11

Changes, Demands, Supports

To create Your Living Well with Anxiety plan, begin by identifying the changes, demands, and support systems that may be affecting you. The first step in this process is to fill in your Anxiety Wellness Profile. This profile will help you identify changes related to your anxiety. You will be using this profile to develop your anxiety plan, so take sufficient time to make sure you consider each item. Rate the severity of all changes you experience.

 

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Anxiety Wellness Profile

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	This affects me little, if at all.	This is a real problem, but I can function.	I can barely function with this (or thinking about this).
1. Tightness in throat	________	________	________
2. Dizziness	________	________	________
3. Palpitations (heart racing)	________	________	________
4. Numbness	________	________	________
5. Tongue-tied	________	________	________
6. Fear of losing control	________	________	________
7. Fear of something bad happening	________	________	________
8. Fear of a particular object or situation	________	________	________
9. Repetitive thoughts or behaviors you know are irrational	________	________	________
10. Stammering	________	________	________
11. Discomfort in confined public situations	________	________	________
12. Joint and muscle pain	________	________	________
13. Fear of being home alone	________	________	________
14. Feeling powerless	________	________	________
15. Trembling or shaking	________	________	________
16. Feeling detached or out of touch with yourself	________	________	________

Changes and Demands

The changes you’re undergoing are only one part of what can raise your anxiety. They use up your energy, and so do demands. The more demands you face, the less energy you have to reduce your anxiety. Check “yes” or “no” next to each change to see where you stand.

 

1. Being treated for a serious or chronic condition	___yes	____no
2. Raising children	___yes	____no
3. Empty-nest reaction	___yes	____no
4. Change in a relationship	___yes	____no
5. Change in workload	___yes	____no
6. Change in job security	___yes	____no
7. Dieting	___yes	____no
8. Change in self-image	___yes	____no
9. Loss of friend or family member	___yes	____no
10. Addition to the family	___yes	____no
11. Marriage	___yes	____no
12. Family tensions	___yes	____no
13. Separation/divorce	___yes	____no
14. Moving to new residence	___yes	____no
15. Vacation	___yes	____no
16. Natural disaster	___yes	____no
17. Remodeling	___yes	____no
18. Other changes (please list):__________________________
19. Other demands (please list):__________________________

Supports

If you have sufficient supports, that can help you reduce your anxiety. Take an inventory of your support by completing the following checklist:

____ 1. My partner listens to me and is supportive of me.

____ 2. My partner helps out with household tasks.

____ 3. My children support me.

____ 4. My children help out around the house.

____ 5. My parents are supportive of me.

____ 6. One or both of my parents help out when needed.

____ 7. I have at least one supportive friend.

____ 8. I have at least one friend who helps out when needed.

____ 9. I have a health-care practitioner who listens to me, explains whatever I don’t understand, and is willing to consider alternative and complementary procedures.

____ 10. I belong to a support group that provides support and understanding, information about available resources, reduced feelings of isolation, good ideas for solving common problems, hope and optimism, and a potential for new friends with common issues. The members are not overly critical or negative and do not dominate the discussion.

If you don’t have enough supports, consider joining a support group, teaching your family empathy and supportive skills, finding a more supportive health practitioner (see the next chapter), or finding a new friend who’s working on the same issues you are and who’s supportive.