Learning to Cope with Anxiety

How I Learned to Cope with My Anxiety…

The 2nd part of my lovely client Chloe’s story. (If you missed part one, it’s here).

If you have ever struggled with chronic anxiety you will know how hard it is to ask for help. Maybe you have tried before and it didn’t go as well as you had hoped, or maybe you don’t want to feel like you are being a burden.

I know how it feels to be completely hopeless , and how demoralising it is to keep getting knocked down again and again. At one point in my life I genuinely believed that I would never feel better and that nothing could ever be done to help me.

Isolation

At the beginning of 2018 I lost all of my friends when I stopped drinking alcohol. I became extremely isolated and depressed and it started to seep into every other area of my life . I couldn’t hold down a job , my relationship was suffering and I even started to feel awkward around my own family .

As a result I isolated myself even more . At my worst I would go for days at a time without leaving the house or talking to anyone other than my partner . I had tried to talk to him and my family about the way that I was feeling but I could sense that they didn’t really understand and that made me feel that I could never be “fixed”. I thought that nothing I could do would ever help and I often wished that when I went to sleep I would never wake up…

Seeking Help

This mental battle continued for 18 months , until I was introduced to Donna.

Donna and I worked together over the following months and she was exactly the person I needed to help me get better. She taught me lots of useful coping techniques and we explored some of the issues that were causing the anxiety.

But aside from the practical help Donna gave me , the most important thing was that she listened . Truly listened . Not once did she undermine my feelings or try to sweep them under the carpet. There was never any “ don’t worry it will get better” or “ things could be worse” . She just listened . I felt so validated and understood for the first time in my life and that in itself was so healing.

Journey to controlling my anxiety

The more I saw Donna the more my confidence improved . Using the techniques and advice given I was able to get back to the gym , start a new job and join fitness classes to be around others again . My relationship with my partner has improved so much since then and I can now visit my family again without feeling unwanted . I’m no longer paralysed with fear when I try to leave the house and I finally feel like I’m living a normal life .

The anxiety isn’t completely gone but the difference is that I now know that I’m in full control . I no longer expect that everything should be perfect 24/7 and know that anxious spells won’t last forever . I also realise that although my friends and family may try their best to help , they’re not always equipped with the skills to do so and I shouldn’t take that as a sign that they don’t care.

Sometimes it takes a professional who is qualified to help . If you have already tried therapy with little success I would encourage you to try again . I had seen about 4 different therapists over the years but I didn’t click with any of them as well as I did with Donna .

Coming out the other side of this I’m so grateful that I sought help . I could never have done this on my own.

Chloe

If you would like some support from me, like Chloe, please contact me through A New Chapter Life Coaching Facebook page or tel 07751959216