Hi there,
Isn't the web a wonderful thing! I think part of therapy for any illness lies in meeting others who can empathise through their own similar experiences. For me, this is really important as I'm not in a financial position to afford a therapist (in New Zealand help/support is only really available for extreme cases & insurance companies don't want to know).
The rest of us have to either jump on medication and/or figure out ourselves how to manage & combat the debilitating symptoms.
From everything I've read it seems there is still so much to learn about anxiety, mental illness and the brain, the why's, the how's etc. The biggest issue for me at the moment is how I would cope if I were pregnant, what kind of Mother would I be, would I connect with my child, it's been a fear that has revolved I think around the anxiety but also the fact that I suffer from a mild form of epilepsy (I had one grand mal seizure 3 mths ago that rocked my world and brought on the most overwhelming downright scary anxiety attacks I've ever known). I want to be a Mother, I want to be a partner but there are times I feel I can't give anything to anyone - those times I can barely cope with me....I'd love to hear from any of you who are in a relationship, who have children, who are pregnant and to hear how you deal with it all and what techniques, coping mechanisms you use (if any) for your anxiety.
thanks so much for taking the time to read this x