[jefftele]

i get confused about making changes generally ,anxiety rears its head in many subtle ways distorted thoughts etc i often wonder as to whether anxiety sometimes stops us making the wrong mistakes i know that if something needs doing that is right then there is no fear i do what needs to be done ,but other ares leave me confused, stuck, has anyone experienced anxiety as a way of keeping yourself safe and preventing self damaging behavour?

i definitely believe that my anxiety has stopped me from makig mistakes...........so, sometimes it can be a "good thing"......xoxox pat

[psisci]

People with OCD often feel that by engaging in their compulsions they are preventing bad things from happening, but they really are not. Most realize the faulty logic there, and others not.
Fear response is hard wired into our CNS, but anxiety disorders in general are an expression of this response that is outside the norm for the situation. If you are anxious around mountain lions, that is normal, if you are anxious around small spaces, groups etc... that is a disorder.
I feel that believing your anxiety is protecting you will only reinforce the anxiety.

Dr.S.

[Direction]

I agree with Psisci...

There are plenty of times when normal anxiety has helped me make better decisions. I can usually tell the difference when my unhealthy anxiety is kicked in - often times it leads me to making a bad choice.

Psisci gives a great example...

[Juliana]

I think mild anxiety over decisions can be a good thing -- making us pause and reconsider our decision. Sometimes we have anxiety for a good reason -- because what we're about to do is a mistake.

I went through a period in my life where I found it nearly impossible to make ANY decisions because of my anxiety, though. My ex-boyfriend died in a car crash. He and I had had an argument just before he left a pub. He drove drunk, fell asleep at the wheel, lost control and died. I went over that evening -- minute by minute -- in my mind, imagining what the outcome would have been if I had done something differently. I ended up going through a six-month period where I was afraid to make any decisions at all... because I felt that any decision I made could have horrible repercussions... one split-second decision on my part could result in someone's death. I over-thought everything and couldn't bring myself to make even simple decisions -- like whether or not to ask a friend to meet me for dinner... because what if I asked them to come and they got hit by a car on the way? Then it would be MY fault.

I eventually realized that I can't control EVERYTHING and learned to let go of my anxiety over decision-making. I try to give things sober second thought and ask myself if my anxiety over certain decisions is reasonable. Sometimes anxiety can stop us from making bad decisions, but when it gets out of control, it can stop us from making any and ALL decisions.

[jasmine49]

Recently I was taken off xanax because my psy thinks that in the long term it can cause depression.

I now learn how to deal with my anxiety, rather than running away from it. I find that anxiety is the worst emotion to deal with. I am proud of myself when I face things, it makes me love myself a little more every day. I am schizo affective (schizophrenia and bi-polar).

The way I see it, our emotions, no matter what they are, guide us through life and we must learn from them. And so what if we make mistakes, everyone of us do at times.

Hugs your way Jeff

Jasmine

[tiodlliwi]

I do agree that anxiety guides our decisions and can keep us safe- sometimes too safe, as has already been pointed out. For example, the "good" anxiety would make us think twice about doing something risky, the "bad" (for lack of a better term) anxiety allows us to feel that driving a car is risky, being in an enclosed space is risky, or even that leaving the house is risky. This negative anxiety really makes me second-guess everything . It is tough. People often say, "trust your gut", "go with your instinct" and I just don't know what that is anymore- my gut says, driving is scary, I'm doomed to fail, I'm too messed up to have a baby someday, and my husband will most likely leave me down the road (worst-case scenerio situations). So, to answer your question, YES anxiety is a driving factor in every decision we (or I?) make in life but the anxiety disorders can potentially guide us (or myself?) in the wrong direction. That's just how it feels for me personally so take it for whatever it's worth to you.

Good luck!

[jefftele]

thanks for replies it seems anxiety can be a friend and a foe trick is knowing which one ,i think my thoughts get so twisted that i don't know one from the other wish i could straighten myself out!!

jeff please keep pming me as i know exactly where you are coming from and maybe we can help each other?

nice to know a fellow brit too, there are a few of us take care

kerry xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo