How to lose the fear of anxiety returning

[ElizabethLittle]

Hi there!

I wondered if anyone had any tips. I’ve struggled with anxiety most of my adult life but had a particularly awful round of it late last summer, which resulted in me going on 50mg sertraline for the third time (bloody hell). The sertraline doesn’t seem to have been as helpful as the past but I have come along way since then. I’d say anxiety is something that features most days but not in a way that stops me living and recently I’ve felt I’ve really turned a corner.

This week, however, with the hot summer returning my brain is kindly serving me memories of last year when I was really struggling, which in turn is resulting in anxiety and fear it’ll happen all over again this summer. This week was particularly stressful with me solo parenting while my husband’s away, and working, with a cold virus, and broken sleep and I could feel anxiety building a little. Tonight, however I had my first big anxiety attack - I haven’t had one since last year - and of course my brain is in panic mode (literally) that it’s all happening again.

I’ve had EMDR which I thought had really helped but I can’t seem to lose the fear of memories of the pretty traumatic time last year. I’ve never struggled with this before - and would love some tips on how to move on from anxiety without panicking it’s “coming back” and associating it with the hard time last year.

Anyway, this is a long ramble but if anyone has any tips ahead of a weekend where I could get stuck in my head, it would be most appreciated!

Yes! So firstly I was told when you’ve been ill virus etc it can start this as your nervous system can be sensitive and cause you anxiety from that! Also the link with the time of year however as you know you’ve beat it before so you tell yourself you will do again and can do all the same things you did before if it returns
tell yourself it’s not dangerous and expect it to return instead of trying to fight it and find it repulsive , which then makes you fear it more how ever if you say to yourself I expect my anxiety will come and go and I will be fine because I have beaten it before and I can manage should help . Basically except that you might feel anxious but it’s ok because it will always come down and ease eventually which it will.
Hope that helps I have an anxiety disorder and it’s ongoing but the bad times do eases it’s hard to see out of it when you’re in it

Thank you so much! I know logically that’s all right, it’s just not listening to my brain that’s telling me something very different. sigh It’s so frustrating when you think you’ve made such progress and then you have a blip but I think my perfectionist ways of looking at things add more meaning than it should - i.e it’s just been a long week and I’m exhausted! 😴

Try to concentrate on what you are feeling in your body instead of your thoughts. Try to identify those feelings with emotion words : I feel nervous or I am feeling afraid, etc.
Focusing on feelings will get you out of your head where your thoughts churn endlessly.

Accept your feelings whatever they may be. " I am feeling anxious but it is ok."

Feelings and thoughts come and go and you will soon get past this present episode. The key is in accepting that anxiety is a temporary uncomfortable feeling but I can handle it.

Thank you so much. I slept awfully with anxiety whooshing away (where did it come from?!) but woken up resolved it’s a new day and move on rather than obsessively worry it’s coming back.

Anxiety comes from our subconscious which is trying to work out what it needs to protect us from. That is its job. Sometimes these thoughts become conscious . Most of the time they are unnecessary. It happens to all of us. The thing to do is exactly what you did this morning, ie, notice the feeling and move on !
Have a great day.

Thank you! It’s hung around all weekend but just trying my best to ignore it. Been strawberry picking this afternoon with my daughter, while aggressively batting what if thoughts away, which is probably the wrong thing to do. I get frustrated I seem to be so fragile - a few full on weeks of work and childcare and anxiety crops straight back up. I’m used to it on a low level nowadays but this is the nasty physical symptoms of waves of anxiety, bit of doom, bit of panic. And it just gets me so scared it’ll all come back again! When I’ve worked so hard. Urgh

Women have so much on their plate and you seem to be very conscientious! Don't forget to be gentle, compassionate with yourself.
You are good enough. Your lucky daughter, going strawberry 🍓 picking! Yum ! Take care now, @ElizabethLittle .

I know this is an old post, but how are you doing now? I’m a very similar situation, bad episode this time last year and now terrified it’s going to return!