Feeling overwhelmed.. overwhelmed by anxiety

Hi. I am not sure what I am looking for... perhaps by the end I will have a question for the community. Thank you for bearing with me as I write this out.

I feel pretty overwhelmed by my anxiety at the moment.

Work is pretty much a bear lately. I am being overloaded and overworked. I'm exhausted and anxious about my job most of the time.

I have very few girlfriends in the area I lean on or talk to, so I am left to my own devices most of the time. I do have a lot of friends, just no one that I talk to regularly to lean on except for maybe my parents (mostly).

I have a supportive fiance, but I don't want to burden him with my emotional issues at the end of the work day.

I don't know how to cope with my anxiety lately since it seems to be getting worse. I do have a therapist and I do have anti-anxiety meds that I take as needed.

I guess my question is: how do people cope with their anxiety? Mine is pretty severe.. or so it seems lately. I had been doing great for a while there, but it's only just gotten worse recently.

I should let it be known: I can't really exercise more (or don't want to) because I am too exhausted. I listen to meditative music periodically, but not that often. And I do have a hobby or two, but it doesn't help me enough on a daily basis. And I get plenty of sleep, but I am still exhausted.

I just don't know how to cope with it right now when it's daily?

Could it be that your job isn't a good match? Have you considered looking for a new job?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Have Hope I have a supportive fiance, but I don't want to burden him with my emotional issues at the end of the work day.

Have you asked him if he would mind you sharing about work and leaning on him? A lot of times we think we are protecting our loved ones by keeping everything bottled up when all they really want to do is comfort us and be there for us. Do not take that away from him if he wants to do it.

Quote:

I don't know how to cope with my anxiety lately since it seems to be getting worse. I do have a therapist and I do have anti-anxiety meds that I take as needed. I guess my question is: how do people cope with their anxiety? Mine is pretty severe.. or so it seems lately. I had been doing great for a while there, but it's only just gotten worse recently.

Medication is what helps me the most with that underlying baseline anxiety and then I also lean on my husband and therapist. I wish there were an easy answer but my gut keeps going back to you considering sharing with your partner. He can always tell you its too much for him or he needs a break but I think its worthwhile giving him a chance.

Possibly? I have considered leaving, but I want to get more time under my belt there before I do. My boss also has mentioned lightening my load because we hired someone who starts in April, so I need to have another conversation with him about that.

Thank you.

Thanks sarahsweets.

I do actually talk to him about it, but after some time of listening and supporting, he then says "Ok, let's put it aside, enjoy our eve and not think about work anymore". So he has a limit, which I respect and appreciate. I could go on all night about it if he let me. lol.

Hmm.. just thought of this. Maybe I need to resort to a "happy place" every time I get overly anxious. I've heard of people using this method.

Has anyone here tried that and does it work?

Hello! I also am having lots of work related anxiety lately. How i cope with it probably isn't the best answer, but I zone out on video games daily to take my mind off of worries. I suppose any hobby that requires concentration could work

Changing jobs might be something to consider, but the only thing that fills me with more dread than going in to work some days, is the thought of starting over in a different career. (There are other places in my field I COULD work, but...as best as I can explain while being anonymous, I'm in the best possible place in my field. I've worked the big corporate scene. It was hell on earth when I left and it's gotten exponentially worse since then. But greedy management and a bullying supervisor with a temper problem is making the "mom and pop" area not so great either)

Whew...sorry to hijack, a long winded way to say I understand that the idea of changing jobs can cause at least as much anxiety as working in a stressful one.

Please note that my expertise is outside biology though I have great deal of interest in it. Anxiety from what I have read and experienced can be caused by demyelination. Myelin is an insulating/protective layer around nerve fibre which promots efficient conduction of signals. When you feel very anxious, please check with your doctor if taking an over the counter Vitamin B12 supplement would help. A search for 'demyelination anxiety' and 'vitamin b12 demyelination' will provide relevant resources. My Vitamin B12 reached 66 (normal range is 200 - 600) a few months ago, a point in time when I was very easily perturbed. After starting on methylcobalamin injections, I feel more composed and can withstand more chaos than I used to.

Thanks MrWalker, I appreciate your input! So sorry you're going through something similar. Anxiety is the worst isn't it? It's maddening.

I don't play video games, but I may start listening to my ocean waves while I am at work (with headphones). That may help.

Yesterday I felt pushed over the edge. My boss is asking too much of me, and it's making me beyond anxious. We're understaffed right now, so I am being pulled in a thousand directions.

I did push back a little yesterday and told him that I wasn't comfortable delivering a certain project this week and that I needed more time. I told him it would be crap work if I handed it in this week. He eventually backed off. I still don't feel good about it though because now I am not meeting my boss's expectations, when he's already pushing me too hard.

Thank you! And sorry.. I missed your post before!