On a better path but still have waves of fear!

Both my primary care and therapist seems to be helping a lot. This week I feel I'm a step closer to the root of my health anxiety and have been very successful in following my routines and resisting the urge to self diagnose, but I instead meditate, excercise and keep myself busy as a way of coping with the lessening but continuous anxiety.

The toughest thing I'm facing is momentary and sudden waves of fear. Has anyone had this experience as the get closer to resolutions (psychological and or medical)? I feel like those are what was compelling me to start jumping online to self diagnose....Or it could also be fear of understanding my root problems.

Instead I just thought I would post the question instead :)

Thanks for any info, I am getting closer and I am FINALLY GETTING calm!

Akira,

I agree...

...in order to move forward, we often have to face our fears before moving past them.

The good news is that this is an important part of recovery...so feel confident that you are making progress!

Use your coping skills, and keep posting for support to get you through this stage...we are here for you. :)

S.C.

Thumbs up. I sometimes do get a wave of fear that comes out of the blue, without any kind of trigger I can identify. I think it's just part of the process. Mine is short lived - just a second or two. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Glad to hear you're feeling better.

Those waves of fear are common. I think perhaps because we keep them bottled up and don't face them until they break through...once that happens they keep breaking through until we repeatedly face them and our minds process the fear which can take a while.

I've been there and even now some lower level fears / anxiety / mild panic attacks still occur, but they are much less intense and much shorter in duration. My mind seems to have learned what's a real threat and what's just a mind game.

It's really good what you're doing I think:
1. acknowledging the fear;
2. grabbing onto the progress you're making, even if it's small.

Hold on to those moments of happiness / hope, even if they are fleeting right now. You will build on them and you'll start to feel happy at random times just like you feel fear at random times. It's like training for your brain...practice makes perfect!

I read a book called "Hardwiring Happiness" that talks about this. Our minds naturally are geared to focus on the negative (to stay alive from an evolutionary perspective) and dismiss the good or joyful times. Consciously focus on those good times every single time they come up and your mind will start to latch on to them naturally and way more often!

Hang in there! :)