Boxed In

[Puddin73]

Hi all, I am a 50 year old that has got myself into a state of mind where I cannot seem to get out of. I have had a couple of health scares in the last 6mths, but I don't know if that has triggered the way that I am or not. I used to be a very out there kind of person now I feel I am just a shell of who I was. I am anxious all the time I am on antidepressants and I know I have a loving family that want to support me and do all the time, but I cannot seem to bring myself to stop worrying about what is going to happen if I leave my house and I am always worried about my adult daughter and something happening to her. Life has just got me so scared that every time I talk with my family and I agree with what they are saying about trying to make friends and getting out, my head just goes to a place where I think that if I was to do that something will happen to me. With all the things that are happening around this country at the moment I am scared and I am living my life being scared and I do not understand why. I have the most amazing loving family, I have the most amazing boss and a bunch of work mates who would do anything for me, but again I cannot get my head to think that I am safe to socialise. Please someone help!!!

[indigo22]

Hi Puddin73,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for reaching out for support.

I am so sorry to hear how unsettled you are feeling, those feelings of being unsafe are hard to deal with.

There is a possibility that your health scares have contributed to how you are feeling now, it really depends on how you felt at the time. Where you scared of the outcome each time, or did you take it in your stride?

We can support you but cannot diagnose, there are many factors involved. You said you are on antidepressants, are you getting support from a counsellor as well? It sounds like you have a good support system of people around you which is great, but it sounds like you need to work through your thoughts and feelings with a counsellor to get to the bottom of what is causing you to feel so afraid and worried. If you are not already seeing a counsellor, you can ask your GP to set up a mental health plan for you. Aside from that, making use of the help line at Beyond Blue or elsewhere when you are not coping will be of help. Also reading through some of the posts in the Anxiety and Depression sections of the forums could be helpful to you.

Mental health issues can be really confusing but having more information about the things you are dealing with means you have more of an understanding of why you feel the way you do and helps you find tools to manage those feelings. We will be here to support you when you need us, so please feel free to continue this conversation. You are not alone. Be kind to yourself and try not to expect too much of yourself for now.

indigo22

[Puddin73]

Hi Indigo22,

Thank you for your reply, Yes I have spoken with my GP and she is arranging a health plan for me so that I am able to see a counsellor. This should be completed today. Regarding the health scares, I don't think they help the situation, but I do not think they were the cause of it. It was a very stressful 6months of knowing and not knowing what the diagnosis of my health issues were and yes 100% that would have raised the anxiety levels, but I don't think that was the trigger. My support group around me is amazing again I am very lucky in that regard, but I know deep down that the way I am feeling can only be assisted by someone that can listen and help me or give me the tools to help me get past that first step of pin pointing what exactly started to make me feel as bad as what I do. Again I thank you for your support and it is great to know that this forum is available to me at any time.

[indigo22]

You are most welcome, I hope all goes well with the counselling and you are able to find the trigger so you can start to turn things around.

Take care,

indigo