Ever since I've been in this condition I just keep tortoring myself thinking mybe my dr missed something maybe I am mentally I'll maybe it's something else... I know I can relate to almost everything from the videos but my lack of self control and self confidence makes me think it could be something else. What can I do?
When I feel this way I analyze everything it's like I can't even breath... I feel as if I'm loosingy mind and I'm just adding more to this condition and therefore I'm not going to get better, im scared I might not be able to get anything from the program and get even worse! It's like I can't get out o my own self when I feel this way, I start getting caught up in thinking and stop talking to others and feel very uncomfortable like running away! I get so scared of the thought of going out of control and doing something bad! Can anyone help??? Please!
What can I do to convince myself I'm not menatlly I'll?
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Guest
You sound pretty stressed out. Have you tried the ralaxation tape? You may need to practice some of the deep breathing techniques to calm yourself down enough so that you can focus more effectively on the program.
I see from your post that you have been in the program for a year. If you are still feeling this bad, maybe you should consider getting some professional cognitive behavioral therapy or see a psychiatrist to evaluate your problem. That may help set your mind at ease if you can have a professional who is experienced in dealing with this type of problem explain things to you and give you their opinion. Everyone on these posts are laymen like you and we cannot diagnose you from a post.
I am so sorry that you feel so out of control. As dixie b says, this can be a tough place to be in , but you CAN recover with the proper help. Never give up on yourself. You actually sound a lot like Lucinda describing herself on the CD's and she recovered, so you know there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I see from your post that you have been in the program for a year. If you are still feeling this bad, maybe you should consider getting some professional cognitive behavioral therapy or see a psychiatrist to evaluate your problem. That may help set your mind at ease if you can have a professional who is experienced in dealing with this type of problem explain things to you and give you their opinion. Everyone on these posts are laymen like you and we cannot diagnose you from a post.
I am so sorry that you feel so out of control. As dixie b says, this can be a tough place to be in , but you CAN recover with the proper help. Never give up on yourself. You actually sound a lot like Lucinda describing herself on the CD's and she recovered, so you know there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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Guest
What can you do to convince yourself you're not mentally ill?
Stop trying to convince yourself that you're mentally ill.
That's the answer/solution even though it seems lame. The more you dig and entertain this worry, the less likely it is to leave you anytime soon. Let it chatter away. Even when everything inside wants to fret and investigate, just let it chatter. It will NOT get better by you trying to solve it and fix it so that thought doesn't make you panic inside. It doesn't work like that. I sure wish it did because I would have been better a long time ago!
Bring yourself back to your breath or to something you're doing in the moment even if it's every other second and over and over. Realize that it WILL keep chattering for a while and you WON'T be able to fix it or stop it for a while. You're just sensitive so be kind to yourself for being that way.
This takes TONS of practice. Be realistic.
Psalm 46:10
Stop trying to convince yourself that you're mentally ill.
That's the answer/solution even though it seems lame. The more you dig and entertain this worry, the less likely it is to leave you anytime soon. Let it chatter away. Even when everything inside wants to fret and investigate, just let it chatter. It will NOT get better by you trying to solve it and fix it so that thought doesn't make you panic inside. It doesn't work like that. I sure wish it did because I would have been better a long time ago!
Bring yourself back to your breath or to something you're doing in the moment even if it's every other second and over and over. Realize that it WILL keep chattering for a while and you WON'T be able to fix it or stop it for a while. You're just sensitive so be kind to yourself for being that way.
This takes TONS of practice. Be realistic.
Psalm 46:10
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Guest
Samcat,
I have tried medication and I am currently on an anti-depressant, I am also seeing my Dr and a mental health therapist so I am trying to get all the help I can get I really feel I am. I have been registered fir a yr but have really been fully participating for a month. I tried doing the program last year bur stopped at session 3 because I thought I was ok but I realized I wasn't! You see I just really carry a lot of fear inside fear with a capital "F" and yes I know I shouldn't be afraid because that gives more fuel to the fire but sometimes I can't help it! I just wish that with more time and practice I can overcome this condition that males me feel so dependant and scared!
I do use the relaxation tape but not on a regular basis which is part of the problem! I've tried to listen to it at night before bed because that is usually when I get the most anxious but it hasn't worked so well for me maybe because i am so caught up in the thoughts that all I want to do is sleep and disconnect! I know I over analyze everything and I don't know how to stop me and it makes me feel helpless! I just really want to live my life...I want to be free!
I have tried medication and I am currently on an anti-depressant, I am also seeing my Dr and a mental health therapist so I am trying to get all the help I can get I really feel I am. I have been registered fir a yr but have really been fully participating for a month. I tried doing the program last year bur stopped at session 3 because I thought I was ok but I realized I wasn't! You see I just really carry a lot of fear inside fear with a capital "F" and yes I know I shouldn't be afraid because that gives more fuel to the fire but sometimes I can't help it! I just wish that with more time and practice I can overcome this condition that males me feel so dependant and scared!
