Why Having An Anxiety Disorder Does Not Mean You’re Crazy

I'm always excited to hear and learn from members of our community. Today I am blog swapping with a fellow anxiety blogger named Paul from Anxietyguru.net and I am thrilled to feature a really great post from him. Enjoy.
 

Hi I’m Paul Dooley from Anxietyguru.net and today I’ll be talking to you about a subject that plagues many anxiety sufferers; the fear of going crazy. Not surprisingly this is one of the most common complaints from people living with anxiety and it’s a thought that never really seems to go away altogether.  And due to Aimee’s generosity I’ll be able to share with you what I think is a very important insight into this very common fear.
First and foremost I’d like to reiterate that the fear of going crazy really is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety disorder.  The reason I’d like to highlight this fact is because I hope it helps to put things into perspective for you. In other words, you’re not the one off weirdo that has developed an unheard of reaction to chronic anxiety, quite the contrary. Although you may sometimes have the sense that you are losing your grip on reality and that you are literally on the verge of a mental breakdown things are not as bad as they seem. The truth of the matter is that anxiety disorder(s) can cause a deep seeded fear that sooner or later you're simply going to go mad. However despite this overwhelming fear of possible insanity, the fact that you fear it and are aware of insanity as a state of being is precisely why you are not crazy.
Crazy means a lot things to a lot of people, however for the sake of clarity let's say that for our purposes crazy means a mixture of insanity and psychosis . Let's look at insanity first and how it is normally defined. In the United States insanity is no longer a medical term and in fact is mainly used in legal definitions. You have heard people say that someone is "legally insane" generally meaning that they cannot comprehend the meaning of "right" and "wrong". They simply don't understand what it means to do something horrible, like killing another human being for example.
Under this definition of crazy or insane would you qualify as such a person? If you have an anxiety disorder the answer is no. You have your mental faculties in order and know exactly what right and wrong mean. You know the social norms of society and you follow them. In other words, you don't walk around with your underwear on your head because you know that society views this as unacceptable behavior. The second and highest level of so called crazy is a mental state of delusion and abstraction known as psychosis.
In the past "insanity" was associated with conditions like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. These conditions fall under the psychotic types of mental illness. These conditions are debilitating brain disorders that can seriously hinder ones life. When someone is psychotic they may hear voices or have hallucinations. In addition they might have a serious paranoia and a feeling that everyone is out to get them.
When someone is deemed psychotic they exhibit disorganized thinking and strange behaviors of various kind. Their very perception of reality is not what you would call normal. It is seriously distorted and disconnected from normal definitions of reality. Moreover one of the most critical aspects of psychosis that does not affect anxiety sufferers is a lack of insight.
Having a lack of insight is just another way of saying that you don't know that you are behaving or acting strangely. As an anxiety sufferer you spend a lot of time thinking you're crazy or on the verge of crazy but if this were true than you wouldn't know it. You simply would not be aware of the fact that your thoughts and behavior were strange or "crazy".
When you have anxiety you are certainly filled with dread and worry. You experience psychosomatic sensations that make you feel terrible and frequent physical symptoms of all kinds. But the bottom line is that your level of mental fitness is not the same as someone that is psychotic or crazy - it's much better. You have the ability to make sound decisions, you don't hear or see things that aren't there, and you know the difference between real and unreal. Even if you experience feelings of unreality or dream like states you are still aware of them as such.
Unfortunately if you were to ask someone tagged as crazy if they were actually crazy, they would probably say something like "crazy, who me?". They just wouldn't know that they were in mental distress the same way that you would be able to know. As you can see you just don't fit the profile of an insane or psychotic person. So the conclusion must be that you are not crazy. When you have anxiety disorder will you have tricks of vision? Yes. Will you have strange sensations and worry all the time? Yes. But despite this your condition is a completely different tier of mental ailment. You have an anxiety disorder and you will not graduate to a greater and more terrible mental state. You're an excessive worrier racked with tremendous amounts of stress, but you are not crazy by any stretch of the imagination.

Paul Dooley
Anxietyguru.net

If you enjoyed this post Get the Reality of Anxiety via RSS or Email

Doctor D's Anxiety Management Tips

So, last post I discussed Anxiety Disorder from the perspective of natural survival instincts.  Understanding that you are working with a natural reflex empowers you to find strategies that weaken this reflex until it is under your control. 

