Anxiety Itself Is Gone, But A Few Symptoms Remain?

[NIRELANDGUY]

I have come so far in the past year, I've gone from being agoraphobic to being able to do anything and go anywhere I want, I've not had a panic attack in over 2 years However a few symptoms remain. I'd say I was always a grumpy individual anyway, I always have a face on me like a well smacked behind and I am the worlds greatest complainer, it seems to be my main hobby, that and criticizing things and people, I'd also say unfortunately I am very selfish. However the worst is my anger, I over react way to much, I have punched doors, smashed plates and had countless rows with my wife because of my anger, I can also get very rude. I was standing in line at a checkout today, the assistant was so slow and more interested in talking, this flipped my anger switch, I said rather loudly "Oh for f**k sake can you hurry up" Which looking back now was rude, but when that switch is flipped you don't care less.

Would you say the above are all left over from anxiety? Or have you any advice

[Guest]

In my opinion, not necessarily. Many people have problems with anger and have never had problems with anxiety or panic or depression. I think that's why we see so many courses being given in "anger management", which is a course I feel that you could greatly benefit from. I don't think your anger is left over, I think it is a separate issue which needs to be dealt with on its own. Take care. Rob.

[Guest]

Hey Sam,

I'm just learning about my anxiety for the first time. I started the Lucinda course about 4 weeks ago, so my advice is relatively newbie.

I will say that I also don't tolerate people very well, and I've learned what this means from the Lucinda course in Session 4: Expectations. It seems that you have great expectations from those around you (which is a key trigger of anxiety), and you show your disdain with anger, intolerance, cynicism, and several other emotions.

You may not have gotten over your anxiety completely, and you've channeled your feelings into a set of strong negative thoughts. These thoughts give you a perceived control over your environment, especially when you're not in control! And control is what we're all about in these forums. It is control that is the root of many of our problems.

I hope this advice helps, Sam. I often "flip" the anger switch onto my kids, because I have a lot of control over them, but I rarely show it to strangers. When I catch myself doing this, I just back off, and breath for 1 minute, and find a distracting positive message to replace the anger. Sometimes, a splash of cold water in the face helps.

Good luck, Sam.