Anxiety levels out of control

LegacyUser

Hi,

I have had anxiety problems for the last few years.

Lately I have been very stressed due to a lot of exams and very long hours, and my anxiety is out of control. I cant function properly and I am not myself.

I am looking for a support group or a forum where I could meet like minded people. I feel so alone because no one seems to understand how I feel.

Many thanks.

Rubberchikken

have you time to speak to your gp?
a support group/forum is good but sometimes actually sitting opposite a professional and discussing how you feel can be a better bet.

take care

LegacyUser

Thanks for the reply.

I have no time off in gp hours for the next 5 weeks, so gp is out of the question. I mentioned anxiety a few times before, he gave me valium and another time an antidepressant, which I have no interest in taking. I usually manage to keep it under control, but circumstances have been hard and it keeps building up.
I used to go for a walk to relax a bit every day but I am either working or studying all of the time and I have no real time to relax. That isnt going to change for the next 9 months so I really need to find a way of damping it down.

Thanks.

scrimshanker

Anxiety2015 wrote: »

Thanks for the reply.

I have no time off in gp hours for the next 5 weeks, so gp is out of the question. I mentioned anxiety a few times before, he gave me valium and another time an antidepressant, which I have no interest in taking. I usually manage to keep it under control, but circumstances have been hard and it keeps building up.
I used to go for a walk to relax a bit every day but I am either working or studying all of the time and I have no real time to relax. That isnt going to change for the next 9 months so I really need to find a way of damping it down.

Thanks.

Look, I don't mean to be harsh, but are you even aware that you're only human? You NEED relaxation.
It's not optional... You've cut it out and you're feeling the consequences. Only you know the details of your circumstances but you've written it there quite clearly. You're under more pressure and you aren't making time for yourself with the result being that you can't keep your anxiety in check anymore.
Probably not what you want to hear but if you won't have time to go to a GP (and medication really only puts you in a position to make changes to lifestyle and thinking processes, it doesn't fix anything permanently) then your only option is to address the elephant in the room - look after yourself properly. That includes downtime to look after your mental health.

Wompa1

I've been working 3 jobs since June 1st. I won't have a proper full day off to do my own thing until mid-November. I'm a wreck. My eye lids are constantly twitching because I'm tired all the time. I was up until 4am working this morning. I didn't set an alarm thinking I'd flex today. Woke up by 7:30am...been working almost all day bar going to lunch.

I have 6 presentations in the next few weeks. I can't even think about them in the correct order, let alone keep concentration well enough to produce something worthwhile.

I'm heading for a wall. Fast. I'm constantly thinking "F*ck this, just get through it", whilst feeling sick to my stomach and tight in my chest.

But I've set myself a deadline too. Mid-November. I'm just playing through the pain for now but it's risky. I think if you can somehow take a couple of days off it might help. I don't that option quite yet.

LegacyUser

I completely sympathise Wompa1.

I am in my final year of an extremly demanding course, on rotations that are 100 + hours a week, lots of on call, zero pay and exams constantly. I chose to do this degree but this year is killing me.

I dont have the option of taking time out or time off.

So you can see how trapped I feel, and why my anxiety is so increased.

For example, my partner said he would ring me back yesterday morning, but he didn't until 4pm, and I had a panic attack thinking something had happened to him.

Any advice appreciated.

scrimshanker

Anxiety2015 wrote: »

I completely sympathise Wompa1.

I am in my final year of an extremly demanding course, on rotations that are 100 + hours a week, lots of on call, zero pay and exams constantly. I chose to do this degree but this year is killing me.

I dont have the option of taking time out or time off.

So you can see how trapped I feel, and why my anxiety is so increased.

For example, my partner said he would ring me back yesterday morning, but he didn't until 4pm, and I had a panic attack thinking something had happened to him.

Any advice appreciated.

Can you take a sick day? Seriously, you need a break now and then. There are various mindfulness apps that some people find useful, many of the exercises only take 5 minutes.

You sound exhausted and like you're heading for a burnout. If you don't want to take time off during the day then consider calling an out of the hours GP. Think seriously - would everything turn into a disaster if a GP certified you sick for 24 or 48 hours and you used that time to eat and sleep and maybe sit in a hot bath? You will probably work a whole lot better after getting some rest and will be able to cope a bit better. The other issue is that if you don't get even a little bit of breathing space for a short time is that things might end up out of action for much longer than a day or two.

ladiesman217

Anxiety2015 wrote: »

I completely sympathise Wompa1.

I am in my final year of an extremly demanding course, on rotations that are 100 + hours a week, lots of on call, zero pay and exams constantly. I chose to do this degree but this year is killing me.

I dont have the option of taking time out or time off.

So you can see how trapped I feel, and why my anxiety is so increased.

For example, my partner said he would ring me back yesterday morning, but he didn't until 4pm, and I had a panic attack thinking something had happened to him.

Any advice appreciated.

Hi there. I can remember my time at college, where I felt stressed and tired its not nice, but I managed to get through it, thank good. There is only so much you can do, and only a certain amount of hours in the day. By the sounds of things you are a very focused person but things like working hours are going against you. As others have said you need time to rest, even a couple of days. You will be more productive. Also what I found a good help in college in my final year was to visualise everything I had to hand in. Basically getting a A3 sheet, sticking it up on the wall and writing everything down. essay deadline, presentations etc. Now my course was different from yours but it did help. I think its the act of dumping everything on the paper that's in your head. Best of luck with everything, and keep posting, well all try to help as best we can. KEEP THE HEAD UP:)

Drumpot

If anybody was told that they needed to goto a hospital at the most inconvenient time possible, otherwise they would have a heart attack I think most people would drop whatever they were doing and do it.

