Pet Peeves

Pet Peeves

Everyone gets annoyed. It’s a natural reaction. It can be over something little, something major or even a build-up of so many things over a period of time. Usually, for me, when I am stressed and/or sleep deprived I end up getting annoyed by the little things. It doesn’t help that I have misophonia which is sensitivity to selected sounds. I’ve compiled a list of the things that really get under my skin. I’ll put (M) next to the ones that are triggering to my misophonia.

1. People ending statements with a question mark. It just makes you sound unsure of yourself and if you’re not sure about what you’re saying then how can others trust your statement? For example, if someone writes “I had so much fun?” I end up thinking “did you or did you not have fun?” Are you sure you did have fun?

2. Messiness. If I am in a room I can’t concentrate or sleep if it is messy. As some of you may know; I have been known to tidy friends’ rooms when I’ve stayed over (with permission) but if that’s not possible I go home. It still grates on me, though, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I have spoken to mental health workers about this and have been told that I have obsessive compulsive tendencies brought on by stress and anxiety.

3. Open mouthed chewing/eating noisily. (M) When someone starts crunching down on food or smacking their lips it’s all I can hear. My brain tunes into it and seems to amplify the sound. My shoulders end up by my ears and it makes me want to cry. It drives me crazy and I have to remove myself from the room the person is in.

4. People touching me. I can’t stand being touched – even if it’s someone just putting their hand on my knee or putting their hands on my shoulders. Ideally I like people to ask if they can hug me/touch me for whatever reason (haircuts etc) and it’s all down to not feeling safe around people. If you read my Blogtober post about my experiences with bullying then you’ll probably have guessed that my fear of being touched stems from that.

5. Tinny music in public spaces. If you have headphones; use them. I guarantee no one else wants to hear whatever it is you’re listening to. (M)

There are loads more I could list but out of fear of boring you all or just seeming out of my mind for being triggered by the little things I will stop here.

Is there anything else that grates on you?

Anxiously,

Me

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My Experience with... Paranoia

Paranoia

*Before you read this I would like you to remember that what I am discussing affects me daily and whilst it is an entirely irrational series of thoughts, it is very real to me and is to be taken seriously should any comments be made. I am aware that I sound insane when making the points you’re about to read.*

Out of all the things I haven’t talked about, paranoia is one of them. Not because I don’t want to talk about it but because there’s not really much to say about it. I am extremely paranoid whenever I go out and, at the risk of sounding completely insane, it got so bad when I was 15/16 that I had to take down all of my posters.
I know this started back when I was in school just like a lot of my disorders/illnesses but I can’t quite pinpoint when it started. I know I was at least 15/16 when it got really bad, as pointed out previously, but it’s one of those things that I’ve always felt. I know it started because when I was in Primary School people used to laugh and point at me, and they would make up rumours (childish ones like “she’s so weird”). When I got to high school the pointing, staring, laughing and whispering got even worse that even now I’m convinced that anytime someone is looking at me or when a conversation stops when I walk into a room/past others it’s because of something negative about me – my hair is a mess, I’m too ugly, too fat etc. etc. This is why I had to remove the posters because, no matter where you were in the room, eyes were on you (even though they couldn’t actually see you). I can’t even have my favourite bands/artists as a background on my laptop as it would be there on start-up and shut down and all dvd and CD cases are either in cupboards or boxes because I find them disturbing – and that’s just because the person on the cover was looking directly at the camera.

I’m aware that I sound completely bat-shit crazy but that is how insane paranoia makes you. It’s not rational – as I said I know whoever is on a magazine or CD cover isn’t actually looking at me because there is no way a two-dimensional object can possess the power of sight – but it is something that takes over my daily life. I don’t even like getting changed in front of the Netflix or YouTube home screens because of it, I have every camera (web cams, phone cameras) in my room at is covered and my curtains either don’t get opened or are drawn most of the day when I’m feeling at my worst. Thankfully my paranoia doesn’t extend to other people’s belongings but I do hide when the cameras come out.
I can’t eat in front of others as it makes me extremely uncomfortable. This began in Primary School as I was either being teased about what I had (tuna pasta isn’t “cool”, apparently) or shamed for eating at all because I’m “big enough as it is”. Often this would result in me finding my snack had been stolen and my lunch tampered with. In high school this developed into people throwing their lunch or home economics (cookery class) creations at me. Thanks, peers. You really saved me from those pre-existing medical conditions and medications that made me gain weight and made it impossible for me to lose weight. It was clearly what I ate that brought it on. *insert eye roll emoticon”.
Paranoia also controls whether or not I go out or do certain things in front of others (for example: eating as mentioned above or going to the gym). And I find that I need my distraction techniques whenever I dare to venture outside to stop me from completely breaking down in public.

