Day 1 Let's try this again...

So I'm starting over the SEP. I got to about day 37 in the program, and sort of dropped off because I'd improved so much. Its been about 2 months since then, and I've started having symptoms return, so I decided to go through the program again to refresh and relearn all the tools I learned.

Basically, my biggest TMS symptom/equivalent is generalize anxiety/panic disorder. It started happening all fo a sudden in a really big way last summer when we started our move across the country. I do think I'm already better than I was when I started the program the first time. Better at recognizing that nothing is wrong with me and that is TMS. But my ability to do this has been deteriorating. And the hypochondria has started to return in a big way. Especially surrounding headaches and increased heart rate/pounding.

I flew on a plane Monday and today and it was a rough go. Quite a bit of anxiety. I read through parts of "Unlearn your anxiety and depression" on the way, which definitely helped!

Anyway, thanks in advance for your support! This really helped the first time, and I really need to reinforce the ideas.

 

Hi, Guseman. I think you stopped work in the SEP too soon. You felt improvement and it is natural to think that might be enough. I think your anxiety and headaches are from not getting back to believing in TMS.

It's a good idea to start he SEP again from the beginning. I think journaling is a big part of TMS healing. We learn to discover the psychological causes of our symptoms. They could be from repressed emotions, often going back to our childhood,
and/or a perfectionist or goodist personality... wanting to be perfect and wanting everyone to like us.

I suggest not spending more than a half hour a day at the daily SEP steps or journaling. Then try to be as active as you can
and find distractions that you enjoy thinking about or doing.

Can you remember what you most got out of the SEP the first time? That seemed to help before and could again.