Anxiety

Former Member

I think I have anxiety...
I am worried about my mum, who is disabled and depressed.
A lot of things worry me (everything) and I fixate on the bad things... something is always going to go wrong. Like, I cant hold down a job as I am constantly worried I will get sacked, so I quit before they have the opportunity, even though I hadn't done anything wrong.
I also get nervous in almost every situation. I hate crowds! I'm scared of throwing up, so I stopped drinking, and if anyone is ill in my house I lock myself away. I hate bacteria and am constantly anxious about getting dirt or germs on me. I am really worried, I failed my exams last year because I was so worried. I went to reading festival this year, I had early bird, but left before the actual festival started as I spent the majority of the first night in my tent scared of the entire experience.
Am I being a hyperchondriact or is this an actual condition...
please help

Former Member

Hey Smurf :wave: ,

First of all, welcome to the boards and thanks for opening up - it's a safe place here for you to do so and we're all happy to listen .

Sorry to hear your feeling so anxious all the time, it can be scary when your worries start to affect the things you do every day and you don't know why it's happening! Have you had a look at our section on anxiety and stress? There's info there on what could be causing your anxiety and how you can get help.

Was there a particular time in your life when you noticed your anxiety getting worse? It might help you to start thinking about why you feel like you do and to then be able to take steps towards dealing with it. You say that you focus on the bad things in your life - maybe you could sit down and make a list of the positives in your life at the moment and re-visit that every time you're feeling down. Is there anyone in your family or frineds that you can talk to about how you're feeling?

Finally, don't worry that you're being a hypochondriac - this is a great place to chat about how you're feeling and you may even bump into people who've been thorugh the same things you have!

Take care and do keep posting,

*hug*

Cat x

Former Member

I've suffered from depression in the past and when I thought it was back last year, I went to the doctor who told me that it was in fact anxiety. He made me take this little pop quiz which apparently showed my anxiety levels were really high. I ended up on citalopram for a couple of months. They made me feel better and also helped me to try and control my anxiety by trying to focus on things in bite size chunks.

For example, when I go into work in the morning and see everything I have to do, I feel my anxiety levels shoot right up, so I try and break it down into morning and afternoon and deal with it that way. I worry about screwing up all the time. I worry about my mum too (she's on her own) and also about my own life and get anxious that I'll never meet anyone and end up alone. Unfortunately, the more anxious you are, the worse everything seems!

I also keep a daily diary - great for writing down how I feel about everything and then, reading back weeks later, you sometimes see how insignificant your worries really were.

GB XX

Former Member

heyy, Um, Thanks for the advice
I like the idea of splitting stuff at work up, so I dont get to worked up about doing it wrong...
I am considering going to the doctors... but I am unsure of how to approach it with him without looking stupid. Its been with me for about 3 years so I think I need to do something about it...
x

Former Member

Smurf wrote: »

heyy, Um, Thanks for the advice
I like the idea of splitting stuff at work up, so I dont get to worked up about doing it wrong...
I am considering going to the doctors... but I am unsure of how to approach it with him without looking stupid. Its been with me for about 3 years so I think I need to do something about it...
x

All you need to say is that you're feeling really anxious, describe your symptoms and, if he's doing his job properly, he should guide the conversation from there and discuss what treatment you might need. He will have heard it all (and probably worse) before. Don't be afraid. Taking that small step can't be nearly as bad as living with the constant stress.

GB x

Former Member

I had a bad day today.. People knocking on my door all night made me nervous and by 9 o clock I was exhausted. I kept thinking they were going to be people having a go at me. It tradition in our house so I couldn't really ignore them. Then someone stole out pumpkin and then threw it at a car... I just hate feeling like this... It's making life so difficult...

Former Member

Hi Smurf,

Trick or treaters are such a pain - it's not nice having no clue who's asking you to open your door to them! Hope you're feeling better today.

Have you had a think about heading to the docs? Gingerbelle had some great tips and hit the nail on the head by saying....

He will have heard it all (and probably worse) before. Don't be afraid. Taking that small step can't be nearly as bad as living with the constant stress.

If you think you'll be scared about bringing it up, you could always write down what you're thinking, or even show the doctor this thread where you've described how you're feeling. That way, you just have to make the appointment and show up without worrying about what you're going to say. In the meantime, we're happy to listen :thumb:

Cat x

Former Member

If you think you'll be scared about bringing it up, you could always write down what you're thinking,

I had to explain to my tutor why my essay was a mess, and didn't want to outright say it to him so I wrote him a note explaining everything. To him, so thank you for that he understood and helped me plan work out.

The doctors is still a bit to much of a step. I'm worried my mum will question it or find out. I don't want to add to her stress especially as she's taken a turn for the worse.... Dunno....

But seriously thank you... All your advice has helped, and I feel a bit more positive ATM
X