The NEW HA challange- Please join and lets help each other succeed!

[racin4r2]

This is excellent! Its a great way to get the mind focused on other things!  I have already been reading some self help books that had great reviews, which I would like to share with you guys. One of them is called:
"Its Not All In Your Head" by Gordon J. G. Asmundson Ph.D & Steven Taylor

I have been reading this one, and it has been helpful so far!

Also "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" there are many editions of it, and they now have a newer one, I have the fourth edition. I got it a while back when I first started getting panic and anxiety, it also somewhat helps .

But, I admit, I have had an episode and have kind of went into my recluse and feel sorry for myself and worry mode, but for this week, I will read more, and try and laugh more. It really does help!

[sedaiy]

I'm new to this site - ahh, I found my people. I'm not glad there are more of me out there, but it's nice to be understood and I appreciate learning from everyone. Today I left my surgeon, who had a concerned look on her face, they will call me to schedule an ultrasound in a week. (I'm not even getting the test for over a week! Yipes, that's torture. You know how much I can google in a week?)

I pledge to live my life during this awful period of waiting as though nothing is pending. Many times I waste so much of my day sad and googling that I get so little done - I really create my own little hell. So, no googling and I will act "as if" I'm going to live to 103 so that I will enjoy the so many blessings in my life and hopefully create blessings for others - can't do that when you're hunched over and staring at your computer. And I'm going to splurge a little on itunes and download a few songs that make me feel good. Maybe I'll sing, so get your earplugs out.  Thanks everyone.

[globetrekker1014]

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum but I'm so glad I found you guys. I've been reading some of posts but I guess a part of my anxiety has prevented me from posting  Although most of my anxiety has been health related. The last five months have definitely been a journey for me. Many of the symptoms that are being mentioned I have/had (tingling, headaches, body aches in random places. Luckily, I've gone to see a counselor at my university and she's really been such a help, in combination with CBT. I've also tried about two meds (Zoloft/Celexa/Ativan) with mixed results. I've also had moments when I was so tired of this whole thing and couldn't possibly consider going through the rest of my life like this, but I've made the decision that living is really at the core of my health anxiety. I mean ultimately at the root of all my disease fears (MS, cancers, heart attacks) I'm afraid of not being able to continue; and wasting away from my current state because life means so much to me.

Anyway, I think this challenge is a great idea. I managed to beat the googling every day, and now it's really only like once a week, (and soon none at all)  I've also found relief in doing restorative yoga (this takes my mind of bodily sensations before bed) and doing Tai Chi during the day, which I highly recommend! Also, the Body Scan meditations work like a charm in terms of me getting to sleep, and as I travel through my body I can really feel areas where I hold my tension (like my knees and neck). Body Scans were hard for me to do at first because of the method of visualising so this might not work for everyone. I also suggest looking into the concept of "mindfullness". It's new to me but there's tons of books out there if you want to learn more. I'm currently reading Calming Your Anxious Mind and it's pretty good. It's all about being in the present moment in the here and now (which I find difficult because I'm worried about past symptoms and what they mean and future diagnosis and deterioration. I look forward to chatting with you guys. 

[floridaguy65]

Hi Globetrekker:) Welcome! I enjoyed reading your post. Keep up the good work and you will most definitely learn how to live very well alongside your anxiety issues:)

Peace and Feel Well:)

[avianwaif]

I accept your challenge today...
I needed that motivation! :)

Today I got out of bed instead of laying in bed shivering and worrying. Then I decided I would do a little work. Then I ate a normal breakfast even though I was so afraid of symptoms. Then I did a little more work including some moderate exertion - I didn't expect to be able to accomplish that. Finally I made an important nerve-wracking phone call about my health insurance (I'm trying to get some insurance), then I looked up some mental health specialists I could possibly go and see.

Despite my belly pain, I did all those things, and even got an extra project started.

Not all days can be as productive as today - it was a good day for countering HA I guess. :)

[popcorn123]

I am up for any challenge that helps! I think I will try to stop obsessing so much

[Anxiety Stricken]

my postive HA is i have stop googling for over a week now , and now when i feel as thought i may have a " symptom " i just go so what and ignore i completely. This has been working for me for a bit now :)

[floridaguy65]

Keep on challenging ourselves to learn how to better live alongside our anxiety issues.

Acceptance is a vital key.

Acceptance is NEVER resignation.

Exercise is critical. Shaking up our wellness program, at times, is needed, too, so that we don't get into ruts and we keep our bods in healthy, flexible modes.

