If you suspect that you simply need some time out from recovery work, then by all means take it.

Perspective - remarks that remind you this wont last for ever such as well have a cup of tea when we get home or mustnt miss EastEnders tonight. What can Anxiety possibly say in defence? However some lateral thinking produces other possibilities: Do something else that everyone agrees on. When you were nervous, did you get butterflies in your stomach? Complex emotions Complex emotions are longer lasting and linked with your thought processes. Before that I was fine but I didnt have Anxiety then. Whether you wish to be better looking, cleverer, younger, fitter or thinner it all comes down to dissatisfaction with yourself. Patience: there is no miracle cure or magic wand for Anxiety, and in the early stages your progress may feel painfully slow. I tried visualising myself playing the tape and being calm, but for once this didnt work for me. These are the kinds of questions to ask: What are the facts? It worked beautifully provided my attention to what I was doing was absorbing. I do try to change my mind set by challenging my constant self-talk. To stop myself overestimating the chances of something bad haping I think positive. I had reached a point where I could travel to my family in France but I never went in the summer, because they live in the mountains where they have spectacular thunderstorms at night in hot summers. A relaxation tape or CD - organize this now, before you start work, so that you have it to hand when you need it. However some lateral thinking produces other possibilities: Do something else that everyone agrees on. Youll be on the look-out for danger and will be over-sensitive and detect it long before it really exists. A doctor said to me its like there are too many packs of peas in the freezer, and the lid wont close it goes into melt down. I was diagnosed at my first hospital admission, age 1 But I avoid the places associated with the rapist. Specific phobia ladder If you have a specific phobia, exposure is designed to increase your tolerance of the thing you fear. Walk half a mile uphill, repeat until comfortable. Dont get thinking of that again.