I do use the relaxation tape but not on a regular basis which is part of the problem! I've tried to listen to it at night before bed because that is usually when I get the most anxious but it hasn't worked so well for me maybe because i am so caught up in the thoughts that all I want to do is sleep and disconnect! I know I over analyze everything and I don't know how to stop me and it makes me feel helpless! I just really want to live my life...I want to be free!
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Guest
ytez91,
You are working on it--that is what counts. This anxiety stuff is a tough nut to crack and it takes time and work. If you have only done the program for a month, you still have a lot of stuff to learn.
Some of the more helpful posts on here for me have been the ones about "accepting" the fear. That sounds backwards, but in a strange way, it makes sense. It takes its power away because you are saying "OK, I can feel this and it won't kill me. I won't feel this way forever. I am stronger than my fear".
I went to a cognitive behavioral therapist (a Ph.D at the University of Tennessee who was pretty well trained in all of David Burn's techniques) and after 5 sessions, he said he had taught me about all he could and that now I was ready to be my own therapist. He said that successful businessmen come to him all the time and say "Now I am a scared ninny. What happened to me?" These are tough guys from big corporations who are used to heavy stress, so the fear freaks them out when they develop a panic/anxiety disorder. So you are not alone in feeling this.
He said the newest theory about curing panic/anxiety is called Acceptance and Committment Therapy. There is a book called Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D. that describes and discusses this therapy. On the back cover, it says ACT is not about fighting your pain, it's about developing a willingness to embrace every experience life has to offer. It's not about resisting your emotions; it's about feeling them completely and yet not turning your choices over to them. ACT offers you a path out of suffering by helping you choose to live your life based on what matters to you most.
After the cognitive behavioral therapy, I felt completely back to my normal self. Then my baby sister got divorced and lost her house. Since she feels like more of a child to me than a sister, I lost all my gains. I could not sleep and got down to 97.5 pounds. I went to a psychiatrist and he put me on Xanax because I couldn't seem to tolerate the SSRI's. So I started all over again and it has been about 1 1/2 years now, but I have some completely normal days now. Other days, I will have body symptoms, mostly jittery feelings. But my psychiatrist says he can tell I am improving and I believe he is right.
I do the relaxation tape at least twice a day. In one of the CD's, Dr. Fischer said that lays down neural pathways for you to learn to relax and is the most important part of the program. You can also buy other ones for progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing if you don't like Lucinda's. One guy posted on here that it helps him to switch them around--they are more effective for him that way.
Keep reading the posts on this board--a lot of the people on here can give you really good advice. They have all been through it and they have improved. You say you wish that with more time and practice you wish to overcome this condition--that is the key --time and practice, and you WILL overcome it!!!
I believe I had read a post of yours and one of the members replied to you and I thought he/she gave you some really good advice. You just have to be patient with yourself and keep taking baby steps forward and learning new skills. Keep doing the program --there is a whole session on overcoming obsessive, scary thoughts. Maybe you should break it out, even though they tell you to do each one in order.
I believe in you and you need to start believing in yourself--that you DO have the power to get better, because look at all of us who have improved. I am still not rid of the anxiety and am still on meds, but if I can improve, you can too. I am still working on it and intend to get fully better. Like you said "live my life and be free".
You are working on it--that is what counts. This anxiety stuff is a tough nut to crack and it takes time and work. If you have only done the program for a month, you still have a lot of stuff to learn.
Some of the more helpful posts on here for me have been the ones about "accepting" the fear. That sounds backwards, but in a strange way, it makes sense. It takes its power away because you are saying "OK, I can feel this and it won't kill me. I won't feel this way forever. I am stronger than my fear".
I went to a cognitive behavioral therapist (a Ph.D at the University of Tennessee who was pretty well trained in all of David Burn's techniques) and after 5 sessions, he said he had taught me about all he could and that now I was ready to be my own therapist. He said that successful businessmen come to him all the time and say "Now I am a scared ninny. What happened to me?" These are tough guys from big corporations who are used to heavy stress, so the fear freaks them out when they develop a panic/anxiety disorder. So you are not alone in feeling this.
He said the newest theory about curing panic/anxiety is called Acceptance and Committment Therapy. There is a book called Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life by Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D. that describes and discusses this therapy. On the back cover, it says ACT is not about fighting your pain, it's about developing a willingness to embrace every experience life has to offer. It's not about resisting your emotions; it's about feeling them completely and yet not turning your choices over to them. ACT offers you a path out of suffering by helping you choose to live your life based on what matters to you most.
After the cognitive behavioral therapy, I felt completely back to my normal self. Then my baby sister got divorced and lost her house. Since she feels like more of a child to me than a sister, I lost all my gains. I could not sleep and got down to 97.5 pounds. I went to a psychiatrist and he put me on Xanax because I couldn't seem to tolerate the SSRI's. So I started all over again and it has been about 1 1/2 years now, but I have some completely normal days now. Other days, I will have body symptoms, mostly jittery feelings. But my psychiatrist says he can tell I am improving and I believe he is right.
