Great idea Timbo , I find that the days I DON'T push myself to keep going, I suffer more from anxiety .
My worst times are usually around late afternoon , early evening .
I had a dreadful day yesterday, so today I made sure I had a full day organized & here it is 7.30pm & I've had dinner , had my shower & watching tv.
I made it through another day , I rode the waves through the rough & made it into calm waters .
My zaps are almost non existent now & the ravenous appetite has eased , so have the headaches.
I'm still having problems with my balance & fuzzy head, short term memory is still bad as is my concentration. My bloating still remains my biggest discomfort, as far as physical feelings are concerned.
I'm still very emotional & have very little energy but I'm praying that I might be coming out the other side of this journey . I won't get my hopes up because I do realize that I will most likely have relapses , so I will be prepared .
In the meantime I will take any good moment / day I can get.
Thinking of everyone 24/7 from here down under ... Stay strong guys & gals.
Xx
Yes! That's exactly it! I hadn't thought about it until you wrote that. When I don't push myself to keep going, the guilt starts to build...then the anxiety. I have alway had a general anxiety, but (when I am NOT taking anything) I have learned my coping strategies. Since taking this drug, however, it seems that I have learned even more about myself.
I enjoy working out and keeping up with statistics (body fat lost, muscle mass gained, etc). Information (data) is how I am motivated, and I am very competitive with myself. I think..."if I lost 1 pound of body fat this week by burning ___ calories, I bet I can come up with a way to burn an extra 100 calories/day by doing something else (ie jumping rope). Just as anyone knows, you have to push your body a little beyond what you WANT in order to bring change.
That is the same approach I am starting to take with this withdrawal process. I know that my body is resisting change - when I don't FEEL good, I want to just sit or lay down or fall into some easy distraction. Now that I know that about myself, I am putting processes into place to push myself (and my brain) beyond what it wants. I think (for lack of a better term) this drug has "brainwashed" us. The more we allow it to control us, the more we are prisoners to the effects. Dropping beads is just part of the solution. There is also the need to "exercise" new habits. For me, making a daily schedule of priorities/tasks is one way of doing that. Another, is scheduling physical activity. Another is getting up and getting out of the house - even when everything in my body is saying "don't move - you might get sick out there." I am learning to differentiate between the truths my head is telling me and the lies.
Also, I have built in times to allow myself to rest and be a "zombie." But those times are the reward AFTER I have done the things that need to be done. And, as you said Wagtail, that affects my anxiety level. When I finish the day with all of the tasks checked off - even when I didn't feel so well, there is a sense of accomplishment and peace. The next day seems to have much less anxiety in it, because I'm not continually trying to catch up.
Thank you for the post! It helped me put things into perspective. :-)
I'm sorry to hear you are still having the bloating and discomfort. It sounds as if you have done an amazing job of figuring out how to manage through all of this, though. Did you have your appointment with your doctor regarding the bloating. Forgive me if you already posted that somewhere. I haven't been on here as much lately.
