The other day I told myself, I am good enough, I can do it etc.. and it seemed to help my anxiety - did it?

Question

really or was this a mind over matter thing?

I just asked another question about coping with extreme anxiety and fear of life (Ironically, 6 years ago I was the most spontaneous outgoing, socialite with heaps of freinds - not now) It may pay to read that so you know what Im on about here..

Anyways the other day my daughter went back to school from holidays. I hate being away from her - I worry I will get a phone call. Since we got a phone call on boxing day just gone saying my grandmother passed suddenly, I have attacks everytime the phone rings, thinking it will bring bad news.

Anyways I felt like I was dying all day - about an hour before she came home -I picked up a pen and paper and wrote a page of stuff like:

I am good enough,
I can do things
there is nothing to be scared of
I will not live in fear
I am a beautiful
I can do anything I want to do in life
there is no reason to be scared

And things like that...

For about an hour or so after that.. (cont)

I felt normal...

I never knew quite hoe ABNORMAL I have felt for the past 4 - 5 years until I had that hour of feeling OK. there was no tension inside of me - it is so hard to put into words, but for the last years I realised I have had like - contant butterflies in my stomoch which were kind of like, waiting for something bad to happen expecting something bad to happen...

It felt great, but went away after an hour or so...

Was this mind over matter... can anyone explain it to me>?

***ALWAYS*** Even though you are a shallow, rude, ignorant, uncompassionate person, I would still NEVER EVER wish a condition such as extreme anxiety onto you.

Answer 1

You experienced "mind over matter" and the power of affirmations. Like Shakespeare said long ago, "As a man thinketh, so he is." Our thoughts precede our actions and how we choose to act upon them, or not, determines the way we live our lives.

Best wishes.

Answer 2

It's important to look at things from a positive side...it's the glass half full or half empty thing.....it is a choice.

Because you seem to have a lot of fears and anxieties, I think if you look at your past a little, and how you grew up, you will be able to see where some of those fears came from...while you were growing up. You may have been raised in a very insecure atmosphere....you may have sensed the fears from your parents or whoever raised you...they can be "passed on" to you.

You can however, do something about it by first looking at the "cause"....clearly consider how rational they are...where they came from....did you just pick up that fear...maybe without reason. Even if there is a reason....you can correct it by facing what it is....and what you can do to control it.

It might surprise you to know that God teaches in the Bible to think on what is pure, think on what is lovely, think on what is a good report"...in other words thinking positively is important.

You can tear down a lot with negative thinking...even your health. So practice doing that....and since you mentioned children...you need to be their support....with courage and confidence...otherwise they will be insecure. Maybe that's what happened to you.

Decide to change it....and you will. And stay away from negative thoughts of others. Just listening to the news might do a number on you....so just don't do it if it bothers you.

The other thing I noticed is you are spending a lot of time thinking about yourself. That alone is not healthy. You need to be thinking of what you can do to help someone else, and your children, etc....and stop focusing on your fears, your needs, how beautiful you are, etc.

You don't say why you aren't now as popular, but getting focused on yourself is a good way to lose friends. Be a friend....then you will find one.

It's a beautiful world out there. Start looking for the good in it.

Answer 3

I've been in the same boat; anxiety, worry, fear rushes, self doubt. Worry and all the other junk are like a rocking chair, they keep you busy but get you no where.

Something changed that day for you that you wrote the poem, that song to yourself. Something clicked within you. There was an opening to your true self. One without fear or worries. That is the real you.

Favor those thoughts. It is still with you. Let it be in the forefront. You can find it any time you want to. It is that silent part of you that never changes and that is always there no matter what is going on around you. You found words for it and now you own it.

Good job dear one. Keep going, there is more good to find.

Answer 4

Yes! You did a really good thing for yourself. Now you need to remember that feeling and recall IT instead of having to do the whole routine. Just shorten the routine down to one of the statements that you like the best. Repeat that statement and then get on with an activity that gives you strength and energy.
Try to put the fears away in a mental "compartment". Tell yourself that getting on with things is the right thing to do. Waiting around saps your energy.
You can do this. You've proved that.

Answer 5

Everything you wrote is true, positive speaking can make a difference. Also meditation and massage. At times pharmaceutical intervention is beneficial. Sometimes a pen-pal may help. I have anxiety if I go too far from home, you see I'm waiting on a liver transplant. I worry about dying and leaving my family. I have a friend who is a psychologist, she said watch the film, "The 5 people you meet in heaven". It helped alot.

Answer 6

What you did 'worked' for you, but only for an hour ... next time try writing it in 'calligraphy' and put it on the wall where you can 'read it' and see it all the time ... and then whenever you 'feel anxious' you should stand in front of it and read it aloud.
It's not 'magic' ... it's just 'excellent psychology.' If your anxiety was 'really crippling' I'd tell you to go to a mental health practitioner for a full evaluation ... you can be given 'medicine' to ease that anxiety. But by 'writing the words' that make you 'feel better' and reading them aloud to yourself when you feel yourself starting to get anxious, you will be HELPING YOURSELF ... and the more you do that, the less anxious you'll feel.

Answer 7

I think it's a bit of both--mind over matter (sheer determination NOT to be sad/fearful, etc) but I do believe in the power of positive affirmations. Belief is half the battle in anything. Because if you tell yourself something often enough, you believe it, and if you believe in it, then that's where you're energy is going to go. You're going to work hard to make sure that it does. However, if you truly don't think that it'll happen, then you won't even try, so of course it won't happen.

Answer 8

Anxiety is totally a mind thing. You control what you think, you control your anxiety. It takes practice. You need to ask yourself this; is what I am thinking rational? If not, for the situation, then start telling yourself why it is not rational. Also, I think it is important to find out why this all started. Usually there is a particular time and place and look at what was going on in your life, what stresses?

Answer 9

ive recently been going to Borders alot and looking at books in the Pyschology section. there are a TON of books about controlling your own thoughts. i got a book about anxiety, and it seems good so far.

its all in your mind. and you are the master of your own mind, remember that. you can make it do whatever you want it to. and if you are going to dwell on bad things happening, you are never going to be happy. you really need to train your self to think positive.

one book you might want to look into that i saw at Borders was titled: Train Your Mind; Change Your Brain: How A New Science Reveals Our Exraordinarty Potential To Transform Ourselves

this book talks about using the mind to break cycles of depression and anxiety.

i wish you the best of luck, i can understand how you feel, since i suffer from anxiety, also!

Answer 10

That is a great way to cope and even fix this demon

ima pray for you because i know how much it hurts to have constant anxieties

for me, it was slowing down everyhting around you and doing deep breathing that cured me

i suggest doing the same thing since it calms down the brain and therefore lessen or even eliminates irrational thoughts like the ones you usually have