I am having a great day anxiety wise! I find it a bit strange tho since I was really impatient this morning and a bit short with the kids.... Last night I was overtired and had a hard time falling asleep so I took 1 Ativan. Wondering if maybe that helped rest my head better and that's why I'm better this morning... or... maybe letting my feelings out this morning (even if they're negative) might be a good thing? Not really looking for an answer lol Just had to share!
To answer your last question first. Yes. Now to get back to the beginning. This is very important and I know how hard it will be but it does get better. Write down what you are thinking and feeling as soon as you start to panic. It will be hard and it will be confusing and in the beginning it won't make sense but take my word for it this is necessary. During a panic attack every thing gets hard to do so try to start before the attack. This does a number of things. It works as a distraction. It brings the problem to the front where you can face it and most important of all nine times out of ten when you read later what you wrote you will question why it bothered you. You may have noticed that panic distorts things but makes them seem real. The separation you mention may only be the key that opens the door to a lot of things that subconsciously are bothering you and you have to get them out in the open where you can deal with them. As time goes by you will learn how to deal with them through exposure and other techniques the program will teach you. you can't fix something till you know what is broke so write down every thing and ask lots of questions because the first thing you are going to learn here is that you are not alone. Some one has gone through what you are and they will have ways that they deal with it. Hang in there. No matter how hard it gets, remember some one else has done it and beat it. read about the relaxation techniques also. If you have any questions about the program ask the moderators, there here to help.
Thanks for the advises! I will try all of them. I need to beat this thing!
I was also wondering about something after reading the first section in the workbook. I see how important it is to know how or why the anxiety starts, and with my feeling out of it I often can`t tell what exactly started my anxiety, since i`m in a very stressed time of my life (difficult separation) I can think of many things that could start my anxiety but it feels like it`s all togheter hidden in the back of my head and when I try to think of what is causing me to be anxious I can put my finget on one single thing... Is this due to not dealing with things and would get better as I get through the program?
Davit and JGD84 had some good suggestions for how to focus on your work.
Have you read through the Relaxation section of the program? It describes some of the techniques mentioned (box breathing, and also progressive muscle relaxation). Perhaps by bringing your attention back to your bodily sensations, you may be able to get rid of that out of body feeling.
Are you working through big sections of the workbook at a time? Maybe breaking it down into smaller bit could be more manageable.
Let us know how you are doing and what worked or did not work for you.
I'd also say stick to the program and your routine. Try to work w/ the anxiety and don't fight it. It is hard at times, but working through it, is better than allowing yourself to be 'paralyzed' w/ the anxiety. Again, not easy, but 'punch through it'. Breathing and relaxing are key... it will pass... again, it will pass, just remember that.
Take care and feel better... re-reading parts of the program help me sometimes when I forget or get overwhelmed.
I find that if I exercise a bit or do box breathing that I think better. I do arm curls with a water bottle while reading or typing to keep oxygen pumping to my brain. The brain needs O2 to operate. Works good for long boring drives too.
Just wondering how to work through this feeling of "out of body"? I'm just starting to do the workbook and having a hard time focusing on what I read. I know it's anxiety related but find it so difficult to do my daily activities feeling this way, and it can also cause me to have a panic attack since I have a hard time feeling all "there".