I'm going to go over several Anxiety management strategies.  All the well-educated readers of “Reality of Anxiety” probably have already heard these tips, but I am going to focus on how to understand their effectiveness in light of the anxiety reflex.

As I mentioned before the Anxiety reflex is a triggering of the “fight or flight” response that is designed to protect you from a threat to your life.  Unfortunately it often gets triggered when our lives aren't in danger and the anxiety reaction does us more harm than good.

When the subconscious mind triggers the anxiety alarm, “Watch out, someone or something is trying to kill you!”  You immediately begin to search for evidence that the threat is real.  If your brain senses signs of danger then the “fight or flight” response is turned up.  If no danger is found or after the threat is gone your brain is supposed to turn off the reflex.  Unfortunately, when you have Anxiety disorder your “off switch” is harder to get at.

Many of the best Anxiety Management Tips tell your brain it's time to hit the off switch:

Deep breathing:  Your brain pays careful attention to the body.  When the body acts like it is in danger the brain assumes their must be danger.  This can become a vicious cycle such as in a panic attack.  The good news is that you can use this to your advantage.  You conscious brain can take control of breathing.  By forcing yourself to take slow deep breaths you are sending a message to your unconscious brain that there is no real danger. 

Calm People:  Your brain is searching for signs of danger when you are anxious.  When other people respond to your anxiety by becoming anxious themselves your brain takes their behavior ask proof that there must be a real threat.  This is why high-strung families and friends can sometimes worsen your anxiety.  If all you see are unworried people who speak calmly then your subconscious gets the message that there isn't a threat to your safety.  So tell people to try to stay mellow for you or hang out with calm people when you are anxious.

Positive Words:  I know is seems foolish to keep repeating to yourself, “I feel good.  I feel great.”  But your subconscious is listening.  Hearing soothing words even from your own mouth confirms that that the anxiety reflex was a false alarm.  Once again this is a way that you can use your conscious mind to tell your unconscious mind to turn off the stress response.

Exercise:  This technique works because it give the subconscious brain exactly what it is looking for.  Your brain wants to fight or run to get away from danger.  If you exercise to get yourself sweating and out of breath you brain assumes that the danger must be gone.  Exercise is like a reset button for your stress.  Your body relaxes and your blood pressure drops after aerobic exercise. 

Sometime people will need medicines that adjust brain chemistry to dampen the anxiety response, but often the best ways of combating this natural instinct are the natural ways that our own bodies can turn off the reaction.  Any Anxiety suffer probably knows a lot more techniques than these I mentioned. 

I encourage my patients to think about how the reflex works and how anxiety control techniques are helping their reflex realize there is no danger.  I have found that this perspective really helps people feel they have control over their anxiety.


-Doctor D (http://askanmd.blogspot.com/)


Doctor D is not an expert on Anxiety Disorder or even a psychiatrist.  He is a regular doctor who blogs at Ask An MD.  Doctor D has cared for lots of patients with anxiety while living a high stress life, so he has given a lot of thought to Anxiety.  Most of his experience is anecdotal from years of practicing medicine.  For specific treatments or advice about your own anxiety be sure to talk to your doctor.

If you enjoyed this post Get the Reality of Anxiety via RSS or Email

Stress and Survival Instincts

I am so excited to share with you the thoughts of Doctor D- a practicing MD who wants to help those looking for answers to their medical questions. He wants to participate in this month's challenge by sharing with us in two posts what he knows about anxiety, specifically what we have been learning about with the Stress Response System.


"Understanding human stress instincts can be very empowering for someone with an Anxiety Disorder.
The trouble with human instincts is that they aren't there to be understood but obeyed unquestioningly.  Understanding your instincts, however, takes away their mysterious power and makes them a function of your brain and body that you can comprehend and counterbalance.

The human stress response is an amazing system designed to keep you alive when threatened with death.  The reason you inherited such a powerful stress response is that it has worked, keeping generations of your ancestors alive.

Fortunately, most of us live in an environment in which real threats to our life and limb are very rare or non-existent.  For your hunter-gather ancestors violence and danger may have been around every corner, but you do your hunting and gathering at the local grocery with laws in place and police nearby to stop most violence.   So why are the safest human beings in history always so stressed?

Many of us have trouble turning off our instincts.  Survival reflexes often kick in when we don't need them.  Your ancestors had brief periods of terror when they may have needed to “fight or flee” to survive.  These stressful periods in their lives usually ended quickly, and the body was able to recharge within a low-stress state.

