EP 139 – Using ALL Available Recovery Resources

Building your own personal recovery from an anxiety disorder means using ALL the resources you have available to you.  In this podcast episode I talk about combining books, podcasts, social media streams, online support groups, hard work and professional help into a powerful recovery toolkit.

Recovery from an anxiety disorder is based on simple concepts, but it is a big topic with lots of subtopics and plenty of concepts to learn and understand.  If you are attempting to solve your anxiety problem using resources you find online, there are some basic concepts that you should keep in mind.

1. Learn the nature of the problem and how you got here.  What is your anxiety disorder all about?

2. Learn the nature of the solution.  How do we approach an anxiety disorder to reach true, lasting recovery.

3. Learn what your recovery plan should look like. What do we DO in order to reach the place we call “recovery”.

4. Learn how to make a recovery plan.

5. Learn how to execute your recovery plan.

It is very difficult to cover all these bases by list listening to a podcast or following mental health helpers on social media.  Podcasts are awesome and informative.  There is some amazing and helpful information to be found in the stream on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.  Online support groups are also great resources, but it is very difficult to learn what you need to learn about recovery in an organized fashion within the confines of a Facebook group (for example).

Do yourself a favor and take the time to read and educate yourself.  There are books that will take you through the five steps I listed above. The first 15 episodes of my podcast are foundational episodes that explain the nature of this problem and the nature of this solution.  Take advantage of these resources.  Use them to learn from. Investing the time to understand the disorder and the solution makes a HUGE difference in your recovery.  When you skip this step, you are walking into a movie halfway through and trying to figure out what is happening.  You’re missing half the experience.  In the case of anxiety disorder recovery, that half you’re missing is vitally important!

When you’ve built your recovery foundation by learning what you need to learn, use your favorite social media streams to put “icing on the cake”.  Instagram posts can highlight important concepts.  They can help you understand what you’ve been reading and listening to.  They can make you think.  They can’t teach you recovery on their own. Use my Facebook group or other online support groups to share your recovery experiences, ask questions, get clarification on what you’re learning, and as a source of encouragement, inspiration, and empowerment.  When you put it all together, your recovery can be turbocharged.  Putting it all together gives you the best chance to succeed in your recovery journey.

Finally, sometimes professional one-on-one help is in order.  Do not dismiss this as an option.  Reaching out for one-on-one help is not a crime.  It does not mean that you are worse that others, or that that you are a special case.  If you are having a hard time “getting it”, or if you need someone help you do the work consistently and methodically, a therapist or counselor can be very helpful, if even for a short time.  When choosing a therapist, look for someone that specializes in treating anxiety disorders.  Ask them clearly what type of therapy they employ.  Do not let a therapist tell you that they “do anxiety” or that “they have patients with anxiety”.  You want a therapist that engages in CBT and it’s variants in an action oriented therapy where you are going to have work and homework to do.  Just talking about your anxiety problem is not terribly effective.

Take control of your recovery process.  There are many excellent resources at your disposal.  Take advantage of all of them!