To say I am a bit of a worrier is like saying….the Queen is a little bit posh. I worry so much, that I have an actual, official diagnosed Disorder. Yep, my medical records show me as a sufferer of Anxiety Disorder (with a bit of depression thrown in for good measure).
If you break a leg, or your appendix explodes, you have an actual, tangible thing wrong with you. It’s something you can point to (actually, I wouldn’t know where to point for my appendix. My leg is, obviously, less of a problem). To say you have an Anxiety Disorder…well, it makes me feel a bit silly frankly.
The reason I’m writing about this (believe me, it is not something of which I am particularly proud) is because I was looking back at my first entry. You know, the one where I say that I got fat because I loved food. That’s partly true, but it isn’t the whole story. Plenty of people love food and don’t get fat. It’s the starting point, perhaps. Food for me has always been a source of comfort and joy and comfort is the operative word here. In times when my anxiety was at its absolute worst – the weekends when I was, literally, scared to get out of bed, I needed comfort, I needed something to smother me like a blanket. I think that’s where the food came in. And the wine. The world seemed better when viewed from the bottom of a wine bottle. It made the fear recede a little.
Anyway, tackling these issues is as much a part of this lifestyle change as changing how and what I eat. Tomorrow, I am going for my first appointment with a Clinical Psychologist. She’ll ask me what’s wrong and my instinct will be to say something self deprecating like, “Oh, I’m just a bit worried. It’s nothing much.” But I hope I can resist that instinct, I hope I can let her help me. I need to retrain myself, to find alternative ways of coping that are not actively harming my body.
Maybe I should print out this entry and take it with me.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Woah, I'm with you. I have always said jokingly that if worrying were an Olympic sport, I'd be up there with the world's best. I have always resented that anxiety and worry doesn't make me slim - I kind of feel it should.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your psychologist.
love
Peridot
Hi - I wandered over here after reading the kind comment you left me yesterday - I think maybe I'll be sticking around. I think I know what you mean about the dentition to down-play things when asked what's wrong - it's a whole world of difference between seeking the help and feeling able to lay it all bare for someone else's inspection - you might have had days when getting out of bed was too much - I have a worrying affinity for wanting to hide away in dark corners (although it's something I actually stopped allowing myself to do as an adult - children can get away with it ... adults - not so much). I guess we just have to trust them to have heard it all before (and probably worse an stranger too) and to help us, not judge us. Best of luck with your appointment. Sue
ReplyDelete