Health Stress and Anxiety

Archive for September, 2008

I had a friend who cleaned her house to the point I was afraid to sit anywhere.   She had all her furniture covered with clear plastic covers and would continually dust and sweep even when it didn’t need it.  I finally convinced her to talk to a therapist, and she has obsessive-compulsive disorder.  With this disorder, a person will have compulsions to do something over and over again.  But apparently the compulsive acts are really attempts to stop anxiety. 

Some people diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder only have obsessions.  These are thoughts and feelings that happen over and over again. They may be really unpleasant thoughts too.  This disorder often goes hand-in-hand with depression.  No one really knows why this disorder exists though.  There are ways to treat it which is good.   This disorder can be really life disrupting because you spend so much time doing the same thing over and over again.

I have a generalized anxiety disorder, and much to my surprise, discovered one of the symptoms is my constant efforts to fit too much into my life.  I think I can do it all and do it better than anyone else if it’s my project.  I have trouble delegating and letting go when others are perfectly capable.  The interesting thing about all of this is my body tries to tell me when I’ve taken on too much.  I get an upset stomach and can’t eat.  I get such a feeling of anxiousness I can’t think straight.  I get headaches too. 

Anxiety will make itself known even if you don’t have panic attacks.  When I constantly fill my days with nonstop activity and unreasonable deadlines, I raise the stress in my life to an unworkable point.  But since I think I can do everything myself, I ignore the physical symptoms and just get more determined to try harder.  That creates more stress and so the cycle goes.  If you never take time for yourself and are always pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion, don’t be surprised when you feel anxiety.  I know, because I’m dealing with it right now.

When you talk to your family and friends, most likely you are usually upbeat, supportive and positive.  You want your kids to know they are doing well in school or are great children.  You tell your husband how much you appreciate his efforts for the family.  I am one of those people who always tries to make other people feel good about themselves.  Yet then I would “talk” to myself and make no effort to give myself the same consideration.  I showed understanding and patience with everyone else and none with myself.  No wonder I was feeling anxious all the time!

I decided I had to relieve the growing anxiety in my life, so I undertook a self help program that teaches you how to talk to yourself in a supportive manner.  I can’t believe the difference it’s made in my life.  Instead of always telling myself I can do better, I tell myself I did well.  Instead of convincing myself I’d fail if I attempted a new experience, I convinced myself to go ahead and try.  As a result, the level of anxiety has dropped significantly, and my life is much richer in every respect.  It took several months to reach this point, but it’s well worth the effort.