The problem with modern stresses is while they may never kill you—they also never go away.  The number one thing people tell Doctor D they stress about is their finances.  Almost nobody in the US dies from being poor, but the pressures of monthly bills never go away.  The modern world uses deadlines and debt to keep us motivated to work, which keeps us constantly stressed.  A mortgage lasts 30 years!  Stressing for that long wrecks havoc on the body. 

In the short run stress reactions and “fight or flight” reflexes do wonders for a body in danger.  The immune and digestive systems slow to allow the muscles to get the greater share of the body's power.  We increase fat stores and blood sugar to have instant energy ready. We become more sensitive to pain so we can detect threats more quickly.  We sleep poorly so we are constantly on alert.  The heart beats faster; the blood pressure is higher.  Our minds are constantly scanning our environment for threats, keeping us from focusing deeply on any one thing.  Trust me, if you are going into battle tomorrow this exactly how you want your body to behave!   But the body and brain cannot indefinitely sustain this state.  If it lasts too long your physical and emotional health can be significantly damaged.

People with Anxiety Disorders have inherited an extra helping of these survival reflexes.  The unending stress of modern life are constantly triggering these powerful, primitive reflexes.   Our daily problems need thoughtful problem solving—something that the “fight or flight” response gets in the way of.  The very instinct that is there to keep you alive makes you sick and keeps you from solving your problems.

So the important thing to understand about Anxiety is that it is a natural and healthy response.  Understanding that that what you feel in anxiety is a natural reaction helps you have a sense of control.  Realizing that it follows certain rules helps you respond to stress reactions thoughtfully.  Seeing that the “fight or flight” response is being triggered unnecessarily helps you know how to put it aside for when you really need it. 

Doctor D isn't saying that understanding Stress instincts will make all Anxiety problems go away, but knowledge (such as the sort you are getting in the October Education Challenge) gives perspective and power that can make you own the Anxiety, so it doesn't own you."

Disclaimer:
Doctor D is not an expert on Anxiety Disorder or even a psychiatrist.  He is a regular doctor who blogs at Ask An MD.  Doctor D has cared for lots of patients with anxiety while living a high stress life, so he has given a lot of thought to Anxiety.  Most of his experience is anecdotal from years of practicing medicine.  For specific treatments or advice about your own anxiety be sure to talk to your doctor.

Thanks Doctor D!

Related Posts:

• Anxiety and Our Brains- Part 3: The Stress Response System
  
• Anxiety and Our Brains- Part 2: The Nervous System
  
• Anxiety and Our Brains- Part 1: Neurons and Neurotransmitters
• Monthly Challenge: October 2009- Let's Get Educated!

If you enjoyed this post Get the Reality of Anxiety via RSS or Email

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?"

The following post comes from my friend Bill from Hope and Healing Dynamics. Being on his own journey, seeking peace of mind, he has much to offer and I so love what he has to say. You can see he has a button on the right sidebar  (Freedom! From Panic and Anxiety) that will take you directly to his site if you come back later and can't find this post. Thanks so much Bill for sharing your "ah hah!" moment with us.

In the midst of desperation, have you ever exclaimed either of these to yourself or someone else?

“I just want to be the way I used to be!”

“I want to be my old self again!”

I know I sure have. And they’re probably the most common verbal expressions of pain and frustration I hear from anxiety and mood disordered clients. Actually, the whole concept makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? I mean, who wouldn’t want to return to a time of identity and comfort when all is unhinged, barren, and cold. Well, some six years ago something occurred quite unexpectedly that awakened me from futile dreams of the past.   

I had been in the throws of anxiety, depression, and desperation subsequent to some very distressing family situations six months prior. And instead of working toward a valid peace grounded in the present, I became obsessed with rekindling an internal fire that had been fueled by wishes and myths. Yes, I was grasping at what I believed to be the most accessible measure of familiarity and stability. And it made perfect sense to adopt the watchword, “I just want to be the way I used to be.” But, out of nowhere, something occurred that would forever change my perspective.

