Worried about something bad happening at concert

[Doberman38]

G'day everyone.

In a couple of months my sister, a friend and I are going to attend a concert here in Melbourne, something which I rarely do. However, I'm now on the verge of cancelling, because the current somewhat heated political climate in Melbourne is making me worried a terrorist attack could happen. I'm especially concerned because the musician we're seeing is internationally prominent and is a strong supporter of social justice causes, which in my mind increases the chance of the event getting targeted.

I've actually had similar terrorism anxiety at all the other concerts I've attended, but this was before the pandemic flared up tensions. I know this is my anxiety talking and that it would greatly disappoint my sister and friend if I dropped out, especially over something like this.

I guess I just need some helpful advice and support to set my mind at ease.

[Croix]

Dear Doberman38~

Welcome back to the Forum. I hope we are going to be some help on a couple of levels.

The first is logical:

There have been 20 so-called terrorist attacks in Australia since 1971, most are against single or few persons, and with some there's doubt if it was terrorist inspired at all. This list includes the famous Lindt siege.

You can read about them here (warning this list describes acts of violence):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_in_Australia

The other thing is I cannot provide number of terrorist attacks on the singer you want to see, as I have no idea who this is. You can look them up for yourself -frankly I'd be surprised if there were any, and if there were they would not have happened in Australia as they are not on the list.

If there are some elsewhere involving this singer at a concert then please do come back and talk about them.

Secondly in your previous posts you have confirmed you have the bad luck to have an anxiety condition as well as OCD. I'm very glad to say you are seeking medical help for these . I simply kept getting worse until this happened.

I would think you are right abut one thing, the current way we live with Covid and disputes over vaccination plus lock-downs, and restrictions of course, will have raised everyone's stress levels -my own included.

I find that as my anxiety increases the number of things to worry about increases too, and at the time those worries seem very reasonable. It is only later when things have calmed down I can see I've over-reacted and they were not the reasonable at all.

May I suggest firstly you do tell your medical team about these worries and see what they would like to do, and secondly plan on going, then wait and see if any credible threat of terrorist action is publicized on reputable media (i.e. State Government, ABC news or Local Police warnings) , not on Facebook or other social media.

I hope this is of some help. Anxiety, as I have found, can seriously limit what one does for no good reason.

Croix

[yggdrasil]

Hi Doberman38,

Thank you so much for sharing your anxieties on here. It's always a brave step and you're helping others by doing it too I think.

I think Croix's advice about the concert is excellent. The odds are extremely low of any harm due to terrorism - I would guess the most likely risks at concerts are more boring things like dehydration and raised body temperature etc.

I know these sorts of fears often aren't affected by facts or logic though - I know mine aren't. I have found writing things down helps a lot when I start to feel anxious. In particular I work through "schema therapy" worksheets, which I've found help me center my mind and thoughts. Do you have any therapy approaches or practices that help you process strong anxiety?

Do you have any ideas for how you might manage any difficult feelings at the concert (if you decide to go)? E.g. I find going to the bathroom gives me a break from the people around me and helps me regroup if I'm feeling any social anxiety - sometimes I'll spend a bit longer in there on my phone to get myself grounded again.

Also I've found physical activity and sports to really help with anxiety, fearfulness and confidence etc. Do you play any sports regularly? I think martial arts and skating etc are particularly good for confronting fear, and I skate nearly every day now, and believe it's helped a lot. All the best,

yggdrasil

[geoff]

Hello Doberman, I appreciate your concern, especially if you have OCD at attending this concert, but whatever happens and it probably won't then it's the same as flying in an aeroplane, it's beyond our control.

We could be following a bus and only hope that it arrives without any damage, the same as getting to the concert, so it's the worry we will never know about, let it remain that way, if it concerns us, then we won't enjoy the concert and thoroughly regret it days after the concert.

Life is unexpected and no one can predict what will happen nor when, and a doctor will be able to help you before this event.

It's like hopping on a boat, are we going to become sea-sick but the more you worry about it, your tummy will become full of anxiety.

Geoff.

[Doberman38]

Hi everyone. Thank you so much for all your very helpful replies. Sorry for the delay, I meant to reply earlier but I got a bit caught up in a few things.

Croix, what you said almost instantly melted my dread away. Actually stepping back and looking rationally, I could really see how unfounded my worries were. The risks of terrorism are very low, especially in Australia - driving is far more hazardous for example and that doesn't worry me. And yes, never has this particular musician or their concerts been the target of an attack.

That's very kind of you, Yggdrasil. The exact same goes for you.
Oh, schema therapy certainly sounds promising! I'll definitely take a look at it.
Haha, I was actually already planning to go to the bathroom every half hour or so to protect my ears (hearing damage is the REAL danger of concerts XD), so using that for stress relief too sounds perfect! Thanks heaps!

Those are some real great metaphors, Geoff! Yes, there is no point getting all worried over something when the chance is so incredibly low, it just makes ya feel ill.

Thank you so much everyone! 😄

[Croix]

Dear Doberman38~

I think you have found the true reason for worry at music events, and that is permanent hearing damage if the venue is over loud and you do not protect your ears.. Consequently taking precautions against this is very reasonable, and if that partly coincides with taking breaks for stress relief then that is an added bonus.

Unfortunately if excessive worry is habitual and over more than one thing, eg concerts, in that case I too would suggest you get professional help, there are better ways to live.

Enjoy the concert

Croix