Why is my anxiety back? - Confused

[Marie547]

Hello,

I have been a long time sufferer with anxiety and I generally manage it pretty well on my own.
5 years ago it was at an all time high, around that point in life I felt lost and lonely, not many things seemed to be going right for me. I tried counselling, mindfulness, Yoga talking with friends.. all of which seemed to help for a very short period of time but it would always return.

I then met my husband and I have been very well since, and although I still had anxiety I have very rarely had a flare up outside of what would be considered a normal stressful situation.

My anxiety is back again and I am struggling to figure out what the trigger is. My life situation is great at the moment.
Generally I have always been able to figure out the trigger but I don't know why I am feeling this way and I don't know how to fix it and reign it in.

Has anyone else experienced anxiety for what seems like no particular reason? Has anything helped you to cope with it?
I feel selfish and guilty for feeling anxiety when I I cant think of anything that should be giving me anxiety.
I am getting the same feelings I had 5 years ago, like I am starting to loose control of my anxiety once again.

[geoff]

Hello Marie, and a warm welcome to the site.

Unfortunately we can never be sure that our anxiety that has seemed to have gone, will never return in the future, our situation, circumstances, work, friends etc can suddenly change, catching us unaware of the different position it puts us in, so once our anxiety has gone, either by counselling or being able to control any triggers, we will never know if and when it may return.

Don't feel guilty or selfish, it's not your fault and it could be something very small that begins to snowball and slowly increase your anxiety, which at first you may not recognise until it's fully with you.

Normally there is a trigger to an event or thought that provokes an anxious response and it maybe something you have previously coped with, but now it presents itself in a different way than usual.

Anxiety can be in many different forms and perhaps another type has suddenly engulfed you which you weren't prepared for, and it involves a huge complex of reasons, one you have not had to cope with before.

Let us know how you feel.

Geoff.

[CalmCat]

Hi Marie547,

Thank you for sharing such a personal post.

I think Geoff has done a great job in answering your question, I'd just ask have you changed routines at all? Is there anything new in your life that could be bringing this hidden anxiety back to the surface?

My anxiety comes back if I don't look after by wellbeing, so if I eat poorly, don't do exercise or drink more than the recommended amount of alcohol. Or some natural therapies trigger my anxiety.

Let us know if you've pin pointed where the anxiety comes from.

Regards,

D

[Emmen]

Dear Marie547,

I see you have been given great advice here. I just wanted to reassure you that there is no reason for you to feel selfish or guilty. Anxiety sometimes feels like it has a mind of its own, and while you've been able to figure out the cause for it all along, sometimes it can elude us.

I'd suggest focusing your efforts on mindfulness, yoga etc. again to help you manage the anxiety while you slowly figure things out. Not finding the cause for your current anxiety shouldn't be the reason you feel even more anxious.

Kindly,
M

[Amanda2000]

Hi Marie,

I think it's all about ongoing management rather than a fix/cure. Anxiety for me is usually irrational. We should not be feeling selfish or guilty. We are the victims of this condition. It's not our fault; unfortunately it's just the way things are. We all get good days and bad days. My mind has been too exhausted to practise mindfulness, my sleep has not been restful plus I've started experiencing vertigo. So I'm just "riding it out" at the moment. I keep telling myself that the bad feelings will pass, and I know they will.