Well i just started my second session this week. i was a little disappointed. I was hoping for some magic phrase or word to make all this go away. Im such a mess! I was so optimistic during week one, but not sure now. I feel like just giving up and trying to ignore all these fears and emotions that im dealing with now. This is such an emotional rollercoaster im on and I want to get off.
Does anyone read this and have any advice or words of comfort.
Thank u
Help - Feel Like Stopping this Program!!
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Guest
Well of course you are going to feel like giving up when you are expecting a magic phrase or word. It isn't going to happen, this condition did not start because of some magic phrase or word and it sure is not going to end that way either. It took awhile to become depressed and anxious, alot of stress and huge struggles.
You also know that giving up and trying to ignore all these fears and emotions that you're dealing with now is not going to work either, i mean has it worked for you up until this point?
One thing my instructor has mentioned a few times is things rarely stay at a constant level, they go up and they go down. Things that are not improving are thus getting worse and well lets take an example of a real life situation. What do you think happens to a carpet when there is a constant drip of water coming from a leak in the ceiling and nobody cleans it up? It turns to mold and it can actually start to become a health risk...the same thing can happen if we try to ignore thoughts and feelings. So frankly you do have 2 choices, you can go back to doing things the way you have done before which are the same things that got you to where you are in the first place or you can take the chance & follow through with the program.
Things that are mostly going happen;
1)It will take some time to fully recover but you can start to feel better during the starting of this journey, even if its only slightly at first which it most likely will be
2)It won't be an easy task as your emotions can be challenging to overcome but its a gradual process so it will be easier to make the smaller accomplishments to achieve the overall goal
3)If you search for people who have succeeded in this program, you will find stories, posts and threads within this set of forums
4)Eventually if you keep up with it, you will actually start to find that it becomes a fun game.
5)You will get frustrated, discouraged and dissapointed and you will have down days but you will also have days where you feel up and proud of yourself because you were able to do something that you haven't been able to do before (you might need some help with that encouragement and that is fine, you can ask us for help there)
Things to keep in mind;
-Feelings do not necessarily represent facts (if i was to tell myself that i am too stupid to give advice on the program or not good enough to comfort people would that be a fact?)
-It doesn't matter weather or not someone else can face something you find is a huge limitation and thus your accomplishments are not based on someone else's standards. This meaning if you have a problem socializing for example and you have not been able to even go to a social event and then one day you end up going but then have to leave shortly after, that is still an accomplishment. It isn't an accomplishment because you were able to do what other people may be able to do quite easily, it would be an accomplishment because you had faced your limitation which is one of the hardest things to do out there. David D Burn's once said that for a non-sufferer of anxiety, facing a limitation would be like that non-sufferer lying down on a railroad track and fighting the urge to get up when they can hear the train coming towards them.
Mike
You also know that giving up and trying to ignore all these fears and emotions that you're dealing with now is not going to work either, i mean has it worked for you up until this point?
One thing my instructor has mentioned a few times is things rarely stay at a constant level, they go up and they go down. Things that are not improving are thus getting worse and well lets take an example of a real life situation. What do you think happens to a carpet when there is a constant drip of water coming from a leak in the ceiling and nobody cleans it up? It turns to mold and it can actually start to become a health risk...the same thing can happen if we try to ignore thoughts and feelings. So frankly you do have 2 choices, you can go back to doing things the way you have done before which are the same things that got you to where you are in the first place or you can take the chance & follow through with the program.
Things that are mostly going happen;
1)It will take some time to fully recover but you can start to feel better during the starting of this journey, even if its only slightly at first which it most likely will be
2)It won't be an easy task as your emotions can be challenging to overcome but its a gradual process so it will be easier to make the smaller accomplishments to achieve the overall goal
3)If you search for people who have succeeded in this program, you will find stories, posts and threads within this set of forums
4)Eventually if you keep up with it, you will actually start to find that it becomes a fun game.
5)You will get frustrated, discouraged and dissapointed and you will have down days but you will also have days where you feel up and proud of yourself because you were able to do something that you haven't been able to do before (you might need some help with that encouragement and that is fine, you can ask us for help there)
Things to keep in mind;
-Feelings do not necessarily represent facts (if i was to tell myself that i am too stupid to give advice on the program or not good enough to comfort people would that be a fact?)
-It doesn't matter weather or not someone else can face something you find is a huge limitation and thus your accomplishments are not based on someone else's standards. This meaning if you have a problem socializing for example and you have not been able to even go to a social event and then one day you end up going but then have to leave shortly after, that is still an accomplishment. It isn't an accomplishment because you were able to do what other people may be able to do quite easily, it would be an accomplishment because you had faced your limitation which is one of the hardest things to do out there. David D Burn's once said that for a non-sufferer of anxiety, facing a limitation would be like that non-sufferer lying down on a railroad track and fighting the urge to get up when they can hear the train coming towards them.
Mike
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Guest
not sure if im doing this reply thing the right way.... thank u ningaFrodo for the words of encouragement. yesterday day was a real bad day. dont have many friends that know about my anxiety so your words are very helpful. I am trying to search for strands or forums that I can reply to as well as post any concerns or struggles I may me having. Thanks again!!
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Guest
Kudos to you NinjaFrodo! You put it all very succinctly.
I DO understand where Natalie is coming from; I KNOW there is no 'magic word' to overcome the anxiety and depression. But at first, I too was disappointed in session 1 of the program. But I then realized that it was a prep session meant to get your foot in the door of the rest of the program. I'm taking this whole program as a long-term investment, perhaps beyond the stated 15 weeks. Session 1, to me, is about keeping our illness in perspective and giving us encouragement.
So stick with it Natalie!
I DO understand where Natalie is coming from; I KNOW there is no 'magic word' to overcome the anxiety and depression. But at first, I too was disappointed in session 1 of the program. But I then realized that it was a prep session meant to get your foot in the door of the rest of the program. I'm taking this whole program as a long-term investment, perhaps beyond the stated 15 weeks. Session 1, to me, is about keeping our illness in perspective and giving us encouragement.
So stick with it Natalie!