Anxiety

[dancer818]

I've felt so anxious lately. I have suffered in silence for too long. I'm too scared to talk to my friends or family about my anxiety. I don't talk to a therapist either. I feel like I will be judged by everyone around me but my panic attacks have increased badly in the past week. They have disrupted my sleep and made me distance myself from friends and family. I don't know what to do.

[Hidden]

I'm here for you we can talk if you would like.

[kbrauer]

I was super shy too! I had to learn to talk. I had to find ways to step up and step to and move forward.

1). I was my worst critic. I practiced talking in the mirror.

2). I had to get involved in activities, no matter how hard it was. I actually met my husband through one of the activities that was involved with. He gave me more confidence to learn to speak up more frequently!

3). I am a praying person. I continuously prayed for God to help me to learn how to speak up and speak out!

[Purrsona]

If you can get access to therapy, I really strongly encourage you to take advantage of it. I promise you, a good therapist will not judge and has encountered many people with similar problems to yours. Sleep disruption can be hellish--no wonder you're feeling worse. My MO for ramped-up anxiety is to be selfish for awhile and make my health my #1 priority. Stop reading the news, stop forcing myself to do things that make me nervous unless skipping them will hurt me. And on the positive side: making sure I get plenty of sun and exercise and that I'm eating healthily, reading fun books, and generally allowing myself to accept that I'm not feeling well and that's not my fault.

Report back and let us know how you're doing, if you want.