Why Stress Reduction Is So Important For Anxiety Disorder Recovery
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- This video explains why stress reduction is so important when overcoming anxiety disorder, hyperstimulation, and their symptoms.
This video has an error with labels at approximately the 3:06 mark. The Stress System and Calm System labels should be reversed. We have updated this is the most recent version of this video.
Stuck in survival mode, that's me! I cant remember my calm self. I've had a lifetime of stress, my parasympathetic system is broken. Therapist are not trained to help you restore your system to normal homeostasis. They don't have the skills nor the tools to give us to recover. Listening to Jim made me realize they have NO clue other than sitting there listening a blinking while you talk.
That was my experience, too, back when I had therapy for anxiety disorder. That's why we looked for therapists who understood anxiety. Knowing about hyperstimulation makes a world of difference.
You are absolutely spot on there. Therapists are basically just there to listen and suggest coping strategies which don't really do much!
Bizarrely I found that when dropped all the stress and worry my symptoms went crazy! Exhaustion, light sensitivity and migraines. I then started to panic and now have hyper stimulation! It's such a minefield
That is common. We explain why in the Recovery Support area. If you are already a member, let me know, and I'll give you a link to that explanation.
Thank you. Do i need to be a member to access this?
Hi Jim,
I am recovering slowly from a life long struggle with anxiety. I am containing well and seeing some great results but I am still very sick and symptomatic, this year has been the biggest struggle for me thus far. I have developed some huge obstacles in terms of my digestion. I have over the years of my struggle developed GERD/acid reflux/functional dyspepsia and IBS and a miriad of other stomach issues. I have had all the tests to see if my problems are more sinister in nature and I have the all clear. I have recommendations to eat a certain way for IBS and a certain way for GERD/functional dyspepsia (I also feel histamine intolerance is at play and that is another whole set of foods to avoid) and if I where to follow all the guidelines for each problem there literally would be no food on my plate. I am a very healthy eater in general but I suffer constantly and don't know what foods are causing what and I am quite debilitated/overwhelmed mentally by this, I feel it is the only thing standing in my way of true recovery! If you where me how would you tackle this scenario? I know in my heart all of my digestive issues have come from my anxiety struggle but I don't know how to solve this major problem. I think even dieticians and the type will be overwhelmed by my set of problems. I mean I can't eat anything without pain of some kind or another. I will have some days that are good and it does seem to be getting better for longer stretches at a time, but it is starting to depress me and it is certainly taking away from my quality of life. I have been trying so hard to do everything needed to overcome anxiety and this is really holding me back. I was on amitriptyline for help with migraines a while back and it really helped with my stomach issues but I have forced myself to stay the course of no meds and could absolutely do recovery without them mentally, but I feel myself starting to cave and it saddens me deeply......I would take it in an instant if it wasn't a tricyclic antidepressant.....I also really didn't have many side effects on it however it was extremely difficult to get off of. Jim, I am lost. How would you approach this if it where you? I have had an endoscope of my esophagus, I have had all the blood tests for inflammatory markers for Crohn's and such, stool samples, blood tests, I'll be getting tested for small intestinal bacteria overgrowth in a couple of weeks (highly unlikely). I am lost. I am not looking for you to save me here, but your approach that you would take would really be helpful.
Thank you from all of my heart, you are a really good man to all us anxiety sufferers!❤️
You are one of God's best!!
Hi Tara. I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with digestive issues. Unfortunately, when the digestive system is disrupted by stress, including anxiety-caused stress, it can take more than stress reduction to turn things around. And sometimes stress sets off food sensitivities that also take special work to turn around.
Typically, I'd recommend connecting with Liliana Tosic (a Nutrition Science Practitioner) to help you, as she is very good at diagnosing and turning around stress-induced persistent digestive problems. She worked wonders with my wife (Marilyn) on that. In fact, Liliana was the only one who discovered why Marilyn was having persistent digestive system problems after she spent years going to doctors and specialists to no avail. Marilyn ended up having gluten sensitivities. It wasn't gluten intolerance or anything that showed up on genetic testing, but "sensitive" nonetheless.
