But you are cured, now you need to work toward freedom. To be 100% anxiety free you would have to be a vegetable. Anxiety is normal, so is replaying past anxiety. Cured is when you have the skills to keep this normal anxiety from turning to panic. Free is when you accept that you have control back of your life. Give it some time and you will stop doing this 'tongue in a cavity' thing. You will eventually quit looking to see if anxiety is still there. When you do you will be totally free. Anxiety is a survival technique, it is normal to have some. It is even normal to have some panic in an emergency situation or when doing something new. Cool as a cucumber would be nice, but a cucumber has no feelings, no emotions, it can not help but be cool.
Once a person has had panic attacks the potential to have them again is always there. Ashley is right it takes continuos maintenance, but it does get easier to maintain. I agree too that it is now in the realm of experience and you can learn from it. Another thing you can do is spot fellow sufferers and it is surprising how many there are.
I was wondering if anyone has gone through the following:
I have read the program and its entirety now and have applied many of the techniques. Best thing I have ever done! I will go may be a month or so and not have severe anxiety then I will start thinking about something such as I remember how I used to be afraid of this or that and then I will have anxiety. I will have anxiety and then at times think it was gone then why did it come back? I go back to the techniques such as writing it down and exposure work.
I have realized that as time progresses the period of time between my set back and feeling little to no anxiety again is smaller and smaller. I don't panic or feel as bad as I used to when it was new to me and when I did not come to this site. I think at times we become emotional over being afraid or having anxiety after periods of calm. I just keep telling myself that it is perfectly OK to be afraid or to have anxiety. This is nothing new and I just have to go on with it and let it happen. It is just that I think I had defeated something and when I have anxiety I realize that I was not completely "cured". Rather I need to remember that I may not ever be completely "cured" and the sooner I realize it the better I will be. I guess it is hard to realize it and accept it. What are your thoughts about it and what helped you?
