jonathan123

Hi Zazz. You are going though a difficult and hard time. But you know that. How do you fight something that uses your own tactics and turns them into anxiety fuel? Exactly!! That's just what you are doing. There is an expression, 'when in a hole stop digging' and it's true. You are digging away like crazy. What I am going to say may sound just as crazy, but give up the struggle. STOP FIGHTING 'IT'. You can never win that battle. You have turned your mind into a battleground with opposing forces fighting each other. Fear of what might happen and the desire to get well. Giving up is not 'giving in', no way!! But flighting and struggling with 'IT' must stop. There is a book available on Amazon that became my Bible. Many on here will remember it and have it. It's 'Essential help for your Nerves', by. Dr. Claire Weekes, who is sadly no longer with us. I have written articles on this and if you look under 'Articles' on the site they may still be there. She talks of 'Facing' our problem head on. No running away in distractions. The main part of her teaching is ACCEPTANCE. Now this is far from easy. When you are being battered and got at by 'IT', accepting what is happening may sound strange. But by accepting and not fighting you calms down the constant flow of adrenaline (the fear hormone). It may come as surprise to you, but your body is behaving perfectly normally IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES. You create fear and your body goes into the 'fight/flight mode as it did with our ancient ancestors. They had something to fear. YOU are not being chased by a big hairy Mammoth!!! We have only ourselves to fear. Fear breeds fear. You have said it all in the quote. You stop it by allowing it to come. Crazy? No!!! Give 'IT' permission to come with all it's apparent horrors. Talk to 'IT'. Ask what it want's of you, what lesson it's trying to teach you about your life. It always is but we have to see it. It's not a monster trying to get you, but a demon of your own making by adding fear to fear. Demons thrive on fear. As for self worth, well, that always takes a knock in anxiety. But why do you feel that way? Never be afraid to post on here or feel you are annoying people. YOU ARE NOT! We all often feel that way. As a human being among millions of other humans you are unique. There is no one like you in the whole world. Your thoughts are your own and unique to you. Being sensitive is NOT ridiculous. You see what you are doing? Knocking yourself down, denigrating yourself in your own mind until you come to believe your own lies. And they are lies. Big ones. You have friends and relatives around you, but they will respond better if you show some sign of making a real effort. Get the book and read carefully. Dr. Weekes was considered an authority on anxiety and panic. Take care. Be kind to yourself. Stop knocking yourself down, and, above all TRY and accept what's happening. Blessings. John.

Hi. Kay. You have bravely undertaken a difficult task. Both you and Gilly need support. Most of the old gang seem to have disappeared. It may not be realised by many how important a site such as this is. It's now virtually world wide. Anxiety is on the increase and that's a fact. Our lives are subjected to more stress than ever before, and I often wonder if we were ever made to cope with such pressures. Anxiety is the inevitable outcome of prolonged stress. When I came on here, what is it 6 years ago, the site was a lot more vibrant than it has become of late. Now no one is to blame for that. It happens because so often old arrangements tend to outgrow their usefulness. Change is important because it can renew enthusiasm. You and Gilly are to be thanked for what you are doing. I for one really appreciate it. Take care.

Hi. TE. Thanks for the clip, but it does raise a multitude of questions. 'Who am I' has been asked throughout the centuries. Plato said 'Man. know thyself'. Do we? Know ourselves? Carl Jung talked about the Persona. The masks we wear when we are in different situations. I talk to the mail man in one way, but put on, metaphorically, another mask or face for someone else. So we are many faceted people, fragmented. Like a fragmented hard drive on a computer. All over the place. 'Pull yourself together' may seem hard when said by ignorant people, but there is some truth in it. The word 'whole' has it's root in 'holy' and 'holistic'. Jung talked of the process of 'individuation', pulling all the fragments together to become a whole person. There is so much that could be said about the words on your clip. It's so often true that no one does take the time to find out. We seem to exist in a bubble of our own. It's not until adversity strikes that we begin to communicate with each other, as on this site. That's sad! It so often takes time for a person to open up and talk to someone about their problems. In counselling I found it's often weeks before the real problems emerge. I don't know who the young lady in the clip is. But she does need help. Kind regards.

Oh Yes!!! It's the old journalist's phrase that comes to mind. 'Good news is not news' !! We rarely hear of the thousands of good results from the medics who perform some often miraculous operations, but when something goes wrong it's all over the front page. We are a funny old lot and no mistake.