Anxiously,
Me

You can find Anxiously, Me on:
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

The main features of obsessive compulsive disorder are:
obsessive thoughts; a person may notice upsetting or even anxious thoughts continuously popping into their heads time and time again. These can ended up going around in their heads for a a very long time.
and compulsive behaviours  (usually occurring with said thoughts).
These can not only be very upsetting but scary as well and the person may try to avoid the situations that trigger these thoughts to prevent them from happening in the first place or will feel compelled to go along with them to prevent harm (say one of these thoughts is presented as “I must do x this amount of times to prevent x from happening”).
They may carry out rituals such as repeating a particular prayer or word/phrase to make these thoughts go away/decrease in intensity or to keep someone safe.
They may also do certain activities to stop harmful consequences such as checking locks and switches.

A lot of people notice that is it a particular behaviour that they have to carry out in order to feel “right” such as excessively cleaning a room or even their hands.

Many of these things are, when not overcome by compulsion, are completely rational (checking locks before leaving the house). However, with OCD, these rational actions/behaviours/thoughts become excessive and the person ends up repetitively going through the same actions/behaviours/thoughts until their mind tells them that it is safe to, for example, leave the house or even go to bed. 


*Note: Pieces about Mental Health Information are based off of what I have been taught and the "homework" books that were given are used as a guideline for these posts. Whilst I may have been taught these things by health care professionals, I am not one and information may change or be inaccurate. If you feel at risk by your thoughts and feelings or have concerns about you health; please seek help from loved ones and health care professionals. This information is not to be used to self-diagnose. If you know you have hypochondriac tendencies, are sensitive to subjects like bullying, depression and anxiety, and are easily triggered then information and experiences shared in this blog may cause distress. I have tried my best to provide trigger warnings and warnings about sensitive subjects but please read at your own discretion.

Coping & Distraction Techniques

Coping/Distraction Techniques

My need for distractions began, like with my disorders, at a very young age. I would come home and the first thing I would do was go to my room and listen to music to escape the torment of bullies and to stop their vicious words from going around in my head on a continuous loop, completely destroying me and driving me insane. Here is a small list of distraction techniques that I use when I’m going into situations that cause me distress like travelling and when I begin to feel run down my by depression and anxiety:

Music/iPod – I like to listen to a lot of the artists featured on my favourite bands & artists list from week one of Blogtober. If I’m at home I will have them on whilst I write up posts that make me incredibly sad to rehash or they will be on whilst I take some time to just lay on my bed and breathe. If I’m out and about I will charge up my iPod the night before to make sure it has enough battery to last the length of my travel time or for however long I may be in a particular shop.

Movies/Programmes/YouTube – Sometimes music isn’t enough and I need a visual distraction. This is when my favourite movies come out and I watch some of my favourite programmes on Netflix or I watch some of favourite YouTubers listed here.

Tapping – We had a session where the facilitator taught us about tapping pressure points. You start at the top of your body and you use two or more fingers to tap parts of your body to a particular beat. You make your way down, tapping various pressure points and repeat until you feel calm. You can even say positive affirmation with it for something like “I am not afraid of x, I am in a safe place” as long as they follow the same beat – like when making up a rhyme.

My phone/Kindle – As with movies/programmes and YouTube, sometimes you need more than background noise to feel calm or, in cases like mine, safe. My phone allows me to have a physical distraction if I’m waiting for someone and they are late (I’m always early too due to my anxiety issues which doesn’t help in this case). I also always have it on me so I can keep in contact with my parents as I rely on that contact to keep me from driving myself sick.  Along with my phone, my Kindle allows me to talk to my friends who are available about how I’m feeling and it also provides other forms of distraction such as access to YouTube, games and music.

Breathing techniques – Again, this was something were taught in one of our group sessions. There are a few but the one that seems to be working for me when I’m coming down from having a panic attack is the one where you breathe in for a count of, say 8, and then out again for a little bit longer. It helps to steady my breathing and allows me to get enough oxygen if I have been hyperventilating.

Continuing on this list but as coping methods, these are some of the signs that I am getting more anxious than usual.

Bouncing my leg – I could be sitting down or on my bed and my knee will bounce up and down. I also have a habit of tapping the sides of my feet against each other or the soles of my feet.

