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Thanks Sand for your insight. I completely agree with so many of your points and have been wondering how on earth positive thinking (alone) can make someone accomplish or overcome certain things. I kept thinking that it was just me...I could never REALLY, truly, and sincerely follow the secret b/c if it's supposedly works as they say, I am too cautious (I like to say that rather than pessimistic  ) to "believe." Like the parking spot example....really, every time?
On the other hand, I do think that there are valuable messages presented in the book, as in many other books out there of a similar genre that I cannot claim to have read. Thus far I have found myself to be a better mother and wife after reading some of it because even though before I always tried to keep perspective on the little complaints in life, something about the "being grateful" chapters made something click for me. It is so easy to get caught up in the small things that shouldn't even matter when you have so much more to be thankful for. I find myself living more for each day, and thankfully with my IBS more under control, I really want to LIVE. For me, these last 6 months have been such a growth...as I mentioned in another post...it's the conglomerate (sp?) of all I've been doing I think (the hypno, the diet, acacia, yoga, reading, anxiety meds.). I always like to listen to other people's perspectives on things and just take them in. Other posters on this thread...thanks for your insight too.
Two other messages have impacted my growth also over these past months. They are food for thought for anyone else out there who is struggling:
1- I read an article about a particular author (can't remember the name) who described a situation where a person was driving to work/a meeting (something quite important) and was in that usual harried state of mind that commuters get in when the car in front of her suddenly stopped. It upset her b/c she couldn't believe this person was not moving, holding up traffic and she had to be somewhere!! So the driver of that vehicle got out of her car and was fiddling around her back seat for awhile. How could she do this right now? Doesn't she know people have places to go? People to see? Anyhow, turns out that the driver's baby was choking in the back seat of the car in her car seat and the mother had stopped and gotten out to help her. (Sorry if I have done the author any injustice in my retelling) Point being: the second driver was quick to complain and make a judgement when she didn't even know the circumstances. From that point on, she decided she would use the acronym BIBS (Baby in the Back Seat) whenever she encountered someone who was rude, etc. We never know what other people have going on behind closed doors and now I stop and think, "I wonder what that person is going through" instead of cursing them out. I'm not perfect at it, but if we all thought this way more often, the world be a little friendlier place. I take a deep breath and think, "BIBS", whenever I'm about to lose my cool. Not directly IBS related, but who knows...maybe that rude person has just had an attack or is stressed about something???
2- Whether you're a Drew Barrimore fan or not, I think what she said on the TODAY show about a month ago is worth remembering. She was explaining why she had run naked in a field in Ireland (or something wild like that) and she said, "I don't want each year of my life to be a carbon copy of the last." BINGO! I stopped right there and thought about how my IBS is holding me back from really doing the things I want to do in life before I die. I realized that although each year has been mildly different, each day often seems to be a carbon copy of the last for me. I vowed right then and there to do something exciting and new/more adventuresome with my children DAILY...even if it just means reading our evening stories under a blanket tent instead of sitting on the bed. I'm not necessarily running through a field naked, but it's a start.
Well...I've gone on a tangent, but I am so excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and I suppose that is the main message of the Secret and all those other books out there. As for the impact of the message boards, it is true that reading a bunch of posts about difficulties may not be as uplifting as reading the success stories. Lucky for me the latter has weighed more heavily and the genuine concern of everyone here keeps me plugging along.
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Originally IBS-D for a million years!
Then IBS-A, Now a transformed slightly C
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I just pulled up your e-mail on panic attacks and while I feel very badly for all those who have these things, it's a bit of comfort to know that I'm not alone. I've had panic attacks which have turned into anxiety disorder/panic disorder for over ten years. Xanax has been my drug of choice 2-3 mg. a day divided every four hours. However, an MD on television this morning was just saying that Lexipro is now the drug of choice for panic attacks so I'm going to talk to my MD. Sometimes my head feels like pac man and I get up in the AM with a huge panic attack. I hate them and they did go away for a few years but they're back. I also know what you mean about agoraphobia. I have to know where all the washrooms are before I venture out. You're not alone if that's any consolation. Keep in touch.
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I have taken xanax for over 10 years and have never went over a MG a day
the pharmacist said its because i don't take a steady dose every day some days I need 2 .25mg and some days 3 and once in a while 4 usually around period time
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Gretchen
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Everyone is different and I have never taken an ssri to treat my panic attacks and agoraphobia. The Valium though goes a long way to putting the brakes on quickly when I feel in a panicky situation that could lead into a full blown attack. The ssri's take awhile to get into your system, sometimes weeks and even then you don't know if the dose you are taking is enough to keep you stable.
