Thanks guys, anxiety is ok for now, but I was checking my chicken last night to make sure that it is cooked.

So far so good, might get bad tonight however because i'll be here on my own while my BF goes to work ... leaving at 9 tonight... so this will be the frist time staying in this house at night by myself. You might see me posting here if I start to panic.

I plan to watch a movie tonight to waste sometimes. Right now i'm not anxious, so I hope that it will stay that way.

I never had 'meat' anxiety until that one day at the bbq.... The only meat besides chicken that can make you sick if it's not cooked right is hamburg meat......

I'll let you know how I am later tonight, hopefully the anxiety wont come up and bite me in the behind...

I will do self talk etc to keep my anxiety down, and I wont forget to breathe. But now I'm just assuming something will happen, i'm thinking ahead which I shouldn't be.

Kama, I too get a nervous stomache, but that is part of having anxiety, we automatically assume because our stomache is upset that we are going to get sick....that is always pretty much the case. Just have to remind yourself that you will be ok... chances of getting sick are slim to none when eating. I myself have never gotten food poisioning....and if my stomache is sore then I'll talk myself out of it not being sore, or drink some gingerale, have some pepto-bismol.

I use to fear work, but remember anticipatory anxiety is always worse, it is for me. Just breathe, remind yourself that you will be ok, nothing is going to happen to you, you are not going to get sick.

I can now talk myself out of anxiety, before I couldn't and it took me many years to accomplish this so it actually worked. This food anxiety thing just popped up in the last month. I too have to find a job soon, and got an application for a local food store here.... I know my anxiety is going to be up, but with me once i'm there I'm ok it's just getting out the door can be the stopper. But as long as I push myself and not give in and tell myself to get it done in over with I end up the one being on top and not the anxiety.

Self talk is key, avoidance is a definate no no, I'm the master of avoidance, my phsychiatrist told me this.. lol.

Just got to face the music, talk and breathe, just do what I do with my anxiety. Tell yourself that you have to get dressed but you don't have to go. Next tell yourself to get out the door and on your way to work, but you don't have to go. Once you are at the job site tell yourself to go into the door, you can always turn back.

But once you are there you'll notice that the anxiety is gone. If I pretend to give myself an escape route I can get there and be absoulutly fine.

This wont work for everyone, but it might you like it did me.

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<font color=blue>"Never react emotionally to criticism. Analyze yourself to determine whether it is justified. If it is, correct yourself. Otherwise, go on about your business."</font color=blue>

<font color=black>Norman Vincent Peale</font color=black>