The Angst of Anxiety

I used to take pills for my anxiety.  10 mg of Prozac, and a dose of Adderall.

The Prozac worked for about 6 years.  It added a sense of calmness.  The Adderall lasted less than 2 years.  If you’ve taken Adderall, you know there’s a sense of well-being that inhabits your being for about 2-3 hours after taking it.    My Dr. was happy.

I wasn’t bothering him about being anxious anymore.

I wasn’t really bothering him for anything.

But something was still bothering me.  I was still anxious.  My life wasn’t getting any better.

The pills weren’t working.  My goals were still out of reach.

I had the worst personal failures of my life while I was taking these pills.

I was impulsive and scattered and still having trouble connecting the dots (probably my ADHD).    I got fatter.

So I made a decision.  I weaned myself off the pills.  Because in reviewing my life progress…while I was on the pills I was actually WORSE as a person, rather than better.

The fact is…if you have anxiety, it’s because you’re supposed to be doing something different.  Your life will get better when you get better.  Anxiety is a clue.  Are you listening?

Michael Phelps’ Mom used to put him in the pool to quiet his energy (he won 8 gold medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics).  Extreme Home Makeover wouldn’t have been the huge success it was without over-the-top screamer host Ty Pennington.  Maneesh Sethi dropped out of Stanford, wrote 6 books including a bestseller, travels the world and creates online businesses that work while he plays.  What do they have in common?  ADD and ADHD.

Anxiety is part of the success formula.  Not the demon.

Now, I don’t take pills but I do spend at least 30 minutes a day on the treadmill.  I can wake up totally anxious and by the time I step off the treadmill 30 minutes later, I’m calmer, more collected.

My life isn’t perfect.  I haven’t reached my utopia of lifestyle design.  I’m still working on it.  Now, I write about my quests.  I blog about my angsts.  I set goals and fall short.   But I’m closer to my own definition of success than ever.  I’m human and proud of it.

Anxiety is a clue.  Use is for good.  It’s not evil.

Liability Disclaimer:  Cheryl Thompson and EncouragementToGo accepts no liability for decisions you make regarding your own well-being.  I am not a physician, a psychologist or an attorney.  Any advice I give is solely and purely for personal ingestion and should not be confused with a trained professional.  What works for me, is for me.  You have to take care of you.  This disclaimer absolves me from any liability in the event you do something stupid.