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When you’re not so low mentally and for once you feel great, the things you worry yourself to death over all day every day when you are struggling, are the same things you are proud of when you are not struggling. When you feel whole again and not like every decision is life and death. The things some people don’t understand about the people who commit suicide/think about suicide, is that we do not want to die. We just want to escape the pain that we can’t seem to putting ourselves through. I promise there is hope. Please keep going, I’m speaking from experience of doing some things I don’t even want to type to myself, you will see that light again that you once saw in life. You will smell things, look at things, listen to things, become genuinely intrigued with what people say, or everyday hobbies. I promise this bullshit is not permanent. Just keep finding yourself and growing. You are still growing emotionally, spiritually, etc, even when you don’t think you are. And one day you will all of a sudden realize, “holy shit, I’ve came so far mentally from that pit I used to be in. “ Trust yourself. Only you really knows you.

Well said, thanks for sharing.

As soon as the evening starts getting later, I dread going to bed sometimes because I don't want another day full of responsibilities that are making me anxious to start... I just want the evening of relaxing to be endless. Does anyone else get this??

Yes. And the resulting insomnia is killing me because its making my life so much worse

If you could please send me any good vibes or pray to anyone you believe in that I can make it through today, I would really appreciate it. I’m getting married today and my anxiety is on hyperdrive. 🖤

sending you good vibes and tight hugs! enjoy your special day 💓

## Some Context I was diagnosed with ADHD in March, that same day I decided to conquer my fear and spoke on stage for the first time in a public speaking competition against 9 other people. I ended up winning! A few nights ago, I competed in the Finals for title of *Inspirational Speaker of the Year* and many other amazing prizes... And I won! ## Proof [1st](https://imgur.com/RWlXuuZ) Go face your fears cause you'll never know where you'll end up.

Congratulations! That took guts.

For me it started a few years ago when I lived by myself and I couldn't take the complete silence. It just gives me too much free brain space to focus on my other senses. With sounds in the background, it's a bit easier to drown out stuff like heart palpitations or thoughts about how scared I am. I mean, it doesn't stop anxiety and I still get anxiety attacks but it does soothe me to an extent. So if I'm by myself, I have something playing almost all the time, usually from when I wake up to when I go to sleep, but especially at night. I wonder if there's any harm in playing sounds all day long. I don't play it loud but maybe the constant stimulation has a negative effect on the brain. Either way, I can't stop now, I just get way too anxious without anything in the background and I prefer a show with people talking to a white noise machine. So, anyone do that too? What shows do you watch? I usually just rewatch shows old favorites, and I leave new shows for when I actually want to pay attention. I've been playing Friends and Brooklyn 99 a lot recently. Edit: This got so many replies! I appreciate everyone who took the time to comment. Pretty awesome that all of us here have the same experience, makes me feel less like a weirdo because my ex used to always be amazed how I can just rewatch the same show over and over for weeks. She accepted shows playing 24/7 but she didn't get it like y'all do :)

I do this when I go to sleep cause I start thinking too much before bed. I always do a live stream cause the thought of being unconscious for hours is a weird one for me so I like to know things are still going on while I sleep idk lmao

Unfortunately, getting coffee isn't going to happen as he is currently talking to another girl and said she wouldn't be too happy with him getting coffee with another girl \*sigh\* **😒** **😒** I'm glad he told me even though I'm disappointed and I very much respect him, so hopefully we can be friends or something (because I really really like him and think he's super cool) so yeah... that's a thing...

you made a big step by asking him. you took a shot at it, which is what counts. If he's currently with someone just keep in touch and look for someone else, don't focus on him. There's plenty of people out there :)

Just like the teenager memes about hiding in your room when company is over, I'm in the adult version of this situation. I'm one of those teenagers who is now grown with a home of my own. There's a guy working on my roof and I've been in hiding all morning. I can't let my dogs outside yet or they will bark and draw attention to me. I can't go too close to the windows or he will see me. I can't watch TV or play music or he will know I'm here. I have to tiptoe around my house so it seems like no one is home. I'm home alone, hiding where there are no windows and too scared to come out. I feel like a rat scurrying around the shadows trying to avoid being seen. It feels dumb, but the thought he might see me is terrifying. I'm not the only one, right?

Haha yes I do the same mostly. I hate taking my dog out when my neighbor is outside. I hate answering the front door to people I don’t know. I’m not anti social. I don’t know why I am like that at home, but I am.

This post is by no means meant to detract from other support subreddits, but I genuinely feel like the people on here are so understanding. I think having to struggle with something internal like anxiety every day gives someone a more empathetic perspective on other people’s situations. Rather than advising OPs to overcome their external circumstances, people on here give them the support to manage their internal struggles because change isn’t possible without addressing that. Thank you so much to everyone on here for making 2020 feel less alone and difficult. I know what you are dealing with is awful, but I also know that you are incredible for keeping on. Wishing you a better, if not the best, year ahead.

I find it really comforting to read other people's issues on here. I think it helps validate that mine are real and that I am not crazy. I agree with you that the advise and understanding all the way around is generally pretty positive. This sub is fantastic.

I failed it last year and I’ve been putting off retaking it since last year because I failed my first test by getting a panic attack in the middle of the road. I’m so proud of myself!

Well done , proud of you

i had ocd, health anxiety, panic disorder, and gad. everything was under control and then during quarantine being stuck inside made me go fucking insane. i think of quarantine as like a metaphor for being stuck inside just like we’re stuck inside our heads and have trouble with the external world. this has been absolute hell. my heart is always racing i think i have a heart disease.

Yeah totally. Feeling connected with the world around us is important for out mental health, and lack of that takes a special toll on those like us with inclinations toward mental issues.

Cutting out all caffeine took me to a 8/10, still panicking and always on edge. 50 mg Zoloft took away my panic attacks and brought me to around a 5/10 (I still wasn’t happy but it literally changed my life, I didn’t spiral anymore) ACCEPTANCE/ and CLAIRE WEEKES METHOD WAS USED TO FIGHT BACK NOW THAT I COULD BECAUSE OF THE ZOLOFT. Focusing on eating healthy Whole Foods, sleeping, and exercising has all but finished my anxiety. I almost can’t be triggered anymore and I haven’t had a panic attack since I started Zoloft. Used to be unable to eat and sleep I was so anxious.

Amazing. Hoping I get this turnout.

Why must they be so intertwined. Anxiety is intertwined with so much actually. But man, I already struggle to sleep on a good day. Dumb anxiety!

Totally then you think well maybe ill just call in to work. Then you worried about that and if i do im goingto get fired. Then omg if i get fired i wouldnt have money lose my house and they would come get me because i couldnt pay my bills. Yup lets add to the not sleeping anxiety.

Y'all, find yourselves someone who will work through all your anxiety and depression with you because they love you enough to help you find the other side.