When she adjusted her diet and gave her digestive system time to adjust, she's good now. She can even eat gluten from time to time with no issues. Only Liliana found and corrected that.
However, at this time, Liliana isn't taking clients and I'm not sure when she'll be opening up again, as she's dealing with family health issues at the moment. I suggest watching our website and when she opens up, connecting with her. It seems not many people know how to do what Liliana does. She's brilliant when it comes to digestive issues.
Also, Liliana says that sometimes after the digestive system has been upset by chronic stress, the gut flora can change and needs to be reset with a special diet, and one that is specific to the person. That can also turn things around, but it's not quick.
In the meantime, continue to work on reducing your stress and working on your anxiety issues. That's important. The last I heard from Liliana she said she was close to opening up again.
Blessings,
Jim
@@anxietycentre Thank you for the reply Jim. I willl certainly keep an eye on Liliana's availability. I will do more research and try to be as patient as possible. 😊
Happy Canada Day weekend!
@anxietycentre Hi Jim, as per our conversation above, I am focusing on recovery and healing as my #1 priority. Do you think I should hone in on histamine intolerance? Do you think it is possible for my histamine to be high because of hyperstimulation and will it go back to normal when hyperstimulation is gone? If I go by the set of symptoms it sounds like me, however they all sound like anxiety symptoms as well, it's so hard to tell when your body is all out of whack what is what. I would appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you!😊
How long is average recovery of hyperstimulation I've been on journey 20 months I say ime around small percent better with flares where feal going back or had covid it made pain worse
Around 25 percent
Please can you tell me why I don't feel like myself anymore, , I feel so fearful all the time it makes me cry, Keep thinking something is going to happen to my brain, it's in my head all the time, can't seem to calm it down, please give me some advice,
I totally understand where you are and how you are feeling. You really do have to force yourself to calm down and try to understand that it’s anxiety. You are so focused on the way you feel it takes up more space in your brain than anything else causing your brain to feel like something is wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with your brain it mainly has to do with what your focused on. Focus on God and ask for his peace. Listen to Jim’s videos they are super helpful. Everything your are dealing with is completely based on worry.
@@randynavarro6101 Thank you so much for your reply, When Living on your own you feel so frightened,
It's fear I had this many years ago though my symptoms today are anxiety pain
@@Truerealism747 Thank you so much, Is all ok now, , I have so much fear,, I'm making myself ill, and I can't seem to control it,
@@mkirwan7165 what symptoms are making you I'll for me it's the pain
So Jim my life was ok until I doctor give me a strong antibiotic that all when I get anxiety and all the symptom I still get 3 yrs later
Antibiotics can stir the body up. It could have also been the stressor that got everything going. Being worried about the reaction can also add stress, creating hyperstimulation and persistent symptoms.
@@anxietycentre thanks
Hello , I also had the same thing happen to me about seven years ago and things have never been the same. I was given cipro along with flagyl for diverticulitis and slowly but surely I started to lose my strength, my anxiety was of the the charts and I did not know just how dangerous cipro was for a human being. Anyway, I get it……there are many of us out therein the same situation and do not put the connection between anxiety, declining health and antibiotics. I hope that you will get better in the future. I pray that you are young with a long life ahead of you for healing.
@@deniselebeau9874 thank u very much same to u as well
@@deniselebeau9874 did it get better for u
Can I become a member off your support group thsnkyou
Yes, you can. Our Recovery Support area is available to anyone around the world.
Taking gabs help a bit then
Taking GABA supplements can be helpful for some people. Taking too much can cause an increase in symptoms, so it's important to stay within a healthy dosage if you find it somewhat helpful.
@@anxietycentre got to be Better than taking pharmaceuticals I will do I try them.sesms to me medical professionals need to start been taught what debilitating anxiety symptoms cause.mist have no clue terrible think I've met many if the worst most if them just want the money.
This is absolutely amazing Jim, you did so well creating this video! The video is full of great information that will surely helps us address stress and know what to do in order to reduce and control it! We need to know what affects us so we can work on it, because letting it will just make it worse! Thanks a lot for this!❤
You are more than welcome! We're glad you are finding our information helpful!
