Questioning...

[ALL]

Hi, I’m just wondering, does anyone with anxiety ever questioned whether they actually have it or not? is this a part of it? I have been diagnosed with it but I just can’t seem to come to terms with it, and I keep questioning if I am forcing myself to be this way, or I could control it or the professionals were wrong. I tried to reason with myself that everyone’s experience is different and if I could have stopped I would have, but it’s hard. Sometimes I can feel myself loading more anxiety on, like it’s addictive in some way. This just makes the questioning worse! I assume the questioning is a part of anxiety???

[dougall]

Hi ALL yes the questioning is part of it and confusion also.  Is it me or is it them, are they making it sound worse or is it really.  I find the person that asks the most questions about us is ourselves and when anxiety kicks in the questions come fast and furious.  Everyone's experience is different yet there are so many symptoms the same, it is how we deal with it, or not.

[ALL]

thanks dougall. no one would ever clarify it for me before. the thing is i accepted the anxiety up until i was diagnosed! its a strange sensation...

[dougall]

Hi All it is a little like having a spot on your nose, you know it is there and you try to get rid of it yet you make it redder, you then hope no one has noticed and knows that you had a spot.  You turn a blind eye and hope when you look again it is not there, wow it is just under the skin.  I find reading information on things helps, not too much or you can become a hypochondriac ha ha.

[ALL]

hahaa great analogy. yeah i try to read abut it a bit but im already a bit of a hypochondriac. thankyou for your help!

i hope you are well

ALL

[white knight]

Hi ALL,

Great to see so many diverse answers here.  I found when I had anxiety that peaked 27 years ago, got treatment then and now it is gone, that confidence is a key factor, even go as far to say it could be a major symptom.

So 12 years on meds for it and the full 27 years of relaxation and exercises made much progress. However, I often think that aging brought about much more confidence and that could be a much more prominent factor to recovery. As well as change of job etc.

Doubting yourself and others around you is common IMO

[ALL]

thanks WK for sharing your story

i do think confidence is a key factor also. i have developed in it much over the last few years but to others i am not confident. in truth, im not confident in myself and constantly second guess. my youth probably adds to that. perhaps to recover i should try to interact with more people?

im glad to know its common, because it was stressing me out! 

hope you are well,

ALL

[dougall]

Hi ALL my councelor told me to fake it till I make it, silly saying really, we spend most of our time faking things to make people feel better.  I think what he was suggesting fake being confident and one day you will realise you are not faking anymore, I'm a third of the way there.

[ALL]

thats so good, well done in making progress! i know that saying, i was told i put on a good face ( in terms of hiding it) because i wanted to make sure others are okay. im trying to be fake confident, and i can in social situations just not within myself..

its a good plan though. i will start now!

[dougall]

Hi ALL social faking is great and the reason it works is because people who really care for you can see through it so you know who your true friends are.