Anxiety and renovating

[doingitforme]

hello first time poster. Ive bee to the doc to get a mental health plan but im onto week 3 in waiting for the psychologist to ring me. We decided against medication but i didnt think id have to wait this long. Im so ready to deal with what im dealing with but i just cant on my own anymore.
We are in a very long process of renovating an old house. We have been living here 3 years now and i have got some fibro board tested for asbestos which came back positive. I have been having deliberating anxiety over how much we have been exposed to. For the past 3 years we have been living without care with fluffy raw edges of it right at our main door which gets slammed onto it, picked at, rubbed where we tuck a towel between the gaps to stop drafts. I have 3 small kids and i am petrified that we have been exposed to so many of those fibres.
Since i have taken measures to seal the edges but that doesn't help the 3 years we have been exposed to it... i did some research on asbestos which has made my anxiety 10000 times worse coz no level of asbestos exposure is safe... i can't live the next 20 years worrying about getting a related disease. I cant eat properly, i cant sleep and my poor kids don't know what's wrong with me. I feel so stupid about it... any tips???

[Croix]

Dear Doingitforme~

Welcome here to the Forum. I can understand your worry, asbestos is not a safe substance and the well-being of your children is always right on top

There are a couple of things I'd like to say to you. This first one is logical, and as such may not be as much comfort as it might.

Asbestos has been around for a very long time, it's in my house as sheeting, it was used to fireproof things, firefighter suits, hoses, lagging round pipes and umpteen other uses. My understanding is that it is breathing in the particles that causes problems, hence car brake and other manufacturers and some mining have rightfully gained publicity for the harm they have done.

On the other hand considering it's widespread use the number of ordinary householders reporting illness from this substance is exceedingly low. The government web site says certain classes of people are more at risk:

"If you have worked with asbestos, or lived with someone who worked with
asbestos, or played on piles of discarded asbestos as a child, or lived
in an area where asbestos was mined, there is a chance you could develop
an asbestos-related illness."

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/asbestos

So while not impossible your and your family are not in a high risk category

OK, all that will probably not help

The other thing I wish to say is that in all probability if you have been put on a MH plan then the chances are you have been diagnosed with an illness, maybe anxiety.

This is one illness I suffer from and it's effects can be brought down from magnifying every disastrous possibility to a state where things are seen in perspective.

While you may not had decided on medication at the moment, and have not yet your first therapy session it is very much an uncomfortable waiting game.

In such situation I use a free smartphone app called "Smiling Mind" to help calm my thoughts and break the cycle of the same possible disasters being thought about all the time. With practice it is successful, or so I have found

https://www.smilingmind.com.au/

In addition the more distractions (and exercise) you can get the better things will feel

Please let us know how you get on

Croix

[geoff]

Hello Doingitforme, this is a situation where anybody would be frightened of confronting and if known, should have been mentioned at the point of sale.

I've had mates who worked at the SEC and used asbestosis balls to throw at each other who at still healthy, so developing this doesn't necessarily cause problems for everyone, just like some smokers don't have emphysema and I'm not a qualified doctor.

If any areas that contain asbestos, keep it wet, the fibres can't float and have you obtained any quotes to remove it, I know I've missed your question, but an x-ray will give the doctor an indication.

I haven't forgotten about those 3 years, but are you able to put your renovations on hold so you can get all the asbestos legally removed.

We'd love to get back to you and hope to hear back.

Geoff.

[doingitforme]

Thanks for your words.
I have done all the right things in sealing the raw edges now and am waiting patiently for the removalist to come.
I have been doing some hypnotherapy and psychology sessions and am starting to slowly come out from the spiral. As its scary to think how harmfull 3 years of exposure could be, iv also been advised that those edges have not been further damaged in the 3 years so although the risk is there its relatively low.
I'm still petrified of that wall and have been avoiding being at home most days now until its taken away and am am never renovating a house again.

[doingitforme]

How good is the smiling mind app? Ive also been listening to some hypnosis meditations, which i think are saving me.

Thanks for your words, I'm slowly coming out of my obsessive, catastrophic thought processes and am getting help.
I'm avoiding being at home as much as possible until the removalist has time to get rid of it.

Im gonna beat these wicked thoughts.

[Croix]

Dear Doingitforme~

The Smiling Mind app is, at least for me,excellent. It is used by education (eg NSW Education Department. and has tons of levels, some for kids, come for adults.

I would suggest you practice on the 2 minute demo exercise first before going further. It seems to do two things, stop the current train of thought and make you concentrate on something else, and has a calming effect afterwards.

It costs nothing so I'd suggest you give it a go. As I mentioned before it does take some practice but works, even on me who has no attention span at all at times:)

Croix