Okay, so there I was, one taut mass of mind and flesh pacing around my apartment on a steamy summer afternoon. And in the midst of all the agitation a quotation from, of all things, the Bible pervaded my being. Now, I was raised in a Christian home; however, I was not a Christian at the time, nor am I now. Nonetheless, a scene from The Book of Luke, Chapter 24 became a part of me. You may know the story. It seems Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and a woman named Joanna went to Jesus’ tomb with spices for his body. Well, when they got there the stone at the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away and the body was gone. Needless to say, they were puzzled and frightened. And as they pondered what they’d seen, two men appeared to them, posing this amazing question…

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

Bam! The power of the query struck me like a bolt of lightening right between the eyes. And I immediately turned inward, asking, “Bill, just why are you looking for the living among the dead?” The truth of the matter was, what I’d been looking for no longer existed; and hadn’t for decades, if ever. So, with the introduction of that huge dose of reality, why would I choose to waste my time desperately pleading for history? Wow, the inquiry was that powerful!

If you can relate to any portion of my quest for comfort, I’m going to suggest that you ask yourself what I now call “the question of the angels” the next time you’re in the abyss of struggle and desperation. I mean, don’t you think it has the power to trump our natural inclination to rummage through a million yesterdays in the quest for relief in the immediate? Now, don’t misunderstand; the past is significant, forming so much of who we are today. However, it’s only relevant within the context of how we became who we are, a reference for decision-making, and the sweetness of reminiscence. Yes, there’s just no way we’ll ever live and grow, today, if we’re planted in depleted soil.

Does any of this make sense to you? Well, don’t short-circuit your mind just now, trying to make perfect sense of it. Just swirl it around for the next day or so and see what comes together. However, in the end, I believe adopting this personal philosophy will open so many doors for you.

Please, ask yourself…

“Why am I looking for the living among the dead?”

Don't forget to sign up for the giveaway!

If you enjoyed this post Get the Reality of Anxiety via RSS or Email

Another Testimonial of the Awesomeness of Yoga

As a followup to the last post on The Benefits of Yoga, the following comes from a reader and fellow anxiety sufferer named Bonnie who has used yoga as a great resource to overcoming her anxiety.

I think my anxiety can be traced back to high school. I still believe that kids can be a tough crowd! However, the one thing I have now that I didn’t have back then, is coping skills. This past year I took the time to get to know me. I had been battling some particularly intense bouts of anxiety and was on my way to downright depression. Most people believe that stress and anxiety occur with bad situations – but that’s not always the case. Sometimes my anxiety came from good things, like going out to the movies with friends or taking a road trip with my husband. As time wore on, I began to shut things out of my life… like friends and activities that I once enjoyed. But now I feel like that person I used to be is a complete stranger. I took one year to battle my demons. I wanted to see how strong I was.

Along my road to recovery I discovered some amazing things about myself and found relief from unexpected outlets. A couple of months into my journey, I found yoga. Yoga encouraged a stillness in me I had never experienced before. When I cried on my yoga mat during class one day, I knew I found what I was looking for. By having a steady practice and embracing some yoga philosophies I was able to fight through my panic attacks and anxiety. Here are some things that helped me along the way that I learned from yoga:

1) Check Your Ego At The Door: A big fear of mine that caused immense anxiety was embarrassing myself in front of people. What if I got sick or fainted or said something stupid and people saw that? I spent more time thinking about what other people thought than what I thought. Keep your ego away and live how you want to live. Don’t worry about other people because other people rarely worry about you.

2) Perfection Is A 4-Letter Word: Trying to do everything perfectly is exhausting and you are constantly plagued by the fear of messing up. It doesn’t matter in yoga if you do a pose perfectly, all that matters is that you feel bliss when you practice. Do what you can. Don’t strive for perfection because it doesn’t always exist.

3) Stay Present: My worries were always focused on something I dreaded in the future. I was always concerned with what was going to happen next. Yoga keeps me still and in the moment and when I am so engulfed in what I am doing, I don’t have time or energy to needlessly worry about the future, I am too busy enjoying the present.

I came very far from where I once was – I hardly recognize the person I was a mere year or so ago. Each step in my journey has been an important one and I’ve learned from my experiences. I still feel anxious every now and again, but I know I can cope. I found freedom in yoga and continue to use the philosophies I’ve learned to help guide me along the way.