I told my boyfriend about my anxiety from the get go. About 3 months in, I told him I was having a bad anxiety day and asked if I could come over. I was so scared of being rejected. My ex once told me my anxiety annoyed him. So... well... I'm sure you understand. Anyway, after he said yes and I was over, he put on a movie and put a pizza in the oven. After we ate and when the movie was over and I felt more relaxed, he asked me what happened. So I told him everything. And I was calm so I said it felt silly that I let this stuff get to me. And he said "but it was important to you. Is there something we can do if this happens again? To help you calm down?" Y'all... I held it in but when I was going home I was crying happy tears. He even told me I was always welcome when I had a bad day. And... it felt so nice to be heard, taken care of, and to have someone care enough to help me figure out how to manage things in the future. He has no experience with anxiety but he did his best and I still get emotional about it TO THIS DAY (1 year later).

So a friend told me this and I think it's really helpful. If you ever catch yourself rethinking something humiliating you did, stop and instead try to remember something embarrassing someone else did. You probably can't and that's probably the case for everyone else and nobody remembers what you did.

I have a few memories of other people's embarrassing moments.

And always remember, fuck anxiety, it’s all energy! Embrace it! Edit: first silver ever! Thanks kind stranger. I suffer from anxiety all the time. As I’ve gotten older I try to focus on the anxiety as energy moving throughout my body. If I have anxiety and I feel it in my stomach, I zone in on how my stomach is feeling, pay attention to the anxiety moving throughout my body and it helps to relieve it eventually, don’t ignore it as it’s there for your attention, something about your mental thinking or the physical world is causing this energy to enter your body, find out what it is, pay attention, don’t ignore it.

Thank you friend. Needed to read this today.

Hello all, I wanted to give an update on my progress in hopes to maybe inspire just one person to take that first step. 4 1/2 years ago I had a complete mental breakdown due to a number of stressors and my alcohol abuse reaching critical mass. Prior to this I did suffer from anxiety for years but was still able to hold down a job, have a social life and be a relatively good father to my children. After being house bound for 3 1/2 years I wasn’t able to walk to the mailbox without having a panic attack. I was so depressed and defeated I didn’t see the point in even existing anymore. I felt I had nothing to offer this world so in what literally felt like a life and death decision I reached out for help. I called my local NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) chapter and tearfully admitted the hell I had been going through. It felt so liberating just to hear my voice letting some of that pain out. After a half hour or so on the phone, the women kindly suggested I start talking to a therapist via video chat. I did some research and decided on a company called betterhelp. I was assigned a counselor and she helped me to come around to the idea of medication. I then began video chat sessions with a psychiatrist with a company Teladoc. I was prescribed 15 mg (after a gradual increase) of lexapro. My wife of coarse had to pick up the called in script from the pharmacy. The first two months were not good to say the least, I had a lot of side effects but I pushed through and by the third month i started feeling a little bit of my confidence returning. I would take little walks a couple hundred feet from the house. I started to white knuckle drive around the block. In May of this year at 5 months of medication, on a Saturday morning something in me clicked. I just said fuck it, jumped in my car and drove a couple miles down the road through multiple stoplights to a Home Depot, went inside and made a purchase. It was TERRIFYING! I was a nervous wreck but by the time I made it home I was so stinkin proud of myself I was gitty. I came right on here to reddit and announced my crowning achievement. In the time since then I push myself everyday. Little by little expanding my comfort zone. I now can drive anywhere in the city, I have even taken the freeway to the next city over. I go for walks with my family to the park. I have gone out to dinners and reconnected with some old friends. Most importantly the quality time out of the house with my children has returned me a mindset that I do have value, and I do have something to offer this world. I still have down days but overall I am happy and proud of the progress I have made. For me the combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy has proven to loosen the chains of anxiety but none of this would have been possible without taking that very first step of many first steps, Asking for help! From the bottom of my heart I wish all of you the best.

This is incredible! It's great that you've been able to rebuild your life after your breakdown. Something similar happened to me, so I know how brutally difficult it can be to do that. Thanks for sharing this here - it will inspire a lot of people.

Something positive to post I suppose, I applied, had the interview and now I've got the job. It's a start.

that’s awesome! i recently got a second interview for a job myself. calling them back was the most stressful part for me. i’m super happy it all worked out for you!

Just a few minutes ago, I started looking in the mirror and practiced a joke that I could say later tonight with my friends. I tried it dozens of ways for about ten minutes before I realized what I was doing. I just told myself I was weird and should stop worrying, even though that never works. Please tell me I'm not the only one? Edit: It’s the day after I posted this. I just realized I’m an absolute moron. I forgot to tell the joke.

I do this too... I take it a step further and try to anticipate reactions and responses, and then I'll think of a reply for each scenario, and I'll plan out like ten multiverses of conversations. It's honestly exhausting but I can't help but stress about it.

Not sure this is important, but I went out eating alone for the first time! It went ok, I had trouble ordering, but other wise ok.

That’s awesome! Congratulations! It’s only going to get easier from there so keep up the good work!

Title pretty much sums it up. I feel like I can never relax, never live fully or happily, because I am simply constantly mentally preparing myself for whatever next bad thing will happen to me. For example, I finally met this pretty great person, we had a great time, and yet somehow, even when I was most happy with them, I was mentally preparing myself for the inevitable fact that it would fall apart (and it did, but, granted, that was because of lockdowns and stuff). Health worries are also pretty prominent. Whenever I'm pretty healthy, I can never enjoy it, because I frankly am just getting ready and thinking about what next health woe will be thrown my way and how I will be miserable because of it. Even now, I have a problem where I literally can not stop thinking about worst case scenarios, regardless of likelihood. I have done everything I can -- called my specialist, set up an appointment, and will receive the next step in treatment, and I have refilled my current medication to treat it. And yet, here I am, worrying obsessively about infection or something -- despite me having this problem for three years and my worst case scenario not coming true. (\*\*knock on wood\*\*). I can't relax. I can't stop bracing for the next bad/uncomfortable thing to happen, and even when I am doing everything I possibly can, I don't feel good enough to live my life. I am tired and miserable. I know I need a therapist, but office closures make it tough to do so, especially as I want to see one in person. EDIT: Wow, I really had no idea this post would take off the way it did. It's funny that I used my throwaway account, for discussing some of the issues that I'm most embarrassed about, and am getting some of the best responses and best advice on. Thank you to each and every one of you.

brace yourself. so many good things are coming it will blow your mind

It's so weird feeling this way because I was thinking of committing suicide two days ago

Fuck yeah bro you can kick your anxietys ass show em whos boss

I’m ready for work. I’ve worked at this place for 2 years. I don’t hate my job. Yet here I am, anxious as fuck because I’m ready 30 mins too early to leave the house. Wtf?

I always liked working first thing in the morning for this very reason. When I worked afternoons or midnights I always found myself spending all my free time thinking about how I had to go to work later. Drove me nuts.

I am afraid to post on social media. This is a test for myself to see exactly what kind of interactions I can have from doing this. I tried this before and deleted it after 20 minutes, so I just want to see how long I can keep this post up before deleting. Have a great day Edit: Thanks so much for all of the support! All the comments and messages were very helpful :)

Hello! Thanks for posting. 😊 Hope you're having a good day too!

I'm your family now & I'll validate the crap out of you. Merry Christmas ❤ Edit: if any of you need a friend to talk to, my messages are always open.

I just need a fucking vacation

Just in a bad place rn 😔 lost a lot of weight and I’m stressing about it which is making me eat less.