This country is going to pieces……the government fights for abortion up until the moment of birth…….how can I live in a world like we are living today. Can’t Imagine how anyone can live in this new normal. Make sense of what is going on in this lifetime. I can’t live much longer in a world where evil is prevalent in everything that we look at. How do I recover……I will have to leave m husband, he is a huge trigger….everything around me is a trigger. I lost my 91 year old mother in January and she was the only one that could talk me down… lost my biggest fan who never judged me, only loved me. Where do I go…..seriously, how can I possibly last that long. I am 69 and I have suffered since a young girl. Where do I go, how do I keep living? God help me and others in the same situation as myself. Time is precious…..😓😓😓
Things can look dim. However, there's still a lot we can do to brighten up the world. Have you thought of connecting with a therapist or a church group for support?
@@anxietycentre
I have a psychotherapist that I speak with every two weeks. She is wonderful but I need more. I need physical well being help. I need someone to get a hold of me and help me. I take lorazepam three times a day…..tried to taper with docs and ended up in hospital psych ward for weeks and worse off. I know that God will be the only one that can save me. I need you Lord…please help me.
Have you considered working with one of our recommended therapists? They understand the physical aspects of anxiety better than most people. And, there is a right time and procedure to come off a benzo med. Doing it when you aren't prepared can cause many problems, as you discovered.
I've been struggling with anxiety for 3 years now. 1st it was an initial panic attack, and then the flood gates just opened! I feel constantly in fight or flight, constant physical symptoms and panic attacks. Every day for 3 years, and I've been told by multiple doctors that I'm fine, but it's hard to believe even after all this time. Hyper stimulation is a good phrase to use for it, as I just feel constantly on edge and full of adrenaline...damn it's exhausting! Great video, but it's still hard to hear that the road to recovery is long, as it all came on so fast, it should be able to leave that fast too 😢😢
Sorry to hear you are struggling with anxiety. Yes, I think all of us wish anxiety disorder would leave quickly. :-) But, it often doesn't.
So thankful for your video’s 🙏
Thanks for letting us know!
Your amazing Jim! Your helping so many people ❤
Thank you for your very kind comment. We're glad you are finding our information helpful!
Thanks Jim, this surely helps me alot.
I think at 3:06 you have the labels the wrong way around. Your sympathetic nervous system is best known for its role in responding to dangerous or stressful situations. In these situations, your sympathetic nervous system activates to speed up your heart rate, deliver more blood to areas of your body that need more oxygen or other responses to help your get out of danger. This is not a "calm system". The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's rest and digestion response when the body is relaxed, resting, or feeding. It basically undoes the work of sympathetic division after a stressful situation. The parasympathetic nervous system decreases respiration and heart rate and increases digestion.This is not a "stress system"
Thanks for pointing that out. It appears the labels in the video are in the wrong place. We'll correct that and post the revised video within the next couple of days. Again, thank you for catching that and letting us know. It's greatly appreciated!
depersonalization has been taking over my life the past few months and its so terrifying. I just really wish it would go away. it’s so so hard to truly believe that if i stop worrying about it and get my body stress levels down it will go away.
That is a very common sentiment among people who first get depersonalization. Because it can feel so unsettling, it seems hard to believe it's just a symptom of stress...but it is. I had a lot of depersonalization during my struggle with anxiety disorder. But, it subsided when I worked on my recovery and I've not had it since. That's over 35 years ago now. We see lots of anxious people with that symptom. Depersonalization does subside when you contain worry, reduce, increase rest, and be patient.
@@anxietycentre thank you for the reply, your videos have helped me a lot. It makes sense because my depersonalization all started from my first panic attack. I’m just going to keep working on it, i really really hope to one day be fully recovered.
@@anxietycentre good morning i need your help please I'm have bad body burning I don't what to do I feel like I don't want to live anymore can u please tell me what I can use to claim the burning please 🙏
Hi! You can read more about the "burning" symptom here: www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-disorders/symptoms/burning-skin-sensation/
Jim is completely right. It’s all symptoms of anxiety. Listen all his videos they help tremendously! It really is all up to how you react and behave. It can TRULY be overcome and recover. Look to God for peace. He will give you the peace you need.
