Frightened.

[jane15]

I'm 18 and have recently undergone a massive change, having moved away from home for the first time for university. I've always been a worrier and so I didn't think that the increase in my worrying was significant, until it started affecting my relationship with my boyfriend of a year (living at home for university), affecting my sleep, my health (constant churning in my stomach, nauseous etc) my eating patterns and my self confidence. I now feel anxious ALL the time. I worry constantly that i'm not good enough, if i'm expecting a phone call and it doesn't come within the expected time frame I fear the worst case scenario, that i've done something wrong or they've forgotten about me. I over analyse peoples actions, words, facial expressions, and little comments. I stay awake thinking about tiny things over and over until they seem huge. I'm really unhappy and homesick at the moment and just struggling to keep my head up as there's no one else I can really talk to. Putting it into perspective, my worries seem somewhat trivial to some of the posters on here, but I was hoping somebody might be experiencing the same thing as me.

[davidthegnome]

Jane,

This is not at all trivial, I am actually going through some similar things right now. I experienced a very difficult move this past year and lost touch with a lot of friends. School has become a source of stress and my life really got devoid of social interaction (my parents have a better social life!). I sank down pretty deep until I realized that this wasn't healthy. Many of the things you described I went/am going through. The churning stomach and insomnia stick out in particular. One of the things that has helped me is talking to family about my experiences. That is what they are there for. You would no doubt do the same for them. If you can pinpoint specific thoughts or ideas that cause you anxiety you can try the TEA method that everyone seems to like around here. It basically involves writing down the thoughts and analyzing the errors you make. I have been doing it for a few days and have been surprised at how quickly it helped (much more relaxed after writing down a few thoughts). I think a large part of anxiety is letting is build from different sources. Pretty soon you don't know where to expect it from and it feels like it pervades every facet of your life. Medication is also something you might consider after talking to you doctor. And last but not least, never underestimate the power of a hug.

[jane15]

Thank you so much! I think I will try the aforementioned tea method, it does sound quite helpful and I hadn't thought of that. I have spoken to close relatives but can't convey to them how exactly it makes them feel, no matter how hard they try to understand. I will speak to my doctor when I return home for the weekend and see if she has anything to suggest that could help my worrying. Thank you for your reply. :)