Anxiety about body odor

[girlnextdoor]

I suffer from social anxiety with all the usually symtoms like blushing and sweating. I know at my previous job I would sweat alot and would have really bad body odor from it, even though I showered everymorning,wore deoderant and clean clothes. I would hear people make comments and it was really embarrassing for me. I went to the doctor and she prescribed me a really strong anti-perspirant, which has worked and I no longer sweat, but Im still paranoid about body odor. I just recently started a new job and its all I can think about all day long is that I worry that I stink to the point that its effecting my work and distracting me. I dont like poeple getting close to me cuz I worry I smell. If I hear someone sniff I think its because I smell, if I hear people whispering, I think they are talking about me smelling. I worry about it all day long!!! I know its ridiculous and Im driving myself crazy. I try and tell myself to stop worrying about it but its not that easy. I have talked to my doctor about this issue and she told me that I dont smell and to not worry about it, but I can't stop worrying about it. It just susks :(

[alankay]

Girl, I understand your situation. There USED to be a foundation for your fear/concern about what folks think or might think of your smell/odor in particular. Kind of like awkward girl who blossoms into a beauty queen but still feels she's unattractive(in her head anyway). It's veryyy easy to believe the negative about ourselves but another thing to accept a positive. So rationally you understand that with your meticulous hygiene and prescription deodorant you don't smell any more than the next person(maybe even less so). I also have some social anxiety and nothing(besides getting a little older/wiser) helped more than an SSRI med.(counseling/psychotherapy might also help). It helps us not to ruminate(worry) about things as much. For some folks this ruminating results in depression and others anxiety(or some of both). Still others get OCD. Other worries/negative reoccurring thoughts(ruminations) result in, say athletic over training or other scenarios. Now a positive scenario/adaptation of this would be over studying for a test or speech(which is a healthy process). So depending on the person can go either way as far as helpful/productive or negative/counter productive. An SSRI med(eg: Zoloft, Celexa, Prozac, Paxil) at a fairly low to moderate dose would likely help you. They are dirt cheap in generic and very safe. It has helped me reduce my self consciousness as well as social inhibition(less shy and even likely to initiate conversations). I used to get little hitches(tics) when I was walking in malls, into a large room, etc, where I thought people might be looking at me and notice my self consciousness(somehow). Well an SSRI would help that as they are used and approved for social anxiety disorder(as well as other anxiety disorders and depression) as the ruminating is kind a root cause, the way it manifests itself and effects the individual results in the exact nature of their anxiety or depression. Ask your doc. about this. Be clear how much this bothers and effects at work. You may want to do a 6 month trial just to see how you benefit. I know you must think I'm a medication pusher but I merely have found nothing that helps me stop/reduce the damn thinking/worrying so much about what others think of me as an SSRI. I'd ask about zoloft. Your doc. knows all about this for social anxiety as it's the single most prescribed SSRI is the US. If you don't like it or it doesn't seem to help, stop taking it. If it helps, take it for a while and then stop and see if you've been desensitized abit and then drop it. Or take it a while longer. It would be nice to be less self conscious and less anxious, right? Just my thoughts. Message me any time. Alankay