What is your anxiety like?

GREAT ADVICE!
SUNDANCE(rb)

A Dog or dogs are a man's best friend, so the saying goes , which dogs you have ?! It's your shadow your friends , they just know when you are feeling low or ill health, they stay by you some even tell you more if you listen. My boy has gone i'am thinking about whether it's time for a new best friend in my life , just not sure after this Rocky road this year has been ruff lost my dearest precious little sis to cancer and nearly lost my dear precious brother from Sepsis, he slowly recovering prayed he would can't take any more sad news, hope your all enjoying your best friend z kind regards swift HUG from chilly winter in England.... Ginger and chillies help keep out the cold and ginger root with lemon juice help too .

Colleen Young, Connect Director - I was not trying to impose my beliefs on someone else. It was just an effort to show another way to deal with anxiety and depression. No, I have not ever had to deal with anxiety or depression. em1954

I am suffering from GAD which is the reason I get frequent massages especially reflexology from a dear friend.
The thing is, even through it's not a bad thing, I am often worried before every massage that I might fall asleep and not be able to wake up. This worry dominates me everytime I am about to get a massage, even through I love massages as they really help calm me down.
With what thoughts shall I replace this negative thought? I am also trying to reduce the effects of GAD by changing the way I think because my worries are often unrealistic.

Hi @pepsi97, you'll notice that I moved your message to this existing discussion about General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). i did this so you can connect with other members like @guener @trellg132 @gingerw @parus @ainsleigh @jh31251 @johnhans @thankful @mostlybill, to name a few.

You pose such an interesting conundrum. You love the massages and they calm you down, but before the massage worry about falling asleep and not waking up consumes you. When your thoughts start to dwell on the worry are you able to visualize the calm and positive after effects of the massage instead? Can you perhaps focus on what you will do after the massage? Maybe you could have a plan for after the massage to look forward to. Might that help?

Hi, thank you so much!

@pepsi97 Have you ever fallen asleep during a massage, either by your friend or another? If so, perhaps you felt fear, or embarrassment? Have you ever imagined being so relaxed and your guard let down that you could enjoy the massage and the comfort it brings, the total relaxation right there at the fingertips of your dear friend? Perhaps visualizing the negative thoughts leaving your mind and body before your next massage might help. If there is a particular piece of music that is played, you could change it, to change your thinking pattern to more positive. Does any of this resonate with you?
Ginger

Yes, it makes sense! My GAD is mild but my worries are often unrealistic! Especially during massage school I often felt embarrassed about falling asleep during class and my classmates to make fun of me. This is why I never told anyone how I felt, not even my classmates or teacher. The last time I got a massage (this Saturday) I fell asleep for a few minutes while I had my back worked. My friend and I began talking at the beginning of my massage since we haven't seen each other for a long time. 15 minutes later my friend noticed I started to get sleepy so she started to talk less and less. I was easy to wake because I have only slept for a few minutes.
I believe the fear of not being able to wake up after a massage is connected to the fact that I am a deep sleeper and even my smartphone or people talking next to me won't wake me up. When I had to go to work early in the morning my smartphone couldn't wake me up at 5am on some occassions and I overslept, but thanks to my mom I got up and gone to work.

Hi I’m Kim, I feel your fear. I have a lot of anxiety that I have had since childhood. I finally got help during 911 when my husband got deployed out and I was left with 2 children 8 and 6 years old. I thought if I died now who will take care of them. I started seeing a Stress Management dr. along with medications. I still have anxiety but the panic attacks are few. My children both have anxiety and panic attacks and I tell them that your brain is like a TV Show change the channel. I had to drive as it got me thinking on the road or I play music (loud) and clean. I am constantly busy I can’t sit still due to my other condition and I am afraid if I stay idle I would start worrying. You are not alone when it come to anxiety, Just Change the Station in your Brain😊. Hope this helps 😊

Hey, is this response for me? 🙂