Rocking – I’ve has a habit of doing this since I was a kid. According to my mum I used to rock back and forth in a corner if there was a thunder storm outside. This still happens but when I’m feeling like I can’t cope.

Thumb twiddling – I do this a lot when I’m watching TV. I’ve found that it happens if I’m watching a distressing scene or if I feel myself getting emotionally involved with a movie or programme. 

Nail biting – This is a habit that, fortunately, I have been able to kick. It used to be that during term time at Primary School, High School and even college I would be constantly biting my nails because I was constantly worrying about what my peers were going to do or say to me.

A lot of the techniques described above for distraction only help me in the short term or when I’m coming down from a particularly bad episode and have no energy to even move. Oftentimes I have to get to a point where I’m relaxed enough to even think about doing them mindfully – something I will touch on at a later date. To further relax myself I will take a hot shower with some of the products I listed last week.

I think that is is for now; nothing else is coming to mind… Oh! Writing. I do a lot of writing too. Not because I want to have content for my blog or for my website but because it helps to take my mind off of whatever is causing me distress.

I’d best let you go for now, this post is long enough hahaha. See you tomorrow for another post!

Anxiously,
Me

You can find Anxiously, Me on:
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Avoiding Situations

Avoiding Situations

When you feel stressed and anxious, it is common to put things off and avoid going to certain places – particularly if you have had a bad experience/felt panicky or anxious there before. Later on, though, it becomes more difficult to revisit that place in case you then feel anxious there again and become overwhelmed.

An example of anxiety leading to avoidance is:
feeling physical symptoms of anxiety (for example; heart racing, feeling dizzy) in a busy shop which then leads to feeling ill/wobbly. You then feel like you need to leave that place so you abandon your shopping and get out into the fresh air as soon as possible. You then return, say a week, later but the same feelings start to stir so you leave before you get to the till again. After that, you don’t feel like going back as every time you have so far has made you feel really bad so you think of other ways to get your shopping. This may include getting someone else to do your shopping for you or even doing it online. You may even end up going to smaller shops with less choice that are more expensive just to avoid the one where you felt anxious. Soon you end up avoiding going shopping altogether as you end up associating shopping with feeling anxious.
This may also occur with public transport, making phone calls etc.

You may find yourself avoiding certain situations in case you end up feeling anxious/physical symptoms of anxiety. This is referred to as “fear of fear” as it means you are frightened of doing something in case it leads to you feeling physical symptoms of anxiety.

Not everyone feels this way. Many associate this feeling with having to “get a grip” of themselves. Sometimes, though, it is not that easy and you still find yourself feeling bad. 

It is important to remember that the more you avoid a situation, the worse you will feel. It is also important to gradually expose yourself back into said situations as the more often you do it, the less anxious you will feel.

*Note: Pieces about Mental Health Information are based off of what I have been taught and the "homework" books that were given are used as a guideline for these posts. Whilst I may have been taught these things by health care professionals, I am not one and information may change or be inaccurate. If you feel at risk by your thoughts and feelings or have concerns about you health; please seek help from loved ones and health care professionals. This information is not to be used to self-diagnose. If you know you have hypochondriac tendencies, are sensitive to subjects like bullying, depression and anxiety, and are easily triggered then information and experiences shared in this blog may cause distress. I have tried my best to provide trigger warnings and warnings about sensitive subjects but please read at your own discretion.

Agoraphobia

Agoraphobia.

Google’s Definition: extreme or irrational fear of open or public places.

Dictionary Definition: Noun, Psychiatry - an abnormal fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, sometimes accompanied by anxiety attacks.

My agoraphobia started back when I was in high school. Back then I didn’t know it was agoraphobia or even anxiety that was causing it; I just knew that I couldn’t stand being in crowds or in big groups for very long and that this intense feeling made me want to run away and stay at home. As I said; I didn’t know that there was a name for this feeling and no one seemed to understand that when I felt this way I needed to leave whatever situation I was in and either come back when there was no one around (if it was a busy place) or be in an environment where I felt safe (at home with only my family) and that when I felt this way I couldn’t bear to be with anyone bar my parents. I would feel myself getting ill at even the thought of going out and would have what I would eventually discover to be panic attacks.


It made being with my group of friends quite difficult as in spite of being left out of many plans, I would find myself making excuses (too busy with homework, seeing my best friend who lived miles away etc) just in case they ever did invite me out. I thought that this was just because I had grown so accustomed to being left out and to being bullied whenever I left the house that I was putting a stop to getting hurt in the first place but it turns out that this panicky state I was getting into was due to anxiety. In a way, it did grow from my fears of being bullied and left out but sometimes I wonder if I was always just supposed to be this way because I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t anxious.