Yes it happens to me all the time. My weight is constantly in flux because of this . If I didn’t smoke weed I don’t think I would eat at all

Does anyone else feel this idk how to explain it. There's people in my life that I love but some days holding a conversation with literally any human sounds fucking exhausting and awful. like uhhhh how was ur day..... thats cool.... hows x going.... we both know I don't really care its fake. EDIT: Made this while drunk and forgot about it lol I guess people do understand! Thank you guys so much this week has been difficult this helped a bit.

YES it gets so annoying and then I feel bad for not being kind enough

It doesn't matter, we've all been there.

High school? I'm too busy replaying the way I said hi to my neighbour this morning.

I haven’t done anything social since covid started and I’m loving it. I hate parties, I hate social events so the fact that I like almost legally can’t go to any is great. Our state just okayed social gatherings of <10 people though so immediately my boyfriend’s friends decided to have a fire and invited us. I’m having an absolutely awful anxiety day - I’m guessing the fact that it’s tonight is primarily causing it, and I don’t want to go at all. Is it normal to want to be by yourself this much? It’s been almost 3 months of quarantine and I’m still not socially rejuvenated.

I'm glad I'm not the only one a little distraught over quarantine ending. I feel guilty.

Heart pounding. Shortness of breath. Dizziness. They are all here .. but fuck them. What do we say to anxiety? Not today. Edit: I tried to answer all of your comments. Thank you again. Hope you all have an amazing day! Edit 2: Thank you for the gold! :)

you can do it! deep breath. This is a cakewalk. You can do this and if you feel anxious, imagine all of them naked. They are ridiculous. (just don't laugh) go go, you got this

a while ago, i saw a post about a guy who was afraid to go into costco, and was asking all of these questions that would come across as obvious. the comments were all vicious and mean, they were all mocking him. i couldn't help but feel bad, not only for the guy, but for myself as well, because i found what he posted very relatable. i'm who struggles to do things alone, it made me sad to know that people view me this way. i thought, if he was suffering from something "serious" like depression, i'm sure the commenters would not post the things they did. but since it's "just" anxiety, it's fine to make fun of them. it's hard having severe anxiety and having people mocking you on top of it. just makes me sad.

Unfortunately, it only becomes serious and relatable when it finally happens to them.

During a panic attack, do you ever speak to yourself in the third person and tell yourself "it's okay' or "you're gonna be fine"?

Oh, absolutely yes I do. I can guarantee you aren't alone doing so.

It’s hard to explain, but I always feel like I’m on high alert because of *something* and that as soon as this something is gone, my anxiety will decrease. Except when I take the time to think about it, there’s no something. Nothing special is happening and nothing will go away. This is my life. It’s the kind of the stress you’d get before an important interview, except the post-interview relief never comes. I’m so exhausted.

Yes, I get this feeling like someones sitting on my chest and I'm slowly sinking into the earth, disappearing. But no one and nothing is actually causing it. It's just me, feeling anxious and afraid of nothing in general.

It’s one of those days I guess. I’m beating myself over stuff that happened years ago for some reason today.

I do it all the time and I HATE it. I go over stupid stuff that happened years ago and get embarrassed about it

I'm not asking you to help. I'm not asking you to understand me. I just want to think out loud. I'm not okay. I will be. I just need to ride this out until I am. Thanks for listening.

I am sorry, and I hope you do feel better. Truly. I am going through a very difficult time myself. If you ever want to talk, I'm here.

Nothing can take away my anxiety like hearing the word "Cancelled".

Y E S. I don’t have to exert mass amounts of energy and pretend like I’m good at socializing, and I can just lay in bed and binge watch Netflix some more.

To give a brief backstory, I graduated college in Spring 2017 and was still working as a barista at Starbucks. About two months after graduation I started to really feel the effects of my anxiety. I was panicking that I didn’t already have a better job and that I was gonna lose my apartment because I couldn’t pay bills. After relentlessly searching until February 2018, I found a job as a sales rep at a cell phone store. Since February, I’ve been doing great! I’ll be making about $40k a year and after five years of struggling with bills, I can comfortably afford my apartment! Now, since about April, I’ve been having anxiety, again, about me feeling like I’m not doing enough. I’ve been relaxing a lot, going out to places with friends (because now I can afford it,) and playing a lot of video games(it’s always been a hobby.) But I’m feeling pressure to go back and get a masters in the hopes of finding a better job and really going for something that I actually dreamed of doing. I just can’t find the will to break away from this relaxed mood the change in pay has given me. Every time I try to give up playing video games and going out with people, in hopes of working towards something, I go right back into this comfortable routine. Does anyone else feel this way/get anxiety about this? If so...does it go on forever? Will there ever be a time that I feel fully, 100% relaxed and comfortable with how I’m surviving and doing things that make me happy?

It's really a shame that the current system makes us feel that way. I'm pretty sure most people feel like that. The thing is, you need to know what you personally value and then act according to those values. Do you value success more than holistic living? Do you value money more than happiness? Do you value work more than creativity? You should prioritize your values according to your preference. Then you won't be so doubtful about the path you chose for yourself. There's also this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCO8eoDWqHQ) by Hank Green that I always love to share talking about jobs and careers and life.

my behaviors as a kid were so obviously undiagnosed anxiety and OCD. how did no one see or care. now, it’s on me to try to fix myself in a toxic environment with no access to help of any kind due to social distancing. poor child me had no idea what was happening or why she felt like that. poor thing. i feel so bad for her and her issues and why she didn’t realize they weren’t normal. edit: i didn’t expect this many comments. thanks for sharing your stories and i’m sorry so many of us can relate :(

I can relate, I almost failed second grade because I missed so many days. It wasn't until years later that I realized I was having panic attacks, I really just thought I was dying/going crazy. I missed so much school that year that someone called CPS and my parents were investigated and I was interviewed. Everything was dropped once they realized I was in a safe home environment, but I felt so sad and guilty for creating all that trouble. Years later I can still feel the shame engulf me like a flamethrower. I didn't mean to be a "problem child," I was just scared and panicky all the time because I really thought I was dying. Sending you and your child self hugs! <3 From myself, and my child self. <3

Totally gross and TMI, but I’ve noticed since my anxiety has been through the roof, I’ve been having the runs and it just reminds me how bad my anxiety can actually get. I feel like that 7 year old in third grade absolutely scared about everything one day. It’s literally like a switch flipped in my brain and I knew something was wrong with me mentally. Now, I’m 27 and feel like I’m experiencing it all over again. It literally got triggered by something small and kind of a big change. It’s a good change and it’s something I’ve been wanting so bad and in the back of my head it keeps telling me I’ve failed and that it’s going to backfire. I know that’s not true at all. I’m having to play the waiting game on something and it’s driving me absolutely bonkers. So, I’ve been so anxious and stressed that I’m literally having to run to the toilet. And not only that, I’ve been so anxious to the point I feel like I’m going to throw up. It fucking sucks. Ugh. Does anyone else have this issue with their stomach? 😅

Every time I get anxious it happens. I can literally go poop and then 5 minutes later I have to poop again cause I am still anxious. I try to tell myself that it is not that bad by imagining my bowels being cleansed from all the poop😂

Edit: Friends, I made it! I got dressed up, made it to the venue, and I’m here!

