How can I minimize my anxiety...?

Question

How can I minimize my anxiety when Im away from home without my family. My sophmore year I got really bad anxiety and even when Im at school Im afraid to be away from my mom or sister because I fear for their safety, I cant even sleep in my own room anymore and I have horrible insomnia and dreams about my mom dying regularly. I recently started seeing a psychologist and started taking medicine, but today I went to the mall with my friend and I still am incredibly anxious. Anyone have a similar problem that can help me reduce my stress?

Answer 1

I'm so sorry you're suffering this way. I had anxiety attacks a few years ago and two books helped me tremendously. "Don't Panic" by R. Reid Wilson and "I'm Ok, You're Ok" by Thomas A Harris. I also started making it a point to walk for thirty minutes each and every day and eating more healthy meals. Know that you're not alone. There are hundreds of us just like you. It's good that you're seeing a psychologist too because sometime medicine is needed. Do try and read these books - I hope it helps!

Answer 2

Your initial steps of seeing a psychologist and beginning to take medicine are on target. As an anxiety sufferer myself, I have taken it one step further. I allow myself to worry for a specific time daily. It may be the first 5 minutes of the day. BUT THEN I ask myself (out loud) these two questions "What is the worst thing that can happen today?" Obvious answer "you die". My second question is "What are the chances that is going to happen?" Obvious answer "very low chance" This then becomes my focus for the day because nothing is worse than dying and since that is a low chance of happening, EVERYTHING else is survivable. After 6 months of this daily talk, I can now remain alone all day with a toddler, take walks around my neighborhood and drive to the store - all without becoming an anxious wreck like I was 6 months earlier. I pray that you might give this a try.

Answer 3

Sorry to hear about your anxiety. I am 34 years old and have suffered with this for 20 years now. I know how hard it is for you. I dont know how long you have been taking your meds but it does take a while for them to begin to work for you. If after a few months, you see no improvement then go to your doctor and tell him you feel like you need to try another med. It took some time for me to find one that really works. In the meantime, C.B.T. cognitive behavioral therapy) is a great way to learn coping skills and overcome your fears. I know a great website that has an online support group and CBT, it is free. The address is www.paniccenter.net check it out. Do some reading on there and try the CBT. It's a slow process but it can work for you. Best of luck to you. I hope things get better for you soon.

Answer 4

I suffer from the same thing. It is called Agoraphobia. That's what my therapist said. It is the fear of being away from home (or being alone) without being able to get to safety or to loved ones quick enough.
I still haven't found anything that really works but through time I am sure I will!!
☼

Answer 5

I suffered from anxiety attacks all the time and aside from seeing a phsyciatrist the only thing they did was give me some very mild tranquilizing pills to calm me down wenever i felt anxious

Answer 6

ok Femi
sounds like you may need to visit a therapist.. You are not alone in this fear it is quite common.. Also in themeantime get some nice relaxation tapes and play them when every you feel yourself getting anxious.. I suffer to and prefer not to use medication but this is my choice.. maybe you may neeed something to relax you stay awayd from caffeine and cola.. Ferni you will get thru this but you may need some help good luck and let us know howyou get on....

Answer 7

You are on the right track be getting counseling and the appropriate meds. Just give yourself some time to learn how to cope with anxiety and worries.

Answer 8

I get a ton of emails from my website ( http://www.attackanxiey.com )asking things like this. Here's my 2 cents worth..

Because stress is unavoidable in life, it is important to find ways to decrease and prevent stressful incidents and decrease your negative reactions to stress. Following are activities to help you do this.

Managing time
Time management skills can allow you to spend more time with your family and friends and possibly increase your performance and productivity. This will help reduce your stress.

To improve your time management:

Save time by focusing and concentrating, delegating, and scheduling time for yourself.
Keep a record of how you spend your time, including work, family, and leisure time.
Prioritize your time by rating tasks by importance and urgency. Redirect your time to those activities that are important and meaningful to you.
Manage your commitments by not over- or undercommitting. Don't commit to what is not important to you.
Deal with procrastination by using a day planner, breaking large projects into smaller ones, and setting short-term deadlines.

Build healthy coping strategies
It is important that you identify your coping strategies. One way to do this is by recording the stressful event, your reaction, and how you coped in a stress journal. With this information, you can work to change unhealthy coping strategies into healthy ones—those that help you focus on the positive and what you can change or control in your life.

Lifestyle
Some behaviors and lifestyle choices affect your stress level. They may not cause stress directly, but they can interfere with the ways your body seeks relief from stress. Try to:

Balance personal, work, and family needs and obligations.
Have a sense of purpose in life.
Get enough sleep, because your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping.
Eat a balanced diet for a nutritional defense against stress.
Get moderate exercise throughout the week.
Limit your consumption of alcohol.
Don't smoke.
Social support
Social support from family, friends, and the community is a major factor in how we experience stress. Research shows a strong relationship between social support and mental and physical health.
This type of support includes both emotional support such as love, trust, and understanding, as well as advice and concrete help such as time or money. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it can bring you closer to people you interact with every day, and it can significantly reduce your stress level. If you are feeling stressed, you can look for support from:

Family members and friends.
Programs offered through your school or job (for example, assistance programs or stress management courses like mine at http://www.attackanxiety.com ).
Colleagues at work, or people you interact with in other areas of your life (such as people who share your hobbies or other interests).
A professional counselor. Be sure to see someone who has experience and credentials.
Members or leaders of your church or religious organization.
Support groups, if you have special circumstances such as providing care for someone who is elderly or has a chronic illness. Support groups may also be available on the Internet.

Changing thinking
When an event triggers negative thoughts, you may experience fear, insecurity, anxiety, depression, rage, guilt, and a sense of worthlessness or powerlessness. These emotions trigger the body's stress response, just as an actual threat does. Dealing with your negative thoughts and how you see things can help reduce stress. You can learn these techniques on your own or seek help from a professional such as a counselor or specialist.

Thought-stopping helps you stop a negative thought to help eliminate stress.
Disproving irrational thoughts helps you to avoid exaggerating the negative thought, anticipating the worst, and interpreting an event incorrectly.
Problem solving helps you identify all aspects of a stressful event and find ways to deal with it.
Changing your communication style helps you communicate in a way that makes your views known without making others feel put down, hostile, or intimidated. This reduces the stress that comes from poor communication. Use the assertiveness ladder to improve your communication style.
Treatment for other conditions
You may need treatment for other emotional conditions related to stress, such as anxiety, depression, or insomnia. Treatment may include medications or professional counseling.
I hope this helps.

Answer 9

Say a prayer and asked the lord to be with you and your family in Jesus name amen.

Answer 10

i used to, i could of sworn i used to have OCD. just try and due things that make you happy.