Fucked up GP appointment

[BonnyBoy]

Always been anxious but recently it's been so much worse. It's ruining my life and I can see how it will ever get any better.

Mainly focussed on the kids getting ill all the damn time.

I get panic attacks, I can't sleep, I drink too much and take painkillers to numb the pain.

Finally got a GP phone appointment today. Except I really didn't explain it very well. I hate talking on the phone. GP was very nice but just said medications not the best way to go and to try mindfulness/online talking therapy.

I've done both before. They are great but don't stop the massive anxiety cloud.

SO many people particularly on here have said just go to GP and explain how you feel, anti anxiety meds have changed my life.

Not for me obviously. Now I just feel so on my own and I know that I'll respond by having too much wine later which probably just makes the anxiety worse!

I find when talking about mental health, it's much better if I sit down beforehand and write down everything I need to talk about. You can do it as a letter for the GP to read or a list of points for you to discuss, I normally do a list of symptoms, how they are affecting me, what I've tried to resolve them myself if anything. My wife had to go in for an appointment about anxiety recently and she asked me to write a letter for the GP to read directly talking about what she's beens struggling with as she finds talking about her mental health hard, I talked to her a little about what the main points were but then just wrote down my concerns and what effects I had seen, she was put on medication and referred for counselling.

What are you anxious about, specifically?

@MrsRubyMonday

This is such good advice

@BonnyBoy big hug to you, Sertraline did change my life ( if I'm brutally honest it probably saved my life). Do you have anyone like RubyMonday who could be your advocate?

Thank you @MrsRubyMonday that's a good idea. Maybe if I ever feel I can go to the GP again I'll do that.

@Sarahlou63 specifically loss of control I think. Once they are actually unwell I seem to cope ok, we've had our fair share of hospital stays etc. Also specifically vomiting

So you are worrying that if there's an illness you won't be in control, is that right? Despite the actual evidence that you can, and have coped in the past.

You might find it useful to complete a thought record whenever you have a thought that triggers your anxiety. By writing it down you take it out of your head and it immediately loses some of its potency.

Examining it critically, actually writing down the evidence for and against the thought and evaluating your emotions will really further help to put things in perspective.

Another option is the Goldilocks trick. When a fear pops into your head write down the following;

1. The worst thing that can happen
2. The best thing that can happen
3. The most likely thing that can happen

(hint - 1 and 2 never, ever happen )

Finally keep a tub of Vicks in your bathroom cabinet. At the first sign of potential vomiting smear a bit under each nostril