Anxiety... Any of you have anxiety? What did you

do to take care of it?

Posted by VenusStar
do to take care of it?

I feel especially anxious going outside.

Meditate. Or weed, lol

Posted by Hotbeefy
Psychiatrist is an option.

You don't need a psychiatrist for anxiety. Just get some self help books on how to cope with your anxiety. It is manageable.

Hypnotherapy worked really well for me. Breathing exercises and meditation have also helped a lot.

I use to have it real bad. I would have these panic attacks and I could not be still. I once walked up and down the stairs 40 times in a row. Twenty times up and then twenty times down. I would sit on the bottom step and then get right back up and walk to the top again.

I would always fear this impending doom that never quite came.

I went to mental health outpatient facility for 2 weeks. I learned about triggers. I also learned that alcohol was a depressant which was contributing to my anxious state. I use to drink 3-4 glasses of wine every night. I stopped drinking 6 years ago and have not had a panic attack since.

I use to be ashamed then I started to tell people and you would not believe how many people have them.

Posted by auriqa
Back to OP, definitely go to a psychiatrist. You might think it's just anxiety you have but a psychiatrist may find you have a different diagnosis as well as anxiety, for example a personality disorder. So buying a self help book for anxiety won't do that much good if the problems are deeper rooted. Definitely don't diagnose yourself, it might worry you more. Leave it to the professionals 🙂

Psychologists do this, too. Most psychologists do psych assessment tests to determine what you have. They also talk to you about what is going on to determine this as well. You're only supposed to label someone as having something if they do not better match DSM criteria for any other disorder. The big difference between psychiatry and psychology is that psychiatrists can prescribe you medicine. However, medicine does not always work (exception is when it is extremely severe). You need to treat the underlying issues, too, which is what a psychologist is good for. They'll help you realize the roots of your anxiety and also show you how YOU can help yourself get better. I personally think that's much better than medicine since you're in control, you're not relying on meds that have side effects and that don't treat the underlying issues. In fact, many psychiatrists end up referring you to psychologists after they've given you medicine, anyway. So, really, if you'd have went to a psychologist in the first place you'd be doing the same exact thing except getting medication which is rarely necessary.

TLDR; Psychologists are better.

How psychologists would treat anxiety:
If it is indeed something like GAD, a common treatment for it is exposure therapy. Exposure therapy actually works great for many things, such as phobias and OCD. That means you put yourself in situations where you feel anxious. Gradual is the most common, which means you work up to what makes you the most anxious, or you take it in steps. I would not recommend doing this on your own, however, since you're not aware of the underlying thinking that leads to anxiety or the reality of the situation. A psychologist would help you become aware of these things and you'd be able to work it out with him or her. A lot of people don't like exposure for obvious reasons, but it works. That's why if you want to get better, you have to be at a point in your life where you actually want to put effort in to helping yourself. A lot of people who go in to therapy aren't ready and think just being there will help. You can't help those people unless they're willing to undertake the psychologists' suggestions.

Things you can do on your own: Relax and/or meditate, have better time management (which isn't always a cause of anxiety but might be).

Exercise was mentioned here, but it's not a well-known treatment for GAD or anxiety. Depression on the other hand... I would think you'd want to slow your breathing rather than raise it, but it may indeed work for some. If you like exercising, that might be something to try out.

Awwwwww Venus Star, not fun and scary as he'll isn't ? Pay attention to triggers and deal with them, meditation, belly breathing, as said above, all huge, calm the mind and the body will follow. I would also mention other healing modalities other then medicating as most medical doctors would do. Try a few something may work; cranial sacral, reiki, etc. Ayurveda has been amazing for me. Your body is trying to get your attention.
Good luck! Keep talking to people

Also, if you're worried about psychologists not being able to treat you properly, it's good to note that all psychologists technically specialize in depression and anxiety. My professor mentioned this the other day. When you work in a clinic you're supposed to list your specialties so clients can pick who they feel would be best for them. One psychologist apparently put 'anxiety and depression' which dumbfounded my professor since...they all are taught extensively on to treat those two disorders. Needless to say that psychologist probably got a lot more clients even though he likely wasn't more qualified than anyone else to treat those disorders. So, you have plenty of qualified individuals out there who can help. : ) And you know if you actually have something besides anxiety or depression, you have a choice. There are likely psychologists in your area, or surrounding areas that will specialize, or be qualified, in whatever you are dealing with.