Anxiety doesn't have to define us. Is it going to a 'part' of our lives, perhaps for our whole lives? Maybe.....maybe likely. But, this can be more than OK, as we can learn how to "rewire" our minds to become the major definer of our, overall, well-being and not let anxiety DOMINATE us. Anxiety can pester me, at times....I'm OK with this (part of my acceptance). And, I am fully cognizant of what actions and habits and mindsets that I need to embrace and practice, and hold belief in, which will keep anxiety from becoming a DOMINANT force in my life.

Do I have faulty intrusive thoughts still? Yes. Do I get down, sometimes? Yes. Does my body 'make noise'? Yes. Does my mind notice this 'noise'? Yes, almost always.  Being an HA / Anxiety person, I'm prob going to be like this forver, in my own extents. Do I have some thoughts that I don't want to have to be cognizant of my anxiety and what is needed to balance it? Yes, even this creeps into my minds, at times. But, in a nutshell, I cannot change who I am. I can work on being the best "me" that I can, though. I am ME and ME I am....why not accept it:) I tell you one thing I learned many years ago, and it has helped me in my anxiety. I no longer look at another person and wish that I could be like that person, if only just for a day....to live without anxiety. I wouldn't wish having HA or an AD upon anyone, as it can be insidious and it can cause some serious lifeflow interruptions that can nearly paralyze us. But, also, 99% of the time I don't wish, anymore, that this 'stuff' had never happened to me. Feeling sorry for myself (which I used to) got me nowhere. Wishing and hoping for it to 'go away' never worked. Challenge yourselves. Accept and challenge. Acceptance is never resignation:)

Peace and Feel Well:)

[MamaDragon]

I made an appointment with a psychiatrist.

I filled a prescription for anxiety meds and took one.

I will not google anything medical for one week.

Instead of going home and stewing, I will ask my Mom if she wants to go take a walk at the mall with the baby.

[nj]

GREAT thread!

I'm going through some major heart anxiety right now. Thanks (?) to this, I've working on eating MUCH better than I have and I'm up to close to 3 miles a day walking. If I do have any heart illness going on, I hope I'm not too late to undo any damage.

I will not Google. I will try not to think of every rapid heart rate, hard heart beat. I'll not stare at things in the mirror. I will try to relax and not think about it until I get to a doctor and if it is bad news, I'll do everything in my power to change it.

[MamaDragon]

I didn't google health related things today. Instead, I googled things to do in San Francisco. It's hard for me to look forward to the future when I am anxious and depressed, but I am trying so hard to make this my last major bout of HA. So I am trying to plan my husband's and my trip to California in September.

Anyone have recommendations?  We love music and good food and history. And we are both pretty nerdy/strange, so feel free to suggest things that are off the beaten path. 

[MamaDragon]

So, I screwed up. I googled some things I knew better than googling. I always think it will reassure me, and it inevitably makes me feel worse. I know that my real problem is my inability to just let go. I have such a hard time just surrendering this imaginary sense of control. I can't accept that worrying won't prevent bad things from happening. I can't accept that if my doctor thinks I'm ok, I'm probably ok.

I want so badly to just take that leap of faith and just BE HAPPY. I just can't figure out how.

[aunjypoo]

I guess it's high time for me to do something other than lay in bed and cry, afraid I'm dying..

-Starting today I'm not going to Google.. I had the Safari app blocked on my phone, and my laptop is dead and I don't intend to charge it.. I do most of my Googling at work, so now I'm going to only look up houses for sale, and baby stuff.

-I am also going to do my best to stop self-checking..I am almost worse at this than Googling.. I gave myself a blister yesterday trying to test my Achilles reflex, and gave myself horribly swollen feet and ankles from trying to balance on one leg, not to mention foot cramps, tingling, numbness, twitching from all the overworking of the muscles doing the one leg stand and constantly flexing my feet...

-Tomorrow I start counseling in town and I'm hopeful. The lady that does it her husband works with my boyfriend at the PD and he told my BF that she also suffers from HA and he had to block all medical websites on their computer. Hopefully someone who knows first hand what I'm going through will help a lot.

That's all I can think of to do, but I think it's a good start...

Not self-checking is going to KILL me, but I guess since I passed all my silly tests today then I won't magically fail them all if I don't do it in 10 minutes, or a week... Besides, my ankles being sore and swollen is severely limiting the time I can balance on one leg and the last thing I need to do is worry about that.

