Anxious all the time

[bookish]

I have anxiety which is intrusive in my everyday life, which I can’t always pin down the source of. When I get the anxiety, I feel like I can never be happy again, and expect the worst. I feel like I’m doomed to live a life which is characterised by unhappiness. Which is ironic, because if I keep worrying, that sounds likely to be reality. I know I’m worrying too much, but I’m not sure how to control this anxiety. It usually gets triggered by the thought of food- I was recently on my way to developing an eating disorder (For a period of around two months, I was obsessed with my weight, counted calories constantly, and restricted my diet to the extreme) but recovered myself before it developed fully. but I feel as if the scars haven’t truly healed, and the thought of food makes me panic still. When I get this anxiety, I can’t concentrate, and feel I am doomed to have this anxiety forever. I can control the anxiety for brief periods of time sometimes by thinking rationally, but it always comes back. I don’t know how to manage this anxiety, and I need advice on how to. I don’t know what to do when I start expecting the worst. Do you guys have any advice? Thank you so much.

[Betternow]

Hello bookish

I think you can be optimistic that you will not have to live a life “characterised by unhappiness”, as you put it. Hundreds of thousands of Australians have suffered anxiety and are able to live rich and meaningful lives. There are very effective treatments these days to help you cope and manage your anxiety. I am of the conviction that every person who is suffering from the daily burden of anxiety needs a clear diagnosis from a mental health professional. Until you have that diagnosis, it’s not possible to seek effective treatment.

You don’t mention whether you sought medical help. I’m going to assume you haven’t.

My advice would be to make an appointment with your GP. If you don’t have one, the BB website can help you source a GP with an interest in mental health. From that point onwards, you may require treatment that can last several months.

In the meantime, remember anxiety is a normal part of life. It won’t hurt you physically but if the condition is chronic, it can certainly make life uncomfortable. Try and develop healthy sleep patterns, enjoy hard daily physical exercise, limit caffeine and alcohol intake (zero if possible) and limit social media and bad news programmes. But above all, seek professional treatment.