If all else fails Xanax works, maybe too well.

I think I have an anxiety against learning. And it comes from my Saturn in Aqua. Once I did read a novel of 700 pages in the gap between two exams. It was pure escapism.

Because my Sag planets could not let go of the situation (I love to learn and to be successful) I got the "Exposure Therapy" in the long run. I have invented different mind games how to learn and keep the stuff in my head. This is the effect of AqSat: you achieve competency in science just because you fear your lack of talent. My father also has AqSat and he seldom feels well with educated people.

Posted by VenusStar
I feel especially anxious going outside.

You have Virgo Rising Taurus Sun Sag Moon.
1. Is your Moon really in your 4th house? (like me BTW)
2. Which other planet is in that house?
I have Jupiter and Moon in H4. And I am Rabbit in Chinese horoscope. To me (if Astrology is not nonsense) that is the reason why I feel so comfortable at home sweet home.

My secret is: no plans for going out but accepting friend's invitation. Gem/Aqua/Virgo for example they have some good ideas where to find versatile, classy and good entertainment. Don't force yourself but reserve some room for it.

Posted by Nala13
I use to have it real bad. I would have these panic attacks and I could not be still. I once walked up and down the stairs 40 times in a row. Twenty times up and then twenty times down. I would sit on the bottom step and then get right back up and walk to the top again.

I would always fear this impending doom that never quite came.

I went to mental health outpatient facility for 2 weeks. I learned about triggers. I also learned that alcohol was a depressant which was contributing to my anxious state. I use to drink 3-4 glasses of wine every night. I stopped drinking 6 years ago and have not had a panic attack since.

I use to be ashamed then I started to tell people and you would not believe how many people have them.

Booze. 😄

I had terrible anxiety in my 20's and had no problem indulging because it worked.

For a minute.

The reality is that it makes anxiety ten times worse-- esp if you're prone to overdoing it (I was).

Posted by Nala13
If all else fails Xanax works, maybe too well.

click to expand

Too well, yes.

It's incredibly addictive-- and if you stop taking it suddenly after prolonged use, seizures are possible.

Not a good idea if anxiety is generalized-- those are typically prescribed for panic attacks because they're fast-acting.

Talk therapy/counseling and EXERCISE can work miracles.

Truly. 🙂

Mind over matter.

any kind of addiction, impulse, anxiety .... a weak mind will fall prey, and strong mind will overcome.

You don't need a psychologist to tell you what you already know ... unless of course, you're so weak you need your hand to be held.

I'd wager you're not trying to overcome by programming your mind .... I'd wager you just fall, helplessly, and then go to forums and whine about it.

^^ Everything size zero superhero says plus 1 except for weed. When I drink Alcohol its not the physical hangover I dred its the mental state that I get into, I seriously need to be alone otherwise I will talk weird shit like those crazy people you see in the street who talk to themselves lol its true.

When I get on weed I get a little bit like that but its not as bad as when I'm hung over??_.When I get anxiety I automatically shout a word that gets me out of that headspace, I can't control it and the word changes and it started happening after I had me head done in on heavy drugs??_.So when I used to get freaked out I would yell whatever came into my mind at the time which was something an illiterate caveman would say, seriously it was JBKHIKHHKBHMGCF at the top of my lungs??_..then it turned into me saying "Monkeys" for a long time and then everyone would keep on asking why I kept on saying monkeys all the time and I didn't know how to answer it, I thought I had tourettes??_??_Now days I say Nigger and I can't help it and I feel really bad and awkward because my friend is black and I can't help but say it to her face and its really embarrassing??_..like we will get stoned and she will talk to me and my mind will wonder (as is it does) while she's talking and it will go somewhere and bring up a stressful memory and I'll immediately say nigger to her face mid conversation??_.its funny my white friends keep telling me I shouldn't say it and that I'll get bashed one day and I told them I can't help it and yesterday I was walking to the mall and I had a little anxiety moment and I found myself saying NUNKIES! like nigger and monkeys and it was pretty funny.

Whenever I need to get rid of it all and have some inner peace and quiet I close my eyes and picture myself standing on top of a cliff and then I imagine a a big wooden crate and then I bring up stressful memories one by one and I fill the box up with them till its full and then i kick the box off the cliff and it falls into the water and then a big wave comes in and takes it away then I turn around and see all my friends and family and people who I love are having a party and are all dancing??_??_every time I do this the second the crate hits the water I forget its contents immediately and I can't even try to remember its that effective mind you Ive been doing this technique for years so I've gotten good at it.

also counting backwards from 100 before bed and telling yourself that you are healthy

Posted by P-Angel

Mind over matter.

any kind of addiction, impulse, anxiety .... a weak mind will fall prey, and strong mind will overcome.

