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help with anxiety
Becca0407
Posts: 1 Just got here
Hi, I think I have anxiety but I have never been to the doctors about it. Could anyone tell me what it is like if you do? what can they do to help anxiety? and is there any tips that could help anxiety you could do yourself without a doctor?
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Well done for taking the first step and talking about this here! Anxiety is one of the more common and most treatable mental health issues. I promise you are not alone in experiencing these feelings. We're all here to support you
Anxiety is different for everyone. Sometimes, it can be triggered by social situations, or a specific traumatic event. Often though, anxiety is more generalised and varies in severity. Personally, my anxiety ebbs and flows depending on my mood and is heightened in situations where I feel worried or uncertain about the outcome. I took these concerns to my doctor a little over a year ago.
A doctor will ask you about your symptoms just as they would with a physical illness. They'll ask how long you've been feeling this way, if you've identified any triggers and what those might be, and how severely it impacts your day-to-day life. All of these questions can be very uncomfortable but are necessary to work out whether you need treatment to help you manage.
Depending on your GP, there are a wide variety of options available. They might suggest medication, refer you for counselling, or suggest self care activities if they think you have a handle on things. @The Mix has lots of really helpful tips for dealing with anxiety (see below) and there are some great threads on the boards about coping with anxious thoughts. As always though, I'd recommend speaking to your doctor first.
"What is anxiety?" - https://www.themix.org.uk/mental-health/anxiety-ocd-and-phobias/what-is-anxiety-5598.html
"Help me with my anxiety" - https://www.themix.org.uk/mental-health/anxiety-ocd-and-phobias/help-me-with-my-anxiety-5601.html
I hope this helps somewhat but please keep posting to let us know how we can support you
Firstly, anxiety is different for anyone as @chubbydumpling says so would you like to share what it is like for you?
For me, I struggle with social situations, my appearance, my health, most things in my day to day life I worry about and it can be so exhausting. I find relaxation/breathing techniques help some people but I like distractions and when I have to do anything anxiety provoking I listen to music or a podcast.
A GP is usually quite helpful, they will ask how you are feeling and your triggers and what way of going forward you find most suitable for you, may that be counselling, therapy, medication or self help.
Butterfly x
Welcome and thank you so much for letting us know how you are feeling! That's a huge first step to getting the help you deserve
I think @chubbydumpling and @Butterfly23 have summed things up brilliantly, so I would love to echo everything they have said. I too struggle with anxiety, and just as they have described, anxiety is different for everybody. For me I experience panic attacks which are usually random/not caused by anything; and anxiety around health and feeling trapped, e.g when in large groups, situations where it's rude to leave for space etc. So whilst everybody's anxiety is different, I hope what you take from this is that you really are not alone and there is lots of people to support and understand you
As I say, I think the others have given some great advice, so I won't repeat them. But I will add that something that really helps me is an app called reflectly. On this app you track how you're feeling and what you have been doing that day and a few other factors, and it helps you to recognise whether anything triggers certain feelings. Sometimes my anxiety feels bad for no real reason, but this app helps me realise that it's not always that way and there are things I can do to help myself. You could also do a similar thing by recording your feelings in a diary. I think reflection is really helpful for anxiety - and it might also be a helpful tool to show to your GP whenever you feel ready
Take good care
Hi @Becca0407
Sending you warm welcome and hugs
I think @chubbydumpling has summed this up perfectly! I also just wanted to add a link to Mind's website where they talk quite a lot about what anxiety is and the symptoms and also about treatments and self care. Hope this helps.
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/#.XVJ8hE1YaUk