I don't know if you know of a good therapist in south florida I can't seem to locate one
Our recommended therapist in Florida is Amanda Diehl. However, she is booked up at the moment. However, you could send an appointment request to her using her "Waiting List" option. She might be able to fit you in.
Also, all our recommended therapists work with clients using the latest Internet technologies, such as Skype and Zoom, as well as via telephone. You could work with any of them that way, too. Again, uou can use the links below to arrange that:
You can find more information about therapy here:
www.anxietycentre.com/therapy/anxiety-disorder-therapy/
You can find our available therapists here:
www.anxietycentre.com/therapists/
You can find our Therapy Rates and Terms of Service here:
www.anxietycentre.com/therapy/rates-and-terms/
You can make an appointment with one of our therapists here:
www.anxietycentre.com/therapy/appointment/
The background music is so distracting... it's giving me stress. Makes it hard to listen.
Yes, I also noticed the background music is somewhat louder than it needs to be. We'll likely remix that and post one video with the remix and one without music, for those that prefer no music. Thanks for your feedback!
Hi Jim. New member here. Very impressed so far 😃. BUT, I have a dilema: I think doing too much (work) in a day caused my hyperstimulation. Now I fear that any work I do increases my stress, so I would be better off relaxing all day. But if I would do that, I would start becoming afraid of doing anything else but relaxing, making me anxious to do anything but relax... I know it sounds stupid, but I am having a hard time finding balance between relaxing and working. How do I find that balance?
We don't want to stress about stress. Some stress is good for us. We have an article in the Recovery Support area about that. As a new member, you can find it here:
www.anxietycentre.com/members/ANXIETY/Chapter-14/member-tips/dont-distress-about-stress.shtml
@@anxietycentre Thanks a lot for sharing that!
Hi Jim, I have a question that has been on my mind for a long time. The question is: How difficult is it to hyperstimulate the body by doing normal activities? I ask this, because you mention in your videos that you sometimes experience stress symptoms, when you let your stress level rise farther than you should and that you have to go into a stress reduction mode for awhile.
Could you go into more detail about that? Do you stress your body willingly (by that I mean, do you know that you are going over your limits, but you choose to do it anyway)?
Right now, even doing normal things will make my symptoms a lot worse (drinking coffee, alcohol, working out, riding a mountain bike, working more than a few hours every day, watching a stimulating movie). After I stabilize, will I be able to do these things in moderation without hyperstimulating my body again? In moderation I mean having a few cups of coffee in the morning, working out/riding my bike for 1-2 hours a few times a week, working normally (8 hours a day) and having a glass of wine or beer with dinner, while doing my deep relaxation and having a good sleep schedule.
I am in my early 20s and when I see what my friends are doing (working out a lot, going to parties and concerts, getting drunk, working long hours, playing stimulating games and watching stimulating movies) without hyperstimulating their bodies it makes me sad and I envy them, because if I lived like them even for 1 day, I would have to go into stress reduction for weeks...
Thank you for reading my long message and have a great day!
Once hyperstimulation has been eliminated, you should be able to return to normal activities. However, if you are an anxious person, your body will experience more stress than others, causing normal activities to have more impact. If you want to return to normal activities without stress being a factor, you should address your anxious behavior. Removing anxious behavior from the mix will allow your body to experience normal stress, and therefore, function normally. As long as anxious behavior is a factor, you may be more sensitive to stress, including stress from normal activities.
@@anxietycentre thanks so much for replying Jim, you just made my day! It’s easy to get discouraged when suffering from anxiety disorder, but your site and videos always lift up my spirits :)
Its really hard for me to do stress reduction exercises because they all trigger my anxiety. Breathing exercises, meditation and all of it just triggers symptoms and even if i do nothing, depersonalisation is a constant symptom and is always present sometimes its not as bad but sometimes its so intense that i feel like nothing is even real or that im not real or something.
The only thing that somewhat helps is just ignoring it all, passive acceptance but even then, symptoms pop up CONSTANTLY and i just keep getting reminded that I have these issues and its at a point where at least depersonalisation is so constant that i dont even remember what its like to not have it. Its just really hard to recover from something that is unaffected by every method and is always there no matter what i do.
