Many anxiety sufferers have an issue with physical pain in addition to their anxiety condition. Their usual reaction is to try to get rid of it. But it rarely works. Not surprisingly perhaps, the approach that is effective in dealing with physical pain is the same as with the emotional pain of anxiety Continue reading “Dealing with Pain”
Category: Symptoms
Up and Down Emotions
One feature of anxiety is how our emotions can change so radically and so quickly; often with no apparent reason. This dramatic fluctuation in our mood just Continue reading “Up and Down Emotions”
Fear that Nothing will ever Change
The fear that “nothing will ever change” can be a major stumbling block to recovery from anxiety. It is a very convincing fear, and can cause us to Continue reading “Fear that Nothing will ever Change”
Shame
Shame is rarely mentioned in the context of anxiety and depression, but it is a very important element of those conditions. It is perhaps the underlying emotion that contributes most to making the anxiety condition so painful. Healing our shame is Continue reading “Shame”
Focus on Feelings
The primary technique for recovery from anxiety is to ignore the intrusive thoughts and focus on our feelings. By focusing on feelings, we bring ourselves back to what is real.
On my journey to recovery, whenever I was confronted by anxious thoughts, I knew Continue reading “Focus on Feelings”
Turn Down the Heat
Our minds tend to get twisted into knots as we try to unravel the mystery of the anxiety state, how we fell into it, and how we can get out of it. We tend to over-complicate our anxiety, but there is one thing and one thing only that Continue reading “Turn Down the Heat”
Crazy Intrusive Thoughts
Our mind has a fertile imagination. It can come up with all kinds of weird and wonderful things, and we might wonder where it got that idea. Our anxious mind is incredibly active, and uses this creativity to find the things that really scare us. It does this so effectively that Continue reading “Crazy Intrusive Thoughts”
How to Treat our Symptoms, Thoughts and Feelings
Treating symptoms, thoughts and feelings (emotions) the right way is crucial to the recovery from anxiety. How we reacted to these in the past led us into the anxiety state. How we respond to them going forward determines whether we remain in the anxiety state or recover from anxiety.
There are very important differences Continue reading “How to Treat our Symptoms, Thoughts and Feelings”
Difficulty Sleeping
Lying in bed staring at the ceiling in frustration, the night seems to drag on forever when we have difficulty sleeping. Tossing, turning, getting up, settling back down, nothing seems to work. The more we try to get to sleep it seems the Continue reading “Difficulty Sleeping”
Extreme Tiredness or Exhaustion
Anxiety causes extreme tiredness or exhaustion. It is a fatigue that can almost completely immobilize us, and has been described as “a tiredness beyond tiredness”. It seems to weigh heavily on us, and we may feel like we’ve been drugged.
So why is this extreme tiredness or exhaustion so Continue reading “Extreme Tiredness or Exhaustion”