If you've made great strides and/or overcome your anxiety, how'd you get through those discouraging times when you thought you'd never really get over it? Trying to self-talk in an encouraging way...what if it feels like it's not enough at times and are tempted to listen to the lie that it won't ever work?
I'm trusting what I read and hear as truth so I know it's possible, but want some support for those discouraging times.
Thank you.
veterans...endurance?
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Guest
I bought the course 2 years ago and went through it. Last year I went through it again.
While I sometimes have anxiety episodes and sometimes get very depressed, I am LIGHT YEARS away from the moment that I'd finally had enough. I had a horrible panic attack while waiting at the grocery check out and fled the store, leaving my food on the conveyor belt. I went home and cried and cried in humiliation. I made my husband go back and shop for the items again because there was no way I was going back in there where someone might recognize me!
I went from only being able to drive around my town to driving across the country, twice. I moved across the country twice, all in the same year. My husband and I went through a major business loss and a huge change in financial status. I have been surviving! I am working full time out of the house, and loving it. My confidence in myself is starting to grow.
So when I have a problem with anxiety and start getting really upset about it, I think about just how far I've come. I think about how much further apart my anxiety episodes are, and that I have not had an actual full blown panic attack in ages.
I'm not perfect. I still have obsessive thoughts, what if thoughts, and run like a hamster on the worry treadmill. I still have work to do!
Be patient with yourself. You are reprogramming lots of patterns that have been with you for a long time. Be sure to give yourself credit for every victory and remember them when the going is tough.
I know you can do it too
Jeri
While I sometimes have anxiety episodes and sometimes get very depressed, I am LIGHT YEARS away from the moment that I'd finally had enough. I had a horrible panic attack while waiting at the grocery check out and fled the store, leaving my food on the conveyor belt. I went home and cried and cried in humiliation. I made my husband go back and shop for the items again because there was no way I was going back in there where someone might recognize me!
I went from only being able to drive around my town to driving across the country, twice. I moved across the country twice, all in the same year. My husband and I went through a major business loss and a huge change in financial status. I have been surviving! I am working full time out of the house, and loving it. My confidence in myself is starting to grow.
So when I have a problem with anxiety and start getting really upset about it, I think about just how far I've come. I think about how much further apart my anxiety episodes are, and that I have not had an actual full blown panic attack in ages.
I'm not perfect. I still have obsessive thoughts, what if thoughts, and run like a hamster on the worry treadmill. I still have work to do!
Be patient with yourself. You are reprogramming lots of patterns that have been with you for a long time. Be sure to give yourself credit for every victory and remember them when the going is tough.
I know you can do it too
Jeri
KDlady,
Here's the thing. In the beginning you will do positive self talk, and have some days where you feel like you are doing great, and some where you don't think you could ever really overcome this. That is no big deal. When you have been dealing with this for a while, and you go through the normal two steps forward one step back, it's hard to think that you will really recover.
What you need to realize is that it is OKAY to have days where you feel down again and lost. It takes time to change. I know from experience. It is completely normal to feel like it really isn't going to work, and for you to not believe everything at first. The longer you do the program the easier and easier things get and the more good days you have, and the more you feel like you can get over it.
It will come, and it might be good to tell yourself on days that you don't feel like you will get better that that is normal during recovery.
The concept is this...someone who has never run a marathon who tried to get out and run one probably wouldn't make it very far. Nor would they THINK they could do it before getting out there. Someone who has trained and trained and ran a few and didn't make it all the way, but got further and further each time until they crossed that finish line THEN believes they can do it.
Of course you can't just turn the switch on and believe that you will overcome this and you can actually live a life without it. Especially if it has dominated your life a long time...but each day and week and month you will find yourself DOING it...and the more you do and the more you TRY the positive self talk...the more it will become your reality...and then it will become your life and who you are.
Here's the thing. In the beginning you will do positive self talk, and have some days where you feel like you are doing great, and some where you don't think you could ever really overcome this. That is no big deal. When you have been dealing with this for a while, and you go through the normal two steps forward one step back, it's hard to think that you will really recover.
What you need to realize is that it is OKAY to have days where you feel down again and lost. It takes time to change. I know from experience. It is completely normal to feel like it really isn't going to work, and for you to not believe everything at first. The longer you do the program the easier and easier things get and the more good days you have, and the more you feel like you can get over it.
It will come, and it might be good to tell yourself on days that you don't feel like you will get better that that is normal during recovery.
The concept is this...someone who has never run a marathon who tried to get out and run one probably wouldn't make it very far. Nor would they THINK they could do it before getting out there. Someone who has trained and trained and ran a few and didn't make it all the way, but got further and further each time until they crossed that finish line THEN believes they can do it.
Of course you can't just turn the switch on and believe that you will overcome this and you can actually live a life without it. Especially if it has dominated your life a long time...but each day and week and month you will find yourself DOING it...and the more you do and the more you TRY the positive self talk...the more it will become your reality...and then it will become your life and who you are.
Walk soflty*Live gently*Celebrate Life
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CarolynEd.Dir.
- Posts: 92
- Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:31 pm
FrancesL,You are exactly right!That's how it works.Once you stop letting the anxiety control you and you start controlling it trough the process that you've described it does start to fade more and more.It's really pretty awesome!You have to let yourself become that new person.It's amazing on how much better it is to be positive than negative.Everyone take care and God bless!