Asymptomatic but always worried

[hope132]

I have to start over again because something happened to my post I thinkI have not taken a single puffs of my inhaler in at least a monthI have no coughing no wheezing no chest tightness no phlegm and no shortness of breath yet I am consumed sometimes with worry for instance tonight I have a new roommate who smokes he doesn't smoke in the house but tonight I found a cigarette in the toilet bowlI asked him and he said he smokes outside and threw the butt in the toilet bowl when he was done but it freaked me out I feel like I have to live in a bubble and I know that is not possible I take very good care of myself however I have no control over what other people do right now financially I cannot live alone so I am constantly worried about whoever moves in here how do I stop this hope he doesn't say anything to my landlady cuz she's a lunatic and blames me for everything says I worry too muchas long as I can live in a healthy environment I feel like I could keep this thing at Bay for the rest of my life the problem is when you don't have control over something then I become filled with anxiety and fear and anger anger that it's my fault that I'm not financially well-to-do and can have my own place so how do I get this under controlfor a few minutes there until I asked him about it I completely and utterly which freaking out second hand smoke is not goodI even called the COPD hotline once to find out if my worries were justified and basically she said yes so how do I get this under control

[sassy59]

Hi hope, you won’t really feel happy all the time your room mate smokes. The smell lingers so smoking outside still isn’t good. Explain to the person how you feel and if nothing changes try and find a non smoking room mate.

You’ve been doing well so don’t let anyone spoil that. Xxxx

[Superzob]

Have you been diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder, which is a recognised medical condition and treatable? The fact that you have written an entire paragraph as a single sentence does suggest that you are under considerable stress.

From the courses I have been on for anxiety and depression, it sounds as if you are catastrophising: you are thinking the worst will happen because you don't want to go back to a stage where your condition flares up. That's only natural but, unfortunately, not very helpful. I have 6 chronic conditions which often play up, either separately or together, but I have learnt, for the most part, just to get on with what I can, rather than worry that they will get worse; sometimes they do, but often they clear up for a period.

I won't pretend this is easy to do, and I don't always succeed and get quite depressed sometimes, but I seem to bounce back after a while, often when I realise worrying is pointless. We can't change the world, but we can cope with what life throws at us - humans are a very adaptable species! Try talking to the smoker as Sassy suggests - you may find he's more amenable to changing his habits than you think. And also, don't be afraid to get help for your anxiety, as this doesn't seem specifically linked to the smoking issue, and the BLF are used to dealing with the psychological effects of chronic illness.