You don't need a psychologist to tell you what you already know ... unless of course, you're so weak you need your hand to be held.

I'd wager you're not trying to overcome by programming your mind .... I'd wager you just fall, helplessly, and then go to forums and whine about it.

Spoken like a true ignorant!

That isn't the sole purpose of a psychologist, and a mind that is 'broken' cannot fix itself.

Sometimes people need help from *gasp* other people.

Imagine that, ye accidental pisces.

Posted by starlover
I wonder if the *true ignorant* would become *weak* if she had to give up her addictions tomorrow?

Good question.

I also wonder how she would fare if she could no longer use the hate she harbours in her heart as armour.

Not well I'd bet.

Exercising and doing drills at my doujo helps. Or playing scrabble.

Posted by P-Angel

Mind over matter.

any kind of addiction, impulse, anxiety .... a weak mind will fall prey, and strong mind will overcome.

You don't need a psychologist to tell you what you already know ... unless of course, you're so weak you need your hand to be held.

I'd wager you're not trying to overcome by programming your mind .... I'd wager you just fall, helplessly, and then go to forums and whine about it.

People who have disorders often are unable to see the reality of their own situation. They use catastrophic thinking, etc. For someone who truly thinks there's a reason to be anxious, you can't just tell them to get over it. They don't know that their views are unrealistic. That's what trained psychologists are for.
Not to mention, some people don't know what's wrong with them. It may seem like anxiety, but it may seem like other things, too. It's hard to will yourself to get over it if you don't know the exact nature of what 'it' is.

If a woman came to you and said 'I don't know what's going on. Images and thoughts of naked, little girls keep popping in to my head. I don't want them to but I can't stop it.', what disorder would you say they had? Also you can't tell them to just stop thinking about it because...well, that's the issue they're having in the first place.

If you take a biological approach, a lot of disorders are due to chemical inbalances in your brain. You can't just tell your brain 'Hey, I'm stronger than you and I don't want this so stop producing these chemicals'. You need the right tools and techniques, which a psychologist knows. Those people may also be prone to having the disorder resurface throughout their lifetime because of their genetics. Hard to tell them they can just overcome their genetics...

I see the volume of people here (who responded to me) have no clue that you are exactly what you think. Certainly, they are the ones who helplessly fall prey, likely to their own whims.

mind over matter is the cure to everything ... everything


Now, you can sit there and whine about it ... or ... you can program your mind to get over it.

And to beat all .. these stupid said the same thing I did ... they're too dumb to put two and two together.

pity, really



Playing game, reading, jogging, meditating, etc .... is all the same thing. They are ways to turn your mind on something else, to distract yourself, so you aren't focusing on what frightens you.


aka: mind over matter


Now you can sit there and be a victim ... or ... you can stand the fuck up and take control of yourself.



coming here to whine about it, only instills how weak your mind is because to create a thread to discuss it is telling your mind that you're not alone, so it must be ok for you to wallow in it.


Aren't you a Gemini? I would expect more from your brain power.

Dude....you have never taken any classes in psychology, have you? Knowledge is power and I would have no trouble believing that you have not been properly educated in this field. Or have been educated on it at all.

Your first statement "any kind of addiction, impulse, anxiety .... a weak mind will fall prey, and strong mind will overcome." was wrong, but your second statement "mind over matter is the cure to everything ... everything" is...well, more ignorant than I can expect from the average adult.

Now you're including people with schizophrenia who may have hallucinations. People with bipolar disorder who may have manic and depressive phases. Antisocial personality disorder where people may lack empathy and disregard others' rights. But...yeah, we can definitely control those things because our mind is all powerful.

Hi P-Angel,

I'm with you in most of what you wrote. (also why they don't see that you say the same thing as they).

Yet I think admitting and solving problems in several steps is nothing new. Did Einstein not say something about human stupidity? We are not perfect and we need these several startups.

Also there is a big power in things coming from one's unconsiousness. It's not like I go out and buy ice cream.

Also sometimes we come here and open a thread just because of the entertainment sake. Learning etc.

