Day 9 Symptoms reduced, but anxiety through the roof

This last week has been really positive on the whole, addressing my physical symptoms and changing my thinking, and I've seen a reduction in my pain and improvement in my general mood ...but my anxiety has skyrocketed

Today it's as bad as it's ever been. It feels like I'm substituting the physical pain for anxiety, and honestly it's just as unbearable and debilitating as the physical pain. I feel like I can't escape. I know that anxiety is a TMS equivalent, and I've been trying to apply the same techniques that have been working on my physical symptoms, but I'm really struggling.

Has anyone else experienced this? How have you dealt with it?

 

Hi cool_change

I have experienced the same. I was making good progress with my TMS work and my pain was decreasing. I already was aware that I had anxiety before, but when my pain started to diminish all of a sudden I got very high anxiety and panic attacks. Very good that you noticed already that anxiety is a TMS equivalent. So this helps in accepting the TMS diagnosis. In addition to the TMS work I was doing, I ordered the book Dare by Barry McDonagh. This book is very helpful in getting insight and overcoming anxiety. Now I feel that both my anxiety and pain are decreasing again. But I still need to do the work. I'm at day 36 from the SEP now.

 

I am in the middle of the exact same thing. Once I recognized that what I was experiencing was TMS/PPD I saw a reduction in pain, better overall mood, but then WHAM - overwhelming anxiety :-( I took this as a sign that I was on the right track...I am into my 4th week and have made real progress in getting back to life's activities but I still fear the pain and whenever it starts to twinge I get anxious too.

 

So glad to hear I'm not alone! (But also sorry to hear I'm not alone!). It's interesting the way anxiety and our physical symptoms interrelate, for me the fear element is often more of an issue than the actual symptoms themselves - part of it is that I don't think I've *fully* accepted the TMS diagnosis - I definitely believe it's part of my sickness, but I'm still not sure there isn't something structurally unsound as well. Thanks for the book recommendation, I've also got Claire Weekes' anxiety book on my list. Glad to hear you're improving on both fronts, that's inspiring as I get through this

 

Our bodies and minds are so fascinating...yet so frustrating too! Sorry to hear you've been anxious - but it's great that you've seen it as a positive sign that you're on the right track, I will try to do the same! I'm also looking into other ways to manage the anxiety, books like Claire Weekes' and mindfulness.