Constant low level anxiety

LegacyUser

I seem to have a constant low level anxiety lately.
I worry about so many things. I didn't have a nice time in school and I worry my past will catch up with me and I'll be caught out.
I worry about stupid things that other people don't seem to. I worry about things like going to the doctor for a checkup or to the dentist because I always seem to have the worst case scenarios in my head and ignorance is bliss. This is causing me some problems now, things which should have been sorted out now require more extensive treatment, but I am going anyway. So I should probably stop worrying about this, but I can't.
I worry about my friends and if I have enough friends or why they don't contact me more often. I don't say this to them in case they think I'm a crazy person. But I worry about my circles of friends a lot.
I am happily married but my spouse has no idea how much I worry about things and turn them over and over in my head. I think they might think I'm a crazy person too, if I said something.
I have a great life, children, a lovely home and a very well paid job I enjoy. I was told once I am one of those people who 'has it all'. In some respects I do. But I wish I wasn't anxious so much of the time.

gaynorvader

anxiousesesss wrote: »

I seem to have a constant low level anxiety lately.
I worry about so many things. I didn't have a nice time in school and I worry my past will catch up with me and I'll be caught out.
I worry about stupid things that other people don't seem to. I worry about things like going to the doctor for a checkup or to the dentist because I always seem to have the worst case scenarios in my head and ignorance is bliss. This is causing me some problems now, things which should have been sorted out now require more extensive treatment, but I am going anyway. So I should probably stop worrying about this, but I can't.
I worry about my friends and if I have enough friends or why they don't contact me more often. I don't say this to them in case they think I'm a crazy person. But I worry about my circles of friends a lot.
I am happily married but my spouse has no idea how much I worry about things and turn them over and over in my head. I think they might think I'm a crazy person too, if I said something.
I have a great life, children, a lovely home and a very well paid job I enjoy. I was told once I am one of those people who 'has it all'. In some respects I do. But I wish I wasn't anxious so much of the time.

I used to do this too, but I learned to send my thoughts down a different path, if that makes sense to you? Instead of worrying that I might be developing osteoporosis I'll start wondering why it's called osteoporosis, why it happens, could it be cured by some science fiction technique, do animals get it, what would happen if a pet got it, are there treatments for vets, probably not because it costs so much, etc. It's a skill and it takes time to get good at it, but I found it helped me out. I still have my head filled with random thoughts most of the time which leads to some odd conversations :P

handtight

I was there myself for years. In my case the weekends were worst and I still can't explain why but I was anxious all the time and the feeling ate away at me. This went on for years and no-one knew until eventually I experienced a breakdown and that lead to therapy, particularly CBT. I gradually got more and more into therapeautic tchniques and psychotherapy which gave me a lot of insights.

Nowadays I still experience occasional 'meldowns' but the difference is they don't stick. Why? Ihink because my attitude to this condition has changed and I now longer react with 'dread' when I get low and anxious. Anxiety feeds on anxiety and extreme mood swings are the worst.

Some of the lessons I learnt:

Don't try to rationalise away your anxiety.

Commit your thoughts to paper and challenge their validity - don't be obsessive about this though - even a bit of time on this will probably help

Meditation and mindfullness are techniques that help many people; it''s a question of 'go with the flow' rather than fighting symptoms and always resisting which can be exhausting.

Be a friend to ourself, take time out, long walks are good especially in the company of a friend....

Hope this helps.

itsnotmyname

I agree with what the previous folks said ....I was in your shoes, went to my GP and talked it over. Got treatment , and now I can cope with just about anything ...
Life's too short to sweat the small stuff ....There's better times ahead for you ...Lots of luck

LegacyUser

I have felt less anxious this week. I have sorted out a few things (medical) that were hanging over me. So knowing they are sorted and there will be no issues for the immediate future which is a big relief.
But I need to do something about how much I worry about silly things. I know they are silly. I know my friends are busy (all married and have children, we are all busy, some live abroad or far away). But I worry they have lost interest in me. Even though we try to meet up when we can. This does make me anxious.
I wonder why I don't worry about the big things. Like my children or marriage or job. I am not worried at all about those things. Apart from normal things like if the children might be sick. Or work is difficult. Big things like finance and my family are things I don't over examine. But I'll spend ages wondering why no one has replied to a text or why I haven't seen a friend in a long time or why they haven't contacted me.
Maybe this is life when you grow up. Everyone busy and not able to be the same as before. I am very busy myself at weekends with my family. So it is not always easy to maintain contact.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I wholly recommend you try therapy. Either CBT or seeing a counselling psychologist.

As someone said, life is too short to be miserable. And every day you live with this and don't face it is a day you won't get back.