Anxious and Scared

[blazeyyy]

Over the past few weeks I have been getting more and more anxious about life. I have been feeling nauseous and getting a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach especially when it comes to work. I have been at the same job for about 7 or 8 years and have this year been under a lot more stress at work. I lay awake at night thinking of all the things I have to do and get nervous and anxious every morning knowing I have to go to work. This week especially I have not even been able to go to work. Every morning when I try I end up in a panic and burst into tears. I have such a supportive husband and family but still I can't quite tell myself that everything will be ok. I have been crying a lot and obsessing over work. I feel miserable at work or thinking of going to work. I have thought of quitting so many times. I went to the doctor to get a medical certificate and kind of told him how I was feeling but I was so scared and nervous and I burst into tears again and had to get my husband to talk for me. He said maybe I should try some medication and also said I could get some counselling sessions if I wanted to. I got too scared and nervous about getting medication because I don't know what it will do to me because I've never taken anything like that before and don't want to rely on a drug to make me feel better but I just don't know what to do. I'm not sure what to do about going back to work on Monday either. Even though I had this time off I still feel as bad as I did because I know it's all going to still be there waiting for me. Every time I think of quitting I automatically feel better for a little while. What should I do? I've never really been through this before

[Croix]

Dear Blazeyyy~

You sound in a pretty worring place. I think you have done the right thing in posting here on the Forum though. It can be the start towards better things.

I'm afraid you remind me of myself before I was invalided out of my occupation. I'm not saying you are as bad, but the symptoms are very familiar. I left things for as long as I could -a bad idea. It made me that much harder to treat.

Life needs to be so much better than stressing about work and things in general and suffering physical symptoms as well. It poisoned everything for me and I ended up not able to function.

So I guess I'm saying the worry, the inability to get work sorted, crying, physical symptoms and fear plus being overwhelmed need to be fixed.

If it was me I'd make a long consultation with your doctor, and have a discussion about treatment -I could not soldier on alone and had to have help - I think it highly lightly you do too.

If you like write everything down first, even the embarrassing or frightening bits (that's important) and use/share the paper for discussion in the consultation. I could not have explained without doing that.

If you do get offered meds and a psychologist again please accept. Look round this Forum. There are so many here that live normal type lives because of their medications. It is not a terrible thing to have to do.

Sometimes meds need changing or adjusting, that is where you get together with your doctor. You are in control and can say what needs to be altered.

Visiting a psychologist is not that bad, though it is a two way effort, you have to use the sessions as a tool and work at it, but again you have the final say.

Between meds, medical help, therapy and support I recovered an awful lot -you can too. Anxiety and depression respond well to treatment in most cases.

You have gold in a partner that loves and looks after you -same for your family. I had a wonderful wife who was my main support, I don't think I'd be here today without her love and understanding.

While you're here why not have a look at The Facts menu above about anxiety, its causes, symptoms, treatment - do that for depression too. If you want you can browse this Forum and see how others have handled the same situation.

Please post again and talk more

Croix