# doesn't this ever get easier?



## crosseyedkitty77 (Mar 20, 2003)

i've never posted on this bb before but ... well, here i am. i was diagnosed with ibs four years ago and it's better now but the anxiety won't go away. it's there everyday everywhere. how do i keep going when i feel like i just can't try anymore? i've been telling myself that it will get better but i look back at the last six years and it just seems like it keeps getting worse. how do i keep getting up in the morning when all of the everyday life stuff scares the #### out of me? i'm married but i feel so alone. i know he wants to help but the things he does makes me feel worse. and i don't know how to tell him how he could help any other way than i already have. the last week has been really hard because i have felt like it was getting better, like longterm this time, but now i feel like there is nothing in my life that isn't stressful. i feel so fragile and i hate it! does it really ever get easier?


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## Guest (Apr 12, 2003)

Hey kitty,I have been dealing with this for around 20 years now and I can tell you that it is hard. People who do not have it tend not to understand, but some can be very helpful.I know that for me it is cyclical. Sometimes it can be very bad and very trying and other times it is just inconvenient. You just have to keep at it.I found that hypnosis did a great job of helping to alleviate my stress and anxiety. It is not a complete cure, but it made it quite manageable.


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2003)

Hi Kitty,Agree with Jack on the hypno. It's worked wonders for me as well. Also wonder if you think it might help if you were to ask your doctor to refer you for an anxiety eval to see if there is anything more that can be done to help you?In addition to the hypno, talk therapy can also really help. Something else that I've found that helps me is to focus on things about which I am passionate that draw on my creativity. Just know that you're not alone.Hope things get better for you, Evie


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2003)

Sure..it gets better and worse and better, etc. Anxiety for many people is somewhat cyclical though often exacerbated by stress or unresolved situational tension. I found that working through my stressors works best...its hard...but works. I find that by confronting my fears directly that in most cases, my conjured up fears and anxiety are much greater than the reality. This is sometimes referred to as aversion therapy. I also find that nipping anxiety at its start is very wise...stay busy, stay active and stay positive.


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## siennamover57 (Apr 23, 2002)

Hi,You didn't mention if you are seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist. I have found that since I was diagnosed with IBS( they are still looking for other things) I started seeing a shrink and have also been diagnosed with anxiety disorder, and bi polar.For me, IBS is so closely tied to my mental illnesses, I feel like I have two problems that feed off each other. Since I was just diagnosed as bi polar I am having a really hard time dealing with it and my IBS seems to be getting worse. I have even been having accidents at home which makes me more of a recluse than ever. I take it minute by minute.Hang in there and try and enjoy the good days.siennamover


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## zayaka26 (Jul 5, 2001)

Hi. It gets better, hold on. I agree hypnosis is a great way of helping anxiety symptoms, plus it is very pleasant to do as well. In my particular case, hypno along with meds have done a difference in my life. Now I feel normal.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2003)

That sure sounds like good therapy, Willie. Good for you !!







I've been doing the same thing but I didn't know that it had a name...







Thank you for sharing,







Evie


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## crosseyedkitty77 (Mar 20, 2003)

thank you to everyone for replying. it's nice to know there are people listening and that i'm not alone  sienna, i have been in therapy for about six years off and on and it has helped. i haven't been in a while but i'm thinking it's about that time again. evie, since my therapist is a psychologist she can't give me any meds. would she need to refer me somewhere for an anxiety eval or my regular doc? also, thanks for the advice about keeping busy with things i am passionate about. it's helped! it's so easy to just adopt an outlook of apathy about everything. but when i force myself to do things i can't help but like i always feel better, at least for a little while. i've never tried hypno--how can i find out about it?willie, WOW! that sounds like scary stuff! i try to do that whenever i can but it's really scary though







good job!jack, this is definitely cyclical for me too. that's part of why it's so hard. i feel like i'm doing so much better and then i crash. i just get tired of getting my hopes up again and again and then nothing seems to change. but it's better than giving up, right?today is not blind panic day (thank god!), it's just yucky-shaky-i-don't-feel-right-in-my-own-skin day. i think i can handle that for now. i'm going to go to the doc soon and do something to help myself. but for now i think doing the dishes will make me feel better so that's where i'm headed!







thanks again!kitty


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## Guest (Apr 15, 2003)

If your regular therapist is a psychologist, she has already done a behavioral health eval.Your regular doc could prescribe meds for you, but it may be that a psychiatrist (basically a psychopharmacist) might be the ticket. Check with your current psychologist and your regular doc. I think some psychologists might be able to prescribe meds? It depends on their degree.Good luck & best wishes,







Evie


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## JudiAnita (Apr 16, 2003)

I too suffer from anxiety. I have since a child. Fortunately for me, after visiting a psychiatrist, and having a thorough evaluation I was put on Klonopin. It has been wonderful for me. I also have cyclothymia disorder (a lesser degree of manic-depression). I take Zoloft for depression (predominant) and Trileptal to even out the highs.My lows can become so low, I have total inertia, and when that is combined with an IBS flare-up, I basically remain in bed. Fortunately, my kids are grown, and my husband is very understanding and helpful.There is help. Seeing a qualified, Christian psychiatrist was the best thing I've ever done.Don't ever give up.JudiAnita


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