I have an anxiety disorder which makes certain aspects of my life difficult so I try to avoid it as much as possible. Been happening since I was in year 7 and had to do a speech in front of class. All of a sudden I got a rash on my neck and face and tears starting coming out. As you can imagine, a bunch of 12 year old were very supportive of my predicament.
Since that day, any speech, job interview, meeting someone new, presentation at work, even sometimes ordering a damn pizza over the phone I would sometimes be in tears.
I can brush it off on the odd occasion by calling it allergies, but you can only do that so often with the same people.
Thanks for sharing.
I have been provided some stuff from the RUOK? day people that might be helpful to those who suffer from GAD.
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* Stay in the present moment. Anxiety can make your thoughts live in a terrible future that hasn’t happened yet. Try to bring yourself back to where you are.
* Healthy lifestyle. Keeping active, eating well, going out into nature, spending time with family and friends, reducing stress and doing the activities you enjoy are all effective in reducing anxiety and improving your wellbeing.
* Take small acts of bravery. Avoiding what makes you anxious provides some relief in the short term, but can make you more anxious in the long term. Try approaching something that makes you anxious – even in a small way. The way through anxiety is by learning that what you fear isn’t likely to happen – and if it does, you’ll be able to cope with it.
* Challenge your self-talk. How you think affects how you feel. Anxiety can make you overestimate the danger in a situation and underestimate your ability to handle it. Try to think of different interpretations to a situation that’s making you anxious, rather than jumping to the worst-case scenario. Look at the facts for and against your thought being true.
* Plan worry time. It’s hard to stop worrying entirely so set aside some time to indulge your worries. Even 10 minutes each evening to write them down or go over them in your head can help stop your worries from taking over at other times.
* Get to know your anxiety. Keep a diary of when it’s at it’s best – and worst. Find the patterns and plan your week – or day – to proactively manage your anxiety.
* Learn from others. Talking with others who also experience anxiety – or are going through something similar – can help you feel less alone. Visit our Online Forums to connect with others.
* Be kind to yourself. Remember that you are not your anxiety. You are not weak. You are not inferior. You have a mental health condition. It’s called anxiety.