Anxiety Disorders
How To Live With Anxiety Disorders By Carolyn Allison April 2005 carolyn.allison@virgin.net
Last Reviewed November 2006
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| When I first became ill in 1988 aged 16, M.E. was even more misunderstood than it is now. Getting a diagnosis was fairly straight forward for me but my General Practitioner told me there was nothing he could do for me. In an attempt to at least improve some symptoms I was given anti-depressants but the side-effects were unbearable. During the first year of M.E. I still tried to attend college but I was unable to concentrate when I got there due to severe 'brain fog' and because I also suffered an all-over aching, flu symptoms and fatigue I wasn't able to stay for more than the morning classes. My GP told me to eat less sugar, take exercise and stay at college so I continued the struggle to try to get on with my life but the symptoms I already had increased in severity - every day was a struggle to get out of bed due to a feeling of total exhaustion through my whole body and I developed new symptoms - I had a cold that never seemed to go away, my throat was constantly sore, dizzy spells, extreme nausea, sensitivity to light and migraine type headaches. My sleep quality became very poor and I would awaken throughout the night with night sweats or chills I would try to sleep on in the mornings as long as possible to catch up on sleep but I never seemed able to get back to sleep, I mostly slept through the afternoons and on days when I didn't I would have to go to bed by 6.30pm. During what should have been my second year at college I decided I would have to face the reality that I was not going to get any better in the near future so I resignedly gave up college. I had been hoping to go to university so it was a lot to come to terms with but I was so thoroughly exhausted I couldn't think what I wanted. The loss of my identity and the fact there was no treatment for this devastating illness put too much pressure on me and I began to suffer attacks of Anxiety. Anxiety is a recognised symptom of M.E. but it can get to the point where it takes over your life. I was already limited by the severity of the M.E. and from then on I became more restricted because of Anxiety. Symptoms of Anxiety include palpitations; sweating; feeling fearful, nervous and shaky; being tense and worried; mood swings; panic attacks; lack of patience; upset stomach and exaggerating problems. In time I began to have an almost permanent feeling of doom as though something awful was about to happen at any moment, I felt worried and troubled all the time, I became indecisive and just wasn't functioning properly at all. I was too ill to tolerate medication and unable to attend the counselling sessions my GP advised. I felt completely hopeless. The break I needed came from a friend who rang to tell me about a newspaper article that was about the popularity of a self-help book. I was willing to try anything so I bought the book. Although I did not actually agree with everything in the book it had given me the idea of taking back control and helping myself. I began to look for more books on self-help. I knew the poor quality of sleep I had would stop me getting any stronger and I suspected this was fuelling the Anxiety this of course was leading to more poor sleep so I had to break the cycle. Trying to relax proved to be really difficult, I felt too tired for yoga, couldn't manage to meditate, when I tried to relax. I would get palpitations, a feeling of stifling panic but I was determined to relax! Through reading other books I discovered there is a connection between being relaxed and the way you breath. The slower and deeper you breath the more relaxed you are. I practiced the breathing until I was able to relax properly and I found calming music helped. In 1996 I had the good fortune of finding a GP who had more understanding and encouraged me in my self-help approach. He suggested that I study the works of Caroline Myss. The idea is to heal your life as a whole and create good health. I read in a magazine about Aloe Vera juice having health enhancing properties and so I started taking two 25ml doses a day and since then I have had an improvement with the digestive problems I had always suffered. Your daily diet can affect Anxiety, you should avoid alcohol, high sugar intake, caffeine and cigarettes as these all stimulate the release of adrenalin and too little or too much of the group of B Vitamins also causes Anxiety/nervousness. You can't get rid of Anxiety overnight it is something that has to be worked on, everyday. I learnt from the book 59 Minutes To A Calmer Life by Paul McGee (who incidentally had M.E.) that you cannot avoid stress in life but you can avoid the negative way you respond to it. I have found the important thing is to accept the feelings of Anxiety, don't try to fight them but learn how to eventually let go of them. The National Phobics Society offers useful information about Anxiety Disorders. I also recommend anything by Dick Sutphen especially his mind-programming series the CD 'Stress Control' is in my opinion excellent! I now can feel when my body is over-reacting to stress and because of all I've learnt I can stop it taking over. As you get more in control a good book to take you further is Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, it is a book I refer back to time and time again. Over the past few years I have made a steady improvement with the M.E. although I still have a long way to go before being able to lead a full life, my quality of life is better and I'm sure the M.E. will continue to improve especially now I have a coping strategy for the Anxiety. I have a daily practise of Self-Hypnosis, learnt from a Dick Sutphen CD, which is a subject I have explored in Could Hypnotherapy Help ME? I also created a Visualisation process for myself, details of which follows, and please Tell-A-Friend about it if you find it useful. |
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| Visualisation |
• Begin by getting yourself as comfortable as possible, sitting or lying down where you won't be disturbed by other people, telephone etc. • Make sure you aren't too warm/cold and that you haven't any pressure on any part of your body eg don't cross your feet over. • Close your eyes and breath as slowly and as deeply as you can, and start to feel the tension flowing out of your body, you could picture this as smoke rising from you or dark coloured ink pouring from you, whatever comes to your mind. Do this for as long as you want. • Next imagine something pure and light, perhaps a golden ray of light or clear water, again whatever you want, see it flowing over and into your body and as this happens say to yourself " I am completely safe and secure. I cope easily. I can feel strength returning to my body." Repeat this for a few moments stay relaxed for as long as you want to and when you feel ready before you open your eyes think of the room you are in then feel your body coming back to life, open your eyes slowly and gently stretch or shake your limbs. Do this everyday and I'm sure after just a few days you will start to feel a difference. |
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