New to forum and have some questions

[Finnchel]

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum and have some questions. I am a 28 year old female and from what I can tell have suffered from anxiety my whole life. The main compentent is my fear/worry about other people being made or upset with me or thinking badly about me. So much so that it completely takes over my thoughts and makes me feel like I am going crazy. If I email my friend or write on their facebook wall and I don't hear back I automatically think they're upset with me or don't like me. It's hard for me to even explain. I've also become very anxious at work. I rely on people a lot for items and waiting for them has increased my anxiety and fustration level. I am not myself lately and i don't like it. I am taking tomorrow off from work to have a stress free day and I also made a dr appt to see what he tells me. Has anyone else expierienced similar symptoms? What kind of questions should I ask th dr tomorrow? Thank you all in advance!

[Itzomi]

Hi Finnchel! Welcome!

Have you ever spoken to a therapist? I'm not big on them, but was just wondering if you were able to get to the root of the problem - why you are so afraid of what others are thinking?

Most people are concerned what others think of them, but for it to be so extreme, there usually has to have been an event (or on-going occurance) that sparked this fear. Are you aware of what it is (you don't need to say what it is, just wondering if it's something you can put your finger on)? I think that, more than anything, is the problem, and not so much anxiety itself. I mean, you do have anxiety, but it's not an "anxiety problem" as much as a trigger that needs to be addressed. A lot of people have anxiety and the trigger isn't so obvious, but apparently there is something that you may not even remember (if you were really little) that implanted this fear in you. Like I said earlier, I don't think therapy helps everyone (at least not me, so far), but I think it'd really be helpful in your case. Otherwise, there isn't much anyone can say to help you deal with the anxiety itself, because it's just a symptom of something a lot deeper and very specific.

Do keep posting, because I'm sure many others have the same issue!!