And btw, Xanax and Valium are the same chemically except Xanax gets through your system in a few hours whereas Valium is in anywhere from 8 hours or even longer. I prefer the longer even balance of Valium during the panic times as opposed to the in/out of Xanax which leaves you high and dry and vulnerable. I am talking only about taking it for those intense times that you know will lead to an attack. The idea is to ward one off beforehand when possible.
But if you think an ssri will work for you, then by all means give it a try...best wishes, Virag
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I think it's great that you're excited about the possibilities of your life and I agree - that's what books like "The Secret" can ideally do for us. And I also agree that when you get right down to it, I've hit the jackpot in the great lottery of life.
I love your BIBS story - and the philosophy it leads to. Plus it seems to me that this is a prefect example of situations we can't control - but we can control our attitude toward them so our life is better and so are the lives of others around us. The Drew Barrymore story - also great - seems like the exact opposite: there are things in our life we can control so why not make them what we want them to be? (I have to admit, though, that reading bedtime stories under a blanket tent sounds more appealing to me than running naked through a field. What about bugs? What if I step on a stone? What about grass burns on my butt?)
It is too bad about the whole parking space thing, though. That would be a great talent to have.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I was sitting trying to relax tonight feeling particularly anxious so I was just reading through the Bible. I decided that I'd try out something. I do believe that the Bible has answers for every single issue in our lives. Afterall it is Godbreathed and God was here before the world began so He knows our every situation and thought.
So I started writing down my thoughts and realised I was telling myself such negative things! I came up with a list of my thoughts for example....
I have so many things wrong with me I'm just a pit of endless illnesses, and yes I found scriptural answers to all my thoughts so far.
so I may say 'I'm just so scared' but God says 'I have not given you a spirit of fear' think the verse is 1 Timothy 1:17, 'do not be afraid' which appears in the Bible 366 times.
I say 'I'm so weak and tired' God says ' come to me and I will give you rest', 'those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they will mount on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint' (Isaiah 43?) and 'let the weak say I am strong' found in the book of Joel.
I know not everyone here is a Christian, it's not a Christian board but even for unbelievers there's something to be found by analysing our thoughts and giving counter arguments.
Vicky
xxx
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Anxiety is a major IBS trigger for me. From my teens onward, I would get a bout of D three days before performing on stage. Now it's an immediate reaction to anything that causes me stress or anxiety (traveling, not getting enough sleep, work overload, an emotional outburst).
I've had generalized anxiety disorder since I was a child, which developed into panic disorder when I was put on Prozac. I've been on and off many different medications to treat it.
I took Clonazepam (generic for Klonopin) for over three years for the anxiety. I became addicted and decided it was better if I tapered off. I took it slowly, using a water titration method, and it took seven hard months of getting off that stuff. It's not easy; but taking it slow is doable.
Before I tapered off, I started using Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for my anxiety and panic. This has proved to be the most beneficial to me. Kaiser Medical Center offers group therapy in CBT, as do many medical centers and hospitals. Doing it with a group is great, because you learn from, and support, each other. I highly recommend it for anyone dealing with mind/body issues (and who isn't these days?).
Medication is certainly helpful, especially when you're suffering from panic attacks. But becoming aware of your beliefs and thoughts, and how they affect your body, and learning to change them (and therefore change the groove in your brain that makes you anxious, obsessed, or panicky) can be just as effective.
Here are some books I recommend if you're interested:
"Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Dr. Claire Weekes. This is a classic - you can find it in new and used bookstores and libraries. One thing she talks about is how, when you start to feel anxious, you can learn to stop from spiraling into second fear (caused by our thoughts about our symptoms, which causes them to increase into full-blown panic.)
"Mind over Mood" by Greenberger. This is a workbook - you need to do the work to get the benefit. It's the book we used in the CBT group.
"Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" by Edmund Bourne. Another workbook using CBT.
"When Panic Attacks" by David Burns. Burns also wrote "The Feeling Good Handbook." Another classic on CBT.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not an oncoming train!
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And this is what makes horse racing. Or, as my aunt used to say, "To each his own, as the old lady said when she kissed the cow".
I've read lots of self-help books and some have been, well, helpful to me and others haven't. I think the important thing is to take them all with a grain of salt and to remember we all have different personalities so there's no "one size fits all" approach to making our lives what we want. Those of you who are Positive (or as we over on my side like to say, "Pert") are very different from those of us who are Realistic (or as you might say, "Curmudgeons"). Doesn't mean we can't all be happy - we just all get there via different paths. A good baseball team needs the guy who's a good bunter just as much as it needs the guy who swings for the fences.
And why I'm waxing so philosophical lately, I have no idea. Must be the approach of Opening Day.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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