See your doctor, but only because you need reassurance. Floaters, flashes, peripheral vision, night blindness, dark blobs. Oh yeah, had them all. They go when the anxiety goes. Eyes and ears are often affected badly by anxiety. It's because the mechanism in both is very delicate. Upset nerves can have a bad effect especially on vision. Seeing your doctor will give you the reassurance you need, but be honest with them. Tell them about your anxiety. Many feel ashamed to talk about it, but that can affect any diagnosis. Take care and good luck.

Do you believe her? It's anxiety? Now you have been checked out by an expert and told it's anxiety. Believe them. Racing heart, palpitations, skipped heart beats are all classic anxiety symptoms. I was precipitated into anxiety many years ago by palpitations. I went to the doctor and they said it was harmless and to stop worrying. Did I? Oh no. 'they must have missed something. this can't just be anxiety, can it'? Anxiety can mimic any known disease if it's in your mind. Obviously, if you have never heard of it it wouldn't worry you. That's why Googling is so dangerous to an HA sufferer. Don't be afraid to do things for fear of hurting your heart. The heart muscles are very powerful and a few blips in the electrical impulses due to anxiety will do no harm.

I think what you mean when you say a 'relapse' is a setback. What did you do before to come out of it? To me there is only one answer and that's acceptance. By the sound of your post you are getting in a state over how you feel. Now who wouldn't. It's pretty awful to feel as you do and no one who has not been there can ever know. You are having all the classic anxiety symptoms. You may remember what it was like before and your reaction will be 'oh not again'! Now this lays the groundwork for more stress and more symptoms. Setbacks take as long as they take. That may be not much use to you but it's a fact. But they can be prolonged by worry and 'what ifs'. They can be shortened by acceptance. When you feel the old symptoms coming say, 'oh well, here we are again. But I beat you last time and I will again'. You will if you stop worrying about how you feel. Feelings are awful but no one ever had on their death certificate 'died of feelings'. it's all Mr. Anxiety's little bag of tricks. Bluff and counter bluff. You are being fooled by feelings. Take care and be kind to yourself.

Hi. Ms Honey. No, they haven't missed anything. I had check after check and none of them found anything wrong. It's the good old anxiety fear and the continuation of that fear keeps it going. We 'stoke the fires' with all the worry. These symptoms can be seen as anxiety related once everything has been ruled out. Believe them. IBS is fairly easy to diagnose once all else has been tried. But it is painful at times and I do know. Try and take it easy. Well, as easy as you can. Stress will just make it worse. Take care.

Hi Sallyhart. It sounds to me very much like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). No one as yet know what causes it, but it's generally accepted that stress is the main factor. I get it now and then and always when I get uptight about something. Actually it's harmless. I take Mebeverine or Colofac which can be bought at any pharmacy. (In the UK). Anyone with HA will be really upset by it because it has some nasty symptoms. If everything else has been ruled out, and it has, that's what it will be. When I get it it lasts from days to weeks and patience is required. Spending half the day in the toilet is great fun. IBS is certainly stressed based as I have had it on and off for many years and it does flare up if I go through a bad patch over something. So give it time. Did they suggest any medication? With IBS the bowel goes into cramping spasms which can be really painful. You have been checked out so give it time. Relax as best you can. It's the tension and worry that keeps it going. Best wishes.

Hi. There. Now you have been told that there is no heart problem. An ECG would show that up. And 64 to 68 beats of your pulse is in no way abnormal. 70 beats is the average. Mine is usually around 60 depending on how I am. Anyway it depends on so many factors. One way to increase your heart rate is to worry. Anxiety can cause the heart to palpitate, miss beats and beat faster, and while all this is to be expected we still get uptight about it. A slow heartbeat is to be preferred to a rapid one. But you must believe the medics. Yes, we all overthink from time to time. That's anxiety. Take care and try and get things into perspective and remember, NO GOOGLING!!

The one thing that most of us find difficult is to understand that anxiety can cause REAL physical pain. It's why we Google because we just don't believe that fact even though told by the medics we are OK. People can become paralysed when there is no evidence whatsoever of a physical problem. The mind is powerful and suggestion can play all sorts of tricks. That's why it's unwise to Google. I wonder if none of us had heard of any disease and had no knowledge of physical problems would we worry? We are bombarded with all sorts of negative news about illness. My doctor's surgery has it all over the walls. 'Do you have this or that symptom'? No wonder the surgeries are full! Now I am not saying all physical illness is anxiety related. But if you have been checked out and found to be OK then believe them. No second guessing and certainly no Googling.