Excellent! Who are you going to see?

I hate social media... It is a well known fact that it has a lot of negative effects on its users. This year, I have deleted all my social media accounts, and people closest to me treat me like a fucking mentally ill freak questioning why I am off social media like people you know I am depressed, and this shit doesn't fucking help!!! And like wtf do you really want me to take a video of my breakfast everyday like fuck off and let me live my life with or without you genuinely in it you noisy fucks. &#x200B; People it's not healthy to invite everyone into your life, and post a fake summary of how your doing. The majority of users are not happy and they keep this egotistical game of LOOK AT ME going in this circle jerk of likes. WHO THE FUCK CARES! get over yourself and leave me alone.

I’m 20F and recently deleted all social media. It’s super freeing I hate how caught up everyone is in it it’s so toxic

FUcK FUCk FUCK FUCK

Me too homie

Wouldn’t be here without you, thanks for being my safe space when I need to escape the world, even just for a quick drive around the neighbourhood.

I feel this... the amount of times I have pulled over by the side of the road and had a mental breakdown lol. Driving calms me and is often the only place I can do anything at home without my parents breathing down my neck (despite me being 23). One huge benefit to getting my license.

It's 5min away but fuck it. I am scared of passing out but who cares 🙃 gonna fight this thing head on (Thank you all for the support it really means a lot.)

You’ll be okay!

Please know that I’m **SO** AMAZINGLY proud of you. Every single day. You might not know me, and I might not know you... we’re literally strangers! *I HAVE NO IDEA WHO YOU PEOPLE ARE!* But to step up to the subreddit, post online about your personal problems, is brave as duck. Please give yourself credit. Do you know what you did by simply posting that post about (x) ?? Someone might relate to it, and need help on (x) , someone might just be interested in (x) and read about it, someone might be going exactly what you’re going through, but remain silent... maybe they’ll speak up because of you!! With one push of a “POST” , amazing things are sure to come with it... you spoke up about it... and that is SO GOOD! You’re more amazing than you know. You matter to me, if that means anything. Take care. Please stay safe. If anyone needs me, I’m always just a message away!! I don’t mind listening :) love to hear from new people!! Keep your heads held high, hope you all have an amazing day / night... wherever you may live! Love you all! — I apologize if this isn’t allowed on the sub for some reason! It is my first post here :) #Edit I’m sorry I ended up falling asleep! It was 3 am or so when I wrote this, and I thought “only a couple of people will see it” ... boy, was I wrong. Thanks for the awards, someone mentioned that someone wrote something similar, but its hard to find that post.. — something like that - so I’ll try my best to contribute a lot more here; probably a weekly thing! Like a weekly check up , see how everyone is, and such :) I’m just about to read the comments now, and reply! #Edit V2 We all have that thought of “this looks so dumb” , “why am I doing this?” when about to post online on a subreddit, and in social media in general... Know all those TikTok “famous people” ?? They are human, too. They probably were sure as ducky duck scared to post online for others to view , judge , comment , like , etc.,, but now look? They are perfectly okay with posting whatever — even sometimes the silliest, stupidest things... those who comment “I wish I had the ability to do what you do” ... *You can* Nothing is stopping you. You are only stopping yourself! With one little push of a “post” could change your life.. change someones life, emotions, thinking process.. think its scary , right?! It is!! Yes , anxiety...other mental illnesses... but THOSE DO NOT DEFINE YOU. You are more than your mental illness. Don’t be afraid to do what you love, and keep doin it! I am with you every step of the day. Together, we will both live our “dream life” ... take care, sendin prayers that you have a good life!

You are such an awesome person! thank you. much love

My stomach is an absolute mess, i can barely move without running to the toilet. But telling my boss I can't come in makes me crazy anxious, worrying they'll think I'm slacking or something. So then I put it off until I have to leave and just end up showing up and being miserable and unproductive all day. Anyone have issues calling off?

My husband is like this. I think the only reason why he can actually ask off now is because I encourage him about it. I know how hard it is for him to do so, but when he needs to, I am very supportive and it makes it easier for him. However, you can coach yourself instead of needing someone else to. Try to look at it objectively or as if it's someone else. Your partner, friend, parent-- they are sick and ask you if they should take off work? What do you say to them? You could even do a pros/cons list. Though certain items on the list should weigh heavier: your physical and mental well-being.

I get pretty intense anxiety every Sunday knowing that I will have to go back to being a functioning member of society on Monday. I usually can’t eat and on really bad days will be vomiting from anxiety. What are some things that you guys do to deal with pre-workweek anxiety?

The honest answer is that I switched careers to put myself into a job that doesn’t destroy my mental health.

I am just soo happy.

Comgrats!!!!

The war within yourself knows no peace when you keep feeding the enemy.

Thank you . Kind stranger .

Pretty much every social interaction I have with someone, no matter how small, I spend a ridiculous amount of time afterwards playing back what I said over and over again in my head. Even if what I said was totally normal, I still harp on it and pick it apart until I've convinced myself I've made a fool of myself.

I’m 27. Sometimes I get anxiety about things I said to people in 6th grade. Edit: so I’m reading a lot of comments saying they suffer the same thing. Obsessive thinking like this is a common symptom of other things that aren’t anxiety. Like bipolar disorder and OCD. This is a reminder to make sure you are properly diagnosed. I was misdiagnosed for years until I was properly put on the right medication and these thoughts went away. Talk to your doctor because obsessing over thoughts from years ago isn’t a common thing in anxiety disorder. Please talk to your doctor.

She's never been able to do it before and today was finally able to. Big personal win for her!

Not sure if she experienced one of these, but I feel like newer remodeled McDonald's are also making it easier on folks like us with the touch screen systems - you order and pay from a giant screen and then just wait for them to call your number. Literally SO much less stressful.

Basically, having to work from home and not go out to socialise has given my mind and body a much needed break. Working from home means that I don't have a lot of the job related anxiety that makes me dread Sundays and Mondays. I am also able to save on the 2 hours of commute and so I have a lot more free time. Not having to wake up early means I get 8 plus hours of sleep every night. I didn't realise how much lack of sleep was affecting my mood. Not having to go out means I no longer need to worry about my IBS related stomach problems. I also no longer feel pressured to socialise (im an introvert by nature and love staying at home and playing games / watching tv). With all the time I have, I finally feel like I am no longer running behind the ball, and have the time to reset, rest and do the things I love, without judgement. It just feels like the wonderful break ive always dreamt of but never thought possible. Appreciate that this is a hard time for most and dont deny what people are going through. I got lucky because I have a very stable job and its just my husband and I at home.

Not having to wake up to an alarm, put nice clothes on and pretend to be ecstatically happy at work has taken so much weight off my shoulders. I love my job, but it's so emotionally draining. This week is the calmest my mind has been in a long time, I am so free of anxiety in a global pandemic and it feels wrong

My job makes me pretty depressed. My boss has been away for over a month and I was basically left to my own devices, which was great. He returned today. Yesterday and last night, I was so worried that I would get depressed that it turned into anxiety. Then I began worrying that I hadn't done enough while he was away that it created even more anxiety. I woke up drenched in a cold sweat this morning and called in sick. Now I'm anxious that they'll be pissed off that I wasn't at work yesterday. It's a vicious circle and I'm ashamed of myself for running away from my problems. Anyone else ever done something similar?