I am not being harsh at all because I used to be a person who would find loads of reasons why continuing on in my stressed/anxious/depressed state was more important then getting help. It's at best unhealthy to continue on something for days/weeks/months that will not give you rest/relief and it will be at the expense of your health.

I will revert back to my first sentence and ask the posters to ask themselves, what exactly will have to happen for you to take care of your health? A heart attack? Nervous breakdown? Physical exhaustion? You don't need to post the answers here but ask yourself if you really think its prudent to not take care of your mental/physical health for an exam/job? It can lead to more sinister problems and bad behaviours (not looking after health) that may make all the work/study wasted energies.

I speak as somebody who works for themselves and I am struggling with stuff and stresses at the moment. But I am putting time and money aside to take care of myself. If you can afford to go out for drinks once a month, you can afford a GP visit. If you are feeling really low you can get an on call doctor or visit an A&E.

Wompa1

Drumpot wrote: »

If anybody was told that they needed to goto a hospital at the most inconvenient time possible, otherwise they would have a heart attack I think most people would drop whatever they were doing and do it.

I am not being harsh at all because I used to be a person who would find loads of reasons why continuing on in my stressed/anxious/depressed state was more important then getting help. It's at best unhealthy to continue on something for days/weeks/months that will not give you rest/relief and it will be at the expense of your health.

I will revert back to my first sentence and ask the posters to ask themselves, what exactly will have to happen for you to take care of your health? A heart attack? Nervous breakdown? Physical exhaustion? You don't need to post the answers here but ask yourself if you really think its prudent to not take care of your mental/physical health for an exam/job? It can lead to more sinister problems and bad behaviours (not looking after health) that may make all the work/study wasted energies.

I speak as somebody who works for themselves and I am struggling with stuff and stresses at the moment. But I am putting time and money aside to take care of myself. If you can afford to go out for drinks once a month, you can afford a GP visit. If you are feeling really low you can get an on call doctor or visit an A&E.

In my case. I'm hoping to ride this out for a few more years and then slow waaaaaaaaaaaay down. I'm in a high pressure job. The only way is up or a complete change. I can't go back down a level. I actually tried to twice. I was not considered for the positions. They thought I was overqualified and that I'd leave. It wasn't worth the cost of onboarding me. It was hard to argue against...I might have!

The last company was a Childrens Hospital. I thought it would have been worth the step down in pay and responsibilities to go to work knowing I was at least with a company doing great work. It wasn't meant to be.

My fiancé is working in a job that pays less than 30k a year. We've got our first child on the way. My fiancé also wants to go back to school to do a PhD. If I don't take this pressure right now and keep working my way up. I won't be able to provide the life that she wants or the life that I want for my child and I. My main driver is not wanting to wind up like so many people I know. Working a job I hate with no way out of it because I need to pay my bills. That will be a long lasting stress. I'm going to feel the pinch now, so I don't have to ever again. I hope

Drumpot

Wompa1 wrote: »

In my case. I'm hoping to ride this out for a few more years and then slow waaaaaaaaaaaay down. I'm in a high pressure job. The only way is up or a complete change. I can't go back down a level. I actually tried to twice. I was not considered for the positions. They thought I was overqualified and that I'd leave. It wasn't worth the cost of onboarding me. It was hard to argue against...I might have!

The last company was a Childrens Hospital. I thought it would have been worth the step down in pay and responsibilities to go to work knowing I was at least with a company doing great work. It wasn't meant to be.

My fiancé is working in a job that pays less than 30k a year. We've got our first child on the way. My fiancé also wants to go back to school to do a PhD. If I don't take this pressure right now and keep working my way up. I won't be able to provide the life that she wants or the life that I want for my child and I. My main driver is not wanting to wind up like so many people I know. Working a job I hate with no way out of it because I need to pay my bills. That will be a long lasting stress. I'm going to feel the pinch now, so I don't have to ever again. I hope

Don't get me wrong at all, I wish I took all my own advice, I know that life is not as easy as dropping all stress/anxiety and finding a different path.

But for me, I had to completely change my thinking before I started to prioritise my health. I would put everything else in its place.

I am playing devils advocate, but imagine you power through, have your first child but are too tired physically/mentally to give them the emotional support? I think in modern society, we are constantly pushed and guilted/duped into thinking that money compensates for lost time with our children.

I don't like discussing financial situations with people online because nobody knows how good/bad financially a person on the other end of a pc really is. That said, I know a lot of people who have different opinions and definitions of "struggling financially". I learned to not discuss it because in many cases its a subjective topic that can lead to arguments.

That said, I try to live my life (not completely successfully by the way) more family focused. My dad spent a lot of his time working and away from the family. We were comfortable financially, but I never really had a proper relationship with him. I am trying to prioritise my TIME with my children in a way my dad never did. My business is definitely losing out as a result and there is a chance I will end up having to get a new job or move professions, but I don't imagine I will regret it in my later years when I retire.

I cant speak for anybody else, but its usually my thinking that prevents me from change and its usually pressure from other areas that makes me believe I cannot do the things I want to do. I have three young children and know what its like to have a family relying on me. But when I am really stressed/anxious or even depressed, I am a drain on my family. No amount of money can compensate for it.

When I read posts like these I read people making the same mistakes I used to make (and still make!). Not prioritising their health (physical/mental). The emotional cost of this can be catastrophic.