Hello, I am 60 years old. I am coming more and more to the realization that since my adolescence, I have felt very anxious about a lot of things. The smallest things like: taking a walk in a forest or sitting on a bench. This leads to a tension in my body that eventually even makes me feel dizzy. This sensation seems to be more or less permanently present. What could this mean?

If I, for example, have an appointment in a week that is exciting for me, I am almost certain that I will sleep poorly the night before. This will make me feel bad, give me heart palpitations, and makes me want to cancel the appointment. My question is: how can I break this negative pattern?

I’m afraid to let go of control and to be alone at night. I’m afraid that there will happen something and that I cannot take care of my two children (6 and 9 years old). Now there is always someone with me; or my parents (who are elderly), or my husband.

I would like to get through this, but how….

I’m afraid to let go of control and to be alone at night. I’m afraid that there will happen something and that I cannot take care of my two children (6 and 9 year old). Now there is always someone with me; or my parents (who are elderly), or my husband.

I would like to get through this, but how….

I think I have created a fear of failure over the previous years and struggle with this fear every time I want to start on my thesis or when I start with a setback. Because of this I have been delayed for 3 years and it feels like that part of my life has come to a standstill. Do you have some tips on how to cope with this so that I can finish my thesis?

So I guess my question boils down to if this is something I should seek help about, and if so, where?

A little more specific info about my issue: On a daily basis, I keep forgetting minor things, this is normal, I know. However, I tend to spend hours upon hours asking myself: “What was that thing I forgot?”. This feeling could be a result of a conversation I had and forgot, or just a random thought that went by in my head (even if I didn’t fully grasp the thought and had no time to process it), or the feeling of something I need to do, e.g. chores. I try to tell myself that it isn’t important, which it isn’t, in most cases. I try to distract myself by working out or with entertainment. But I keep having the feeling of forgetting something and it is really upsetting, it can actually stop me from focusing on something more important.

This has been happening for quite a while now. Probably started when I was around 19, and I’m 26 now. Some periods are worse than others, and currently, I’m having a really tough time with this. Multiple times a day, approximately up to 10 times a day, something I “forgot” starts bothering me. This piles up, and at the end of the day I’m almost exhausted trying to figure out everything I “forgot”. A good night of sleep usually makes it all go away, but not always. As far as I can tell there is no correlation between the “good” and “bad” periods.

I don’t see my issue as forgetting things, but rather letting go of them. Is this some kind of anxiety? I would argue that my overall mental health is good, apart from this.

Thanks in advance for any help here.

I have been though a lot in the past: traumas, abuse, unsafe attachment addiction, personality problems, and depression. At the moment I suffer the most from depression. I worry about the past and I miss contact with myself and the people around me. When it gets too hot under my feet I tend to walk away and close and isolate myself. This feels like a relief for a while but then I feel lonely and depressed again.

The relationship with myself is therefore very annoying because I try to keep everything going, but actually lie to myself about what I need. I feel like I don’t know what to choose: the right choice, the best choice or the safest choice! Then I get lost in my head again worrying and then I think: “Never mind, I’m going to watch TV for hours as a distraction”. My ideal situation is to be able to participate, matter, build a good life, know what I want, and know who I am. Occasionally, that has been the case when I went out with someone, a relationship gives me a strong feeling. Being single, I now feel like I’m searching again and I’m thinking: “help!”. I never really built a life of my own, because I was always and still am with another person.

Finally, I would like to relax. The depression makes me so tense that my muscles are all tight and tingling. I am also ashamed of my behaviour and internal mess.

Hi,

I have been suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for 2 months. As a result, I hardly dare to be alone. I am currently on Xanax and quetiapine. At home, I now also feel restless and sad and I panic quite a bit. I always think I’ll never feel better again. Soon I will start with CBT. My question is whether it is normal with this syndrome (generalized anxiety disorder). This makes me very restless.

I was abused 4 years ago and because of that, I went into therapy. This really helped me a lot, but now that I’m in a relationship some things come very close and I have problems trusting my boyfriend and letting go.

What can I do about it?

I constantly feel rushed and suffer from panic attacks, how do I cope with this?