Possbile Anxiety ?

[jac__]

I get really anxious over stupid little things, like when my teacher picks people to read out of the text book or when I have to get up to walk in front of the class. Even when I have to press the bell and walk off of the bus, I play it over and over in my head planning out what I am going to do before I actually do it and I have major butterflies and I just feel really nervous for some reason. Those are the small things but the bigger ones are if I have to speak in front of people or when I get confused or lost/stressed and upset. I get really overwhelmed, for example one day I had an exam over the phone that I hadn't studied for and I had no idea what to do and I broke down crying and I felt so overwhelmed that I couldn't stop crying, I was shaking and I felt like I was going to be sick and for the rest of the day I was just really jittery.

Another time I was late for school so I was naturally really anxious about getting in trouble and some things happened and I got really confused as to where I was meant to be going and all of a sudden I started crying and I ran to the bathroom and locked myself in the cubicle. Some of the things I remember feeling were: Shaking, Cold but then hot flushes, headaches, feeling like I was going to be sick, I couldn't stop crying and I had massive butterflies in my stomach for the rest of the day. It was like I was fine one minute and the next I wasn't. After that, I researched anxiety and I thought I may have some form of anxiety but I keep telling myself that I am overexaggerating. This may sound stupid but I keep thinking that I'm just doing this for attention so that people will feel sympathy for me, but i'm not that type of person and it is driving me mad. I want to tell someone but I keep telling myself that I don't have anxiety which is kind of making me believe that I don't and if I tell someone and I don't actually have anxiety I think I would be really embarassed and I wouldn't know what to do. I know that my parents and friends would want to help me whatever happens but i can't help feeling this way. I don't know what to do, if anyone could give me some advice/help me that would be great, even just give me your opinion on this situation please??? 

[Ruth_M]

Hi Jac,

Welcome to the forum! We're glad you have posted because it does sound like you are experiencing anxiety, and there are many people who can offer you some advice. Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time, but it becomes a problem when we are becoming anxious in situations where we don't need to be anxious, or when it is starting to have a negative impact on how we are living our lives. For this reason, it sounds like it would be worth talking to someone about what you are experiencing. Sometimes, things that start off small can become bigger problems if we don't get onto them earlier, so please don't feel bad about asking for help.

A good place to start might be your school welfare coordinator, who can tell you more about anxiety and some strategies to help. They could also help refer you to someone else if you are interested in counselling services. It is up to you how much you want to tell your parents, but they may be able to offer you some reassurance and guidance when you are feeling overwhelmed. 

You might also find it helpful to read through some of the material and links on this website about anxiety. 

Good on you for sharing so bravely- we hope you stay in touch with us on the forum and let us know how you are getting on. 

With best wishes

beyondblue moderation team

[Professional_worrier]

Hi Jac,

You sound exactly like i was when i was at school. I often months or years after events that i worried about significantly would look back and think "why was i so worried about that" but it didnt help at the time i was freaking out. I just considered myself as a natural worrier and accepted it, however many years later that worry manifested itself in proper anxiety about 18 months ago. It was not a fun experience and i ended up getting a bit of help and did a number of wellbeing self help courses online which taught cognative Behavour Therapy and i have improved remarkably over the last 6 months or so. I still freak out every now and again but its not constant and i have a bit better handle on how to control it.

My advice to you is if going to a doctor to discuss and perhaps get a diagnosis is a little bit daunting then focus on trying to improve how your mind deals with worry by googling self help courses and techniques for controlling worry or generalised anxiety disorder. They helped me get back to enjoying my work and life without the constant worry without medication. The first thing they will teach you which i struggled to accept for a long time is you need to understand that your worry is not helping protect you from future events and it is not in any way beneficial for you. i always beleived my worry prepared me for the unpredictable future but trust me i was wrong.

It can be a bit of a tough slog to start with but once you start to retrain your mind o think differently about situations and the future you will start to break free of the contact worry and anxiety.

Good luck

[Bearifly]

Hi Jac,

You are not alone! I have paranoia about letting people down. I drive myself to do as much as possible and when some thing goes wrong, which is usually something minor I get the butterflies, the over thinking on situations, worrying of the overthinking. I drive myself sometimes to exhaustion, where I start getting sick. Then when i'm ill and have to take time off of work the guilt sets in. I look back and all my anxiety is based on the trivial, just like Professional worrier, at the time it doesn't feel trivial.

I have learnt to though, over the last 18 months, to stop and step back from a situation and take a few good deep breaths. Then I almost chant or pray to myself and say 'this situation will not kill me, hurt nor have a significant impact on my life. I will not let this affect my life'

The more I say it, the more I believe it. I have been saying negative things to myself for many years now and I believed it. Now I'm going the other way, positive sayings. I still struggle everyday but I can cope.

Different techniques work for different people.

Good luck and we are here to listen if you need.

[Nakka]

Heya,  good on you for sharing :)

Sounds like anxiety to me, I was such the same while I was at school. It started small as playing a situation over hundreds of times in my head before doing anything such as asking a question at school or even just asking  for something off someone, speaking everything... i would dwell on everything such as "aww why did I ssaythat" on something Isaid years earlier. I choose not to believe it and have the "naa im sweet attitude" and not ttalk to anybody and eventually it ended up controlling my life.  I now wakeup anxious and continually feel that way.  I highly recommend you find a person you trust and speak with them, best of luck.

Always here to talk,

Nakka