-Oh, and I'm going to get back into exercising.. I was running every night before my last bout of HA came up.. I have went walking twice since then.. I can't run now because I'm pregnant and I don't want to risk it, but I am going to start walking my old routes to blow off some built up stress...

Sounds doable to me... Definitely not easy... but doable.

[MamaDragon]

Those things are definitely doable!  Congratulations on your pregnancy!  I have a son who is about to turn one, and he is the best motivation I have ever had to get better.

I haven't done so great at not googling. I had my husband block Safari, but he can't remember the password to also block the google app.

But I am trying to do some things to help myself. I saw a psychiatrist yesterday, who upped my anti depressant. And I see my counselor tomorrow to talk about some things.

Last night, after I put my baby to bed, my Mom and I watched a funny movie.

[aunjypoo]

Those things are definitely doable!  Congratulations on your pregnancy!  I have a son who is about to turn one, and he is the best motivation I have ever had to get better.

I haven't done so great at not googling. I had my husband block Safari, but he can't remember the password to also block the google app.

But I am trying to do some things to help myself. I saw a psychiatrist yesterday, who upped my anti depressant. And I see my counselor tomorrow to talk about some things.

Last night, after I put my baby to bed, my Mom and I watched a funny movie.

The dreaded Google app.. After I had him block Safari I started to panic and downloaded it.. Now he's got something else to block. I had such a bad experience with SSRI and then Xanax and Valium I'm afraid to take anything in the future when I am able. Hopefully counseling will help me do it all on my own.

[mrdanielpartridge]

 

Great topic and thread!  Focusing on the positive is a great method.  One should try everyday to find that bright silver lining of the cloud...if at least for a minute.  It is easy to get caught up in the negative energy that goes along with anxiety on health issues.  However, we can find a small glimmer of light in something however small is like a Mag-Lite flashlight in a cave of udder darkness.

Today, I received a message from someone here who read one of my posts from 2005.  I haven't been on this site for years.  I have decided that I can find some good in helping another.  That is my positive for the day.

 

[kmwondering]

30 minutes of cardio 6 days per week
 replacing pulse/blood pressure checks with breathing exercises.

[MamaDragon]

I am taking my Meds, even though I am in that frustrating period where you wait for them to take effect. I saw my psychiatrist and my counselor, and I am going through the grief workbook the counselor gave me. (I haven't really processed my feelings after my father took his life in August).  I still don't know if the stress I've been under is causing all my funky symptoms or just causing me to interpret them in the worst possible light. But since none of my tests so far have shown anything abnormal, I have to believe that working on my anxiety and depression is at least worth a try. If nothing else, I'll be better able to cope with more testing to find out the cause of my back pain and digestive troubles.

My birthday is coming up. I am going to do my very best to make it a fun day with my son, my Mom, my husband, and a friend.

[MamaDragon]

I haven't googled health things in days. When I am tempted, I go to my 0409 instead and remind myself how many people love me and want me to be happy and healthy. And I am making some progress with my feelings about my Dad's death.

[aunjypoo]

I haven't googled health things in days. When I am tempted, I go to my 0409 instead and remind myself how many people love me and want me to be happy and healthy. And I am making some progress with my feelings about my Dad's death.

I haven't googled in days either, I'm overall much happier, cut my self checking down drastically too. I no longer constantly talk to my family and friends to have them tell me I'm ok..

Went to my second counseling session and she had to ask if I even wanted to keep coming.. I said yes because I feel like I still have a lot of work to do..

It is possible!

[tamay138]

So glad I found this forum.  Talking to my husband about how I'm feeling and what I need to do is good, but he really doesn't understand.  So, today I vow to stop googling every symptom.  (Even though right now I have a new headache coming on and I really want to).  lol  Also, Not to get online as much and to start exercising again.  In fact, I'm going to sign off and take my dog for a walk. 

[hurvinek]

Well pretty new here too! Like most of you I walked away from Googling since it mainly does bad things.
My fear of cancer or metastases of the disease are not in control yet but I try hard not to seek for reassurance all the time. I am planning not to see my family doc and not to run to the ER. Tired of wasting my time to seek reassurance all the time.
Although I have more then 20 years experience with my cancer fear, I still dont get it every time a episode starts.
Takes months before I finally start believing doctors.
So for me its no more googling and no doctors visits for reassurance.

Cheers to all of U!

