Should I seek help or just go with it

[NameUserID]

For many years now; each and every day on my way to work I start to sweat and my heart starts going 100 miles an hour and i think about all the things that can possibly go wrong in the day and even keep going over everything thats happened on previous days. i also keep thinking about what the repercussions of each interaction could be. always i think the worst case scenario. This stays until after an hour or so of work and it get busy and  then i just work hard. but after work i think back on everything and the same thing, i worry about if i did everything 100% perfect and if not what could go wrong for me, will i get fired?!

for years i thought i just hated my job, which i did, but then i went traveling for aprx. 2 years around the world. each place i went i was worried. I was scared we wouldnt do thing right according to culture, i worried about everything we did during out sightseeing trips and what other people thought about my actions. each night i would analyze every interaction in my head and think the worst. i do this when at work as well.

2.5 weeks ago i started a new job which is awesome and right up my avenue (so no longer in an industry i hate and actually doing something i approve of and love: READING/Selling Books!) but im still having the before work sweats, nerves, worries, heart races and after work i still go over everything in my mind and make up bad things that MAY happen.

the other day on the way to work my girlfriend said i should seek help (once again) an this time though beyondblue had a radio add which i listened to and thought the same thing. so. here i am. asking for advice. although now that i type it all out it actually does sound like i may have a problem. i would like some advice still, please.

[Doolhof]

Hi NMID,

Welcome to the Beyond Blue community where you will meet all kinds of people. I am certainly no expert at all but it does sound like you suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder.

It seems to me like your brain is set in its way of thinking and analysing everything in a negative manner. You mentioned that when you are busy, your brain can focus on the job at hand, so that means you can switch off that way of thinking.

You could look up Cognitive Thinking and Behaviour on the computer and find ways to change your thoughts.

Try some of the exercises to help change your thought patterns.

When I negative thought comes along, consider if it is a thought worth worrying over. Will that event actually happen, if it did what could be the worse thing that would happen? In reality how likely is that to happen? Then change the thought to something more positive.

Maybe you are thinking "I am going to be late for work and I will be fired." Are you really running late or do you think you might be late? Even if you are running late, you could phone work and let them know you will be late.

You could tell yourself, "Okay, so I will be a little late today. I will stay the 15 minutes later this afternoon to make up the time." End of the negative story. Going over and over the what ifs will only make you feel a lot worse and you will take longer to settle down at your job once you do arrive there.

Look up Cognitive Behaviour on the internet.

Contact Beyond Blue either via the phone or Webchat and have a chat with someone for more professional advice.

See your Dr for advice and maybe a referral to a counsellor or psychologist if they think that is required.

Be aware of your negative thoughts and try to change them. If you travel with your friend to work, ask her to help you change your thoughts as well.

Hope this makes some sense to you!

Cheers for now from Mrs. Dools

[Beltane]

You ask "should i just put up with it"?

Let me ask you this: what if you didn't have to feel this way? What if you could... well... feel like other people do when they're on their way to a job that they like? Better yet, what if you could cope even if the situation IS outside of your comfort zone- a stressful day at work, a rude customer, even something "way out there" like travelling to a foreign country?

I mean, yeah it sucks that you've got what seems to be an anxiety disorder. But that doesn't mean you're stuck with it in its current form forever. I can't promise that it'll disappear completely and you'll never feel nervous again; because anxiety and stress are part of the human experience. BUT not at this level of severity, and thats what you can work on. Currently its right up the "Extreme" side of the ladder; but what if you could take it down even a notch or two? What if you could take it right down a few notches, to the "normal" level other people have?

I started therapy and medication thinking "even if i could just feel a little better, just a little less nervous. Maybe not feel quite like i'm going to vomit, maybe just a little less like my heart is about to explode with nerves, maybe feel just a little better". It would be worth it".

And yet i got so much more than that. Today I would say i think my anxiety is no worse than anyone else might feel. For example, I started my new job today- also my dream job (my last job was one that i very much hated and caused me alot of anxiety). And yet all i felt was just a little nervous- just the little butterflies in the stomach. Nothing awful or severe.

Thats causes my medication and therapy has worked together really well to equip me with much better skills to deal with anxiety, and the medication helps how my brain works.... in my case, i need both. but you might just need therapy perhaps!

Go to your GP, s/he can get you 10 Medicare funded trips to a psychologist so it'll cost you very little. A psychologist can help teach you techniques and skills to deal with this anxiety symptoms. You may want to consider medication; it helps many people; but you dont have to if you're not ready- you could try therapy for awhile then see how you feel about medication (you may want to try it, you may feel better without it)

good luck and keep in touch 🙂 you can beat this and feel calm and happy and able to deal with whatever lief throws at you!