We'll be ok, won't we?

[Dinosaurs1994]

I keep seeing posts mentioning nuclear war and my previously cured anxiety has returned with such a vengeance I'm petrified and have been reduced to tears. I've just had a baby and have a disabled child. I live in London which would be a target and I'm frightened.

I'm going to need to tune out of the news before it tips me over the edge.

I'm devastated for Ukraine but naturally in my postpartum state my worry lays with my children.

Could somebody, kindly, reassure me that we - here in the UK - will be ok 😭

@Haggisfish3

I was as worried as lots of you when isis was rampant. I had vivid nightmares about it and was incredibly anxious. I went to gp and got duloxetine. It honestly was like turning the anxiety tap off. Miracle worker. I will never stop taking it!!

Gosh, me too.

I used to travel to London regularly and was petrified whenever I had to use the underground. On one occasion there was an announcement over the tannoy that I misheard, I thought it said "Isis is on the underground"

Well that announcement happened to coincide with a bunch of people rushing off one of the platforms.

My legs gave way from underneath me.

I feel ridiculous looking back but I was scared stiff.

@Fysal what did the announcement actually say?

[quote theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity]@Fysal what did the announcement actually say? [/quote]
God knows, I just know it wasn't that ISIS was on the underground

Well thank god for that!
I had a similar moment at the natural history museum once and marched the family out. Similar misunderstanding but I felt so on edge it was best we all just left

@theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity

Well thank god for that! I had a similar moment at the natural history museum once and marched the family out. Similar misunderstanding but I felt so on edge it was best we all just left

What happened? I'm intrigued!

There was this security guy who was behaving very oddly. I thought I saw him do some sort of secret gesture and got all paranoid and wanted to leave 🙈my husband said he thought he just had a nervous twitch
We laugh about it now but I just felt overwhelmed

@theyhavenothingbuttheaudacity

There was this security guy who was behaving very oddly. I thought I saw him do some sort of secret gesture and got all paranoid and wanted to leave 🙈my husband said he thought he just had a nervous twitch We laugh about it now but I just felt overwhelmed

That made me chuckle, I would've done exactly the same at that time

Sending good wishes to all of you up thread. Anxiety is a bastard. I couldn't list the amount of times I've convinced myself I was going to die or something terrible was going to happen. I was wrong every time of course and I'm still here, with none of the illnesses I was fretting about and the world is still spinning.

As PP said there has always been a threat of something hanging over our heads, the media likes to remind us of that of course.

Global warming. Rogue asteroids. ISIS. Doomsday stuff. The aids epidemic. Ebola. Bird flu. Covid. War.

Fear sells and psychological warfare is just as dangerous as the rest of it because that does get to us, here in the safety of our own homes.

I hope it is ok to tag on here. I also had anxiety in the past - largely cured with CBT and getting out of the triggering situation - and it is now back with absolute vengeance. I am utterly terrified about nuclear war and really struggle to see how the current situation is going to resolve, "he won't actually do it" doesn't seem very reassuring applied to Putin. And, even if that doesn't happened, I am frightened for how we move forward. Battle lines have clearly been drawn and it feels like "western" life is under attack (I appreciate it has been for a while, with hindsight, but its been easier to ignore). I am very aware all of a sudden how easily our lives could be completely destroyed. A small rational part of me knows this has always been the case and is happening to people every day but I this time I can't just ignore it and I feel completely ill equipped to deal with it. And I don't have whole lot of trust in the government's crisis management. And I hate feeling powerless and I hate that politicians and geopolitics can destroy the lives of ordinary people who frankly probably just want to get on with their mundane day to day lives. Again, I know this has been the reality of life since forever but it's like something has switched in my brain and I can't put that knowledge to one side at the moment and get on with life.

I switch between wanting to go on some massive spending and holiday spree and ditch school and work so I have at least enjoyed myself if everything does go up in smoke; trying to plan/prep (whilst sane me knows it would be futile; and, increasingly just failing to function and normal life - I keep just crying and can't really see the point in laundry/work/tidying up. I keep hoping for good news that doesn't come, and I am not sure the advice to step away from the news etc is going to help - I feel too far gone into not coping that it just doesn't last. Even writing this felt cathartic at first but has now reduced me to crying again.

I'm really scared at the moment. Just feel like our leaders are antagonising putin, wish they would just shut up and keep us out of it.

Feeling nervous and sick all the time and thinking the worst.