Anxiety Attack Vs Humor
Posted 09-27-2012 at 01:04 PM by KatieGal
I am at work but this is such a goofy story that I can’t wait until later to unload it in my idiotic blog. And it has a happy ending.
I have a mild anxiety disorder that can cause me trouble. One of the features of it is elements of obsessive-compulsive disorder. These come into play now and then when I’m driving a car, and sometimes with heights. I can also obsess over diseases, and this can lead to anxiety attacks. I can’t just “shut-off” these thoughts. They are literally obsessive. Sounds like fun, huh?
Thank god for my sense of humor. Long ago I came to the conclusion that there is almost nothing that can’t be laughed at, especially concerning me. Without this gift I might be sunk. I would at least find life more challenging. When it comes to my anxiety disorder, my sense of humor, and the sense of humor of a few others, can be my most powerful remedy.
Earlier today I began obsessing about a couple of diseases, women’s diseases, to be exact. It all began this morning when I made the mistake of reading a magazine article that described in some detail the effects of one of these diseases. Well, my “disordered” mind began playing tricks on me and an hour or so later I knew my brain had become fertile ground for one of my anxiety attacks.
To distract my one-track thinking I decided to call my boyfriend, Steve, at work. I have never done this before and it could have been a mistake, but I was feeling kind of desperate so I decided to do it anyway. In a frantic voice I told him I was starting to have an anxiety reaction triggered by thoughts of some illnesses. He calmly asked me what my symptoms were, not for the anxiety, but for the diseases that were causing the anxiety. I told him that I have no symptoms. He then asked me what my family history was concerning these illnesses. I told him that I have an aunt who had had a hysterectomy at age 50, but aside from that I had no family history of any women’s illnesses. There was a kind of comedic silence on the phone, which in itself seemed to diffuse my anxiety a bit. He then told me in a completely calm, earnest-sounding voice that he understood my concerns and that he occasionally has fears of being struck by a meteorite.
That did it. Steve's sense of humor, along with my sense of humor, had, in effect, derailed the approaching anxiety attack. It certainly was not therapy recommended for everyone with anxiety disorders. A lot of people might have thought Steve's remarks as being cold and insensitive, but I loved them. He's such a dope.
Last time Steve saw me in an anxiety situation, I was in the throes of a full anxiety attack. On that occasion he offered me a bowl of ice cream, a nice gesture but not a useful one. I wrote about that in one of my blog entries not long ago. This time the situation was a little different (I was headed towards an anxiety attack, but was not yet there), and he came through with flying colors. I don’t think he had any idea how successful his treatment was going to be, and truth is, I didn’t either. But I feel much better now.
Heck, on second thought, maybe I should have tried that ice cream.
I have a mild anxiety disorder that can cause me trouble. One of the features of it is elements of obsessive-compulsive disorder. These come into play now and then when I’m driving a car, and sometimes with heights. I can also obsess over diseases, and this can lead to anxiety attacks. I can’t just “shut-off” these thoughts. They are literally obsessive. Sounds like fun, huh?
Thank god for my sense of humor. Long ago I came to the conclusion that there is almost nothing that can’t be laughed at, especially concerning me. Without this gift I might be sunk. I would at least find life more challenging. When it comes to my anxiety disorder, my sense of humor, and the sense of humor of a few others, can be my most powerful remedy.
Earlier today I began obsessing about a couple of diseases, women’s diseases, to be exact. It all began this morning when I made the mistake of reading a magazine article that described in some detail the effects of one of these diseases. Well, my “disordered” mind began playing tricks on me and an hour or so later I knew my brain had become fertile ground for one of my anxiety attacks.
To distract my one-track thinking I decided to call my boyfriend, Steve, at work. I have never done this before and it could have been a mistake, but I was feeling kind of desperate so I decided to do it anyway. In a frantic voice I told him I was starting to have an anxiety reaction triggered by thoughts of some illnesses. He calmly asked me what my symptoms were, not for the anxiety, but for the diseases that were causing the anxiety. I told him that I have no symptoms. He then asked me what my family history was concerning these illnesses. I told him that I have an aunt who had had a hysterectomy at age 50, but aside from that I had no family history of any women’s illnesses. There was a kind of comedic silence on the phone, which in itself seemed to diffuse my anxiety a bit. He then told me in a completely calm, earnest-sounding voice that he understood my concerns and that he occasionally has fears of being struck by a meteorite.
That did it. Steve's sense of humor, along with my sense of humor, had, in effect, derailed the approaching anxiety attack. It certainly was not therapy recommended for everyone with anxiety disorders. A lot of people might have thought Steve's remarks as being cold and insensitive, but I loved them. He's such a dope.
Last time Steve saw me in an anxiety situation, I was in the throes of a full anxiety attack. On that occasion he offered me a bowl of ice cream, a nice gesture but not a useful one. I wrote about that in one of my blog entries not long ago. This time the situation was a little different (I was headed towards an anxiety attack, but was not yet there), and he came through with flying colors. I don’t think he had any idea how successful his treatment was going to be, and truth is, I didn’t either. But I feel much better now.
Heck, on second thought, maybe I should have tried that ice cream.
Total Comments 4
Comments
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My wife suffers the same exact Anxiety and fear of illnesses I try to use humor, or I should say sarcasm because my supportive nature can wear thin from time to time. I'm only human, I'm allowed to get this way. She has a new thing when she washes her hands she has to say the alphabet forwards and backwards, which albeit takes mad skill, I had to bust her on that and went in my too much Purrell is damaging, yadda yadda, I told her, "I say the alphabet when I'm peeing, and I counted how many times I farted in a 12 hour period (39 btw) but saying the alphabet while washing her hands is CRAZZZY!"Posted 09-27-2012 at 04:16 PM by Hateyourtone
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About a year ago I learned that an old acquaintance of mine has multiple sclerosis. Almost immediately I began feeling a tingling in my hands and a weakness in my legs, symptoms of MS. I went into a panic. I talked myself through the anxiety and a few days later the imagined symptoms disappeared. Another words; I quit imagining them. I am no psychologist, but I would guess that there are people who go through something similar and if their anxiety disorder is severe enough, the resulting anxiety can go on for months or maybe years. Mine can often go on for a few days with an anxiety spike usually coming on fairly early in the first day. As of this moment, I am okay, but my thoughts, and probably a few vital signs, are still kind of on edge by the article I read this morning.Posted 09-27-2012 at 05:38 PM by KatieGal
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Strangely even though I'm not nearly a hypochondriac but I was obsessed with ALS, between a YouTube series and the Jason Becker story (he has ALS since 1989 and is still alive, the lifespan for ALS is 3-5 years) what makes me different from you situation is I play the "what if" game a lot.
I am deathly afraid of getting old. We have no kids and I imagine growing old alone.Posted 09-27-2012 at 05:44 PM by Hateyourtone
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Katie, I want you to know that your blog is not idiotic. We're glad that you are a part of what we do here.
Have a nice weekend.Posted 09-28-2012 at 07:09 AM by case44
