Hey guys, I had a BAD anxiety day today...although I am trying to give myself positive self talk because i did do some courageous things today despite my anxiety....I really slipped up..I'm not beating myself up for this (because that's the direct highway to depression). I went to the grocery store and had to get a certain personal hygene product(LOL)..but I couldnt find it....I asked for help in finding it (which is a big problem I have) and had little trouble doing it....but later in the store i went to get an onion and there was a lady standing right next to them and for some reason I got nervous having to go around her to get to the onions and i went into a silent panic thinking "WHAT IS SHE GONNA THINK OF ME WHAT IS SHE GONNA THINK OF ME??" really fast over and over. What I don't understand is why I had pretty much no trouble asking for something that someone usually can get embarrassed about yet I panicked over trying to get a simple onion?...I don't get it....

It's like I'm holding on to this anxiety because Its so familiar to me...plus I had faced a fear that day....It's like whenever you face a fear with positivity....the negativity gets really MAD and comes back twice as hard LOL...that's my view on it anyways :

I know what u mean,Changingtimes.
I go to the store and I can't get an item when some one is in the way.I am afraid to say excuse me and I don't want to butt in and be rude.I also hate asking for help even though thats why the workers are there.I hate that feeling.Sometimes if there are alot of things in my basket at the store or a big item,I'm afraid people will stare.
Or afraid of laughing in public that I will em-
barrass myself.Or laugh for no reason and they think I'm weird.Well,I don't want to keep thinking on that. I have some positive qualities
that I am dealing with and I want to feel positive
about my success because alittle success is good.
Thanks for posting!

SLM

hello! i am not new to this forum but i havent been on for a long time. i found this forum around christmas of 2002. i was having a very heavy growth spurt as we call it. i went through the program ten years ago and did well up until 2002. anyway this forum helped me soo much thru it and i thought i was o.k. but here i am again. it seems to hit me differently every time. i was reading these latest posts and related to them. on friday i was driving home from work, i clean houses so i am at different places everyday. this day i was a bit farther away from home. on my way to work my car started to over heat. i called my husband, thank god for cell phones. he told me what to do and i was fine. so im on my way home now and i have been so dizzy lately. i have a condition called virtigo since i was one. it comes and goes but now i dont know if its anxiety or virtigo. anyway, i am skipping around sorry, on my drive home i started almost talking myself into a panic attack, oh my god what if i just freaked out im so far from home. then the body symptoms come. then i put on the panic attack tape from the program i think session 2. not sure. this did not help as i listened they were talking about their symptoms and adding to mine. i shut it off and started talking to myself calming down. then the craziest thing happened. i got stuck in traffic, bad traffic the kind that you cant get out of. i stayed perfectly calm until it broke and i was real close to home and got thru it. it all makes sense to me about the positive talk but you would think i would be proud of myself. but then i became so down. and i have been all weekend. i feel like this is never going to go away and it will always be lerking around every corner of my life. help i need your thoughts. sorry its so jumbled but that is me right now. lc

Hi Lc-You know I would just chalk the situation up to a bad time coming home and then let it go. You talked yourself out of a panic attack and made it home and tommorrow is a new day. As for being down I would ask myself if there is anything else that is bothering me or something that I am not dealing with. Sounds like just a little rough patch and it will pass.I finished the program 2 years ago and it has been growth spurt after growth spurt and each one is different so I just keep learning more each time about me. Sometimes it helps to review some of the tapes pertaining to an area that is troublesome which is what I do and if I am in a stressful situation I do know I have to be very watchful of my thoughts. Remember we do choose our thoughts and to every negative there is a positive.Like you got the car home that is positve and you talked yourself out of a panic attack and that is positive.Attitude is the Key!!! We are always going to have anxiety in life and stress at times and that is part of life and each time we just learn more and more about coping. Anyhow this is just basically how I have come to think of Growth Spurts so my favourite saying is Next Time. When I do get down I journal to figure out the source and sometimes there is none and other times it jumps out at me. I do not feel the anxiety is lerking at every turn since we alone create the internal anxiety by our thoughts, as for the external anxiety producing situation well now I got great coping skills so I can never go back to where I once was!!! Anyhow these are just things I tell myself in a Growth spurt!!! Is it all easy no but is it all worth it yes!!!!! Keep the Faith and Believe in You!!!! Timber

thanks for your thoughts! it helps so much to have people to talk to that understand. my family is great but i dont think they understand it completely. my mom does cause she suffers from this too. anyway thanks again. had a much better day today. its funny cause i told myself this morning that it will be a good day and so far so good. i did feel like i was walking a tight rope tho and any false move and i would be right back at the beginning again. anywho i will keep on truckin and as you said believing in myself. thanks again. lc

Your Welcome LC-It really helps to share as we realize we are not alone!!!! Take Care Timber

Hi Everyone..
I am new here!! I have been through the Attacking Anxiety program two years ago..and then again last year with a coach. I have been having some tough times lately with "growth spurts". I have decided to go through the program again to rebuild my skills. I don't exactly think I have gotten it yet. I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.

Dear Kacey,

I don't think there is a total moment of "getting it." I think people like you and I will be improving ourselves for the rest of our lives...not such a bad thing??? Carolyn

May I recommend a couple of books that I found supportive of all the tools I learned from the program: YOU CAN'T AFFORD THE LUXURY OF A NEGATIVE THOUGHT, Peter McWilliams and, WHEN YOU BELIEVE IT YOU'LL SEE IT, by Wayne Dyer.

I read lots more, and Still read self help books, I found bibliotherapy very helpful!

Hey, Folks:

I can relate to the experience of moving two steps forward and one back. I try to be realistic--I figure some days will be worse than others. And they ARE.

It reminds of a yoga class I was in once. Our teacher had given us a really tricky pose and we all were teetering on one leg and a student yelled out: "This is HARD. If I move even a little in one direction, I FALL." And my yoga teacher just smiled and said: "Exactly!" She was so joyful that her students were really getting the concept of balance. Ugh. What a concept.

Anyway, thanks again to all for being so candid about your experiences.

And thank you, Carolyn, for being such an inspiration on the tapes. Your sense of humor and passion for life shines through and is heartwarming.

Have a great day.

Carolyn..
thanks for the ideas for reading.
I have been reading alot of great books...
I actually just ordered one called "How to stop worrying about your health"...big problem for me.
THanks again

I have been recommending H.2 Stop Worrying about Health...for the last couple of months...I haven't made the time to complete reading it...I am watching the book review you all have started. Hey, maybe I found a way to shortcut my reading! I'll just tell you guys to read it and I'll get the abrigded verson from your reports!

Carolyn:0)