I do the relaxation tape at least twice a day. In one of the CD's, Dr. Fischer said that lays down neural pathways for you to learn to relax and is the most important part of the program. You can also buy other ones for progressive muscle relaxation and deep breathing if you don't like Lucinda's. One guy posted on here that it helps him to switch them around--they are more effective for him that way.
Keep reading the posts on this board--a lot of the people on here can give you really good advice. They have all been through it and they have improved. You say you wish that with more time and practice you wish to overcome this condition--that is the key --time and practice, and you WILL overcome it!!!
I believe I had read a post of yours and one of the members replied to you and I thought he/she gave you some really good advice. You just have to be patient with yourself and keep taking baby steps forward and learning new skills. Keep doing the program --there is a whole session on overcoming obsessive, scary thoughts. Maybe you should break it out, even though they tell you to do each one in order.
I believe in you and you need to start believing in yourself--that you DO have the power to get better, because look at all of us who have improved. I am still not rid of the anxiety and am still on meds, but if I can improve, you can too. I am still working on it and intend to get fully better. Like you said "live my life and be free".
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Guest
Samcat,
Thank you so much for your support and your advice! The hardest thing is getting up after falling down and I have been doing that, getting up! I'm just gracious that now I have the strenght not to let it take the best of me, now I try to feel it and then go about my life even when I feel like quiting!
I'm on the same meds as you and I'm also taking paxil although at first I was really scared to take them because I didn't want to become addicted to them but now I know that they will help me. I've seen some improvement in the 4 weeks I've been on it and I'm hoping the improvement continues. Thank you so much for your advice and I hope that you too can recover from anxiety and depression soon.
How long have you been in the program?
Thank you so much for your support and your advice! The hardest thing is getting up after falling down and I have been doing that, getting up! I'm just gracious that now I have the strenght not to let it take the best of me, now I try to feel it and then go about my life even when I feel like quiting!
I'm on the same meds as you and I'm also taking paxil although at first I was really scared to take them because I didn't want to become addicted to them but now I know that they will help me. I've seen some improvement in the 4 weeks I've been on it and I'm hoping the improvement continues. Thank you so much for your advice and I hope that you too can recover from anxiety and depression soon.
How long have you been in the program?
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Guest
I got it last January, but due to various things that life threw at me, I did not finish it til October. So we started about the same time. It did make me more anxious to listen to the CD's at first because I was facing up to something I really wanted to just have go away. I took copious notes on each CD, so I go back and read them. If a post on here is helpful, I'll copy it--I have a little file of them that I can refer to if I am having an especially bad day.
All of us scared of meds--that is part of the anxiety package. I'm glad they are helping you and that you had the courage to try them. I didn't want to take any meds either, but I realized I needed some extra help.
It sounds like you have been taking positive actions to help yourself, so I am proud of you. You need to give yourself a big pat on the back for having the courage and persistence to do that.
Thanks for the good wishes for my full recovery. Thank God I don't have depression, just anxiety. Although that one is bad enough by itself:) You and I are going to make it kiddo--we're both going to keep doing our deep breathing relaxation, positive thought replacement, listen to those CD's and learn coping skills, stop being afraid of anxious feelings and learn to distract ourselves and breathe when they start up, and gradually get rid of that bad baggage we have been carrying around that made us go off kilter. Like Lucinda says, we have developed some bad habits and we are smart enough and persistent enough to break those bad habits and replace them with healthier habits.
All the best to you, Yetz91. Keep in touch and let me know how things are going for you.
Your friend, Samcat
All of us scared of meds--that is part of the anxiety package. I'm glad they are helping you and that you had the courage to try them. I didn't want to take any meds either, but I realized I needed some extra help.
It sounds like you have been taking positive actions to help yourself, so I am proud of you. You need to give yourself a big pat on the back for having the courage and persistence to do that.
Thanks for the good wishes for my full recovery. Thank God I don't have depression, just anxiety. Although that one is bad enough by itself:) You and I are going to make it kiddo--we're both going to keep doing our deep breathing relaxation, positive thought replacement, listen to those CD's and learn coping skills, stop being afraid of anxious feelings and learn to distract ourselves and breathe when they start up, and gradually get rid of that bad baggage we have been carrying around that made us go off kilter. Like Lucinda says, we have developed some bad habits and we are smart enough and persistent enough to break those bad habits and replace them with healthier habits.
All the best to you, Yetz91. Keep in touch and let me know how things are going for you.
Your friend, Samcat
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Guest
Samcat,
Thank you I will keep in mind your good advice everytime I'm facing an anxiety or depression attack! I really needed that positive reinforcement that I was ok and that my thoughts and feelings were normal thank you! I will try to live my life better now because I don't want to live this way!
Thank you...please see me as a friend as well:)
Thank you I will keep in mind your good advice everytime I'm facing an anxiety or depression attack! I really needed that positive reinforcement that I was ok and that my thoughts and feelings were normal thank you! I will try to live my life better now because I don't want to live this way!
Thank you...please see me as a friend as well:)
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Guest