Posted by AirMan
quite actually, no. I've never tooken any classes in psychology. I never even heard of that word until recently to be honest with you. never used that word and didn't even know how to spell it without looking at your post.

I was responding to P-Angel. Your post wasn't there yet when I started replying so I didn't clarify who it was directed towards, though, I should probably get in to the habit of doing so.

Posted by Scenic
Dude....you have never taken any classes in psychology, have you? Knowledge is power and I would have no trouble believing that you have not been properly educated in this field. Or have been educated on it at all.

Your first statement "any kind of addiction, impulse, anxiety .... a weak mind will fall prey, and strong mind will overcome." was wrong, but your second statement "mind over matter is the cure to everything ... everything" is...well, more ignorant than I can expect from the average adult.

Now you're including people with schizophrenia who may have hallucinations. People with bipolar disorder who may have manic and depressive phases. Antisocial personality disorder where people may lack empathy and disregard others' rights. But...yeah, we can definitely control those things because our mind is all powerful.

A sane person will at times question his own sanity.

Only the insane are convinced they have no problem.

🙂

@VenusStar, Those Top 38 Things You??ll Regret When You??re Old :
...
-38 Not trying harder to overcome your anxiety

My mother taught me mind over matter its always been her mantra - I was watching Lucy and its a movie about a girl who accesses % 100 percent in her brains capacity and in doing so she feels no fear or pain and she puts these knives into a mans hands and he's screaming and she says "theres so much a human is capable of thinking but all you know right now is pain" she says that humans are limited by what they feel and its primitive, I know its just a movie but its amazing what people achieve with a little brain power and positivity.

Posted by The_eleventh_sign_11
My mother taught me mind over matter its always been her mantra - I was watching Lucy and its a movie about a girl who accesses % 100 percent in her brains capacity and in doing so she feels no fear or pain and she puts these knives into a mans hands and he's screaming and she says "theres so much a human is capable of thinking but all you know right now is pain" she says that humans are limited by what they feel and its primitive, I know its just a movie but its amazing what people achieve with a little brain power and positivity.

And drugs.

Iirc, there was a large amount of some drug Lucy (accidentally) ingested in order to be able

to utilize that much of her brain.

Posted by Geminariescharmer

Posted by P-Angel

And to beat all .. these stupid said the same thing I did ... they're too dumb to put two and two together.

pity, really



Playing game, reading, jogging, meditating, etc .... is all the same thing. They are ways to turn your mind on something else, to distract yourself, so you aren't focusing on what frightens you.


aka: mind over matter


Now you can sit there and be a victim ... or ... you can stand the fuck up and take control of yourself.



coming here to whine about it, only instills how weak your mind is because to create a thread to discuss it is telling your mind that you're not alone, so it must be ok for you to wallow in it.


Aren't you a Gemini? I would expect more from your brain power.

I am actually in the same view with you as in your first post, but the question here now is what if the person have to do what it have to do just for sustaining a normal life?? e.g. relationships, career. You cant expect them to distract themselves from such pivotal issues for survival right? I mean yes using your mind to take control can help to a certain extent but as someone else already mentioned it depends on how severe their condition is or do they even know they are having a problem (e.g. severe schizo people would not even realise they had a problem and they definitely cant mind over matter as the neurobiological imbalances in the brain are too huge). The thing is we all need and outlet to vent/rationalize to stay sane, and for people who are already innately having a problem they need opinions from friends/family/doctors depending on severity, and as what OP does maybe he/she isnt sure of theissue being a real problem to him/her yet and thus in a process of self-discovery and therefore a need to create a thread to discuss not for sympathy. I mean we can't be mind over matter and say "no we dont have a problem", i think thats more of delusional.

click to expand

+1

Some people still believe that mental illness is a character flaw.

Posted by Geminariescharmer

Posted by Scenic
Dude....you have never taken any classes in psychology, have you? Knowledge is power and I would have no trouble believing that you have not been properly educated in this field. Or have been educated on it at all.

Your first statement "any kind of addiction, impulse, anxiety .... a weak mind will fall prey, and strong mind will overcome." was wrong, but your second statement "mind over matter is the cure to everything ... everything" is...well, more ignorant than I can expect from the average adult.

Now you're including people with schizophrenia who may have hallucinations. People with bipolar disorder who may have manic and depressive phases. Antisocial personality disorder where people may lack empathy and disregard others' rights. But...yeah, we can definitely control those things because our mind is all powerful.