I know it’s scary, but don’t ever give up. Sometimes you find help in the most unexpected places. Find your freedom…

A Few Good Stress Busters

-->

Stress can be a killer, and I mean this literally. A stressful life leads to diseases like diabetes, strokes and cardiac arrests that could be fatal. All of us experience some level of stress at some time or the other, and the best way to deal with it temporarily is to take deep breaths and let the tension seep out of our bodies. The longer we brood, the more stressed we become, and this leads to headaches in the short run and other ills in the long. In order to avoid stress from ruling and thus ruining your life, make these simple tips a way of life:

· Holidays Help: If work is becoming too demanding and your senses cannot keep up, you’re going to end up being stressed day after day, no matter how well you sleep or how healthy you eat. The best antidote to this kind of stress is to take some time off and go on a well-earned vacation with a loved one or your family. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to face the daily grind once you’re back.

· Meditation Matters: Some people find that a few minutes of silence (or melodious music in the background) and thoughts of nothingness are good to rid your mind of the tension that swirls through your brain. This technique works well both immediately (when you feel the stress coming on) and as a daily relaxation routine (to unwind at the end of the day).

· Nature Nurtures: Beautiful sights and scenic pictures calm some people down, so take a walk in the park or admire the sunset on the beach when you’re stressed. Nature is both bountiful and beautiful and thus the perfect stress buster.

· Talking Tells: Call or meet a friend and pour your heart out. Sometimes, just talking about your troubles makes your heart seem lighter and serves to put the verve back in your step. A problem shared is a problem halved while a joy shared is one that’s doubled – that’s the beauty of friendship.

· Favorite Fun: Do what you like – it could be anything in the whole wide world, as long as it’s something you love. Do it each time you’re stressed or on a regular basis to prevent stress from getting to you. Either way, it’s quality time just for yourself.

· Workout Wonders: Exercise helps keep both your body and mind healthy. A good workout, a session of yoga or Tai Chi, or a game of a sport that you enjoy release feel-good endorphins in your brain that relax and rejuvenate your worn-out and stressed mind.

The key to a happy and peaceful life is to get the better of stress before it gets the better of you.

This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

Ever Thought about Therapy by Phone?

photo by Leo Reynolds
Have you ever wanted to talk to someone but talking in person seems really uncomfortable? Have you ever considered doing it over the phone instead?

Today psychotherapist and educator Tim Desmond from Coherence Counseling shares an experience of what you can expect from phone counseling.

Here is a case history from a recent client.

Grace, a nurse living in Oakland, CA, began our first therapy session saying she wanted to feel less anxious. I asked her to tell me about a recent example of her anxiety, and she told me about the previous night. Her husband was watching a movie and asked if she wanted to join him. She did, but complained the entire time about how much work she was not getting done. She told me that whenever she tries to take a break from work, she constantly feels anxious and is unable to enjoy herself. It had gotten to the point that it was beginning to create problems in her marriage, and she and her husband had begun to fight about her need to relax.

Curious about how her anxiety made sense, I asked her to imagine herself in the scene from last night and to let me know when she was there. After a few seconds, I asked her if she was feeling her anxiety. She told me that she was and I asked her to describe how it felt in her body. She said, "It's like a hot, burning sensation in my chest. I hate how it feels." I asked her to stay with that feeling for now, and really allow it to be present. Then I asked her to try something that might feel a little strange. I said, "Now ask that feeling -- that burning sensation in your chest -- what it's job is. Try saying something like 'What is your job?' or 'How do you help me?' and then just listen for an answer." She was willing to try and paused for a minute or so. She finally said, "All I'm getting is 'I keep you from slacking off.'"

At this point, I wondered how not "slacking off" was worth the price of feeling so anxious and uncomfortable. I told her that I would give her the beginning of a sentence and ask her to let it finish itself without pre-thinking the ending. The sentence-stem was, "It is so important not to slack off because..." and she quickly said "It is so important not to slack off because my whole f***ing family are a bunch of slack offs." We repeated this process a few more times as it became increasingly clear how important it was for her to be different than her family.

She told me about her family's history of drug and alcohol problems and how embarrassed she felt growing up with them. I now felt like I was starting to understand. I asked her to try saying, "My anxiety is what keeps me from ending up being a slack off like my family. That is more important than anything, including being able to enjoy myself." She repeated it back and said it felt true. We spent the rest of the session looking at this new discovery from different angles and phrasing it in different ways. We finally wrote "I refused to end up like my family, and I need my anxiety to keep that from happening."on an index card for her to read a few times a day.

I asked her to call if she needed another session. When she called a few months later wanting to do a couples session, she told me that she now felt entirely in control of her anxiety. It would still come up from time to time, but she would know what it was about. She said she would just recognize how different she is than her family and that would make her feel much better.