Moving forward with anxiety

LegacyUser

I'm a bit lost. I'm 30 M. I've recently accepted I suffer with some form of Anxiety. When sudden changes occur in my day to day life. My stomach drops and I fill with dread. I obsess about every little thing that could go wrong and am always thinking of the worst case scenario in every situation. I feel I'm objective about it, in the sense that i know its not normal or rational and I try to catch myself doing it and stop it, but it doesn't work. When i worry its like a hole in the back of my head and my brain always goes back to it.

I never noticed it when I was younger but I now see similar behaviour in my dad who doesn't cope well with change.

I'm going through a rough patch of it right now. Been sitting in work all week driving myself up the wall over something i have very little control over. (Its something normal enough that should be positive but I cant help but worry about stuff going wrong).

I feel its all something that's getting worse as I get older and I want to try get it under control before it debilitates me. But I don't know how to get the ball rolling.

leggo

Counselling is fantastic for this, speaking from personal experience here, and it's life-changing. For a start you'll learn about where your anxiety came from and what's 'normal', from that you'll then be able to figure out your triggers and combat it. Then there are a million simple exercises that can help you through any build-up. I got it bad walking down the street in the middle of Dublin City the other week and was able to do one and calm myself down within seconds without anyone even noticing.

I'd also recommend mindfulness for similar reasons. Grounding yourself daily enables you to start the day on a strong footing then just bat away any occurrences as they arise. I use the Headspace app. You can try it for free and see how you get on with the starter stuff, then if you like it it's a monthly fee to continue, which I've no problem paying for the benefits you get. I was only telling a friend today, I never, ever saw myself as a person who'd meditate daily, but now I make sure I find 10-15 mins every morning to get it done.

Also all of the above will help you accept that you'll never not have anxiety. There's no catch-all cure. Every person gets anxious about different things at different times, but what matters is how we manage it and allow it to affect the situations we're in. The above is a lived in method of managing it even when life is kicking your arse. Good luck!

LegacyUser

Thanks for your response I'll see about getting in touch with one of my local councillor's from the sticky.

Sunrise_Sunset

I would recommend CBT and mindfulness. I think you'll see good results.

SirChenjin

You are recognising it, OP, for what it is, and that's a good thing, as a first step.
I'd suggest chatting with your GP and yes, definitely to seek out counselling also.

All the best.

LegacyUser

SirChenjin wrote: »

You are recognising it, OP, for what it is, and that's a good thing, as a first step.
I'd suggest chatting with your GP and yes, definitely to seek out counselling also.

All the best.

Thanks for the reply. I thought it was something I could address on my own but it seems it just won't go away without help. I don't want to be crippled with fear by every possible occurrence in my life. (Even the thoughts of going to my GP has me on edge.)