From the age of 17 this feeling only grew stronger. It got to the point where at school I would only hang out with my friends at the bottom of the back staircase during break as no one went there and if they wanted to move away from that area, I was stay behind by myself as the thought of going out into crowded hallways where I would be shoved and going out onto the grounds where I was be used as target practice for ball-based sports and as a human bin for other kids’ home economics (cookery class) creations terrified me. I was being allowed out of my classes 5 minutes early (thanks to my P.E teacher when I entered 3rd year at 14 who also let me study in the library during her classes to avoid the bullies) in order to beat the crowds and get to classes safely and at home time I was allowed out 10 minutes early to be able to get far enough away from the school that I would nearly be home by the time the rest of the kids got out. By college I was only going out to go to classes, my work placement or to a kids’ club I was a leader at. I was barely getting by due to my anxiety and depression and the only thing that made me happy was that one night a week where I could focus on entertaining the children with my best friend at my side. After I left college (you can find out the story behind that here) I was unemployed for two years and only left the house to sign on at the job centre or go to interviews for jobs that I didn’t even want. Nothing was going right, I was a complete mess and it led to me being even more depressed and anxious.

I would love to be able to tell you that now I go out as often as I can and enjoy it but that would be a lie and if there’s one thing I am not; it is a liar. I still hardly go out. I used to be in a routine over the last year or so where I would go to a group session one day a week and go into town every Friday but even that has stopped as I am longer seen by the department where I was receiving said treatment and have been waiting since last December for a referral to another. Going out it still extremely scary to me and I’m still recovering from all the times my now ex-best friend would guilt trip me into going out. I didn’t want to go out because I felt so ill and she would keep going on about how I “barely did anything”. Eventually she would say she desperately needed something and I would pull on my shoes and coat because I can’t stand people to go without.

Anxiously,

Me


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10 Rules for Coping with Panic

10 Rules for Coping with Panic

1. Do breathing techniques – breathe in through your nose for a count of 8 and then out through your mouth for the same length of time.

2. Try not to run away from the place where your panic attack occurs. The longer you wait, the better you should feel as the fear begins to pass. If you keep leaving when you feel at your worst then it gets harder to return.

3. Your body has a natural “fight or flight” response and the panic attack is an exaggeration of this.

4. Whilst they might be intense; these feelings will not harm you and are not dangerous.

5. Try to rationalise your feelings. Look out for catastrophic and exaggerated thinking.

6. Take notice of what is actually happening in/to your body (physical symptoms) - not the fear - and keep breathing. It will pass.

7. It may seem obvious but the fear will fade once you stop adding frightening thoughts into the mix.

8. Take the panic attack as a time to practice coping techniques. You are learning how to cope with your fear without avoiding it.

9. Think of all the progress you have already made – there are no little accomplishments when recovering. Everything you accomplish – be it big or small – is a key part in your recovery.

10. When the feeling of panic/panic attack goes away; look around you. Make a list of what you want to do next – where you want to go, who you want to see etc – and move on at your own pace.

*Note: Pieces about Mental Health Information are based off of what I have been taught and the "homework" books that were given are used as a guideline for these posts. Whilst I may have been taught these things by health care professionals, I am not one and information may change or be inaccurate. If you feel at risk by your thoughts and feelings or have concerns about you health; please seek help from loved ones and health care professionals. This information is not to be used to self-diagnose. If you know you have hypochondriac tendencies, are sensitive to subjects like bullying, depression and anxiety, and are easily triggered then information and experiences shared in this blog may cause distress. I have tried my best to provide trigger warnings and warnings about sensitive subjects but please read at your own discretion.

Why I Started Blogging

I have a passion for writing and I’ve had several blogs over the last 12 or so years. Back then it wasn’t referred to as “blogging” – it was just posting about whatever came to mind on sites like MySpace. I stopped when I got to about the age of 15 as by then bullies at school where using it as a way to cyber bully me and I couldn’t face logging in to yet another torrent of abuse. There wasn’t a protocol for reporting it either as at that point cyberbullying wasn’t a term that was being used and there was no way of prosecuting anyone for it. There wasn’t even awareness that this was an actual thing that was happening. I made the mistake of making an ask.fm account in my final year of high school and the cyberbullying continued. As there was the option to be anonymous, I noticed that the influx of mean messages increased when I got to college and started doing the work experience part of the course. There was a distinct difference in tone between the people I went to school with and those that I was at college with/working with so I just thought it best to close down the account. If that was how everyone saw me - “batty”, “fat”, “ugly”, “miserable c***” (and a whole lot worse that I won’t repeat because I really don’t feel like reliving what made me suicidal or end up triggering anyone) for being depressed, anxious and openly writing fan fiction then I didn’t want to know. If they couldn’t say it to my face then why should I let them post it anonymously? I was depressed enough as it was without it encouraging a cyberbullying free-for-all.

