{"id":13051,"date":"2020-04-07T16:46:56","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T23:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/?p=13051"},"modified":"2020-04-07T16:48:01","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T23:48:01","slug":"bipolar-super-strategies-for-super-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/bipolar-super-strategies-for-super-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Bipolar? Super Strategies for Super Anxiety"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally published on the Bp Magazine website.<\/a><\/h3>\n

Feeling Anxiety vs. Feeling Safe<\/h3>\n

I often get so anxious I feel I can\u2019t go on. I want to do a project like answering email or making a call to a friend, but the minute I even approach the apparatus such as a phone or a computer, I feel a terrible physical reaction in my body that causes me to stop before I even get started.<\/p>\n

This is the very definition of anxiety\u2014a FEELING that you can\u2019t do what you want to do. So, you simply stop in place and go back to what feels safe and more peaceful.<\/p>\n

Inevitably, what feels safe and peaceful is something like a substance such as sugar, weed, or alcohol; a bad relationship; video games; or the internet. I know, you would never think that a bad relationship would be a choice over anxiety, but that\u2019s how bad anxiety feels!<\/p>\n

Anxiety in Turbulent Times<\/h3>\n

Current world situations now require us to be in our own company a lot more than we might like. This can bring up enormous anxiety that then leads to even more anxiety-avoiding behaviors.<\/p>\n

Behavior created by the anxious brain is complex\u2014quite separate from what we know is good for us. If you\u2019re like me and you\u2019re tired of living a life controlled by an unseen anxiety brain wave, let\u2019s work together to get on with life while we have time to focus on our health<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Learning to Manage a New Symptom of Bipolar<\/h3>\n

I spent 30 years learning to live with my relentless depression. So far, it\u2019s working, and although I still experience a lot of depression, it rarely brings me to my knees. I am now teaching myself to do the same with this rotten anxiety.<\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve gotten older and my brain has gone through more traumatic events (such as a serious biking accident in 2012 that resulted in a head injury), I found that my anxiety increased right when I was finally having relief from my lifelong depression.<\/p>\n

It is my goal to use the strategies I created to manage mania and depression to help manage my current anxiety. Here are my ideas:<\/p>\n

#1 Anxiety Is Real<\/h4>\n

I taught myself to work when I was depressed. I often cried while working,\u00a0 the depression was so awful, but I still managed to write books and get on with life. It has not been the same with anxiety.\u00a0I find anxiety FAR more physical in terms of the symptoms.<\/p>\n

Depression makes me feel two different ways\u2014either I feel like I\u2019m completely numb inside and catatonic, or I\u2019m agitated and irritated<\/a>. But anxiety? It\u2019s simply worse.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s imperative to accept that anxiety is serious and terrible, and it CAN prevent us from working. We are not weak, lazy, or incapable of getting things done. Our brain is out to get us, and we have to find a path around the brain that doesn\u2019t want us to work.\u00a0Now, it\u2019s time for me to teach myself to work through and around this anxiety.<\/p>\n

#2 Work through<\/em> the Pain<\/h4>\n

I once had a physical therapist tell me that when you have a chronic injury, working through pain\u2014as long as you\u2019re not injuring yourself more\u2014is the only way to get better. This is a rough situation because the pain is scary, and it feels like you\u2019re doing more harm than good; but if you don\u2019t try to work through the pain, you will never get better. It\u2019s the same with anxiety.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s often the moving toward<\/em> something that feels too painful too bear. Thus, we stop before even opening a project or completing a task. It\u2019s like an anxiety hornets\u2019 nest opens up in front of you, and you have to step into it in order to get work done. It\u2019s that painful. With anxiety, the hornets\u2019 nest is metaphysical. It feels<\/em> mighty real, but we know it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

Feeling the pain of anxiety has to be the first step. To walk into the fire and at least try<\/em> the project to see what happens. It\u2019s always painful, but it\u2019s the way to get work done.<\/p>\n

Feel the pain and walk into it, and get a project done.<\/em> It\u2019s how I\u2019ve written articles for the past few years. I now need to use this process in order to write a new book. The anxiety has kept me from big projects for a few years, and I\u2019ve worked hard to get this new project ready. So, if you read this one day, and I have a new book out, then you will know the process is working.\u00a0Just like you, I have to change and try new things to make it through this life with the brain I have.<\/p>\n

#3 Get Help<\/h4>\n

This is especially true for men. Anxiety is not very fun, is it! To feel fear when approaching a project makes one feel weak and ineffectual. I have cried many times from the pain and fear that comes up when the anxiety rises up to my neck. And I have asked for help from health-care professionals and from friends and family. Turn to those around you for support. It\u2019s not a sign of weakness but of strength.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a daily process. Medications can help, but as with most chronic brain chaos, it\u2019s often up to us to figure out what works and what doesn\u2019t. I get help from my own books<\/a> and<\/em> the advice of others.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s My<\/em> Decision<\/h3>\n

We didn\u2019t win the brain lottery. We didn\u2019t get the easy path. I want to live a long life that is easier as I get older. The only way to accomplish this is to grow and change as new symptoms show up. I never thought I would have to deal with this much anxiety, but here it is.<\/p>\n

I had moderate anxiety since age 19, and now have had to live with serious anxiety since age 48. That is my life. I know that anxiety is a feeling in my body and not a reality in the physical world.<\/p>\n

What I do with my life is up to me. I want peace. I want to write more books, and I want to end this anxiety. I am a work in progress. Join me!<\/p>\n

Julie\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Originally published on the Bp Magazine website.<\/a> Feeling Anxiety vs. Feeling Safe <\/p>\n

I often get so anxious I feel I can\u2019t go on. I want to do a project like answering email or making a call to a friend, but the minute I even approach the apparatus such as a phone or a computer, I feel a terrible physical reaction in my body that causes me to stop before I even get started.<\/p>\n

This is the very definition of anxiety\u2014a FEELING that you can\u2019t do what you want to do. So, you simply stop in place and go back to what feels safe and more peaceful.<\/p>\n

Inevitably, what feels safe and peaceful is something like a substance such as [ Read More ]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[742],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13051"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13053,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13051\/revisions\/13053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bipolarhappens.com\/bhblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}