When we avoid things due to anxiety, we miss out. As you probably already know, escaping the situation you find yourself in when you have a panic attacks can lead to problems.
• Problem 1: Some situations are more difficult to avoid than others. For instance, if you have a fear of snakes but you live in the city, it’s probably not a huge cause for concern. Chances are you’ll only be exposed to them at the zoo or pet store. However, if a person fears wide open spaces, crowds, shopping malls or riding in public transportation in can cause a much bigger problem.
• Problem 2: Escaping & avoiding situations works well to reduce anxiety in the short-term. However, in the long-term avoidance makes things worse. The problem is that escaping works too well. When you escape a situation, you receive immediate relief. The result is you become really good at escaping and avoiding. When you think about it, not dealing with problems isn’t what you want to be good at.
When we avoid things due to anxiety, we miss out. As you probably already know, escaping the situation you find yourself in when you have a panic attacks can lead to problems.
• Problem 3: The more you avoid, the less you’re able to lead a full, happy and productive life. As a result of escaping and avoiding, you don’t get to do a lot of things other people get to enjoy such as, going out with friends, driving, going to a movie or going away of vacation.
• Problem 4: When people aren’t able to enjoy life because of avoidance, they beat themselves up. People with panic or anxiety usually say escaping makes them feel better in the short-term but worse in the long-term. The end result is negative thoughts about themselves, the world and the future. This can lead to depression.
Davit, thank you for sharing such wonderful insight. You have indeed come such a long way in your personal journey and your posts are invaluable on this site.
Healthyself, I hear there is hope in your voice/post and I am happy that you are able to see more clearly today. Working through the CBT program is challenging but very rewarding once you learn how to change your perspective for the better.
You begin to realize more easily how illogical some of your thoughts can be.
Hope you can enjoy some tasty omelettes this morning
Do not take on menial or routine tasks too regularly, such as vacuuming, raking or washing dishes. These tasks can make your mind wander back to your negative thoughts. If you are doing such tasks, make sure that you have a friend to perform them with, or music to listen to so that you can keep your mind occupied and off your state.
After reading about difficulties between you & your brother, I am very happy to know that things are much better today. Your approach in writing him a letter sounds like it was very effective and empowering!
I hope that he can better respect how you feel and that it rid of any lingering tension.
Way to go for handling it the way you did, it's often too easy to hold grudges and prolong conflicts.
I agree with Davit, you sound positive and in control,
even though I imagine when you are in the midst of a panic attack or
'stuck' in a moment of OCD you feel far from having control. You know what works best for you in managing your panic/anxiety and choosing exercise, yoga, lifting weights is
the best thing you can do for your body and mind!! It sounds like your
father was a strong influence on you in choosing natural means to help
your body find harmony and balance. Continue doing what you are doing!
It sounds like you have come a long way in your journey to better health and peace of mind.
How do you see yourself today as compared to 1 year ago?
People who are depressed or sad often worry. In fact, worry is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety in depression. People who worry all the time may meet the formal diagnostic criteria for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
GAD is an anxiety disorder characterized by excessive or unrealistic worry over many issues including work, school, health and family. The intensity, duration or frequency of the anxiety and worry is far out of proportion to the actual likelihood or impact of the feared event. In addition, people with GAD may experience:
Both depression & anxiety are characterized by negative repetitive thinking. Although the specific content may be different, the underlying processes may be similar.
Hope the sun is shining on you today and you are feeling better physically and emotionally.
I'm glad to hear you've noticed improvements in the last couple weeks!
What steps can you take to better trust yourself through this process? Rather than trying to 'avoid' panic & fear,
what are effective ways in which you can work through those
emotions and learn from them? Not an easy process, but it sounds like
you are working through the program and CBT is very helpful!
In general, a panic attack occurs suddenly or unexpectedly. Like Davit, I'm curious to know why you get symptoms of panic attacks every morning? How have you been managing your symptoms?
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