[tallwaters]

I have a hard time doing things at times like cleaning the house. I feel less anxious wrapped in a blanket or sitting in my chair. I get up do a little then end up right back in my safety zone. I cant take walking around walmart i panic so i ride a cart around. I feel like a lost child at times. I just had to tell y'all that. Thanks

[Moose72]

Hey Tall. I kind of feel that way when I disassociate. But not so anxious.

[Tiger_Lily]

I feel most comfortable lying in my bed.

[faerie_moon_x]

I can get very anxious and I also have "safety zones" I guess. But often times I don't get to stay in them because I have to work, take care of my kids, etc. But I am horrible at house work and struggle with it a lot recently. Sometimes I think it's good I am pushed out of my safety zones but other times it is so overwhelming I just want to go home, sit down, and not move.

[Blue Poppy]

my bed with my favorite blanket and the computer............. my safety place

somewhat unhealthy, as it doesn't help my my states of depression at all

nonetheless, it is safe

the only thing that helps with the anxiety is clonazepam, i have concluded this after many years

[eloquentdisaster]

I think pretty much my entire apartment is my saftey zone, and outside is what causes me anxiety. I do some pretty weird things in public. I look really shifty, because I walk along walls and stay in any corners I can

[Tiger_Lily]

As crappy as it is, I know of only two good ways to combat anxiety: cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. You change your thinking and behavior and you expose yourself to what triggers the anxiety until the anxiety lessens.

I do the same thing. I can walk around my house all day long and get absolutely nothing done. I go from the couch to my bed with the only constant being my music. It's like I'm searching mentally for something and i'm so preoccupied with it that it takes priority. I never find it though. And I stress about the clock too when I do this. I wish I had more advice other than to relate.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by Tiger_Lily

As crappy as it is, I know of only two good ways to combat anxiety: cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. You change your thinking and behavior and you expose yourself to what triggers the anxiety until the anxiety lessens.

That is very interesting. But do you think these therapeutic modalities can help with triggerless anxiety? I have no triggers; it is just that one some afternoons or evenings I start feeling very unpleasant bodily sensations. It can be tightness in the chest, nausea in the throat, weakness under the kneecaps or around the elbows and general unrest. It is extremely unpleasant. But nothing was a trigger. What gives?

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

That is very interesting. But do you think these therapeutic modalities can help with triggerless anxiety? I have no triggers; it is just that one some afternoons or evenings I start feeling very unpleasant bodily sensations. It can be tightness in the chest, nausea in the throat, weakness under the kneecaps or around the elbows and general unrest. It is extremely unpleasant. But nothing was a trigger. What gives?

I hear ya. It just seems to happen

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by landskaperdan

I hear ya. It just seems to happen

it even sounds like GAD, no?

sound A LOT like GAD!

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by landskaperdan

sound A LOT like GAD!

I will bring it up with the p-doc next time. Do you pronounce it like "GAD" or "gee ay dee"?

gee. ay. dee.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I sure hope that you don't have this, but I sure hope that you find treatment for it if you do.

Anxiety is one of the worst feelings in the world

[moremi]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

That is very interesting. But do you think these therapeutic modalities can help with triggerless anxiety? I have no triggers; it is just that one some afternoons or evenings I start feeling very unpleasant bodily sensations. It can be tightness in the chest, nausea in the throat, weakness under the kneecaps or around the elbows and general unrest. It is extremely unpleasant. But nothing was a trigger. What gives?

i dont have a trigger for my anxiety all the time either. Panic attacks usually do have a trigger though, but just anxiety really just happens to me whenever it damn well wants to. It would be nice if there were a therapy that could help with this but i havent found one

[moremi]

My safety zone has been my couch for the entire time I have had bp. On my couch wrapped in a blanket. When we moved from one house to another house. Most people would be extremely exstatic to be moving to an upper class neighborhood from a run down neighborhood. Not me I was so stressed that I didnt have my safety zone anymore that I actually went back to sit in the old house on the old couch daily for a couple of months. This move actually through me off so much I got put in the hospital. I now have my safety zone on my new couch in my new home but this is two years later and a lot of craziness. I dont think its all that uncommon for bps to have a safety zone. I have heard a lot of people talk about it before. I have actually been attached to mine for about 5 days straight now. Getting up to do little things and crawling back into my nest for that comforting feeling.... Im like a baby with her blankie hahaha.....

[faerie_moon_x]

Another thing I've realized is my safety zones were all taken away from me. My house became a non-safety zone last year and it hasn't recovered yet. A lot has happened and often when I am home I feel like I'm just floating around. with no place to call my place.

[moremi]

Originally Posted by dark_heart_x

Another thing I've realized is my safety zones were all taken away from me. My house became a non-safety zone last year and it hasn't recovered yet. A lot has happened and often when I am home I feel like I'm just floating around. with no place to call my place.

What happened? Can you find another spot in your house? I dont know what I would do if mine was taken from me again. I dont deal well with change, but I would like to think if they took my couch I wouldi be able to find another spot in my house that I would feel safe...

[LiveThroughThis]

I have to say I've done lots of exposure therapy, all of that stuff, and the only thing that really works for me are my meds, realizing my triggers (people/situations that drain me...which afterwards cause anxiety), my individual therapy, and distractions (when I can find them). I have GAD though.

From what I gather about exposure therapy, that is more for those that have OCD alone that drives their issues, or situational anxiety. When it's GAD or an ongoing anxiety-type thing I don't think it works. At least not for me.

[faerie_moon_x]

Originally Posted by moremi

What happened? Can you find another spot in your house? I dont know what I would do if mine was taken from me again. I dont deal well with change, but I would like to think if they took my couch I wouldi be able to find another spot in my house that I would feel safe...

Well, I don't really want to go into it because it's very triggering for me, but it was just some major issues I was having at home with some major changes to my family dynamics that (thankfully) ended and now things are better, and mostly resolved.

But then also my mother-in-law moved in and we don't have a room for her so she sleeps in the living room sometimes and in the kids room sometimes. I love her, but it's just a change, and I also don't deal with change. And although she's probably going to be living with us for many years, it just always feels like we have a house-guest and I get a lot of anxiety from it.

[moremi]

I can definately see where that would cause you some anxiety and it sounds like your safe spot has become her bed???? I woulnt deal well with that either. I sure hope you find a new spot....

[Tiger_Lily]

You are very right about exposure and cognitive therapy being effective for only some types of anxiety, such as social phobia and agoraphobia, but they would not be helpful for GAD aside from accepting the fact that the panic attacks are physical symptoms, albeit unpleasant ones, that will end.

This might sound really stupid, but I used to suffer horrible anxiety and panic attacks. One of the "symptoms" I had was unstoppable choking. I could never find what triggered it, but when I started to think about when this choking business started I realized it was shortly after my ex husband had strangled me. Somehow my brain incorporated this into my new anxiety attacks, and it was pretty distressing.

Anyways I tried the deep breathing exercises, that helped a little, but after we covered anxiety in group therapy and I learned about all the processes going on in the brain and body while it is happening, that really made a difference for me. After that when I would have anxiety or a bad panic attack, I would go through the process in my mind of what was really happening, and it helped to stop the attacks dead in their tracks. I still get anxiety, but nothing like I did before.

Anyways I might just be a weirdo, but maybe it would work for some of you, or help. I was diagnosed with GAD, so who knows.