I agree to disagree, imo it really depends on whether the benefit from the meds outweigh the impairment of the neurobiological defects. Most people with a problem lets put it more specifically mental problem can actually be highly functioning and develop coping mechanisms not knowing they do actually have a problem(this is as what another poster mentioned"mind over matter"). The real problem comes when they can't cope it anymore and start harming themselves or even others. I think this is really a gray area, the point here is are you happier/healthier living with or without the meds??

click to expand

In cases where people have something like schizo with hallucinations, meds would definitely help. There's no debate over that. It's safer for yourself and others. I don't support meds for disorders that can be cured through psychological and behavioral treatment, which is the majority of disorders. Things like schizo only make up a little over 1% of the population while those that experience depression and anxiety share a much higher percentage.

I think a lot of the view points expressed here are very problematic in that they assume people know, or can think of, the right ways to overcome their own mental disorders. Do these people understand what it's like to live with a disorder? For example, anxiety disorders, you do not think realistically, so how can you say someone can develop proper methods to overcoming their

disorder? Psychology is a profession for a reason and people who truly have disorders need to seek a professional, who is trained in these areas, for help. That is the main point of what I'm saying. I think you assumed that I support medications instead of 'mind over matter' which isn't the case. I support psychological treatment over the do it yourself attitude.

Posted by VenusStar

Posted by VenusStar
do to take care of it?

I feel especially anxious going outside.

click to expand

@VenusStar,
are you staying at home all the time?
in all the cases you left home did you survive it?
in case you left and came back alive, wans't there a single day saved to your memory with nice things happened? (you know what nice means?)

Geminariescharmer: "I mean we can't be mind over matter and say "no we dont have a problem", i think thats more of delusional."

Montgomery: "Some people still believe that mental illness is a character flaw."

When I first read this thread my first assumption was not that VenusStar would harm/kill others/self because of anxiety. It is the sphere of parents/neighbours/siblings/coworkers to judge.

It happened this naturally that different people suggested different things:
sport/oxygen, meditation, "mind over matter", therapy and medicine. I even refered to Moon in H4 square AC.

PS: On the other hand I can understand the anxiety. How scary to think outside my house some people are discussing if I have a character disorder while I'm just being a hypochonder of Virgo AC.

@Gemini, you do realize that psychologists have criteria they use to determine what disorder people have, right? They don't just guess. They use DSM criteria which states what a person has to have experienced before they can be classified. Most also state that their symptoms cannot better fit another disorder for them to be diagnosed. Do you have any statistics to back your claim up? Comorbids are very common for a lot of disorders...but I still don't see how psychologists could misdiagnose that. They know what comorbids are. They know what comorbids are more common to have for certain disorders. They use a standardized test, too, btw, for the psych assessment. They don't just come up with arbitrary ways to diagnose people. Some disorders are hard to diagnose. For instance, if you read my previous posts, I asked P-Angel to tell me what the person who experienced obtrusive thoughts of naked girls could be diagnosed as. My professor had this woman come in while he was training. His thought was that it was some kind of general anxiety disorder (I believe). However, when he asked his supervisor about it, she said it sounds like OCD. However, it's uncommon for OCD to appear as just obsessions without compulsions (the lady didn't want to act on the images or do anything about them). So some cases are difficult. However, after numerous visits and having more training than just a student trainee, I don't believe it would be difficult to come to that diagnosis. Parts of it already fit within the DSM criteria for OCD.

I stated in a previous post that unless you're ready to make a change, yourself, then going to a psychologist isn't going to work. So obviously you have to put effort in to the change. Once again, I do not believe people will find the cure themselves without Psychological treatment (behavioral and cognitive therapy). People are great at coming up with coping strategies...but coping isn't equivalent to getting better. You just ignore the issue. Having a good support system will help you to a degree, but unless there's a psychologist in that group, they don't know the techniques that will help you overcome, and not just cope, with your disorder. The quote you used goes along with my line of thinking. You need real treatment as well, not just mind over matter. That quote doesn't say that the coping they had come up with was the only reason they were getting better (not just feeling better) nor does it suggest that it was the main reason they were over

overcoming their disorder.

Once again, I'll reiterate my point. You do not know the proper techniques to fix yourself effectively. You can 'cope', but there's very little chance of you actually overcoming the disorder on your own. You need psychological treatment to understand why you are feeling this way/experiencing this and what you can do to overcome it. A psychologist cannot cure you by you just sitting there, listening. A psychologist give you the tools and knowledge that you need for you to do something about the disorder.

