an understanding of the situation, that help can go off the rails. Thanks for sharing Heather.
Thanks
Thanks Drew! I can attest to what a horrible idea listening to your body is for someone with an anxiety disorder. I spent a year and a half listening to all the scary symptoms and thoughts after a health scare and things really went off the rails. The symptoms grew and grew until they were all I could see, feel, live….it’s was, and sometimes still is awful. I left a job that I loved and stopped driving so long that my husband decided it was time to sell my car to make up for the loss of income. I’m am starting to come out of it. Starting to get better at living again. I am so thankful for all the guidance you’ve given us it has helped me immensely. I am looking forward to todays “Recovery Monday” episode, the timing of the topic is so perfect for me!
I apologize for the bad expression, but telling all these symptoms to “ fuck it” has helped me a lot 😊, thanks Drew ✨
Drew I’ve had Cancer twice n now in remission but I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve had therapy but was no help at all! So what should I do to relieve my anxiety as it’s crippling me!!!
I'm sorry Susan. That's a terrible experience. I'm happy to hear you are in remission now though. The bad news here is that I can't tell you how to "relieve" your anxiety. That's not what I'm ever writing about. I'm talking about understanding the mechanism then working to form a new relationship with anxiety so we can bring it back into a normal place in our lives. I know you are looking for instant relief but I want to be totally honest and tell you that I can't provide that for you.
Ok Thanks
What about terrible Brain Fog that seems to last all morning?
Thanks Drew.
Really good advice, I have been confused too with this information, because I have read a lot of books about listening to your body and even though I was not sure how to do it, I found myself questioning that then if I listened to my body, I would run away from a shop, or I would not go to a restaurant. So it makes senses that the "listen to your body" message can be really useful maybe if you don't have an anxiety problem.