How can I stop living in fear of everything?
I am at my breaking point. I am soon to be 17 and have dealt with anxiety since I was about 8 years old. I went through a crappy childhood with an emotionally abusive stepfather (him and my mother divorced, idk if he made an impact on me or not) but I feel as though I worry about absolutely everything. My anxiety got so bad that I was persistently having panic attacks and when I was 14 I started taking Zoloft (50mg) but quit taking it after about a year because it made me feel "numb". But anymore, I'm not sure if I am just stressed or what but I seriously worry about everything. I feel like a bit of a hypochondriac. Anymore if I feel the least bit sick I freak out and assume the worst. If I have any kind of odd pain I think I have a serious medical issue or something. Also, I can't even watch the news without worrying. Watching all these reports about war and conflict throughout the world screws with my anxiety and in turn, makes me depressed. I always feel like some tragedy is bound to happen, like losing someone close to me...example, if my boyfriend is the least bit late getting home from work, I worry that he's had a wreck or something. It probably drives him crazy. Something else that messes with my anxiety is all these doomsday theories. Granted, they're most likely loads of crap, but hearing anything about the end of the world bothers me. I try to stay happy and do things that make me happy...I have started going back to church and I am trying to get closer to God. I have a lot of hobbies that I enjoy and spend time with my family/boyfriend/friends as much as I can. I do well in school and I'm working hard towards a lot of scholarships so I can go on to college and either be a psychiatrist or oral surgeon (not sure which one yet). But when I have my down time, like, when I'm just at home relaxing, that's when I feel the most anxious/depressed. I can't take this anymore, I feel so hopeless. I don't know what I should do about any of this. I am just tired of anxiety and fear ruling my life. I want to live happily and put all of this fear behind me. It's tearing me apart and keeping me from living as happy of a life that I want. Should I start going to counseling, or get back on an anti-depressant? Please, any advice is appreciated. Thank you for your time.
How can I stop living in fear and enjoy my life?
In dense forests somewhere far away, there was a young elephant. One day, his father takes him for a tour nearby telling him about the dangers that thrive deep in the area. The young cub immediately says - Lions, I know when i see one, I ll run as fast as I could and get away. The father replies ‘No son, never run away. Lions are faster and they will definitely over take and once you show your back, its easy for them to attack your unprotected back and kill you. Instead stand your ground, look in the eye to show him you are not afraid. If that doesnt work, charge at him and hit with your trunk with all you got. Our trunks once gets the grip can throw it meters away hurting it.’‘ Oh I cant do that, I’ll be too scared to do that’‘Hey look around, our herd is all here. Once you start tackling it, we all will come to support you. But if you run from your fears, we will not be able to help’I read this children’s story sometime back which made me realiseWe all have those lions in our world. And the power to make a choice.When confronted with fear, we can either face it boldly or run away. When we are afraid, our thoughts and actions will predominantly be cautious and daunted. We will not act on our full potential of happiness and freedom.We lose living the life we wanted, with just dread.Instead face them and show you have nothing to be afraid of.Remember 80% of the fears that we constantly worry about and make our life miserable never happen anyways.and moreover, We are here to cheer and support you. We are One. We are you and you are us.A2A
How do you deal with living in fear?
To say you are “living in fear” suggest your sense of helplessness. First of all you will need to empower yourself to change the situation or your perception.If your fear is associated with a specific situation, you can actually do something. You are in a position to take some sort of action to change the fearsome conditions. If you are afraid to take action, your risk assessment may need adjustment; or you might need help. Regardless, it is important to keep in mind that courage is not fearlessness. It is the ability to act as needed in the face of fear.If you are experiencing a sense of fear and/or severe anxiety that is generalized, and you cannot identify a specific source, You have a chronic condition. You would likely be helped by seeking counseling with a therapist who can identify the nature of your condition; and either work with you or refer you to an appropriate specialist.I will add the “Litany of Fear.” It comes from a SciFi novel “Dune” by Frank Herbert. I have recited it for years as a tool to help me get things into perspective when I have dealt with intense fear."I must not fear.Fear is the mind-killer.Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.I will face my fear.I will permit it to pass over me and through me.And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."I wish you fair winds and following seas.
I sort of want to stop living?
It sounds like you are seriously depressed and need to talk to someone about your issues. Your girlfriend may not even be pregnant and if she is then you deal with it then. You could be stressing out over something that doesn't even exist. I am sure you are a good person with a lot to offer to the world - you just have to find it again which seems impossible through the depression. Depression is a really common thing that a lot of people go through. Don't listen to people that just tell you - oh cheer up you are just having a bad day - because for some people every day is a bad day and little things just make it worse. I know you aren't going to believe me (because I've been there) but it does get better and will get better. You just have to hang in there. There are a lot of resources out there and you have already taken the first step in taking care of yourself by reaching out here. So good job :o) If you want to talk to someone or feel like you are in a life-threatening situation, please PLEASE call the Suicide Hotline. It's 1-800-SUI-CIDE (or 1-800-784-2433). They are really nice people and some of them have had the same issues or deal with them a lot with other people and can help. If you don't feel like it's life-threatening at the moment, then please seek out a therapist or a loved one to talk to about this because I can tell you from experience that bottling it all up only makes it worse....
