Am I On the Road to Recovery? - a Letter of Hope

Hey all,

The purpose of this post is to say that there is in fact light at the end of the tunnel. I think it's time that some light was shed on this condition. After 2 years of being ridden with anxiety, i have subconciously been getting better. This may sound a little strange, but it's true. I didn't know how much better i was becoming, until now. A year ago i was house bound, i did not want to leave the house for the life of me because of my anxiety and my worries. Now, a year on, i play lots of sports, i'm back studying, i'm working and i'm out all the time. Getting rid of anxiety CAN BE DONE... that's a promise. I considered myself a really bad sufferer of anxiety... and now i'm almost better. Ok, so let's get a few things straight... You want to know how i did it, right?

Here's a few tips, it's your choice to use them but they were of great benefit to me.

CBT - Cognitive behavioural therapy... I was able to talk through my fears with a therapist who helped me fully understand anxiety. It provided me with the knowledge and i took a huge step forward.

Reassurance - YOU ARE NOT ILL. I find that reasurrance is the best thing in the world. Whether it's from a doctor or anyone else who knows what they are talking about, it's absoloutley great because when you begin to feel ill etc, you can say to yourself "hold on, just STOP... how many times have i been told that there is absoloutley nothing wrong with me but i continue to think there is? Nothing bad happened when i had this feeling before despite the fact that i keep fearing that something bad WILL happen." Because the truth is that NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN - the sooner you realise this, the better.

The Internet - The big one... DO NOT RESEARCH YOUR SYMPTOMS. As hard as this can be, only let your health professional provide the reassurance and peace of mind that you are searching for. Researching your symptoms makes things 10 times worse, you may think that you are reassuring yourself but realisticly you are creating added anxiety and stress by trying to find an alternative diagnosis.

Get out more - As hard as this can be, remember that individuals with anxiety often picture the worst case scenario, and sometimes they feel that this could be caused, or brought on by leaving their home. Is this possible? The answer is NO. The more you go out, the more you will want to and this may be a huge step forward for you. Maybe in time you can even get a job, or return to work.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS SITE - Constant reading of others symptoms may provide reassurance that you are not alone, which you certainley are not, but it's only adressing the problems that you are experiencing once again and you just don't need this. You want to ignore your problems, not remind yourself of how bad they are.

Lastly, YOU ARE NOT ALONE - You are absoloutley not alone, there are many, many people out there experiencing what you are, and i'm sure that with perseverance you and they can get much better.

I hope that all who have read this will take my advice because it continuing to work for me. Don't sit at home feeling sorry for yourself, just get out there, regardless of your fears because NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN!! Remind yourself that you are not ill if you feel down and that there is help if you need it.

Best wishes to all

James