Anxiety

[myusernameisnotmyusername]

My anxiety is getting the better of me and it seems to be centred on my job. DP tells me it's anxiety and I need to deal with that and not my job and I'm beginning to think he's right. Don't want to say too much because it could be outing but in a nutshell-I started my job and straightaway I loved it but it soon became very challenging and a very negative place to work. First lots of stress and worrying about colleagues being bitchy. The work is stressful so then start worrying about that. Get new boss and she is being really strict so if I'm now not worrying about the colleagues it's now worrying about how she is with me and asking for time off and things. It's hard to explain but I hate working there and my brain is constantly working overtime in a spiral. I want to leave because it is a crap place to be but I really want to deal with how I overthink everything and worry about stuff into the evenings. I can't just compartmentalise things. I will worry and do the what if thing for hours and I can't cope with it anymore. Most of my jobs have been stressful like this so I don't want to go into a new job feeling the same. And if it's not work it will be something else I know. So I know I'm worrying about real things but it's the extent of it that I need to control. Sorry for long post.

Anyone?

I am the same. It is as if my brain needs something to worry about. It could range from my health, loved ones health, work, the state of the house etc etc. It is exhausting and never ending. I am trying some self help books and meditation but may end up going to the dr's.

It’s horrible. I worry a lot about work too. I have recently started reading The Happiness Trap (based on a therapy called ACT) and I think it will be very useful for me - one of the things it talks about is whether a thought is ‘helpful’ rather than ‘true’.

Thanks all. That sounds really interesting. Sometimes DP will say to me that isn't a true worry and I really have to think about it. He is very patient and understanding but it is starting to have an effect. The thing is that last night I got that stressed I was in bed crying at 1am (2 because the clocks went forward). And sometimes because I'm worrying I act on it which makes it worse. Like stressing out my boss over something that isn't a worry to her as much as me. Hope that makes sense. And talking about my worry makes it worse too. When I was pregnant it was really bad so I saw a private therapist but I don't think she was the right person which made it worse. GP just suggested going back on sertraline which I don't want to do.

Hello - I'm sorry to hear you are feeling so bad. I was going to suggest going to your GP and consider medication but see you have already done this. I have a similar tendency and have had experience of it spiralling out of control. I finally went to GP last summer and have been on sertraljne since then. It was really helpful in "even"ING me out but I've also done other things to help - i took up "running" (did couch to 5k last year and now run 3 times a week!), time to myself, and considering counselling. GP was adamant I needed to do more than meds. Meds are only the first rung of dealing with anxiety. We also need to re-train/re-set our minds to recognise what is helpful and what isn't (I like that distinction a PP made. It's very hard to know what the truth is when you're so used to catastrophism of but you can probably recognise if something is helpful or not).

Does your workplace offer any kind of assistance? Wellbeing services or similar? I also downloaded an anxiety app on my home which has some nice "games" to distract t you from cycling thoughts/rumination. It's from a uni in Bristol I think. I'll look it up. Take care