You know, sometimes it’s necessary to take care of our selves. Having anxiety is no different from calling in with the flu. Don’t feel bad. Take care of yourself. Best wishes.

Now that I'm out of it, I'm realising how unhealthy that sounds. But I tidied my room (a deep clean, including bug spray because going overboard is fine... right?), started writing a fanfic (I'm 9000 words into it!), and I've felt pretty okay for two weeks! Not that I haven't had moments, but it's the longest I've been semi-stable. Being unalive hasn't crossed my mind in what I think is about two weeks, which I think is what I'm the most proud of. Edit: thank you for all the kind words and wishes! It's much appreciated. Wishing you all the very best <3

super proud of u!!!

I feel like I get anxiety or panic attack because I'm scared of those feelings. It's like I don't want to feel them and that's what triggers more anxiety. I don't know if this is a common feeling for those with anxiety disorder but I think it's exactly how I feel.

I feel the same way. My brain gets scared and convinces myself I’m getting worse, but that thought is the thing making it worse. It’s like an endless cycle.

I'm almost 30 years old and I still lay awake at night, feeling like a complete idiot of myself when I was 10-16 years old. Then I realize how stupid it is to even care, but it doesn't really help. How do you get past this stuff?

Yes. I read elsewhere on reddit that if you cringe at a memory, it means you learned something. Most of the stuff you cringe at, no one else would likely remember. I feel some pity for the person I was, remember what I learned, maybe if I did better subsequent circumstances, and try to just move on to completely different memories.

After an initial wave of catastrophizing, now I'm pumped up, haha! A producer actually reached out to the little Facebook page my cohost and I run, and I didn't even think it was real at first. Woohoo! EDIT: I am FLOORED by the support. I honestly didn't know until this moment what a difference the kind words of someone I've never met in person could make. I'm sitting at my computer, and I legitimately feel so cared about. It's incredible. Thank you! Those two words don't seem like enough, but thank you! EDIT 2: They changed it to this morning last minute, and I barely slept this morning, but I NAILED IT. If I get a link to the interview, I'll add it here! EDIT 3: If anyone wants to give it a listen, I decided to be nice and proud about this and put it on little portfolio site. No pressure at all, [but you can find it here](https://www.christopherjdmitchell.com/blog/cbc-fresh-air-im-anxious-about).

Amazing!! Good job! Can you please plug the name of your podcast so we can take a look (if you like?)

I cant see myself not having anxiety and really my heart just sinks. It’s just beyond cruel that this will be me for the rest of my life and the only thing that changes is how i manage it. There is no cure. I’m always going to be in my head one way or another. It’s exhausting.

ERP/CBT therapy can reduce Anxiety to normal levels.

recently looking at some of the posts on this sub has made me think i may have anxiety, so because of this i arranged an appointment with my doctor, i was worried to go as i thought maybe what i'm feeling is normal. i was scared the doctor would judge me if it turned out my feelings where completely normal. however, after some more appointments my doctor has referred me to a specialist who will aim to diagnose me. it's still an ongoing process but i'd like to thank this sub for inspiring me to get help.

good job! anxiety is a hell of a thing, but it does get better often. you got this

But now I got crippling anxiety if she will text me or not... P.S late night time thoughts

Don’t play games. Say hello. Get to know her, ask about her. We love talking about ourselves. You got this my guy 🤝

That is all

Solution: xanax and regular clothes

I think one of the worse symptoms of my anxiety is that I often feel in “trouble” or like someone is upset with me. Usually this will happen after working a shift or leaving classes for the day. I end up questioning the things I did or said during the day and if I did everything correctly. Often times these anxieties come up when trying to go to sleep. Does anyone else get this? How do you combat the feelings?

Oh my God, yes. Especially the dread phrase, "We need to talk."

I got a tattoo on my inner forearm from one of my favorite manga. You can see it here: https://imgur.com/a/VFWrQ1Z . I got it facing towards me on purpose for a few reasons: I want to look at it and after placing the stencil facing away from me multiple times, I personally thought it would look best facing towards me. Long story short, I liked my ink and decided to share it in the tattoo subreddit. I didn't expect to get so much negative backlash about it facing the wrong way. I didn't mind the comments that had actual criticism on the ink itself, but there were just so many comments just shitting on me and enjoyment over it. I let their words get to me to the point where I let them dictate whether or not if I should enjoy my tattoo, because I do enjoy it. But because it's breaking a tattoo "rule" I feel like I'm not allowed to be happy about it. Now when i look at it, i feel like its wrong and looks stupid. Feel like i should be embarrassed about it. I just hate feeling dumb for enjoying my tattoo. All of this sounds super dumb but I just needed to let this out because it's been in my head all day. edit: wow, i honestly didnt expect this post to blow up. i appreciate everyone's kind words. and for those who have gave me honest criticism explaining why the "rule" is there to begin with or any criticism with the tattoo itself, i appreciate it as well. like i stated before, i dont mind helpful feedback, just dont go attacking someone over it lol.

I got a tattoo on my wrist of my kids name and the artist convinced me to tattoo it outwards and I regret it. Tattoos are personal. They are for your own enjoyment, not for other people. The idea of tattooing something pointed outwards so that other people can "see it properly" is absolutely ridiculous.

I feel sick to my stomach but nothing works to get rid of it. I also feel out of breath and shaky. I just want it to go away.

If it makes you feel better I get these: Shortness of breath Chest pain Shakes Nausea Diarrhea And an overhwelming feeling of fear The symptoms of anxiety are horrible

We are renovating our house right now and there are things everywhere and not where they normally belong, it is making me feel SO stressed and anxious. I literally feel heightened with the need to clean and put things back. The mess is at the forefront of my brain and it's like I am not able to function until everything is tidy and neat. I feel overwhelmed by it all.

Sometimes I get into such bad anxiety that my room becomes a mess which makes me more anxious but I’m too anxious to clean it...its a vicious cycle

the universe is coming for me

Yes alllll the time. I start getting anxiety about not being anxious because I start thinking that I made it all up or I overreacted and now I’m wasting everyone’s time with my obviously fake anxiety because how could someone who’s anxious have moments where they don’t have anxiety????

Bear in mind, you do still have to wait for your food and go take it from an employee, but it beats having to order it up front.

Yea everyone bitches about the mechanical grocery store check outs I fucking love them

The day after a day and evening full of anxiety I feel like a hangover: brainfog, heavy eyes, tired,... Do you recognise this feeling?

Yea unfortunately this happens to me a lot, especially after anxiety/panic attacks. It’s like my body needs some time to recover from the intensity of that experience. I always try to give myself rest the next day and make sure I get plenty of nutritious food and water.

