Should i get help?

[JustM3]

Hi,

I think i have anxiety but i am too scared that it will be dismissed if i see a mental health care professional. I'm still in school and don't want to cause a hassle for my family but i have been struggling with this for a while now. Here are some things i struggle with:

-Watching movies that involve monsters or ghosts (this sounds dumb but even after i watched the PG rated movie Gremlins i had trouble sleeping for a month)

-Performing (i'm a musician)

-Talking to people (if i think i've said something wrong i avoid people so i don't have to talk to them in case they confront me)

-Sleeping with the lights off (some days i literally cannot sleep because i look at the clock and freak out over the fact that i should be asleep while checking the doorway every five seconds to make sure there are no immediate threats)

-Physical activities (i am self conscious and avoid sport and school camps in case people make fun of me)

-Freezing (when i hear a noise at night i freeze and lie as still as i can while wishing i could move to get across the room to turn the light on)

-Stress (at school i can feel all the work piling up and i sometimes end up hyperventilating when i get home i am usually very grouchy and end up in tears by the end of the night, this happens most nights)

-Seeking help (i am terrified of seeking help i asked my mother to book an appointment once and backed out after she organised it and i told her i was fine)

This list looks like nothing now i've written it but i really feel that the issues i'm having aren't normal, or maybe no one ever talks about it? I think lots of people have anxiety but social media has dismissed it as the norm and that people say that people who get help don't actually need it they are just looking for attention. I've taken the anxiety quiz on this site and i have contacted headspace and i think maybe i should get help. I'm still too scared to mention this to my parents in case i end up in tears (like i did last time) which is humiliating. How can you deal with anxiety anyway, even when i try breathing slowly and counting to 10 i know it's still there. What kind of solutions do mental health care professionals provide? and do they work?

Thank you for reading this and if you think that the stress i'm feeling is normal please just tell me

[geoff]

Good Morning JustM3, thanks for posting your comment and a warm welcome to you.

As soon as I read you mentioning the word 'fine' to your mum raises alarm bells for me and after going through what you have told us indicates that it would be wise to see your GP and if this does happen I would suggest you write down on a piece of paper all of what makes you feel this way, print off this page if you like and then add onto it.

When my illness was really bad it didn't stop me from crying in front of my family, doctor and/or psychologist, simply because I wasn't well and they needed to know so I could get the help I needed for depression and anxiety.

Anxiety can and will lead to various types of anxiety, such as GAD, social anxiety, not being able to sleep, phobias, being self-conscious and the list goes on as you have told us what makes you feel anxious.

Can I also suggest you contact Reachout, these people are trained and dressed in casual clothes so you may feel a little more comfortable talking with them but please under no circumstance should you ever feel embarrassed by crying, that's how you are feeling.

I'm very sorry for how you feel but let's try and get you back on track.

Please reply anytime you want to.

Geoff.

[JustM3]

Thank you Geoff,

Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you, i talked to my mother and she is going to book me an appointment to get help. I'm sick of feeling anxious and missing out on opportunities because i am too scared. I have also decided to join the string group as well to try and build up my confidence (the cello is my second instrument and i've only been playing a year so i'm really nervous). I really need to learn how to cope with anxiety so it won't stop me from trying new things. I'll see how things go after i talk to someone, but seriously thank you. I was debating whether or not i should just suck it up and do it or not so i'm hopefully going to learn some ways of dealing with anxiety.

[Doolhof]

Hi Just M3,

I too welcome you to the community here and congratulate you on talking with your Mum and asking for help.

All the issues you have written about are very real to you! Hopefully you will be shown ways to deal withthese things so they do not have such an affect on you.

We all have different issues, it does not mean that my issues for example are worse than yours, they are different!

My psychologists gets me to ask myself if things are actually re4al or not, if they are real, how can Ideal with them.

For example the noises at night, could you have some soft music playing so you don't hear any noises?

Or is it possible for you to listen to the noise, work out what it is, then tell yourself it is just this or that and it will not harm you.

Could you have a torch near you or do you have a phone with a torch? Maybe if you have that handy at night, you will know you can turn it on and the anxiety may not escalate too badly.

Like Geoff mentioned, I often write down what my hassles are and hand the paper to the Dr or to the psychologist. The more we can tell them, the more they can help us.

Sucking it up is good for some3 things perhaps, chatting about issues and delaing with them helps immensely.

All the best to you!

Cheers from Dools