To All Whom Anxiety Affects
To All Whom Anxiety Affects, Whether You Personally or a Loved One:
Anxiety is a vicious beast, as I am finding out all too well. Just when I think I'm past the worst of it, something crops again and triggers it, and it floods over into my everyday functioning. I am working hard to keep it separate from my career and from my personal life, but when it affects sleeping patterns...that becomes more difficult.
I am just beginning to explore what I can do to help myself. My first therapist appointment only just concluded earlier this week, and I can tell you this right now: finding a therapist with whom you are comfortable, who is sympathetic (but not enabling), who does not put you on edge, and who is able to keep personal opinion separate from therapy seems to be a key first step to recovery. They can give you coping strategies and help you differentiate between anxious thinking and (hopefully) reality. Those, I haven't received quite yet, but I am hoping to soon. Please send well wishes for me (and anyone else whom you know is going through this)!
One other discovery I made on my own: TALK. Confide in those you trust and love--some might not completely understand what you are combating, but will give you their support regardless. And still others--an aunt, a cousin, a cousin's girlfriend...might surprise you; they may have dealt with (or are dealing with) anxiety themselves. I cannot tell you how reassuring it is to find out that you aren't the only one.
Some day soon I hope to research more thoroughly statistics about anxiety and share them here. I also hope to use this blog as an outlet for myself as I navigate through my journey towards healing. If you are here because you are on a similar journey, welcome! If you are here because you have a loved one suffering from an anxiety disorder or even a disability, welcome!
Right now it seems (or may seem) like there will be no end, but hope is just as essential as healing at this point.
srhwrite
Anxiety is a vicious beast, as I am finding out all too well. Just when I think I'm past the worst of it, something crops again and triggers it, and it floods over into my everyday functioning. I am working hard to keep it separate from my career and from my personal life, but when it affects sleeping patterns...that becomes more difficult.
I am just beginning to explore what I can do to help myself. My first therapist appointment only just concluded earlier this week, and I can tell you this right now: finding a therapist with whom you are comfortable, who is sympathetic (but not enabling), who does not put you on edge, and who is able to keep personal opinion separate from therapy seems to be a key first step to recovery. They can give you coping strategies and help you differentiate between anxious thinking and (hopefully) reality. Those, I haven't received quite yet, but I am hoping to soon. Please send well wishes for me (and anyone else whom you know is going through this)!
One other discovery I made on my own: TALK. Confide in those you trust and love--some might not completely understand what you are combating, but will give you their support regardless. And still others--an aunt, a cousin, a cousin's girlfriend...might surprise you; they may have dealt with (or are dealing with) anxiety themselves. I cannot tell you how reassuring it is to find out that you aren't the only one.
Some day soon I hope to research more thoroughly statistics about anxiety and share them here. I also hope to use this blog as an outlet for myself as I navigate through my journey towards healing. If you are here because you are on a similar journey, welcome! If you are here because you have a loved one suffering from an anxiety disorder or even a disability, welcome!
Right now it seems (or may seem) like there will be no end, but hope is just as essential as healing at this point.
srhwrite
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