Hello everyone,
I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the last few days before school starts📚 (It’s as intense as the two months of summer with our kids at home 🤯😜!).
I don’t write much at the moment: it’s been hard for me to do so this summer as we’ve had construction work next door for almost 2 months, with noise all day and very early wake-ups (6.30am) 😤… I have, therefore, not rested like I did in previous years. As a result, the creative mind was in Morpheus’ arms, NOT ME!!😴
But here I am again, in slightly better shape as the calm has returned…
After successfully completing a big challenge on my anxiety 🥳, I thought it was a good time to come and talk to you about it.
For a few weeks now, I’ve been given a name for my anxiety, and it has taken a big weight off my shoulders: I have generalized anxiety disorder! My therapist, who has been seeing me regularly over the last few months, realized that my anxiety had become a handicap in my everyday life. It clicked for her, and she put words to describe my ailments! 😍
I’m posting a definition of this disorder and the article from which it’s taken:
“Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by a persistent feeling of insecurity, a permanent and excessive worry that interferes with daily activities. It may be accompanied by physical symptoms such as restlessness, nervousness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, muscle tension or sleep disturbance. Often, this worry is fuelled by everyday events such as work responsibilities, family health or minor issues relating to household or domestic tasks (car repairs, making appointments…)”.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
The article also explains panic disorder, phobias, agoraphobia (fear of crowds), social anxiety disorder and separation anxiety.
I have a small anthology of almost all of these disorders, but they are more manageable and weaker in my case. But it can sometimes be problematic: my elevator phobia, for example, which gave me a hard time during my challenge.😱
In fact, generalized anxiety disorder means being anxious all the time and intensely … Which leads to problems in everyday life: fatigue and difficulties to focus… Hence my lack of inspiration and my challenges in managing my phobias, fears… This had (and still has), of course, consequences on my children and my husband 😔 : I can’t often manage my emotions, the crisis of my teenage girl, etc… With a considerable lack of sleep and an anxious mind, my patience has very short limits…
As a result, we feel like even more of a loser, unable to care for those we love. We then enter a weird, toxic loop that doesn’t help us to control this generalized anxiety disorder 🤯! It reminds me of the character “anxiety” in Vice Versa 2😜.
Beyond the repercussions on those around me, this disorder makes me see the outside world as a permanent danger… Everything is a source of stress and anxiety… Outside the routine that reassures me, the most minor event anguishes me. For example, talking on the phone without being prepared makes me anxious ++++. Note that I’m just as stressed when I know in advance, but the intensity is less.
For the record, I decided to take on the challenge of travelling on my own for one night for a professional event to prove myself that I was capable of doing it and so that it would help me to get out of this wierd loop of generalized anxiety. I was anxious from the moment I booked the hotel and the train! I tried to check everything and envisage every scenario. Still, it’s impossible and almost never happens as you imagine! And on top of that, I had to deal with one of my biggest phobias: the elevator 😱😱 ! It was intense and stressful, and on the day of departure, all I could see was stress and anxiety… Unable to enjoy my family or what we’d been doing before, all I could think of was the train journey, arriving at the hotel, the hotel elevator, the pro evening…
I succeeded in the challenge; I even had a great evening and dealt with some “wrong notes” 🥳🥳🏆! It took an insane amount of energy, but I did it and felt strong and brave afterwards… Well, in the following days, I was exhausted 😴😴😴😴! But so, I didn’t forget that I did it, I gave myself a beautiful crystal 🌙 which I put on my desk: it will remind me that I’m a champion and that I can succeed in any challenge!
My therapist encouraged and supported me in this challenge with that advice 🤓: not to try to imagine what would happen but to manage situation on the spot! It’s not easy to do, but it worked!
For the causes, there’s a trauma that triggers this disorder to “protect us.” It’s different for everyone: a divorce, a death, a pandemic…
My therapist advised me to have moments for myself, to relax, to let go, like going to the spa 🧖🏻♀️💆🏻♀️ (I’ve experienced this, and it provided me with a lot of positives!) + try to rationalize the anxieties that arise after stopping the motion of my body and brain by taking a deep breath. We all know when we’re anxious, we tend to go into a tailspin and imagine disaster scenarios worthy of the greatest apocalyptic films! Trying to regain control of your mind, which goes off in all directions, can help calming down anxiety and stress, even if it’s not easy to do!
As my therapist says, at first, it’s difficult, but it will get easier with experience! 😏
With this article, I wanted to tell you that this kind of disorder can happen at any time in our lives but with the right support ( this can involve medication for some + a good therapist), we can manage it and take on challenges that show us we are capable of achieving beautiful things despite this anxiety that pulls us down!” 🥳🥳
If you would like sharing your thoughts on this subject, don’t hesitate to message me or leave a comment!
And finally, I wish you and your children a wonderful back-to-school season 2024-2025📚 : Bon courage for this intense moment, but you’ll rock, and so will your kids! 💙🩷
1…2…3… Let’s share !!!! 😊😊😊😊