I started blogging again when I left high school but only got into a routine in the last 3 months and these days I blog as a way to stop myself from bottling up how I feel. It acts as a release of sorts. When an article is finished, uploaded and published I feel this sense of relief that comes from physically releasing my thoughts out into the world and it helps me to forget about whatever I’ve been writing about for a while. The only downfall from this, though, is knowing that what I say is out there for everyone to see and it makes me extremely anxious waiting to see if anyone comments with something negative about it or criticises it without being constructive as I am so used to receiving comments from people over the years telling me that I’m “crazy”, that I should just “get over it” and to “get a life” because “no one cares”. This has played a huge part in my need to be anonymous; to stop the comments from getting to the point where they are attacking me personally for my looks or for who they think I am based off of going to school with me and not even knowing me.

My Writing History:

I have been writing fictional short stories based on my depression and anxiety for years now – at least since I was about 12 so that’s 13 years of writing – and decided around 7 years ago that I would start writing openly about my own life. I more or less only wrote my journal-style posts for myself for nearly 7 years until I decided to venture out into posting more informational pieces and wanted to see how it would do if I were to suddenly start promoting it on Twitter (and make said social media account for it). I also have a website that hosts fictional stories that I am currently in the process of relaunching and at some point will probably link to it from here – if I ever get over the fear of showing you all the fictional things that I have created.

The original version of the blog started as a bit of an online journal where I would write about what I had been up to, how I felt and whatever had been causing my distress that week and has now turned into a blog that has not only made myself feel not as alone but has made other people feel like someone else was in the same boat. The amount of connections I have made because of this blog has been phenomenal and I am completely taken aback by the response to it.

Being Overwhelmed:

When I feel overwhelmed I take to writing and it helps me to refocus and not concentrate on whatever has been bothering me. As of this year, though, blogging has been a tad overwhelming so I’ve been writing more and more which is both a blessing and a curse (hello, Blogtober). The blog has done better than I ever could have imagined in such a short amount of time and it’s been quite surprising to me to see just how well it has done as until this year no one cared about what I wrote or even how I felt. That in itself is just mind blowing.

A Change:

As a result of making the Twitter account for this blog, it has really boosted my confidence in writing. I would even go as far to say that this version of my blog has been a bit of life changer. It’s so weird to know that people actually like the real me and are willing to keep coming back week after week (or in Blogtober’s case; day after day) to get to know me better and to help us all to not feel as alone. I feel better about myself too and I’m so happy that a lot of you have messaged me over the last few months to say that you feel better too or that my posts have given you the confidence to seek help or to even be a bit more social on social media. I’m not a doctor or mental health care professional by any means but I have been through a lot of treatment over the years as well as just experiencing things like agoraphobia and severe anxiety & depression and I’m so glad that I am able to share with you all my experiences and what I’ve learned from being in treatment.

So: thank you from the bottom of my heart for either coming back time and time again or for even being a new reader. There are over 500 of you on Twitter who read my blog, who choose to message me whether it’s just to say “hi” or because you need a friend and whom are just some of the loveliest people ever. It amazes me how many times certain posts of mine get viewed, how many of you “like” my Instagram posts and how many of you RT things I Tweet over on Twitter. It’s not about the numbers, though. It’s about the loving and caring nature of it all. I’ve never felt such love before and it’s all down to you wonderful lot.

Thanks for sticking by me!

Anxiously,
Me

You can find Anxiously, Me on:
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Self-Care Q&A Response #11 ft Jen

Self –Care Q &A/Tag

Hi there!

I decided to bring back the Self-Care Q&A for Blogtober! To kick-start this short round of responses, I asked the lovely Jen (http://www.beautylifemom.com & https://twitter.com/beautlifemom) if she would like to take part and she said “yes”! If you want to know more about her, you can find her on Twitter and over on her Blog.

