My anxiety is sky high

[worrieddude]

My health anxiety has been on and off throughout the years, which started when I was 14(now 20).

But right now it feels like it's skyrocketed, I'm worrying about diseases as usual, but more than usual, and the anxiety seems to have leaked to other topics too, I'm worrying about my social life, I'm obsessively thinking about social scenarios in my life, like it's gone beyond normal and I'm trying to figure out why certain people are acting in certain ways etc, in an OCD "checking" kind of way, if that makes sense.

It's been a stressful year for me, and now I'm in my university holidays, and I've quit my job recently. I am in the wake of a stressful year, and my anxiety has skyrocketed. Does anyone have any advice for keeping down the anxiety? I'm over analysing everything and worrying over them.

[Mr SelfDestruct]

I can certainly relate. I've had to temper my anxiety in recent weeks as well.  No panic episodes though for you, eh? Lucky.

I've found that talking to someone I really trust - someone who's on "my side" and is a genuinely good listener who won't criticize or belittle anything I share, no matter how ridiculous it sounds - helps take some of the edge of the anxiety. But that's a resource I've used only as a stop-gap - and judiciously so -  until I could explore more professional options.   

But if there's no one who can provide that support for you, then get some exercise and stay active. Maybe keep a journal. That probably sounds like trite and obvious stuff, but I've always found those to be fairly effective strategies for keeping your body and mind distracted.

Also, if you're like me, your mind really kicks into high gear when you're trying to sleep, so play some soft or ambient music and focus on something tranquil.

[worrieddude]

Also, if you're like me, your mind really kicks into high gear when you're trying to sleep

Oh definitely, not so much anxiety but my mind goes into "thinking too much" mode when I'm trying to sleep, and I can't sleep because I'm thinking about this and that, unless I'm really sleepy it takes me a while to fall asleep.

[Mr SelfDestruct]

Oh definitely, not so much anxiety but my mind goes into "thinking too much" mode when I'm trying to sleep, and I can't sleep because I'm thinking about this and that, unless I'm really sleepy it takes me a while to fall asleep.

Yeah, sorry, "thinking too much" when trying to sleep is exactly what I meant, though sometimes, in my case, it can also be anxiety-related. In either situation, I need to become almost meditative in order to fall asleep.

[markinmaryland]

What kinds of things are you thinking about? Are there any particular stresses in your life you would like to share? It is hard to evaluate unless you can provide some more detail. It does sound like you could use some medication just to help you sleep--I would recommend some valium or xanax an hour before you go to bed, I think this would calm you down and help you sleep. You should see your doctor and ask for this. The idea of writing a journal or just journal entries mentioned by another member is also very useful. It helps a lot to put your fears and worries to pen and paper.