Posted by chujoe on May 7, 2010, at 16:09:36
In reply to Re: How do handle relapses of anxiety? » MrTook, posted by Phillipa on May 7, 2010, at 11:31:35
Welcome MrTook! I'm pretty new here myself, but have found lots of useful information and knowledgeable support. I'll be 59 this month and I've had anxiety pretty much all my life, though only began treating it "officially" about a decade ago. Before that I self-medicated, mostly with alcohol.
I think it's important to remember that there are no "perfect" or normal brains with just the right balance of neurotransmitters & etc. Brains are all over the place and at different times and places our anxious brains might have been highly valued -- in the distant past it would have been useful, for example, to have someone in your group who was always worried about lions. Most of the time of course that person's anxiety about lions proved unfounded, but he/she would have kept worrying & kept alert, so that when everybody else was gossiping down by the stream and a lion snuck up, our anxiety sufferer would have seen the danger and alerted everyone else. In that context, the anxious person is a hero.
Even in the modern world, anxiety can be an effective motivator. You should obviously be anxious for your children, just not debilitatingly so. Those years when you were taking medication were the real you just as much as before or after the period of medication. And if you go back on meds you will still be the real you.
The problem is not to let anxiety, which is a property of all human brains, get out of control and ruin your life. There are several things you can try: meditation works for me, along with meds; some supplements, such as fish oil, seem to really help with mental health in general (I'm skeptical about many other supplements, but some people find them useful). Exercise and diet are important too. The CBT you're doing works for many people. I have been most successful when I have refused to be passive -- when I have taken control and made decisions that would result in positive changes for me and my family. Those changes and decisions will shift over time, like everything else in life.
So now, from your description, you have anxiety about getting anxiety -- it's "classic," as my therapist would say. To answer your question directly, I'd suggest working hard on the CBT, taking fish oil, perhaps seeing a psychotherapist with whom you can work to decide if you want to go back on meds.
poster:chujoe
thread:946645
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100504/msgs/946688.html