When are you most anxious?

Welcome. I hope you're able to overcome the issues with the train for the greater good of the program. I try to imagine I am in a bubble and it blocks out the energy of those around me unless I choose to allow someone in. I realize that may sound silly, but sometimes focusing on a visualization can help calm us when we are anxious.

I become very anxious when I have to leave the house especially if it requires me to drive. The level of anxiety seems to triple if I have to drive in an area that has heavy traffic. I do not know why, but I have this sort of poor recollection of places I have been even 100 times. When I am anxious and driving, I can easily miss my turns, because I simply do not recognize where I am. I see my pdoc once a week. It is an hour and a half drive into the city and leaving the house and driving are almost worse than drudging up horrible memories in the therapy sessions.

The other times that I feel most anxious are when I find myself in crowds. Holiday shopping is a horror for me with the stores packed to their limits. I feel as if I cannot breathe and have to get out quick to thwart a panic attack. This is especially true in stores that have narrow aisle that are packed to the brim with merchandise, leaving little room to move around. It is simply too much stimuli at once. I cannot take it all in. It is suffocating.

So, with the exception of driving to my pdoc appointments, my husband usually drives us everywhere and we try to shop at non-peak times to avoid the crowds. I also shop for holidays early and try to avoid the need for last minute purchases. I purchase quite a bit online, too. I continue to challenge myself to work through the anxiety I feel associated with leaving my house and I am getting better (partially due to a recent medication change and partially due to my efforts). Even when my husband drives, I often do not recognize where we are or how far we have driven at times. My pdoc says this is due to dissociation issues.

I hope the best for each of you that has responded to this thread, especially during this holiday season. May your anxieties be quieted and your season be merry. Remember to use the tools you have constructed to cope and try to focus on loving one another as much as you can.

Hmm. Well, I'm anxious to one degree or another all the time. But I'm most anxious when one of my cats is sick. Then anxiety turns to terror. I'm least anxious when out on a long country road, music on the radio, nothing in the world but my hands on the steering wheel.

I am most anxious when I am psychotic and I think someone is trying to kill me.

Thanks for the welcome fern46
I could manage to go to the program the rest of the week. It got managable as I started to kinda meditate and focus on my breathing,
Still I feel disgust within these crowds, but it feels doable and the anxiety is alotless present.

All the best

I'm crippled with anxiety right now! I actually just jumped on this forum right now to try and connect right now and not sit in silence dwelling. I did put on Tori Amos' "Little Earthquakes" to take me back to when I was listening to it a lot in my early 20s and go back to that point in time when I was young. Music was my savior. My anxiety has been out of control lately where I'm popping klonopin like its going out of style (and drinking more). I'm feeling anxiety right now cause it's another weekend spending it alone in my house. I had a day date lined up today to go bowling but the guy I just started dating got stuck in the bay and may or may not be able to see me later so that caused me anxiety...work tomorrow is causing me anxiety...finances (always)...I find just talking to someone for 10 minutes helps alleviate my anxiety. I keep this from my friends because I don't want to be unloading on them. So i find this forum helpful. I feel you and hope you feel better

Another case of driving anxiety. I imagine horrible things happening on the road, like an 18-wheeler having a blowout and I get hit with the shredded tire, or breaking down on the freeway. I'm also something of a ditz, forgetting to check the mirrors for minutes at a time and getting lost even within my own city.

I had a single-car accident three years ago that totaled my car and scared me half to death. The only reason I am able to drive at all is because my son made me drive the rental car home later that night; if he hadn't I don't think I would have had the courage to get behind the wheel again. My son hates to ride with me because he thinks I drive like somebody's granny; well, I AM somebody's granny! So what if I'm overly careful---I have some spatial issues, like a lack of depth perception and being unable to judge the speed of oncoming vehicles, and I've been compensating for that for over 45 years. LOL.

I'm also very anxious on register at my job during the holidays because its super busy and crowded.

I think for some, depression is the flip side of anxiety. IOW they are connected in some fashion. This is true with me. I do not know which one comes first. I do not know if one actually helps cause the other. What do all of you think?

My job triggers an intensely anxious mood in me....and I have to go every day, no choice there, so I deep breathe, sing to myself, dance around a little (and take my meds) and all seem to help somewhat. I think my anxiety is somewhat related to drinking too much, but it also helps my anxiety so it self feeds.