When will I stop living in fear from my abuser?
***I wanted to edit this and add a personal note to you: A) You are NOT alone and you have a secret sisterhood of domestic violence survivors cheering you on, and B) You got this! You WILL get through this, wiser and stronger. Commit yourself to do whatever means necessary to heal your soul.***This question took me to a place that I haven’t been in a long time. With that said, it depends how hard you work at healing your body and mind. I suffered violence of a heinous physical and psychological nature, as my abuser attempted to murder me twice then kidnap me once. Because I did not learn proper coping skills as a child, I knew that I had to receive professional help to heal.I found a wonderful therapist who specialized in EMDR. Because of therapy, I was able to feel safe much quicker than if I chose to naturally heal. I went to my therapist twice a week for one year and once a week for 6. It took approximately 1 year to feel safe again, as the neurotransmitters in my brain began forging new pathways of thinking. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t fearful after 1 year, as it has been 8 years and I still have instances where I think I see him and freeze, unable to move. However, I was able to walk outside without the wave of dread and fear that usually engulfed my body. I wasn’t checking smoke alarms to see if there were hidden cameras or hiding inside with my doors deadbolted and a knife by my bed soaked in sheer terror. Essentially, I had to retrain my brain to recognize healthy coping skills. Because of EMDR, a wonderful therapist, and hard work I was able to function in society as a happy person. The next 6 years of therapy were not only centered on the abuse, but the years of poor coping skills and familial dysfunction I experienced as a child which led up to it.
How do I stop living in the fear and live in the moment instead?
One of my absolute favorite quotes says “worrying is like meditating on s***t (poop).” Living in fear is actually all about trying to control a situation. We are fearful about the future and so if we think about the fear and everything that could happen, maybe we could control it. We can’t control anything but ourselves.That being said, to bring you back to the moment, first, take a big deep breath in. Now I want you to say out loud 5 things you can see, 4 things you can physically feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste. Now while you are doing that, did you think about the fear of the future? Most likely not, because you are so busy noticing how you feel and what’s going on around you that you brought yourself back to the present moment.Anytime you feel that fear, stop what you are doing, take a deep breath in and say the 5 senses out loud just like I taught you in the earlier paragraph.Another thing you can do, if put a bag of frozen veggies on your forehead to bring you back to the present moment or squeeze a piece of ice in your head—those work great to ground you and especially great if you are having a panic attack.
How do I stop living in constant fear of failure?
Most of us live our life in fears, conditions and steps which are set by others. You need to understand the difference between believing and superstition. How can you let others who are themselves are slaves of the superstitious thinking ruin your future. If anyone tell you that you don't have good lines in your hands just tell them that, if everything will be done on the basis of these lines then nobody will believe in hard work or tell them that you should opt for a career in these things only that's why you're not finding any job. Just concentrate on what you're and believe. Don't become slave of their thinking. Be strong headed and ignore those stupid talks if they disturb your mental peace. It's your decision only how much importance you give to these. Ignore or divert your way when such people hinder your peace.Thanks for A2A.
Do you live in fear of anything?
Good Luck on kicking cancer in the *ss! Personally, I live in fear of living beyond the point of being useful to anyone, including myself. Being a useless burden to family, friends, and the world at large is not something I believe I could handle psychologically; it'd be worse than dying. Later Daze! =)
How do I take control of my life and stop living in fear of the future?
Being independent from your parents is liberating. It will feel scary at first, just like trying any new thing is typically a little exciting or anxiety producing. My advice is to gain some independence a little bit at a time. Try these things, maybe one at a time:Do your own laundryMake your own doctors/dentist appointmentsTry and get a jobOpen/manage your own bank accountApply for colleges on your ownBuy some groceries that you likeI’m just trying to think of some simple things that you could try and work your way into. It might be daunting at first, but if you take small steps into being independent, then you will likely find that its actually pretty cool. You will realize that you can take care of yourself, and you will only call on your parents if you so choose, or maybe if you need advice. Also, make sure your parents are letting you build some independence. Tell them that you are worried about it, and that you want to try doing some things for yourself, before you get thrown into the real world. Everything will be just fine. Just think of how many adults have come before you, and how they had to become independent at some point too. You can definitely do it. Good luck!