Recently moved and my anxiety is at a steady 8/9

[EastTx]

Hello,

I recently moved from a big city to a rather small town to attend grad school. In this town there's not much other than a Wal-Mart. I left a job, support system, support groups and friends. I have yet to replace any of the aforementioned since the move.

I plan on getting acquainted with the university counseling center as soon as the semester starts on Tuesday. I hope that will help to establish some sort of safe place and lower my anxiety. I'm also going to go into the university student health center to get back on medication cause this is close to unbearable.

I've done some meditating and breathing exercises - with limited success. Right now I just break into pushups when it gets to be too much - higher success. Small town life is... Different... And a different type of difficult than I was expecting. I had an awesome nami group back home but unfortunately that doesn't exist here.

I also have this fear that everyone's going to know my business if I do get into counseling but maybe since its a university there will be greater ethical oversight.

I know this was rambly, sorry. Awake and very anxious and feeling very alone. I haven't used an internet forum before but I havent spoken to anyone on any real level for weeks and decided posting something would temporarily substitute. I guess I feel somewhat calmer having typed all this.

-easttexas

[superchick22684]

Welcome to the forum EastTx! Moving is on the list of life events that can be very stressful so I'm not surprised that you've been experiencing high anxiety levels. You already said that you are planning on getting acquainted with the University Counseling Center which is a great first step to getting help towards lowering that anxiety level. In terms of going to the health center to get back on meds you might want to check with the counseling center to see if they have a psychiatrist on staff that prescribes medication.
You stated that you've tried meditating and breathing exercises with limited success. Some other strategies you might look into are guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation. I've found those to be helpful with my anxiety but everyone is different. I wouldn't worry about everyone knowing your business if you get counseling because counselors have regulations that they have to follow that prevents them from talking about their patients/clients unless they are at risk of harming themselves or someone else. I think that they have to follow HIPAA regulations as well.
I feel like your post is something that I would have written on this board when I was in college because I was diagnosed with panic disorder w/agoraphobia shortly after transferring from community college to a university to finish my bachelor's degree several years ago. Hope that you find some relief for your anxiety soon.

[nervousmom]

Hello,

I recently moved from a big city to a rather small town to attend grad school. In this town there's not much other than a Wal-Mart. I left a job, support system, support groups and friends. I have yet to replace any of the aforementioned since the move.

I plan on getting acquainted with the university counseling center as soon as the semester starts on Tuesday. I hope that will help to establish some sort of safe place and lower my anxiety. I'm also going to go into the university student health center to get back on medication cause this is close to unbearable.

I've done some meditating and breathing exercises - with limited success. Right now I just break into pushups when it gets to be too much - higher success. Small town life is... Different... And a different type of difficult than I was expecting. I had an awesome nami group back home but unfortunately that doesn't exist here.

I also have this fear that everyone's going to know my business if I do get into counseling but maybe since its a university there will be greater ethical oversight.

I know this was rambly, sorry. Awake and very anxious and feeling very alone. I haven't used an internet forum before but I havent spoken to anyone on any real level for weeks and decided posting something would temporarily substitute. I guess I feel somewhat calmer having typed all this.

-easttexas

I am new to this site and trying hard to figure out how to make a new post?

[superchick22684]

I am new to this site and trying hard to figure out how to make a new post?

At the top of the page there should be a place to click on that says Post New Thread.

[smartscrutiny]

Welcome to the forum, EastTx! Moving is extremely stressful, particularly when it involves a lot of new things - new town, new living space, new school, new people. It's important to be gentle with yourself. You're doing exactly the right thing by getting in touch with your school's counseling center. Meditation and breathing exercises are good, as is exercise. Like superchick said, I would imagine that the counseling center is bound by HIPAA regs, and they should give you some kind of document that tells you exactly what their privacy policies are. Hang in there - this is going to get better!