Anxiety through the roof!

Have been doing well with my symptoms last couple days. A little too well.

Yesterday afternoon i had a wave of intense anxiety come over me and it hasn't left, i feel like i cant breathe and it is horrible.

Trying my best to think pyscologicaly but being in my head only makes me more aware of it and it gets even worse :S

Feel like I'm losing it today, any advice would be great.

 

Have you practiced these teachings Brandon. She will pull you through.

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/claire-weekes-audio.2569/

Give her a listen now. I think all four audios are like 1 hour or so but its worth it.

Your getting better. THe pain took the place of the anxity you had in the past.

Now the Anxiety is trying to come through, You have to float and let it come thorugh.

Claire will explain it to you well ok

Bless you.

In three or 4 days you should pull right through this ok

 

Thanks for the Audios Eric.

I just finshed the last audio and could relate to everything she was saying and find her really easy to listen to, could be the fact that she is also Australian and she sounds just like my Grandma! When she described all the feelings of anxiety, I could tick every box, right at that moment.

I ended up leaving work early, I was just feeling horrible, I just couldn't take my mind off my breathing and my symptoms were flaring up. After listening to the Audios on the drive home I am feeling a little calmer but I cant shake this lump in my throat and feeling like I can't get a deep breathe.

I have had this type of feeling before but not for years, before the more chronic symptoms started but I was only 17 and never linked it to anxiety and it lasted a couple months before one day it just disappeared...Until yesterday.

Could you recommend any of the Claire Weekes books?

 

Hi Braden

Sorry you've been feeling anxious. The Claires Weekes audios are great aren't they. I've read a couple of her books which are also very reassuring, "Self Help For Your Nerves" and "More Help For Your Nerves".

Don't be discouraged, you are making great progress, my own healing has had many ups and down. The difference now is the downs don't worry me any more, so they are becoming less and less frequent as they lose their effectiveness as a distraction. Remember you are a complex organic miracle of nature, not a machine. There are an infinite number of factors involved in healing which ebb and flow.

All this unpleasantness will end, just go with it. Be kind and patient with yourself, never scold yourself for "failing" in your plans to get well. Healing will happen I promise you.

I'm sending you a big hug

 

Thankyou for the words of encouragement Mermaid.

I thought I'd try journalling seeing as its been a stressful sorta day and I ended up filling up pages and pages and pages, usually I'm done within a page or 2. There is one subject that I have touched on in my journalling a few times now, that makes me feel something stir inside me and its not even something I would have thought is significant until now, so I think I have some digging to do.

It also dawned on me that with all this anxiety the last two days, I havn't even thought to take any pain meds...Interesting. I'm about to go for a jog to clear my mind (groin discomfort just thinking about it), watch a bit of tv, practice a bit of mindfulness and get a good sleep.

Appreciate all the help, can't describe how great it feels to be able to unload like this to people that understand what I'm going through.

Tomorrow will be a better day!

 

That's fantastic, you're doing all the right things. I'm amazed how quickly you've developed such a deep understanding of TMS healing.

The saying "a problem shared, is a problem halved" is true isn't it, this forum's great for cutting your fears down to size.

Just keep going you're doing really well. The further I got into healing, the more interesting I found observing the process, we are utterly amazing aren't we!

Bless you

 

Braden - You have gotten some great advice from Eric and Mermaid. I was in your shoes back in January when I finally got to the point where I knew 100% it was TMS. The pain I was feeling subsided and was replaced with extreme anxiety. With the help of the Claire Weekes audios and other info from the peers on this site I was able to see I was locked in a cycle of fear.

I will also tell you that I went through almost 3 weeks of being TMS free but for the past 3 days I have had a little of the anxiety and symptom checking come back. I have however been able to stop a full blown attack and with the help of Mermaid and Eric I am starting to get back on track.

You can do it.... be patient. That is my hardest thing, I want it all gone now which is a TMS personality trait.

 

So I am still struggling with this obsessive thought in my head over my breathing. When I am distracted at work or when my groin is hurting, the thoughts aren't there.

As soon as I am pain free and trying to relax, my attention turns to my breathing, I feel like I cant get a decent breathe of air and I have to use every ounce of concentration to take my mind off it, only for it to return 20 minutes later. I know it is Anxiety and there is nothing structurally wrong with me, it is just another distraction. A distraction that is so hard to ignore because I know it is not physical but it feels like the symptom is in my mind this time and it makes me feel like I am losing it, it is like an obsessive thought, that I just can't get rid of and as soon as it enters my mind, it starts to affect my body.

I have this urge to just go to the doctor and get anti anxiety drugs or something, a quick fix. I have to keep telling myself that I know it isn't the solution and I know I am making progress and that this is another setback, be patient. But it is hard.

I have been home by myself all day, which is driving me crazy. I feel like I need a distraction in front of me all the time, otherwise I just don't feel normal.

 

Hi Braden

I'm sorry you're struggling, I know how difficult it is for you at the moment, but please don't think you are losing your mind, you are not. Your TMS is just looking for an alternative distraction, with a good measure of our old friend fear thrown in.

It's early days for you in your healing, you've learned a great deal so far, don't be discouraged what you are experiencing is normal. Although you have accepted TMS at a conscious level it takes longer for your subconscious to take it in, below is an extract from some advice I posted on one of Pingman's threads, which explains better what I mean :

"I had to absolutely brainwash myself about TMS to fully accept it and lose the FEAR. You know how you when you're learning a drive a car, you do the theory - understand, but can't drive yet, get in the car and put theory into practice - you can drive, but you have to think what you're doing all the time, you make mistakes and you're a bit scared - keep practicing over and over, then your subconscious "get's it" and you can drive the car effortlessly, just watching the road, not thinking about how you are moving the car. Do you get what I mean, your subconscious lags behind you is all."

It's obviously entirely your decision and I have no medical training, but from my own personal experience I would not advise anti-anxiety drugs. They are not a cure only a very temporary fix, and in my case threw me even further off balance.

I was the same as you at the beginning of my healing, boredom was always a killer for me too. I got to thinking "Oh I'm in more pain because I don't like being bored". I decided to change my way of thinking about it, instead of spending the time over-thinking and adding to fear, I thought "Oh this is great I've got free time to do whatever I want, so I'd go and do something I enjoyed or I would spend the time alone journaling, practicing how to meditate or reading my TMS healing books.

The advice of Claire Weekes will help you greatly, Herbie's thread of reminders is excellent.

YOU CAN DO THIS, A BAD DAY IS JUST A BAD DAY, IGNORE IT, YOU WILL FEEL BETTER TOMORROW.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE WE ARE ALL HERE TO HLEP YOU, YOU WILL COME THROUGH I PROMISE.

MASSIVE HUGS !

 

Mermaid has great advice in her reply. Her Claire Weekes quotes are great.

One of the best things we can all do for breathing and over-all health is to
stand or walk and swing our arms behind and in front of ourselves.

We don't coordinate the arm movements with deep breathing, just breathe normally
but as deep as possible. The exercise is highly recommended for anyone with asthma
or any breathing difficulty.

Do it for up to 15 minutes a day for best results,
but you can work up to that.