Friday, August 21, 2009

Why I Write This Blog: A Note To Anxiety Sufferers


For the targeted readers of this entry--the people who are suffering the symptoms of anxiety-- just sitting here and reading this sentence is a difficult task. Believe me, I know. You feel shaky, breathless and the sense of overall uneasiness, an uneasiness you can't explain or understand, is turning your life upside down. Perhaps you have begun to withdraw from friends and isolate yourself. Maybe the thought of performing simple chores, such as fetching the groceries or picking the kids up from school causes your heart to race, your palms to sweat and fills you with unexplainable dread. I know where you are coming from, I empathize and I want to help.

Last night my girlfriend asked me why I continued to maintain this blog, and after some careful thought I blurted out my reply: "Let's just say I want to pay back "anxiety" for all the misery it has caused in my life." Yep. that's the reason. If I can help only one person navigate this horrible disorder it will be more than worth it. For too many years I suffered this disease silently and, to be perfectly honest, incorrectly. I did all the things I tell others not to do. I isolated myself from others because I thought they could never understand what I was going through. I self-medicated with alcohol, seeking relief that refused to come, and regularly did all the wrong things that resulted in grief and pain.

Anxiety cost me my job, my house, my family and most importantly, my soul. I was a prisoner inside my head and I thought my life was over. For a time I even thought of giving up all together. I just didn't want to be here anymore.

So you see, I do know how you feel. What's more, I can tell you without equivocation that A) You're not going crazy and B) This will not last forever. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you will feel better in time.

This blog is intended to provide strategies that worked for me, along with useful tidbits of information I wish I'd had handy when my symptoms were at their worst. Of course not everything will work for everybody, but at the very least I can get it out there for people to decide for themselves. If you have anything you would like to add, please feel free to contact me using the link at the top of this page. Together we can make strides toward a peaceful and content mind which is, after all, the only thing we truly want.

3 comments:

SwineInsanity said...

What I have found for myself to be a helpful tool, reading books to better my life in relation to hobbies... A busy mind distracts burdensome thoughts, and work creates fruits that improve my personal perseption and at times creates more wisdom for me... Obstacles create wisdom... if used correctly.

Jen Crippen said...

I am with you on this. Once we've been through the prison of anxiety, there's a sense of contribution we feel. I started my own blog http://www.naturalanxietytherapy.com for the same reason!

Keep up the good work :)
Jen

Karrien said...

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I also suffer for anxiety but I found a lot of help from http://onlineceucredit.com/edu/social-work-ceus-ax. I hope this is helpful for other anxiety sufferers.

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I do appreciate it.