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Authors: Emma Fletcher
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is no need to be daunted. Remember to start small with each task and remember to be patient – it will take time for the changes to have an effect.
Summary of tasks so far
By now you should feel able to:
• keep an Anxiety diary
• score your Anxiety
• set goals
• do the simple breathing exercise.
By now you should have in place the following:
• relaxation every day
• exercise regularly, aiming for three times a week building to 20 minutes
• changes to diet where needed
• changes in caffeine consumption if needed
• changes to alcohol, nicotine and other drug consumption if needed
• a programme for better sleep if needed
• a programme to give more time for self if needed
• a programme for more challenges if needed.
Don’t worry if you haven’t managed all of these, because it does take time. The important thing is that you now understand what you need to do, and you have learnt not to be intimidated by the size of the task, because you know that small steps are best.
Dealing with difficult tasks
You may be finding any one of these tasks particularly difficult. If that is the case, take it more slowly and be prepared to work harder on it. It’s quite likely that the task you find hardest is the one you most need to do, and the one that will bring you the most benefit when you succeed. It’s also possible that one or more of the tasks is difficult because it relates to your particular Anxiety. For instance:
Relaxation: you may be afraid of letting go.
Exercise: you may be afraid of fainting, or damaging your heart.
Food: you may be afraid of being sick or choking, or you may have an obsession with food hygiene.
Sleep: again you may be afraid of letting go, or you may be afraid of being more active.
More challenges: you may be afraid of taking on too much.
If you have this extra level of difficulty, then you will need to use the Anxiety-challenging skills that we will explore in the following chapters to enable you to complete your lifestyle changes.
It’s important to understand the difference between a reluctance to make changes and an Anxiety-driven difficulty. For instance, if you feel that you can’t make time for a recovery programme because your OCD is so time consuming, then your challenge is to find the time – even five minutes a day will help. However if your OCD is actually focused around one of the tasks then you will need to work on it as part of your main recovery programme rather than your lifestyle changes programme.
Use this space to write down your goals in each of the lifestyle areas.
RELAXATION
EXERCISE
DIET
CAFFEINE
ALCOHOL
NICOTINE
DRUGS
SLEEP
TIME FOR SELF
GROUP MEMBERS TALK ABOUT TAKING SMALL STEPS
‘I get frustrated by the limitations imposed by my anxiety, but I’m learning to accept them. With tranquilliser withdrawal you have to let your body heal itself.’
A NDREA
‘… even a thousand miles journey starts with just one small step.’
J ULIE
‘I had already mentally prepared myself by looking upon it as a set of stepping stones across a rapid moving stream, take it one step at a time, don’t worry too much about the next step until you have successfully made a strong foothold on the one before it.’
N ORMAN
17
Taking the Next Step
Making changes to your lifestyle is only the beginning of your recovery from Anxiety – for some people there will be a huge impact on their Anxiety, although for others there will be very little difference. The only way to find out is to try – and in any case you will benefit from having a healthier lifestyle.
In this section we are going to move on to the next stage of constructing your recovery programme. Keep working on the lifestyle changes as you read through the next few chapters. Start by answering these questions.
1. Do you feel tense or worried all or most of the time? YES/NO
2. Do you have panic attacks? YES/NO
3. Are you afraid to go far from home? Or travel on public
Summary of tasks so far
By now you should feel able to:
• keep an Anxiety diary
• score your Anxiety
• set goals
• do the simple breathing exercise.
By now you should have in place the following:
• relaxation every day
• exercise regularly, aiming for three times a week building to 20 minutes
• changes to diet where needed
• changes in caffeine consumption if needed
• changes to alcohol, nicotine and other drug consumption if needed
• a programme for better sleep if needed
• a programme to give more time for self if needed
• a programme for more challenges if needed.
Don’t worry if you haven’t managed all of these, because it does take time. The important thing is that you now understand what you need to do, and you have learnt not to be intimidated by the size of the task, because you know that small steps are best.
Dealing with difficult tasks
You may be finding any one of these tasks particularly difficult. If that is the case, take it more slowly and be prepared to work harder on it. It’s quite likely that the task you find hardest is the one you most need to do, and the one that will bring you the most benefit when you succeed. It’s also possible that one or more of the tasks is difficult because it relates to your particular Anxiety. For instance:
Relaxation: you may be afraid of letting go.
Exercise: you may be afraid of fainting, or damaging your heart.
Food: you may be afraid of being sick or choking, or you may have an obsession with food hygiene.
Sleep: again you may be afraid of letting go, or you may be afraid of being more active.
More challenges: you may be afraid of taking on too much.
If you have this extra level of difficulty, then you will need to use the Anxiety-challenging skills that we will explore in the following chapters to enable you to complete your lifestyle changes.
It’s important to understand the difference between a reluctance to make changes and an Anxiety-driven difficulty. For instance, if you feel that you can’t make time for a recovery programme because your OCD is so time consuming, then your challenge is to find the time – even five minutes a day will help. However if your OCD is actually focused around one of the tasks then you will need to work on it as part of your main recovery programme rather than your lifestyle changes programme.
Use this space to write down your goals in each of the lifestyle areas.
RELAXATION
EXERCISE
DIET
CAFFEINE
ALCOHOL
NICOTINE
DRUGS
SLEEP
TIME FOR SELF
GROUP MEMBERS TALK ABOUT TAKING SMALL STEPS
‘I get frustrated by the limitations imposed by my anxiety, but I’m learning to accept them. With tranquilliser withdrawal you have to let your body heal itself.’
A NDREA
‘… even a thousand miles journey starts with just one small step.’
J ULIE
‘I had already mentally prepared myself by looking upon it as a set of stepping stones across a rapid moving stream, take it one step at a time, don’t worry too much about the next step until you have successfully made a strong foothold on the one before it.’
N ORMAN
17
Taking the Next Step
Making changes to your lifestyle is only the beginning of your recovery from Anxiety – for some people there will be a huge impact on their Anxiety, although for others there will be very little difference. The only way to find out is to try – and in any case you will benefit from having a healthier lifestyle.
In this section we are going to move on to the next stage of constructing your recovery programme. Keep working on the lifestyle changes as you read through the next few chapters. Start by answering these questions.
1. Do you feel tense or worried all or most of the time? YES/NO
2. Do you have panic attacks? YES/NO
3. Are you afraid to go far from home? Or travel on public
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