A Writer's Anxiety: Guest Blog by Julia Bar

Hi there, my name is Julia Bar. I live in Sydney, Australia. Thank you for this opportunity to share my story. I was born in a former Soviet Union and when I was 22 my life changed dramatically when I migrated to Australia to join my then fiancé. In 2002 my life took another turn when I got very sick with anxiety and panic attacks. Since then I was working very hard to heal myself and change myself for better. Unfortunately, once you get anxiety it never goes away completely; however one can get to the stage when it is lurking somewhere "backstage" and is no longer a dominant force.

I also suffer from form of OCD which is not properly diagnosed in many people. It is very well described in Lee Baer book "The Imp of the Mind: Exploring the Silent Epidemic of Obsessive Bad Thoughts".

We all have issues and worries we have to deal with daily. On the top of this my head is constantly bombarded with obsessive negative thoughts. How can one survive? 

I adapted holistic approach. Instead of relying on drugs long term and becoming a hermit I read about anxiety and what causes it. I have also studied spirituality. Even though in former USSR religion was considered to be "opium for the masses", I have been religious since I was a young girl.

I realized that we are here to learn lessons and once you make a change for a better in one area of your life other areas start to follow. I had a difficult personal life as well - first divorce when my daughter was 4, then another long term relationship ended in separation just after I got sick with anxiety. It's a constant struggle to keep my conditions in check, but as I was progressing physically and spiritually my whole life changed. I’m now more happy and peaceful than ever and am engaged to a wonderful loving man. 

If you or someone you love is suffering from anxiety:

I believe that anxiety is a sign that something is not right in your life. A sign from your body that deep inside you are disagreeing with something that is going on. We all have fight or flight syndrome - anxiety can be described as being stuck in a constant position of "fight or flight". See a progressive doctor as you may need some drug relief and see a psychologist to try to work out why your body is sabotaging you. Reading about anxiety will help as well.

I describe my journey in my first book, Healing My Anxiety. I am available for any questions via my website Healing My Anxiety Blog. 

 

An exerpt from Julia Bar's book will be featured on this blog soon.