Anxiety

[Amy621]

Hello

i am currently going through a lot of anxiety and I just don’t know why

I had an exam today and before the exam I actually called the after hour counselling service twice because I was having troubles with calming my mind and relaxing. I finally took the decision to defer my exam and thought that just by making that decision i am definitely going to feel better and I slept for a while but again my body is up and I am feeling very very anxious and have no idea what to do

I havent had a proper sleep in days,

my doctor would be calling me up in like 3 hours as I was lucky to get an appointment however I don’t know what to do with this anxiety for the next three hours. How do I make it go away

[Amy621]

Also, I recently started on antidepressants as well so I’m not sure that is my body getting used to the medication? I have taken the same anti depressant before for like 3 months and I stopped taking it after consulting my doctor however I recently got back on them because with the entire covid situation and everything, things have been hard and I could just feel my body going into like this depressive state, it started in the end of March and it has continued since then 😞

[PamelaR]

Hi Amy621

Warm welcome to the forums. Anxiety is the pits at times isn't it. It would be good if you had a check in with your doctor, just to make sure nothing else is going on. I'm also pleased to hear you are reaching out to the counselling service.

I've had severe anxiety for 50 odd years though it was never diagnosed until about 10 years ago. Going to uni as a mature age student was extremely anxiety provoking for me. I seemed to always been in a state of heightened anxiety. The doctor in those days told me to go for a run and get rid of the adrenaline out of my system.... Well I used to cycle (20kms) and swim (2kms) at least 4/5 days a week then. Didn't have much of an impact for me though. It was the dreaded exams, assignments and assessments that kept me awake most nights with a racing heart. I too tried deferring exams - to no avail. Having said that, I weathered the anxiety and came out with my degree. My honours though was less successful as my father passed away and that was just another hurdle that was too much so I chose to leave. But I never regret that decision.

Anxiety is terrible, however, it is manageable and people are still very capable of achieving great things. Some of the gold medalist olympic sports people manage anxiety and depression, along with some of the people in high places (politics, medicine etc).

In the online forums, many people have suggested ways they manage their anxiety. Do a search and see what you can find. Everyone is different so it really is a matter of trying to see what works for you.

For me - controlled breathing, CBT and talking it through helps to reduce the impact. The most valuable thing I've learnt is to not fear the fear. Ultimately it can't hurt me and to utilise the excess adrenaline to achieve things.

Triggers has difficult and are the things to look out for. It's great you recognise that COVID situation has triggered your current state. For me the process is - identify the trigger, acknowledge the trigger, tell myself I'm okay, then accept the trigger is there. I have no control over what is happening around me, but I'm okay and try to decatastrophise my thinking.

Hope this gives you some help.

Kind regards

PamelaR