ANXIETY and YOU
There are many ways of focusing on Anxiety. These include the things you actually do when you are anxious. What you do will depend on the situation you find particularly stressful. Your thought process can focus in on any of (or all of) the following ways:
The Fear of:
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Looking Foolish. |
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Madness. |
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Illness/Disease. |
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Losing Control. |
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Death. |
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Making Mistakes. |
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Challenges. |
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Becoming Angry. |
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Being Alone. |
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Meeting People. |
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Being Criticised. |
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Being Rejected. |
The Loss of:
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Self Confidence. |
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Interest. |
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Concentration. |
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Libido. |
The Feeling of:
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Keyed up / on edge. |
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No one understands. |
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Impending Doom. |
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Cut off from the world. |
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Self Consciousness. |
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Irritable. |
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Unable to relax. |
There are also different ways in which our bodies act towards Anxiety. These are as follows:
The Avoidance of:
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Day to day events. |
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Socialisation. |
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Making Decisions. |
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Acting Differently. |
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Always being rushed. |
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Always going at top speed. |
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Taking responsibility. |
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Leaving home alone. |
The Behaviour of:
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Speaking too fast. |
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Stammering. |
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Hesitating. |
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Trying to do too much at one time. |
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Always rushed. |
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Smoke more. |
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Being accident prone. |
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Poor performance. |
It is here that perhaps I should point out that it is usually our partners or family who spot the difference first.
It would be useful perhaps to print out this section and highlight the areas that you feel you personally focus on.
I was staggered how many of these areas could actually be associated with me. I went from a very confident, assertive person to a passive and extremely anxious one in a very short time. This resulted in me losing my job and at the time I felt that the whole world was caving in around me.
Now after 18 months off work due to PTSD & Depression, I realise that losing my job was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. At the time I did not though. I treated work as my crutch and as a result became a workaholic.
This served several purposes:
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It meant that I did not have to worry about how I really felt. If I was really busy it was even better.
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I could immerse myself into my job, thus creating a false shield for all my work colleagues to see. If I could cope with work then they would not see the real me.
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I would bring work home so I had an excuse not to socialise or think about my problems in the evening (a part of the day that I find the hardest to deal with).
I could go on for ages here but that is not my idea. I just wanted to show you that we all suffer from Anxiety in different ways.
By admitting that you suffer from it and seeking professional help (inc. taking time off work to recover) is not a sin. Nor is it a stigma or label which people will hang around your neck and say "He/She can't cope" or "Point and Whisper behind your back".
I was scared of all of that, so I am not expecting that you will be any different. Nor am I asking anything of you that you do not want to do. But please listen to your loved ones and your doctors advice. It might not seem the right thing for you at the time but they really do have your best interest at heart.
