aosbo2
04-05-2016, 10:13 AM
I wasn't really sure where to post this, as I'm not positive if it's just general anxiety or related to social anxiety. It also might seem a bit ranty, but here goes.
I've struggled with anxiety for several years now. Mine is mainly related to having to perform simple tasks, such as answering or making phone calls, having to go through a check out line at a grocery store, etc. The range of anxiety I feel ranges from minor (I experience anxiety while ordering food at a restaurant, for example, but it's minimal), to severe, such as this morning when I was at breakfast at my college's dining hall. I wanted to order eggs, but had never used the egg station before and was afraid the woman working it wouldn't understand what I wanted. Instead of asking and potentially having to explain what I meant if she didn't get it, I just altogether didn't order eggs even though I wanted them. I had a similar experience trying to order a sandwich last year, but now that I've done it before I can do it fine; it's just the initial experience that's difficult for me.
Really the anxiety I experience depends on the day and my mood. I woke up in a bad mood this morning, so that contributed to the anxiety I felt at breakfast. The thing about my anxiety, though, is that once I've experienced anxiety about something, it ruins my mood even further for a good portion of the day, affecting the way I interact with my friends, and specifically my boyfriend. He doesn't understand my anxiety that well (but I don't really expect him to), so he gets frustrated when I experience severe anxiety, in turn making me even more anxious. It's a cycle that I fear will deteriorate our relationship if I don't address my anxiety somehow.
I also have trouble confronting people about issues/things they've done that bother me/etc., but I'm not sure if that has a link to my anxiety or not. Also recently I've been experiencing a sort of "fluttering" near my heart, maybe heart palpitations; again, I'm not sure if that's related to my anxiety, but I felt it wouldn't hurt to include it.
Any insight about my anxiety/possible treatment or coping mechanisms/anything else would be greatly appreciated.
I've struggled with anxiety for several years now. Mine is mainly related to having to perform simple tasks, such as answering or making phone calls, having to go through a check out line at a grocery store, etc. The range of anxiety I feel ranges from minor (I experience anxiety while ordering food at a restaurant, for example, but it's minimal), to severe, such as this morning when I was at breakfast at my college's dining hall. I wanted to order eggs, but had never used the egg station before and was afraid the woman working it wouldn't understand what I wanted. Instead of asking and potentially having to explain what I meant if she didn't get it, I just altogether didn't order eggs even though I wanted them. I had a similar experience trying to order a sandwich last year, but now that I've done it before I can do it fine; it's just the initial experience that's difficult for me.
Really the anxiety I experience depends on the day and my mood. I woke up in a bad mood this morning, so that contributed to the anxiety I felt at breakfast. The thing about my anxiety, though, is that once I've experienced anxiety about something, it ruins my mood even further for a good portion of the day, affecting the way I interact with my friends, and specifically my boyfriend. He doesn't understand my anxiety that well (but I don't really expect him to), so he gets frustrated when I experience severe anxiety, in turn making me even more anxious. It's a cycle that I fear will deteriorate our relationship if I don't address my anxiety somehow.
I also have trouble confronting people about issues/things they've done that bother me/etc., but I'm not sure if that has a link to my anxiety or not. Also recently I've been experiencing a sort of "fluttering" near my heart, maybe heart palpitations; again, I'm not sure if that's related to my anxiety, but I felt it wouldn't hurt to include it.
Any insight about my anxiety/possible treatment or coping mechanisms/anything else would be greatly appreciated.