My trainer abandoned me to wander around the facility trying to find the lunch room on my own and all my coworkers didn’t bother to acknowledge me or say hi. Got so anxious I went to the bathroom and started dry heaving and decided I might as well just stay in here. Cried a lot. Trying to hold the tears back going back to work now. Stressed I’m going to cry in front of my trainer after being totally normal the first half of shift. I’m honestly so exhausted from just trying to exist as a human being.

I totally feel for you. I had a similar experience on the first day at my last job. I'm do sorry you're going through this. I really hope everything gets better.

Thank you for reading this. I would just like to let you know that you are a wonderful, amazing person. You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it! If anyone of you reading ever need to talk, know that I am here for you. I believe in you! Have a great day and don't forget to smile! Edit: Thank you so much for all the kindness! I never thought that this post would become this popular! And thank you friend for the gold! It is highly appreciated! Love you all and have a good night for some of you, good day to the rest, and remember to keep a smile! Edit 2: I have no words for how happy you all made me! These are my first ever awards! Thank you all so much!

I needed this, been overthinking small ass mistakes and can’t stop worrying a lot. Thank you!

Title says it mostly. I’m just curious if anyone else has the same tendency? I just can’t stop trying to anticipate everyone’s reaction to something or everything’s. Edit: well shit this got a lot more attention than I.... anticipated. Going to read comments now an hopefully reply to some.

All the time. I usually have the tendency to anticipate the worst possible outcomes, too so that usually leads to me being even more anxious. However, I recently had one of my “worst possible outcomes” actually materialize and found that despite my anticipation I wasn’t ready for it (I always assumed that the anticipation was preparing me in some sense for the worst possible outcome). I guess the moral of the story is that anticipation is pointless lol

I’ve had crippling nighttime anxiety around someone hiding in my apartment and watching me. It has severely impacted my sleep and I’ve had to sleep with all the lights on, locks on all of my doors, just every coping mechanism possible since I was 8 or 9. For the past 2 years I’ve been in therapy and doing small exposures to disprove this belief that I have. Last night was the first time I could turn off all the lights in my bedroom and sleep in the dark. Seems small but I’m proud

Hey, great job! And it doesn't seem small, at least to me. Doing something for 15+ years and then stopping doing that "something" is hella difficult. So, kudos to you & good luck 🤞

For me, it doesn't seem to matter how comfortable I am somewhere (though it is worse at newer/less familiar places), but if I get sick or something and skip a few days of class or work, I get really anxious to go back. Particularly when I've been sick because I'm afraid I won't be totally better and I'll have to come home or it'll cause a lot of problems. Right now, I'm returning to work after leaving sick last week and I'm really anxious about it.

This happens to me a lot.

It’s a small accomplishment but I feel so proud of myself for getting over my fears!

Can someone please help me get over this? I've driven on the highway before, but jesus christ it still gives me so much anxiety I start shaking. It's so frustrating!

Like, right now I feel like there's something I should be worrying about and it's killing me, it's driving me nuts, and it's keeping me on edge because I don't know what it is and I honestly just want to flip every table I see. This happens like ALL THE TIME and sometimes I hope my brain is just normal. &#x200B; Edit: Thank you all so much for the replies! It made me realize that I'm not alone and that there are other people who experience the same thing I'm experiencing right now and it made my day, thank you! I hope you all have a good day! &#x200B; (Hopefully me editing this post won't make offend anyone and I'm sorry if someone happens to get offended by it. I just wanted to express my gratitude)

I feel that way all the time. That voice in my head is searching for something to worry about, almost as though if I don't worry about something, bad things will happen. Like I NEED to be worrying about something. I think it may be habits of thought that we have formed. One thing that helps me is reminding myself that sometimes that voice in my head is just anxiety, not me, and I'm that which hears that voice. I hope things improve for you.

I'm 27. I've been trying to get to the root of my anxiety and this morning, while driving to work, it dawned on me (no pun intended) that the source of my anxieties might have to do with my disdain of having to get up early for work. I have a problem where I can't stop thinking about work during weekends, when I'm home at night, on vacation, etc. Work dominates my thinking, but in an unproductive way. I don't go over anything specific, I simply ruminate about the fact that I have to do it. A lot of it has to do with my disdain of not being able to have full control over my time and having to sacrifice so much of my life to a job. I typically end up having a decent day at work, nothing wild. Every now and again I'll have a hell day. I often fear having those days, weeks in advance, and they typically never come, but they eventually do. Going back to my time, a massive hurdle for me is accepting that I need to get to bed early so that I can have enough energy for the following day. There is something about that...and it makes me feel powerless. It feels like the rest of my life is just a waiting room for work but I realize how absurd that sounds. I know it's untrue, but we also live in such a hyper industrial and profit-addicted capitalist society that I know (unfortunately) that what I'm saying has some form of validity to it, and I wish it weren't so. Anyone else experience this? I'm a grown guy with a career and yet here I am, at the best job I've had to date, miserable about having to go to it because it means I don't have full control over my time.

I wrote this post apparently

We both make allowances for each other's mental health and support each other every single day. I could've settled for someone who didn't understand or support me, but I had the confidence to leave those relationships and wait for the perfect partner. I'm really glad about that. It was tempting just to have someone next to me. Waiting for real love is worth it, even when you feel like you'll never meet your soul mate. We met on tinder of all places! After years of feeling alone in the world, I finally feel part of a team. Don't give up!

That's the absolute best! I'm (32m) at 5 years with my girlfriend who fully embraces it and it's truly the most amazing thing. Happy Anniversary and I hope theres many, many more to come.

This weekend has been horrible for me, i had maybe 3-4 panic attacks just on the weekend, would maybe be more if I didn't take a computer session, but here is the thing I don't have fever, but now is Monday and i haven't had a panic attack yet but I feel like I need to puke and I'm so hot that I'm sweating, I didn't go to work because I felt like shit.

Yes. The past year. I went to a new job in hi-tech. I left my previous company of (10) years where I was successful. The new company basically set me up up fail from day one with a module that had been oversold 2 years ago and the previous rep had left. So I come in and am gas lit and told everything you are doing is correct. Then the pandemic hits and soon departments and head count are being laid off. Then 2 weeks ago the company does a wide layoff and now people are getting coaching plans. I cannot focus, ive lost 15 pounds, i have no energy but I cant sleep and I am stuck in this constant obsessive loop of worry. I wish I could simply focus on today but my mind wont let me. The fact we are in this pandemic only heightens everything. I have the weight of my family, our home, our benefits - i feel nauseous a lot which makes me have no hunger. So yes OP I too am feeling sick. Ill get a hot flash here and there as well.

