you all convinced me to get the book by obitz so i just ordered it. i've done exercises like these in the past though and have struggled to stay with them. they don't seem to sink in after a while with me. that's the toughest part. anyone else have a similar experience and if so how did you overcome it?

for example- i tried lucinda's program twice in the past and couldn't finish either time. didn't see results i was hoping for and got down about it and gave up. saw a therapist who focused on CBT but she wasn't real effective and couldn't "push" me to stay on course or really find the root of what was getting to me.

anyway- just wanted to hear others thoughts.

I wish I could answer your question Pat15 but I just received this book as a gift last month and have only been doing the TEA's for the past three weeks. I will say that I noticed the new thinking starting to make an impact about a week ago and they are helping me a lot. It is very similar to Lucinda's stuff but a little less onerus so perhaps that will help you stick with the exercises. It seems like the key is to stay in the moment and teach your head not to look to the future and freak yourself out.

Lilchrissy this is a very encouraging note because I have done the program and wanted to try cbt now. I posted a note a few days ago asking about where I could find this very book but have not received any replies yet, so thanks for listing where to find it here. I am going to order a copy now and give it a go. I hope it works for me as well as it has for you. Thanks again.

Pat15,
I think we really have to learn to push ourselves to get the most out of the CBt exercises like the TEA form. I still do them just about everyday but I definitely have days where I get lazy and don't want to do them and I think that is normal. What helps me is that I notice myself slipping back into my old anxiety causing way of thinking when I go several days in a row without doing them and that helps motivate me to get back on track so I always remind myself that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and have tried to make doing them to start my day part of my routine right after I brush my teeth in the morning. I hope this helps you get going on them and sticking with them.

JR5,
Glad you found it and see my above advice about doing the TEA forms everyday

Now that I have had this book and been doing the TEA's a couple of weeks I am struck by the fact no one has commented on the wrist counter exercise in the book. It has helped me more than the TEA's thus far. By learning how to focus on what I am accomplishing instead of what I have not gotten done, my mood is so much better and my stress level is greatly reduced already. I am the most optimistic about something helping me that I have been in a while, so thanks again for the recommendation and hopefully over time the TEA's will help me as much as the wrist counter has.

I read through your many posts here, and wondered if you knew the wrist counting method came from the 21-days to change a habit technique many years ago. Here is a website just for fun: http://www.francesfarmersrevenge.com/stuff/archive/oldnews6/habit.htm

JR5,
Great job and keep working on the TEA forms because they help make the relief lasting by changing the way you process your thoughts.

Pecos,
I love the link -THANKS- and all it's suggestions, but I didn't see where it mentioned the wrist counter? Really good stuff regardless

I am so glad the TEA forms helped you. I have heard this mentioned so many times. I have tried to find more about tea, could you direct me?

thank you

Hi Annette,
Sorry I am so late in responding. Been traveling for work a lot and been slow in checking back in on here As you know I am a big fan of the TEA forms. They are a simple thought countering exercise that with repetition worked wonders for me. I learned them in a book my old therapist recommended to me called Been There, Done That? Do This! By Sam Obitz. It's a short book written by a former sufferer just like Lucinda and focuses on the TEA form and a couple of other exercises like the wrist counter exercise JR5 mentioned above. You can either check the book out at your local library order a copy on-line. There are several posts about the book on the recommended book category here where I have also posted along with others like Lilchrissy who motivated me to give the TEA forms a try and who I am extremely grateful to

AnnetteW, The TEA's are great for my anxiety and panic but the wrist counter is what has helped me lift my mood. So if you ever feel down give them a try too!

quote:

Originally posted by Debmarie:
My friend who is struggling with anxiety asked me to check out this site for her as I used to struggle with panic, GAD along with health anxieties. I was not planning on posting anything but this is the same book that helped me get better. A neighbor who is a psychologist recommended it to me four years ago and using the TEA forms has changed my life. I no longer fret over every little thing and I used to go to the doctor at least once a month and the past two years I have only gone to see him for my annual physical. I can't tell you how much more full my life has become and like the others here have mentioned the TEA forms have become part of my daily routine. All the early hard work has really paid dividends not just for me but for my husband and family also. My husband jokes that I am his second even better wife because i have changed so much. I hope this is helpful to others and it seems like this program is very similiar so stick with it and you'll be glad you have.

For several years my wife had been complaining about chest pain but test after test reviled nothing. Shortly after we separated in January 2008 she was diagnosed with anxiety and started taking Zoloft. I didn't know what she was going through while we were together so from my point of view she was just being an irrational witch. Knowing what I know now about anxiety I feel terrible about how I acted toward her.

We are still living apart but we have recently started talking and seeing each other again (yes, I am dating my wife). A few nights ago she was complaining of an "electric shock" feeling in her head and she thought it was due to the Zoloft. After an online search I found a forum where several people commented about "zaps" due to Zoloft and that Advil Cold & Sinus seemed to help. Sure enough the Advil helped my wife.

What I got out of this was that she was not alone with this condition. This prompted me to do more research about anxiety and I came across this forum. I was very encouraged by your success stories and for the first time I felt the empathy my wife had been so desperately asking for from me. I ordered the Sam Obitz book and told my wife about it. She said she is grateful that someone finally understands what she is going through and I have all of you to thank for that.

My question for all of you is, how do I support her? What did your loved one's do for you that seemed to help?

Like Debmarie's husband, I'm looking forward to my new wife.

Thanks,
Jake

i just ordered the book. what is a wrist counter. i went to the web page. i understand that writing, but what does wrist counting come in