Do I have anxiety?

[Smithsons]

I know the only way to know for sure if I have anxiety is if I go see a doctor, but I just wanted to know other people's opinions here.

I'm an obsessive thinker and mostly expect the worst. When I was younger, like maybe 11, I relied on my mum picking me up from school. Since she worked far away, I was always the last kid left waiting. Sometimes I'd worry and panic about this, just being left on my own - I'm not sure why exactly, I always knew she'd come.. just the thought of being alone frightened me so much. It even took me a while to be comfortable with staying home alone.

I've always worried about what other people think of me, and let their opinions of me define who I am. I guess I'm pretty insecure and that only worsens it. Since things are a bit rocky with my girlfriend at the moment, I panic that it isn't going to work out and it just upsets me. I somehow managed to convince myself I was schizophrenic, and a result, I suffered a panic attack. When I get slight headaches, I always expect the worst and worry it's something more. Whenever I hear of a young healthy person that got struck with an unfortunate disease, I panic the same will happen to me.

Are these all symptoms of a person with anxiety, or am I just a worry-wort? When I manage to calm myself down, I feel okay. But when I get panicked, I'm just not the same person and I feel so down and negative about everything.

[PatT]

Hi Smithsons,

It definitely sounds like you have anxiety and you don't need a doctor's certification to tell you as much. A doctor's label of 'anxiety' is just a medicalisation of frequent worry but it's not like a biological disease e.g. cancer, diabetes. If you feel worried a lot of the time then you're probably anxious but it doesn't mean you're doomed or anything. 

Anxiety sucks and nobody will tell you otherwise. It's good that you've come forward and started asking questions and i think the next step is to speak to your GP about possible strategies to help you manage your anxiety. This can be in the form of counselling, medication, coping mechanisms etc. but you can also do a few positive things to lessen the severity of anxiety.

Socialising is really important in managing your anxiety - always stay in contact with friends and family and increase it if possible. It will help you immensely to have other people around to take your mind off things. Exercise - either start doing it, keep it up or increase it if possible. Exercise does more good than any medication ever will. Meditation/mindfulness is really helpful if you can get the hang of it. There are plenty of good videos on youtube that guide you through a meditation. Do it in a quiet room by yourself if possible. They're great at helping you unwind. 

If you do go see your GP and he 'diagnoses' you with anxiety, it isn't a death sentence. Anxiety comes and goes and many people can conquer it with the right tools.

Pat.

[Jess0425]

Hey Smithsons 🙂

It's possible you do have anxiety. I suggest reading up about anxiety (from reliable sources of course) and learning more about it. The more you understand what it is and how it works, the better you can understand how it affects you. This Beyond Blue site has some amazing resources you can look into. They really helped me understand my anxiety. Try taking The Brain Quiz that you can find on the home page of the BB site. That might help you get a rough understanding of if you have anxiety, and how server or mild it may be 🙂 of course, its definitely not as reliable as seeing a doctor, but it IS an indicator.

If after having read up on it all, you believe you have a form of anxiety, then research some things you can do about it 🙂 Not everyone needs therapy or medication, although it can be helpful for a lot of people. You might only need some coping methods, which is something you can learn over time.

So look into your options, see what works best for you, and definitely try not to worry about it too much. Even if you do have anxiety, there are lots of things you can do to help better manage it 🙂

[Doolhof]

Hi Smithsons,

You have received some great advice. As mentioned, there is a lot of information available on this site, and a trip to the Dr could be very beneficial.

Until you are able to find some more answers for yourself, when you are in a situation that is bothering you, ask yourself how real your fear and concerns are. Ask yourself if the situation is as bad as you first think it is, then come up with a few solutions on how to make the situation better.

As a child my Mum used to run away from home and could be gone for months. As a child I had trouble realising that it was not my fault Mum ran away and had to tell myself that not everyone would leave me, and even if they did, then that was okay. It was their choice.

It is understandable that as a child you experienced the feelings you mentioned. As an adult, you can tell yourself that your Mum had no choice but to be the last one at the school. It does not mean that she though any less of you, it was just the circumstances.

Now you can stand tall and walk with your head high, you don't need to worry about what others may be thinking of you...they may be thinking the same about themselves.