I am having difficulty in the past few days and weeks focusing on the things I usually do not have difficulty with. Anxiety and agitation are really disrupting my ability to cope, and as a result, I am having even greater anxiety because I am getting behind in my responsibilities. Does anyone relate to this? I know that one of the things I am dealing with is a low thyroid, and my medication has been adjusted. I am not sure how long it will take for this to help with the anxiety and agitation I am experiencing, but I sure hope it is soon. Fear of the agitation and my lack of focus really getting me behind schedule with my work and leading me to become angry with my husband when he hasn't done anything at all is frustrating me, and I find that I am not able to pray like I usually do or focus on the Bible, which is what helps me calm so often. If anyone has any suggestions, I would really appreciate hearing them. I think I will start by calling my doctor to get a guideline on how long I can expect to wait for the medication change in my Synthroid to take effect.
Anxiety and agitation can most definitely cause any of us to feel as if we are losing focus. Through DBT I am being taught to experience my emotions, including my anxiety, without judgment. Since anxiety is an uncomfortable feeling I can often become anxious about being anxious and thus the uncomfortable feeling seems to get bigger. PRACTICING the DBT skill of just saying "Hey, I feel a little anxious and agitated and that's ok. This feeling is neither good nor bad nor does it make me a good or bad person. It's just a feeling. Even Jesus felt anxious to the point of sweating drops of blood." For me such statements do sometimes help in reducing the intensity of the anxiety. You are actually doing a great job through awareness and problem solving by calling your physician. Again, I'm no expert just simply passing on information that has been given to me. If you find it helpful, it is my pleasure to pass it on to you.
Thanks so much for this, D'Lynn. Your words have helped me a great deal. I realize I do not have to fear my anxiety, and being reminded of Jesus helps me to remember that I can also journal and talk to Him about how I am feeling as I experience the anxiety and agitation. Knowing that it is okay and I am not alone through having the Lord and friends like you helps me tremendously. God bless you, G'Lynn. I am so excited to be ordering the DBT Skills Workbook tomorrow! It is exciting to be growing and getting better!
Have you ever tried listening to the Bible? I have an app for my I-touch that will read it outloud. This helps when I can not concentrate enough to read.
Thanks for this, tools. I do have some online Bibles that allow me to listen to them outloud, and I also have the Bible downloaded on mp3. That is a great idea! Thank you so much! God bless you, (((tools))).