It appals me when I see the richest country in the world treating it's people in this way about health. We have had many on this site who have been denied help when badly needed because of insurance problems. All the time profit comes into medical care then there will not be the kind of caring people need. What happened to Obamacare? I thought it was going to help, but I imagine the insurance companies would fight like hell to stop it. It's not for me to be critical of another country's health policy, but it does affect us on this site because so many are from the US. All European countries have health care free for its citizens. It does vary in what can be had or not, but no one would be left without health care because they have no insurance. OK, so no system is perfect and we moan about ours very often, but by and large we are very lucky here. Sad! Millions of dollars spent on going to the Moon or Mars but not enough to give health care. Crazy world.

Hi. Sallyhart. It's more than just a step forward. WOW!! I'm so pleased for you. It's so good to get a good post showing such advancement. You highlight once again the dangers of going to Dr. Google. I am sure half the problems in HA are caused by googling. I have talked about suggestion before and it may not be realised enough how powerful it can be. When in a negative mode the slightest thing can trigger an anxiety spell. A sound, a picture, a book, TV and so on. Anything to do with illness, and boy, don't we get it all the time, and it's difficult to get away from it. Don't anticipate your next 'thing'. It will only happen if you allow it to. Two steps forward one back. But the movement is ever forward. Yes, and read your own post again. Copy it and keep it with you. And no thanks required. We are all here to help each other through sometimes very difficult times. Take care. Be kind to yourself and proud of your achievement.

There are words that come up that really say it all and what causes so many problems. 'Fight'. 'Struggle'. And as Molly has said 'force myself'. Now to fight means 'To enter into combat with'. Right? So we turn our minds into battle grounds. If you look under 'Articles' on the site there are some messages from 'lonesailor' that are relevant. She talks about giving in to the feelings and emotions. NOT giving up, oh no! Let it all happen. Give in and stop trying to 'control' it all. Buddhists talk about 'action in non action'. The best action in anxiety is no action. Whatever you do won't stop emotions and feelings, so give them permission to come. But when they do examine them. See them for what they are. Thoughts in a tired mind. Acceptance is still the key. Whatever happens we need face our feelings and not run away or seek diversions. Meet them head on. Remember the man and the Tiger? He ran and ran to get away from the Tiger which was gaining on him. He stopped from sheer exhaustion and turned and faced the Tiger, which began to diminish in size and became a mouse and scuttled into a corner. All that pain and effort when he could have done it in the beginning.

Both the last posts use the word 'struggle'. Now there lies most of the problem. Fighting and struggling with 'IT' has not got you far has it? The first thing to realise is that with HA you are so very vulnerable to suggestion. Seeing all the medical stuff that is put out by the media, usually to sell some remedy, can be frightening. Being frightened brings fear, obviously, and fear perpetuates fear. It's like a mouse in a maze, looking for ways out and finding none. In the UK there is no profit in medicine or treatment, but it doesn't stop doctors putting posters all over surgery walls asking do you have this or that and giving the symptoms. No wonder there's an upsurge in HA. TV and the rest of the media can't leave it alone. Let me ask a question. If you had never read anything about any disease would you worry about it? Our ancestors had diseases, but they took it as part of life. Suppose I tell you the symptoms of 'Mongolian Lurgy'. (Don't look it up, it's not there!!!!). But I bet you would have looked it up. There is a theory that Googling can become obsessive. Or even worse, an addictive. Why do we Google? Reassurance. We need to be told our symptoms are nothing to worry about. But what do we get? Negative stuff that we have no means of verifying because we are not doctors. Does your doctor look up Google for advice? You don't have to shut the world out and hide in a hole. Would you eat something that you knew disagreed with you? Or take some action that you knew would harm you? Then why allow poison into your mind? We need to exercise mental as well as physical hygiene. Be discerning in what you read, what you listen to and who you talk to who may be negative in outlook. Another thing to guard against is constant analysing. Why! Why! There is not always an answer to everything and we need accept that. I have a good doctor. I'm lucky. So I go there for a diagnosis not Google. And I believe her when she tells me something!!