I'm so excited rn omggggg. The schedule for next week came out today and I was super excited because I had two days off in a row and my mental health hasn't been the greatest lately so I was super excited. But then my mom spoke for me (she works at the same place I do) and said I wanted another day for more hours so I was scheduled another day and only had one day off. I was so upset so I went to talk to the person that makes the schedules and I was honest with her. I said that my mental health hasn't been great and that I would like to have the two days in a row. She was so nice about it and just gave the shift to someone else and I'm so proud of myself! Tldr: overcame anxiety and was honest with my boss about my mental health

Bravo 👏👏👏 I know how debilitating anxiety and mental health pain can be but you should always speak up for yourself. If you don't no one else will either

Not sure it will help anyone else but here is a list of stuff I keep on my phone to help me calm down during moments of high stress and anxiety. I have been slowly adding to this list over the past 4 years when I first started experiencing daily panic attacks and now I find myself rarely referring to it. Hope it helps someone else! &#x200B; **Note to Self** * Give it 20 minutes. * When you have a negative thought, replace it with a positive one or make up a positive one and fake it til you make it. * The more I say “fuck it”, the better I feel. * It’s just your thoughts. * I don't know what's going to happen in the future but I know everything is going to be okay. * You got this. You know you're competent enough so that you won't fail in life. * What’s the worst that can happen if you fail? Nothing. * Look at the grand scheme of things. Don’t focus so much in the moment. There will be a tomorrow. * You don’t have to do anything. * It’s not what I have to do. It’s what I want to do. * If you feel doomed, that’s because that’s what anxiety tends to do. It escalates a situation that, in reality, isn’t going anywhere. * Don’t be afraid of your anxiety. * You are the play, and the world is your audience. * You shouldn’t be scared. Treat the event or activity as a challenge or opportunity. * Why do you feel like you have to do anything? You don’t have to do anything. * The best thing to do is not think about it. * Staying in the situation will teach your body that everything is ok and there’s nothing to worry about. (I know some things on this list repeat but I left them there for reinforcement) &#x200B; **4-7-8 Breathing Technique** * First, let your lips part. Make a whooshing sound, exhaling completely through your mouth. * Next, close your lips, inhaling silently through your nose as you count to four in your head. * Then, for seven seconds, hold your breath. * Make another whooshing exhale from your mouth for eight seconds. * Repeat. &#x200B; **AWARE Calming Technique** * Accept the anxiety. Don’t try to fight it, because it will not take away the anxiety. * Watch the anxiety. Tell yourself which changes in your body and perception you notice and try to look at yourself as if you are an observer of yourself. * Act normal. Breath normal and remain calm. Don’t try to escape because that will make you experience your symptoms even more intense. Instead, stay in the situation and experience the anxiety fading away. * Repeat the steps 1, 2 and 3. If the anxiety is not reduced to an acceptable level yet, then repeat the steps. You’ll see that you’ll calm down soon. * Expect the best. Practice makes perfect, so practice a lot. Don’t focus on what may happen to you, because that chance is really small. &#x200B; **Other** * As cliched as it sounds, I really recommend trying to live one day at a time. You're overwhelming yourself by trying to do too much/fix too much/make too many decisions at once. Try to breath, enjoy each day as it comes, and give yourself small goals to get back on track. &#x200B; Edit: Wow! This post really blew up from when I posted it during an anxiety attack. I'm glad that so many people find it useful and hope you guys gain as much mileage from this list as I have. :D

It takes a special person to take this much effort to help others. Thank you

I just need to get things off my chest. The truth is, I’m not doing well. I’m so overwhelmed these days, and I can’t relax. Something is always on my mind, something is always bothering me. I’m constantly irritated, and it’s frustrating. My emotions feel invalid — I have a home, I have food on my table, what do I have to be upset or stressed over? I feel so disconnected from myself and from others. I’m afraid to reach out to others — I’ve definitely pushed a lot of people away this year. I don’t know how or if I can bounce back to whatever my *normal* was. Edit: WOW, I did not expect to get this much feedback, but I thank each and every one of you for the advice and kind words.

Your emotions are valid. Dealing with these feelings can be overwhelming. What do you do now to stop your mind from these negative thought patterns? It’s not easy to catch them once they get going! Don’t pressure to yourself to get back to a normal.

Posted it on r/relationship but got removed. The mods told me to post here instead. English is not my first language so please neglect any mistakes. I've always suffered from mild depression and social anxiety. I'm sure my parents know of it because of my mental breakdowns and also because my dad is a doctor himself. I love my parents but they are just too busy with their life and profession. They're hardly even home. They've remained uninvolved in most of life. So this happened a few weeks back. I was really troubled because of school, couldn't sleep and was having a meltdown. I don't know what came over me but I went ahead and woke my dad. I asked him to come to the living room while sobbing. As soon as we sat on the couch, I poured my heart out to him. He didn't say anything. Except a few "hmm"s and nods. Lastly he calmly asked me if I would like to meet a friend of his ( he didn't directly say a therapist ). He then went ahead to tell me that my illness is valid and seeking help won't deem me as "crazy". I refused and went to sleep. The next morning as usual my parents were not home but my lil brother (M13) was there. He asked me if I had talked to Dad about something. I acted confused. He then started crying and telling me that I should have told him if I was suffering so much. I calmed him down (which took quite a while) and afterwards he told me that mom and dad were talking about me. Dad told mum to make sure that the environment of our home was a happy place for me and they were planning to make time for me/family by taking some time off. I've never ever felt such love from any thing or person. I'm so so blessed. I'm just so thankful for my family. I feel like I can endure anything. I just wish I would have leaned on my family for support earlier. Please everyone if you're suffering, reach out to your loved ones. It can make a world of difference, I promise! tl;dr - reached out to my dad and got unexpected support and love from family ❤️ &nbsp; **Edit** : Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to write a beautiful comment! I am really blessed and I'll never forget that! I hope my story encourages you to reach out to people. You're not alone. Again, thank you so much :)

That’s awesome! I’m happy your family was there for you. Some parents usually tell their kids to “just get over it” but it fills my heart with joy that your parents are actually trying to help you. :,D ❤️❤️

Fuck anxiety

I wish I could, but it fucks me instead

Today i learned my anxiety attacks are just like everyone else's , it's really comforting especially when the symptoms makes you feel like you're having a stroke but the neurologist was like : "don't worry you're fine" I didnt believe him at first but now I do !

It's fake news until it happens. Trick is to accept that what you fear will happen and that you will be able to handle it. Obviously doesn't apply to having a stroke though.

A few days ago, I really felt like getting some ice cream and I saw an ice cream shop down the road. Walking towards it, I was arguing with myself to do or not to do it. Would it be weird? Getting ice cream on my own? Who does that? I almost walked by, but something inside myself told me 'who cares, even if they think it's weird, you don't know these people and probably will never see them again'. I turned of my thoughts, got in line... And got some ice cream! It was great.

Thats awesome! Good job! And honestly, im willing to 100% promise no one would ever think twice about that. Say hello, say please and thank you, and no one will even think twice about it :)

I've been in a pretty rotten housing situation for a year or so now. My two housemates (a couple) fight and scream alot, and generally are disrespectful of the fact that they share the space with other people (ie my boyfriend and I). After being woke up to the sound of screaming again this morning, I finally stood up to my housemate and told her that she woke me up and that I was upset. She's famously combative so she tried to argue with me but for once, adrenaline kicked into my system in a useful way and I didn't back down. Ive been really anxious lately and struggling personally so I'm really proud that I managed to speak my mind. Thanks for reading if you did.

Congrats! Power to you for speaking up for yourself!