A good book to look at to understand what a psychologist does and how they help you overcome your disorder is called "Casebook in Abnormal Psychology" by Brown and Barlow. There might even be earlier versions available for free online. The first case is about Generalized Anxiety Disorder which may be a good read for those of you who think you may had GAD.

OP, do you mainly feel anxiety in places? You said you felt anxious going outside. You may want to research a little bit about agoraphobia, which is now it's own disorder, I believe, with the release of DSM-V. If not, read a little about GAD and see if any of it is related. If possible, look up the DSM-V criteria for these to get an even better idea.

LoL@ Chickentail w. Glitter



*makes mental note to remove filter on Kindle*

Posted by DwellingOnMove
Geminariescharmer: "I mean we can't be mind over matter and say "no we dont have a problem", i think thats more of delusional."

Montgomery: "Some people still believe that mental illness is a character flaw."

When I first read this thread my first assumption was not that VenusStar would harm/kill others/self because of anxiety. It is the sphere of parents/neighbours/siblings/coworkers to judge.

It happened this naturally that different people suggested different things:
sport/oxygen, meditation, "mind over matter", therapy and medicine. I even refered to Moon in H4 square AC.

PS: On the other hand I can understand the anxiety. How scary to think outside my house some people are discussing if I have a character disorder while I'm just being a hypochonder of Virgo AC.

I'm honestly not sure what you're trying to say about my comment.

Chalking the OP's (mild?) agoraphobia up to hypochondria, though... a character flaw... I got that.



You also have Moon square Ascendant, don't you?

You're saying a psychiatrist is better than a psychologist? That's a matter of opinion, not fact. It's pretty standard to use the standardized psych assessment test rather than, as I said before, other arbitrary methods.

You were stating your opinion like a fact so I would assume you have facts to back it up. If you want, I can give you all my class notes and resources (textbook and casebook) where I get my information from. I would also cite my professor who has many years of experience as a psychologist. Literally everything I'm talking about has been mentioned in class. It's not like I'm pulling this out of my ass. Psychologists are accurate more than they are not accurate or else they wouldn't have a job and psychology would be a field of mockery. Rarely are diagnosis wrong. They have clear guidelines to follow and most disorders are easy to diagnose, especially since the majority of people going in to therapy are going to have some sort of anxiety disorder or depression (as those are the most common).

Yes, people can overcome disorders and it's much better coping where you're just living with the problem and ignoring it. A big portion of a psychologists' job is to help reorganize a person's way of thinking. For example, my casebook went over a case of PTSD where a woman was experiencing flashbacks of a previous rape. The psychologists made her do many exercises and talked her through it all. In the end, the psychologist managed to change her thinking to the point where she wasn't ashamed of the rape and was able to come to terms with it. The psychologist also realized that part of her problem was that her relationship with her brother was hurting due to the rape. After she was through with therapy, her relationship with her brother had improved and she no longer felt any negative emotions related to her rape. She no longer suffered from PTSD. That's overcoming a disorder. Psychologists will help you view things in a different way which will help you overcome all the underlying issues related to disorders. It's much better than coping mechanisms because they're actually better.

This is why a psychologist is necessary. You can actually overcome your disorder and not just avoid dealing with it, or still have it there ready to come back once your coping mechanism fails. You can imagine how much happier you'd be after finally being over the emotions and thoughts that were tied to negative events or situations.

Let me give you an example of a coping mechanism.
My friend uses weed to help her anxiety. Whenever she feels anxious, she smokes, which calms her down. She's relaxed and fine while she's high. But she still experiences anxiety.

A psychologist would go over why she's anxious and fix her thinking so that she is not anxious in those situations anymore. She wouldn't be anxious, or would be anxious very rarely. She wouldn't even need to smoke, anymore.

Another example: A person feels depressed. She goes to the gym to feel better.
If she had gone to get professional treatment, she would understand why she's depressed and would be able to better handle the things that have previously caused her to be depressed. She might still go to the gym but she wouldn't need it to avoid depression.

That is the difference between coping mechanisms and actually overcoming your disorder.

Posted by Montgomery
You also have Moon square Ascendant, don't you?

No, they trine. Pisces/end trine Sag/start.
What is more important to me is feedback from VenusStar. The more we know...