(Dutchman from Toronto)

[LouBega]

I think you are spot on.
For some it may be therapeutic coming to this web page and noticing how many other people do suffer from the same things that we all have gone through or are going through. I will admit, when I just joined (3 mins ago) I was already calmed by the topic of HA having SOO many hits.

I just came back from the hairdresser where I yelled out to them that I wasn't feeling well. I haven't had to voice my problem in quite some time and it made me realize (after the slight embarrassment) that I need to change my ways and not think every moment of most days that I'm "going to die", and "what now". I've tried to cut out alcohol as that is a big one for me, as I had really bad anxiety in 2011 where I could not leave the couch and my poor housemate put up with a lot from me, so I decided to lower the alcohol intake as I was starting to feel the way I felt in 2011, and that was that I had no mental control, I felt like I was mentally not living and I would be sitting somewhere and think "far out get a grip, you're here! Pinch yourself!" I would always think I was "not alive", totally weird. But I'm sure not unheard of.

The reason why I 100% agree with you is because I think once you push past the stage of 'calming down', like you've seen how many people feel the same etc etc then what more do you need to know? Does the obsession of checking how everyone else is feeling 3 times a day begin? It can't. It needs to then move onto a positive mindset and focus on the improvements and well being.

As I say with the alcohol thing, for me I know that I shouldn't (and wouldn't) be feeling anxious if I don't drink for a couple of months or however, because I know what I'm NOT putting in my body.

When I'm feeling good I'm feeling good and I don't feel ashamed to speak out at all, but when I'm feeling bad I hit rock bottom. I did once breathe all of the carbon dioxide out of my body and had to call an ambulance. My feet and fingers crippled and I could not feel them or move them. I will never forget standing in front of the fan in a barely-held towel from the cold shower I tried to have, just thinking "this is it, I'm not going to see this and that and this person again etc", then when the paramedics left, the anxiety was still lingering. I felt like they didn't diagnose me properly and I'm not going to wake up the next day.

This tool a LONG time to get over. I was 18 at the time and in my prime party days. All I wanted to do was sit at home and cry. Loud noises would set my heart on a tangent for days, and I did not know how to calm down. I went to the health care shop and brought some emergency essence, which is made of brandy and 7drops under the tongue are taken when the anxiety starts to kick in. I am really great full I went down to that shop and spoke with the lady and was 100% honest with her about the ambulance incident and she recommended it, I really have her and my strong will to thank as I feel the herbal remedy made me train my brain into a state of healthiness. Back where it used to be.

But then as I mentioned, came 2011. This was due to getting involved with a certain situation that was no good for me. It lasted a crazy long time. I was no fun, I was stripped of all my confidence and in replacement was anxiety and weakness. I had just moved out with a friend near the beach and fun times were about to begin! I tried and tried and tried to push through it, but I would be strapped for literally days to the couch because I didn't know how to handle what I was feeling. This time was a lot worse than previously. Only because the pain hurt so so much. I had to invite my sister and other friends over because I could not move and practically needed someone with me there 24/7 because I couldn't get up to eat or drink, that then turned things horribly bad. I was dropping weight so fast that it was putting a strain on my heart and my health. And guess what that triggered? More worry & anxiety along with the biggest dollop of depression I have ever witnessed. Wow.

So for me now, April 2013, feeling like this? I need to get to the core. And the only way I want to get to the core is to be positive and not focus on the bad things other people are going through even though they really need to be acknowledged. But realizing what I have and who I want to be, and become healthier and happier in EVERYTHING I do and everywhere I go. That is my main goal. And I will get there... If we start focusing on the good things we do and the positive energy we can all create together.

So there's a little bit about me.

xo

[yleegirl76]

I'm down! I'll do my best to not Google at all! And I just wanted to share that I have gotten great results from a couple apps that I downloaded to my phone called Stress free & Don't panic by Andrew Johnson. I listen to them sometimes when I go to bed, especially when I'm feeling anxious. When I had a really bad bout with anxiety about a year ago, these apps were my savior! It took about 3 weeks to calm my anxiety, but I've been somewhat okay since then, until recently. Time to start listening again. The apps were about $2 each, but trust me , they are absolutely worth it. I haven't felt so good in I don't know how long. But as I said earlier, I'm starting to feel really anxious again (haven't been using the apps... ), so back to listening I go.

[tamay138]

Thanks to this post I've only Googled twice in the past month and a half. I'm really working on it. I also found a free little site Calm.com in which I might listen to for a few minutes at work if things start to get crazy.  It's perfect for a break and needing to relax.