I always get a very bad stomachache (diarrhea, constant farting and all kinds of smelly stuff) especially when i get anxious - and it’s always my left side of my stomach. Ugh..it’s truly awful..anyone had the same experience or is currently going through it? *updated post* Hello again everyone - thank you so much for sharing your experience! definitely did not expect to receive a lot of comments. My only big difference with you is that I’ve never been nauseous but just pumping out a lot of gases haha. Anyway, thanks again for your comments. I’m glad I am not alone in this:)

This, 100%. I get super nauseous with my anxiety peaks. Which really sucks for things like going out to dinner or anything to do with food. Then the nausea leads to more anxiety about throwing up, its a vicious cycle.

Title kind of says it all. How do people cope with this? Edit: I am so grateful to everyone who responded to this post! I was really struggling and, thanks to some of your responses, I have started rethinking some of my priorities. Thank you everyone. Stay calm.

I usually feel a sense of dread. Like something bad is about to happen. The way I cope with it is by reading, watching tv or play Xbox. The main thing that helps is that I remind myself that work is necessary even though I don't want to go. Also I try to make plans after work. It give me something to look forward to. Like going to the movies, hanging out with a friend, ect. That puts me in a good mood too.

I just started a job working at Dairy Queen as a cashier (this is my third day). I don’t make the food, I take orders and money, bring/give food to people, and clean up the store/restock when needed. today, I messed up an order. me and four of my coworkers were standing in a circle trying to figure out the confusion, when I, using my classic dry humor to cope, said “Oh my God I’m going to have a panic attack now”. One of my coworkers said “It’s ok, breathe in, breathe out”. Later, she came up to me and asked if I had anxiety. I said yes, I’ve had it since I was 7. She said to let me know if anything was ever overwhelming me, and she would help me out. it’s honestly one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me.

This melted my heart. I’d never have the guts to tell my boss something like this. Actually, had a panic attack while eating lunch one day 6ft away from him. Didn’t say a damn word. Just found 3 things to look at SLOWLY, 3 things to smell and 3 of my favorite things, (I like that movie 😂). Proud of you.

i just. can’t even explain how it feels in my mind. but i hate it so much.

It's really hard to describe the exhaustion it causes :(

Edit: wow did not realize this would resonate with so many people! Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week, despite any challenges anxiety may bring ♡

If that is not the most accurate thing I’ve read today. It’s such a pain. Then I’m laying in bed contemplating whether to get up or hide from the world lol.

Literally haven't had a problem with ibs symptoms for way over a week now, I finally thought maybe my body is healing and getting back to normal, and then I get hit with the worst stomach cramps on and off all day, my stomach is just in pieces at the moment and it's getting me so down. It's like doing hurdles. Every time I jump one successfully, I end up tripping over the next 7.

with you on this. its extremely aggravating and defeating. hope you get back on the ups soon.

None of us do, what we deal with daily is a living hell, and we just don't deserve it at all. It's hard living like this, unbearably hard but let's not forget that we're so strong and resilient for fighting it daily. Some people might wave us off and disregard how we feel with comments like "just relax, it's not even that bad, you're just overreacting." but that's bullshit. I know how it is, we all do, and I want you all to know I'm proud of you, you woke up today and you faced anxiety head on, you did a thing, be it small or big you tackled today's tasks and you didn't crumble under anxiety. You're improving, you're doing better bit by bit, and I know how hard that is. So if no one else will tell you, I will, I'm proud of you and you're doing damn good. It might take a long time but I know each and every one of us can overcome this, it might take longer for some of us, but we'll do it. So just keep tackling it day by day, we're stronger than this, we never asked for this, we never once did anything to deserve this, but I know we'll beat it. Stay strong, I love all of you.

Needed this today. Every day is an accomplishment! We did it!

I hate it because I’m ALWAYS uncomfortable. That’s just how generalized anxiety it; you’re always anxious because everything makes you anxious. I understand the concept of this saying/phrase, but for me/people who are never comfortable, it disregards how we feel on a day to day basis: anxious. Uncomfortable. Never able to chill out or calm down because we are driven by anxiety. . That’s all I wanted to say.

EXACTLY, im always uncomfortable. There really is no "comfort zone" for me, not even at home in bed. People dont understand and Im jealous of people without it, living everyday without constant anxiety

Someone hit me, so I could cry instead and divert my focus. Or take my heart out,so I won't feel the heart palpitations as I get anxious and stressed. It's frustrating and simply tires me out. Like, I can barely breathe. I'm so tired of this cycle of worrying and overthinking. Fuck this shit, I want to only focus on good things even though I don't have any, I'll make some, I guess. Edit; I really thank you for your comments and helpful advices. It means alot.. Also, to the people in same situation as me, hang on, friend! We're all in this together.

I get it. I'm so exhausted mentally from overthinking and constant worry about EVERYTHING. My mind immediately jumps to worst case scenario for anything that happens. Physically I feel like I could run a marathon but mentally, forget it. Sometimes I can't even speak correctly because my brain is trying to process too much information about everything and anything.

Lol I have to literally look at the menu for 30 mins then rehearse how I’m going to say it it’s so crazy

Yes, but mostly because I love food and I'm excited to know what I'm going to find at a new restaurant :)

I recently had an issue with balance regarding a Thiamine deficiency, and I decided to start taking vitamins. It turns out- Magnesium makes me chill as a cucumber. I feel confident. I am not overthinking. I am also not High from taking this supplement. I just feel like....what I imagine someone with low anxiety feels like. Im not really saying other people should do it- im just saying as someone who has had Horrific anxiety my whole life, this is So refreshing.

What type do you take and how much?

Thanks to meditation.

Same here! 30 Minutes before I wanted to cancel it, but yes I made it... It was good not to think about it a lot. Only go on! Do it , I was there 2 hours. I felt so good after that. Had a nice talk with the people and now a nice hair colour

I hope you have a relaxing night <3

thank you!

Any time I make a friend I am always filled with this innate concern that they secretly hate me. Even when I haven’t done anything wrong, if the person is reading texts and not responding I get stressed that I did something. I know that they don’t actually need to respond and it shouldn’t bother me, but why can I never seem to think that people might actually just like me for me?

The imposter syndrome is very real. I feel like a nuisance and burden to everyone around me. Lately all I want is to just be in a coma and be free from all the self doubt and feelings of being unworthy of even existing. The one ounce of reassurance I’ve learned is that everyone is too caught up in their own shit to even give more than a passing thought to you. We convince ourselves that whatever we did or said is end all be all but the truth is it was just a passing moment for most and they’re back to focusing on whatever they’ve got to get through that day. That’s not to say that people don’t care, just that we’re all so self focused it would be impossible to get anything done if everyone focused on every minute interaction. We’re all struggling, now more than ever. But remember you’re just a person passing by in most cases. You got this. You will get through today, tomorrow, and the next. Don’t let your mind convince you you’re not the beautiful soul you are.

So I was having an anxiety attack in my kitchen. My son was watching TV in the next room and I could hear him. So I sat on the floor and started with the breathing. A few minutes later, he comes into the kitchen cocks his head to the side. He comes over kisses me on the forehead. Then he sits besides me on the floor with a toy and smiles at me then plays with his toy until I calm down. Must have done something right with this kid.

That kid sounds amazing. I don't have kids yet but I sometimes worry about how they will view my anxiety when I decide to have them.