1. How do you know when you are in need of some self-care?

I know I need self-care when I start feeling a certain way- overworked, tired, stressed, or just haven't gotten around to my typical routines in a while. 

2. Once you are aware that you need to take care of yourself, do you usually do so alone or do you have someone you can go to when you need some TLC?

I usually like to do self-care alone, quiet time is so important to me.  

3. Do you find it hard to make time for yourself?

I make it a priority when I can, so not typically. But of course there are crazy weeks when you can't get to it when you want. 

4. Is there anything that gets in the way of your “me” time/disrupts it (for me: noises outside can put me on edge or if other people are home I need to be mindful of how long I take, say, in the shower)?

I am a mom so naturally he occupies my time and mind, or work/life responsibilities. Also if there's something bothering me I can tend to focus on that and self-care can take a back seat. 

5. Do you ever feel guilty for having “me” time?

I used to since I feel like I need so much of it! But not really anymore-it keeps me sane. I try to balance it out by making sure I do what I need to do responsibility, making sure I do my part. But it's crucial for my mental health to be able to relax. Being overly stressed and neglecting myself is something I like to avoid when possible.

6. Do you schedule in “me” time or do you “go with the flow”/only take “me” time when you feel you need it?

There seems to be a routine- like after my son goes to bed. I snatch it when I can get it though, and it's usually around my son's schedule! Weekends as well, but weekends can be busy depending. So kind of a mix! 

7. Is there a self-care routine that you try to follow?

I keep a bullet journal that has a tracker so I know what I have or haven't been doing. Some are cosmetic- having my nails done around once a week, doing a face mask, etc. But I also make sure I take my vitamins regularly, write in a journal, eat relatively OK, blog etc. I don't know if anyone else is like this but budgeting and paying bills/saving calms me as well. 

8. When you feel down/not like your usual self; what do you do to cheer yourself up (hobbies, being with loved ones etc)?

A lot of times taking a nap or laying down makes a world of difference. Energy always makes me feel better. I vent by talking it out (even if to myself) or just let myself feel my feelings. I also try to be proactive by asking myself what I can do to change the root issue. Taking showers help too.  

9. Do you have any mantras that you say to yourself as a pick me up or on a daily basis?

I always tell myself that no matter what happens, life moves on and everything will be dealt with even if something can be annoying or taxing at the time. I remind myself that it's ok if I feel down, just don't stay there if I can help it. I also created a mantra this past summer, "move with yourself"- to allow for the changes I experience within myself and the world around me. Because turns out I evolve more than I realize, as does the world. No reason to fight it.               

                                                  

10. Finally; do you have any self-care tips for anyone who might be reading this?

Invest in your hobbies and passions, no matter what they are. That could mean spending on it (not going broke of course) but also it means setting time aside for it. It will make you happier and people are happier when you are! Also, learn to say no to things if it's not necessary (which you have to decide if it is or not). Make happiness a priority when you can! 

~ Over this next month I’ll be bringing you 3 more posts packed with answers so stay tuned!

Again, you can find Jen at http://www.beautylifemom.com/ and www.twitter.com/beautlifemmom.

Anxiously,

Me

If you decide to use this, please let me know first and give credit. There’s nothing worse than finding out something that you worked really hard on has been taken and uncredited, sometimes even plagiarised.

You can find Anxiously, Me on:

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The Circle of Avoidance

The Circle of Avoidance

When we avoid things, whilst it may help you to feel less anxious in the short term, in the long term it can worsen your problems. This is when the circle of avoidance may occur. The issue with avoidance is that it’s teaching you that the only way to deal with a bad situation is to avoid it which is really unhelpful. Avoiding things also lessens your chance of finding out that your fear worst, more often than not, do not occur. This in turn worsens your anxiety and leaves you feel low in confidence & self-esteem.

Anxiety à Avoiding anxiety-inducing situations àRestricted living and low confidence & self-esteem à makes you feel worse à Anxiety, and the circle continues.

*Note: Pieces about Mental Health Information are based off of what I have been taught and the "homework" books that were given are used as a guideline for these posts. Whilst I may have been taught these things by health care professionals, I am not one and information may change or be inaccurate. If you feel at risk by your thoughts and feelings or have concerns about you health; please seek help from loved ones and health care professionals. This information is not to be used to self-diagnose. If you know you have hypochondriac tendencies, are sensitive to subjects like bullying, depression and anxiety, and are easily triggered then information and experiences shared in this blog may cause distress. I have tried my best to provide trigger warnings and warnings about sensitive subjects but please read at your own discretion.