I have a question to, is it possible for anxiety to get worse before it gets better? For the past two weeks I have felt like anxiety has been declining slowly (except depersonalisation) but the past 3 days it seems that at least my depersonalisation has gotten MUCH worse and it literally was triggered by nothing so i was wondering if this is something anxiety does before it starts fading away more?
Hyperstimulation can cause erratic swings in symptom intensity where sometimes they can decrease and then increase at other times seemingly for no reason. We explain why in the "Hyperstimulation And Its Effects" section in chapter 14 in the Recovery Support area, if you are a member. Erratic changes in symptoms is a common characteristic of hyperstimulation.
It's also common to have symptoms when you are trying to de-stress. But because those symptoms are caused by chronic stress (hyperstimulation), the only way to get rid of them is to de-stress despite the rise in symptoms when you do. I had to work through that myself in the early stages of recovery. If you persevere, it gets way better and easier as the body starts to recover. The increase in symptoms when de-stressing subsides in time.
@@anxietycentre thank you so much, that was my main concern, that because the stress reduction stuff didnt help much that maybe this anxiety is unfixable or something else, i sort of toyed with the idea of just pushing through the techniques regardless of symptoms and from your comment I know that I was on the right train of thought.
Thank you Jim
You are very welcome!
Thankyou Jim, for this amazing info🙏💓
You are most welcome. Glad you are finding our information helpful!
Hey Jim my cortisol test was normal could I still be hyper stimulated??? I'm very stressed
Hyperstimulation can affect the body in many ways, including cortisol that's high but in the normal range, normal, and even low in the normal range. If you are a Recovery Support member, you can read more about the many ways hyperstimulation can affect the body in the "Hyperstimulation And Its Effects" section in chapter 14.
Hey Jim I’ve been watching your videos since long and they have really helped me coping up with my anxiety. Just one question over here , I often have episodes of Sleep Paralysis. Can it be just another Anxiety Symptom?
Hi Ankush! Thanks for letting us know you are finding our videos helpful. That's great! While anxiety doesn't cause sleep paralysis, it can make us more aware of it. You can read more about that here: www.anxietycentre.com/faq/can-anxiety-cause-sleep-paralysis/
Is this mean the return of normal pre anxiety state, or we stay fragile (never be the same) of having small future stressors can spike the sympthoms all up? And why calm state can't go all up like stress state can?
If you work on both levels of recovery, you should be able to return to normal, non-hyperstimulated health and stay that way. You can learn more about the Two Levels of Recovery here:
www.anxietycentre.com/articles/anxiety-disorder-recovery/
@@anxietycentre Thank you very much!
Jim if everything triggers you then how do you calm the symptoms down enough for your body to heal..
Hi Janice. This is where Level Two recovery work helps to reduce and eliminate many of the things that trigger us...so that we aren't constantly stressing the body. Have you considered working with a therapist to help you with Level Two recovery?
@@anxietycentre in working with Stacey. I've had like 4 sessions.. I went on a small vacation to the beach and my symptoms were very low.. Except the ferry ride on the last day.. But coming home I've had a set back.. And it's been two weeks.. Im sure it has something to do with coming back to responsibilities with my mom and still unpacking from the move.. But now I feel so stuck.. Is this normal? The fear and doubt try to creep in that I will never get well when before trip I felt confident.. Thank you for your help.. Can't wait till next Skype..
Hi Janice. Great to hear you are working with Stacey. You are in good hands! Yes, watch the Recovery Support home page for information on the next SKYPE Live session. I suspect it will occur within the next 4 - 5 weeks. As you continue to work with Stacey, you'll see a lot of pieces come together that will help with your recovery. But as you know, recovery takes time so patience it important. But you will get there!
How i wieh there is no back ground music,
Thanks for your comments. When we polled our subscribers, more preferred videos with music than those who preferred no music. So we do a mix. Some with and some without. We'll do our next one without music.
May I ask you something one more time? ..I have been recovering with a lot of help from your material..I have more energy and took up more activities..and dizziness lessened.. I am agin however severely alarmed by two bouts of intense vertigo spaced a month apart..please help me..does this mean I have taken up stressful responsibility too early..thank you
I am feeling agonized by this setback
Likely it was the increased stress that caused the return of symptoms. In this case, you may have taken on too much without sufficient rest to offset that stress. It can also be caused by unidentified and unaddressed underlying factors. Those are the two most likely causes if your symptoms have subsided for long periods at a time.
