Anxiety that gets worse the same time every year...

[Elizabeth_Weerd]

Hi everyone,

I am new to the forums and groups and wanted to reach out. Hello!

I suffer with anxiety which I have always found that I can manage with a good diet and exercise. I only just realised around October each year I start to struggle alot and then find myself looking up counsellors and diagnosing myself again. I called my counsellor and she said, "oh the last time we saw you was this time last year!!" That was when it clicked. Even my boyfriend noticed this as well.. I broke up with him this time last year as things were just too much for me. We got back together in February which is when things seem to calm down for me.

So what do I do? It has just gotten so bad I feel quite miserable and feel I can't talk to anyone about it.. and I'm pretty sure my boyfriend is sick of listening to me. I have started withdrawing from church because big groups can be difficult. I feel really lonely and my anxiety seems to be attaching to everything: relationship, career, money......

Any advice would be super helpful. I have booked to see the counsellor next week. I will continue to exercise and eat well. if you have any recommendations I would really appreciate it. 🙂

[Pixie15]

Hi Elizabeth,

After reading your post I am just wondering if you live in a cold climate and have had your Vitamin D levels checked recently. If not it might be worth going to see your doctor. I think it is sometimes referred to as SAD. Vitamin D has only a few dietary sources and using sunscreen and sunglasses can affect the amount you can source from the sun. Apparently even sunlight through glass is not useful.

Also this time of the year is that start of the run into Christmas which can be a challenging season.

Grateful.

[CrashCoyote]

Hi Elizabeth,

Thank you for posting.

I was in a long term relationship for seven years with a lady I once loved very, very much. She, too, suffered anxiety. She, too, really struggled around October in the lead up to Christmas.

I don't know what your personal situation is but her anxiety related to Christmas time. She had children to two different men, both of whom were very controlling of her even though she wasn't with them anymore. When we were together I would be excited about planning Christmas time with her and her children (seeing as how we were a "family") and all that caused was grief as she couldn't juggle the demands of her ex's and do what I wanted as a partner.

Funnily enough, it was this time last year that she dumped me. At the time she was full of anxiety and I don't think she could face another Christmas worrying about this stuff. I was the only one of the three competing interests that she had no children with and, I guess, the easiest to dismiss.

I don't know if this has helped but it was definitely the reason we had trouble every year at Christmas time.

Kind regards, John.