T O P I C R E V I E W
blush
Member # 69019
posted 07-15-2011 05:01 PM
I often get anxiety when in a group or near groups. Like in the hall ways of school- they get crowded fast and I get really nervous . I'm not so much afraid of people just very nervous around them. Its pretty sever...I have to control my breathing and I feel like just curling into a ball and going into a corner. T-T I tend to stay at home a lot to avoid people and I know it makes my anxiety worse but it helps me stay in my comfort zone. Anyone else feel like this and what did you do to control it?
Alice
Member # 28346
posted 07-15-2011 05:55 PM
With anxiety this severe, your best bet right off the bat is to be evaluated by a doctor and referred to services such as mental health counseling. Beyond that - something that helps me when I get anxiety (which has been quite a bit on and off through my life) is having something to do with my hands. I often carry something small in my pocket or bag like a couple of paperclips, a marble or stress ball, etc. I hold onto that and focus my nervous energy into that hand. Another thing I've done, when possible, is listen to music on headphones. That centers and distracts me a little bit.
gazelle123
Member # 60502
posted 07-15-2011 06:12 PM
I went through a period of about 4 months a couple years ago when I pretty much never left my apartment because other people made me nervous. It wasn't like I was afraid of people, I was just nervous, like you said. It only got worse as time went by. Eventually, I wasn't able to leave the house without massive panic attacks, even if I was only going to the corner store to pick up some food. I can only speak from my own experience, but I would really, really encourage you to get counselling to figure out why being around people make you so nervous, I would probably still be locked indoors if I hadn't done that. Also, I found it helpful to put on some headphones and go for walk around my neighbourhood, like Alice said. I was able to sort out a lot of thoughts, sort of like the forward motion of the walking led to my circling thoughts to start moving forward too... And I totally had a small stone in my pocket to grab a hold of if I felt like things were getting too overwhelming too! I think it's really cool that you are aware of yourself enough to realize that staying home is not helping your anxiety at all! Good luck getting this under control, it took a lot of work for me to stop feeling that way, but I can tell you for sure it was 100% worth it!
Kawani3792
Member # 48854
posted 07-15-2011 07:47 PM
Silly Putty is great to have around to have something to concentrate on-kneading it with your fingers, rolling it into a ball, etc.
blush
Member # 69019
posted 07-16-2011 01:55 PM
Thank you guys. Ill look around for something small that I can put in my pocket . If anyone wants to add more advice I will pay attention to it
Yakri
Member # 43206
posted 07-20-2011 05:48 AM
Living on the coast helps. Yeah, it's not a very practical solution, but when access to outdoor areas with really fresh and usually cool air is around it makes things easier. I only get crowd anxiety in bursts while in very dense and/or noisy crowds, but what helps me is to freeze for a moment and take a few really deep measured breaths.