Am I the only one?

[CheesyPeeps]

First things first, I have never received an anxiety diagnosis, but I think the best place to go for advice on what I've been going through is an anxiety forum because my problem seems like an anxiety-type thing, if that makes sense. I do not claim to have anxiety as I have never been told by a professional that I do.

This started when I was 12 years old, and I have been struggling with it for almost four years now. Whenever I hear my parents talking, unless I can hear everything they're saying, I get absolutely terrified that they're talking negatively about me. I know that my parents have other things to talk about and that most of time, they aren't talking about me, but hearing their muffled voices still scares the crap out of me. I lose sleep because of this as I cannot fall asleep if I can hear them. I have also suffered from panic attacks because of this.
It got progressively worse, and lately it hasn't just been my parents' conversations. I've been getting nervous when my teachers talk or when my peers talk and it's driving me insane. Half the time it's the only thing I can think about.

I tried researching my problem to see if anyone else is going through this, but I've never found anything. It's getting really difficult to cope with.

If you know anything or have any advice, please do share it. Thank you.

[needtogetwell]

Hi cheesy,
Welcome.

Let me guess, you are about 16 or 17 yrs old. If I am correct, what you seem to be going through doesn't appear to be that different than many your age. My son is 15 and has similar difficulties.

The first thing that I would suggest is that you be very open and honest with your parents. They are your first and most important resource to help you with this. Your world in changing at a very fast pace from the age of 12-20. A little bit of self esteem issues certainly isn't uncommon, nor is a bit of anxiety.

Have a sit down with mom and dad and see what they suggest, who knows, they may even have had similar issues when they were your age, and will probably relate better than you think.

Good luck.

[Pumpkin]

Hi Cheesy!

I sometimes feel the exact same way in terms of being paranoid that people are talking about me. I have some social-anxiety so i'm always afraid of looking bad infront of people incase they'll start whispering about me or texting eachother about me. It's a horrible feeling.

I agree with needtogetwell. You should sit down with your parents and tell them how you feel, although this is clearly much easier said than done. Maybe they can start being more quiet when you are trying to sleep so you don't have to hear their whispers and try to listen to what they're talking about. I'm sure your parents/teachers/peers aren't talking about you though as much as you think they are. Try to remember that if they did want to talk about you, they wouldn't be doing it when you were anywhere near them. As sad as it sounds, most people will talk behind your back. I know it sounds harsh but hopefully that makes you feel better. :P

It's hard to say whether or not you have any anxiety disorder judging by the little bit of information you gave us but if things get much worse it wouldn't hurt speaking to a professional. After all, they are the only ones who can give you an accurate diagnosis.

Best of luck, Cheesy :)