# Bringing anxiety down with rationality?



## evawes1 (Nov 24, 2008)

I've never had real anxiety or depression type symptoms before in my life. I've always been pretty happy with my health, and always felt I'd be alright when I was sick or little symptoms showed up. However with my recently diagnosed IBS I've had rising levels of anxiety. Well the anxiety started there before I went to the doctors when I was self-diagnosing myself with the worst outcomes, but it has only mildly reduced since my GP gave me an IBS diagnosis.I'm trying to relieve my anxiety through rationality. Rationally explaining my symptoms and dealing with it. Does anyone who is dealing with anxiety or depression find that this works? Am I going down the wrong path? Rationality always seems to lead to reading stuff, and it doen't always work cause it stays in my mind.I kind've just want to 'accept it', and not think about it. But whenever symptoms flare up the worst (eg, more intense bloating, or diarrhea), I always get more anxious and annoyed. Do people find it better just to stop thinking about it rationally and just accept it? Accept I'm ok and try and move on? I have these period of great calm, and I feel like I've done it, but it always goes away with symptoms.


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## Guest (Dec 3, 2008)

Oh hun - if I knew the answer to that I'd be a rich woman, living in Vancouver.I feel for you so much and I don't know - I suppose I've come to terms with the fact that naturally I am a chronic hypochondriac (not that I'm suggesting you are), over-anxious about symptoms and will always be - however, now that my underlying depression has been properly addressed - I'm much better and more accepting about most physical "wrinkles". I suppose a suicide attempt and 6 weeks in a fairly gruesome psychiatric unit makes you look at the world with slightly different eyes.As I've said elsewhere - I don't see how reading sensationalist sites or even sane ones on the internet helps anyone. If you want to read and get informed - I'd say here is probably a much more helpful and constructive place to start.If you have been through all the tests (I'm sorry - part ignore another post I've sent you higher up the boards!!!) - then you MUST have faith that IBS is the right diagnosis and work from there - it is a chronic condition so I suppose what you are looking at is the management of that condition and there are heaps of things you can try with abit of time and research.Good luck - you know where we all are "virtually" anyway.Sue


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## Cherrie (Sep 1, 2006)

Hi EvawesI just saw this thread -- you've brought up a very good question. It looks like you are a very rational person and would like to deal with IBS-related anxiety this way. You are NOT alone in this technique and you don't have to stumble in the dark -- there's Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, in which the therapist helps the patient to both identify the situations that lead to the anxiety and articulate a way of rational thinking that eases the anxiety. We have a forum here for this "rational way" (CBT) together with the "subconscious-level" hypnotherapy: http://www.ibsgroup.org/forums/index.php?showforum=9. Note that CBT and HT typically cannot be done together, as CBT brings the rational thinking to a conscious level and articulate such thoughts, whereas HT works on the subconscious and tries to make one stop thinking about it. Hope you find the one that helps you the most. Keep us updated!CherrieP.S. -- Dr. Bolen wrote a book (sorry I can't remember the title at the moment) on how to do the CBT way (Jeff and Dr. Bolen's book also has a part that's devoted to this); and Mike's IBS100 CD is the hypnotherapy one.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Some of the techniques used in CBT to focus on replacing irrational thoughts that make symptoms worse with more factual based thoughts that tend to calm things down.It isn't always easy, and it may take working with a trained therapist to find a way that you can do this effectively. Some people need both medication and training to get to where they can do it effectively. The medication keeps things under enough control you can actually practice the techniques and get them to work for you.If you check the Books link there are some CBT books that focus on IBS that may be helpful. Why reinvent the wheel when someone else already did that.


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