Anxiety over Work

[Alias99]

I'm a 16 year old girl and I've felt with anxiety for over the last 10 years, and I've been really good, but I've recently started a new casual job at a fast food pizza place and find I get terrible anxiety and even panic attacks over the thought of going to work. This has happened to me with my last job, and caused my anxiety to peek and was terrible, and I'm really scared it will happen again. It's gotten to a point already that certain smells I associate with work set me into a panic. It's only mild at the moment, such as a sinking in my stomache, rapid breathing and increased heart rate, but I'm really scared that I'll relapse into worse anxiety and end up on medication again. I was hoping someone will have some advice or techniques for me to try to help, I've decided to start running to burn out nervous energy, but if there is anything useful you can think of, please let me know, and thank you.

[Whizz4]

God the amount of 16 year olds on this with your problem, and you say you have it over ten years. This breaks my heart , I started at age 7 not all the time on / off through the years I'm 32 now!! (Still alive) your obsessing to much about it you have to stop fearing these sensations you get believe me it can be done !! A book called dare on amazon get it read it you'll deal with your panic attacks much differently after reading it, trust me good luck

[Whizz4 in reply to Whizz4]

And yes running , any exercise it great and eat well

[Alias99 in reply to Whizz4]

Thank you, I'll definitely have a look at that book!

[Lizbett]

Depression I'm told happens when people dwell on the past and what they've. Anxiety is the opposite. It occurs when folks chronically stress about the future. Your post is a classic example of how anxiety works.

You're starting a new job, however your mind is remembering problems from the first job, even to the point of remembering smells. Currently, your mind is telling you, that based on previous experience, you're going to have problems again. Darlin', your memory is lieing to you!!!

How do you know for sure that you're going to have problems? What I need you to do is actively challenge each and every negative thought that enters your head and swap that thought with a positive or challenging one. CHALLANGE those negative thoughts. This method is called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT. Search it out on the Web.

You also need to learn correct breathing techniques for when you start to get worked up. Please know that the more you get worked up, the more stress hormones your body is releasing. Please do some research on how stress actually works in terms of cortisol.

Your well being is actually in your own hands. Know it. Believe it. Research CBT, correct breathing techniques, look to a physiological understanding in terms of the hormones that are released particularly when in a high anxiety state.

Think back to your last job. What happened there? Anxiety happens for a reason. You just need to discover what that reason was/is and go from there. Brutal honesty is necessary.

Also, check out books by Dr Claire Weekes. Your local library should have copies. I think you'll find snippets of her speaking on YouTube. She also suffered from anxiety and panic so she developed a wonderful method that many authors today have copied. Her books have sold in the millions right around the world. Easy to read and even easier to put in to practice.

Please keep us informed as to how you progress.

[Lizbett in reply to Lizbett]

Correction to first sentence. I omitted the word "lost". It's almost a type of grieving over loss(es) that eventually turns into chronic or acute depression depending on how long people have been dwelling on the negatives in their lives.

Rather than looking at things from a glass half full perspective, many people for various reasons only ever see the glass as being half empty. THAT'S when they get stuck, especially if their thinking has been skewered for a while loooooong time. AND at some point anxiety starts to creep in and boom in... a recipe for disaster has commenced if not treated rapidly and/or according to the individual's needs.

[EloOfTheStars]

Yeah. I suggest you do what others suggested already: read a book and learn to *really* love yourself, get rid of your self-doubt, replace it with self-esteem; you sound like a person that pays waay too much attention to what other people say and what they think/would think about you.

**** them, love yourself. Trust yourself. Seriously screw them!