Ok thanks a lot..I had forgotten about it thinking that it's my recovery ..and during recovery dizziness can worsen..so I did not worry
Hello and thank you so much for your videos! I have this question! I am in the face of recovering from hyperstimulation. I had anxiety symptoms months ago. I’m doing pretty well but still wake up with trembling and have some spasm in the left leg. My recovery includes breed technique reducing of stress and cold showers. So my question is what do you think about this heavy breeding technique from Wim Hof and cold shower? What about the gym and muscle training? I feel sometimes this stressed my body and don’t allow me to recover me from the hyperstimulation! Thanks so much
Regards from Germany
Hi Denis! We have answers to all three questions in the Recovery Support area of our website. The short answers are we don't recommend any of those when in recovery. We explain why in those articles. While some people might find them helpful, there are reasons why those techniques can stall and even reverse recovery for other people.
@@anxietycentre Thank you so much for your kind answer! My symptoms started last year when I had a lot of work in my company. I also had some troubles in the family. I had a few very strong panic attacks and I was very worried about my health in the next months. By that time I thought I have all the illnesses in the world. I was not sure what happened to me. In the same time my D3 and B12 were very low. I also had troubles in the family. In the summer 2021 I felt myself much better after a nice vacation in Greece. Just a few days after I coming back in Germany in a terrible accident I lost my best friends on the next day after I have see him and spending great time with him and his girlfriend. I’m 41 and this was maybe the biggest shock I have ever had. And of course after that everything starts over. And I believe that the supplements and the easy breathing techniques reducing my stress helped me. Now I feel pretty calm I drink fresh water and keep eating clean food. I stoped reading all these millions of articles in Internet about different diseases and everything like this. I walk to my work every day about 3 miles. I tried many breathing techniques but I still keep thinking that this powerful breathing techniques from Wim Hof doesn’t help me and also the cold showers. I started to do yoga but then I get this spasm in the left leg. Sometimes it hurts when I walk and overall have this very weird feeling. To be honest this don’t bother me so much. The only thing i have is this inside like electric trembling in the chest and head when I wake up in the morning. After few minutes it goes away. I’m really curious what this is?
I'm sorry to hear you've been through so much recently. All that stress can certainly cause the symptoms you described...including the trembling in the morning. Many stressed people notice an increase in symptoms first thing in the morning. We explain why in the Recovery Support area. Simply reducing stress, increasing rest, not worrying about your symptoms, and giving your body time will allow your body's hyperstimulation to subside. As it does, all your symptoms will, too, including the trembling. Trembling is a super common indication of elevated stress.
@@anxietycentre Thank you so much! You gave me hope! 🤝🙏🏻
Hi Jim, I had a wonderful little three day stretch with little thinking or focus on symptoms or occurrence of them and I noticed that I got worried about not feeling anxious almost like I deserve to feel miserable. It seems like my body really doesn't like when I start to smile or laugh and I feel the anxiety come back. It's been 13 or more years of this and I don't want to waste any more of my life living in fear.
What are your symptoms
Hi Jim, can deep diaphragmatic breathing exercises help with muscle twitches / hyperstimulation or does it do more harm than good?
We don't recommend deep breathing as it can trigger hyperventilation and panic attacks. However, controlled diaphragmatic breathing can be very helpful, as it can activate the body's natural tranquilizing effect. If you are member of our Recovery Support area, you can find an explanation of how to do it in chapter 4.
@@anxietycentre thank you for getting back to me, what about progressive muscle relaxation ? I feel I have contained as much as possible but it continues to wax and wane including feelings of nerve pain particularly in the side of my head and feel I’m stuck in a never ending cycle of symptoms, are there any other techniques you would recommend for these host of symptoms.
Thank you
Any kind of regular deep relaxation can reverse hyperstimulation and its symptoms. So yes, progressive muscle relaxation can be helpful.
@@anxietycentre Thankyou so much for the useful information, much appreciated.