“I am afraid that my partner will leave me. When that fear comes to me I can’ t think clearly, I talk nonsense, I do what I shouldn’t, I become more impatient and irascible. If I think about it, it’s as if I’m always worried about screwing up or what will happen to us instead of looking at other things. And then, in the end, either I suffered for nothing or, indeed, I end up provoking with my ‘clumsiness’ what I was trying to avoid.”
“Whenever I have to examine myself in any way I have a hard time. Not bad, terrible! It was already happening to me in school, and then in college. Now it happens to me every time I have to do a job interview. I sweat, even if it’s not hot, my throat closes and my lips dry up like they were in the desert. I just notice that my hand is shaking and my voice too. I am horrified to think that the person in front of me is seeing it and that makes me feel even worse. I think I’m starting to sweat even before I get there.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, my life is very normal, everything is more or less fine, but I always go running everywhere. It’s not that I’m in a hurry, but I always want to do everything as soon as possible. I get impatient on the subway steps or in line at the supermarket. I’m always turning my head, as if everything were a worry, trying to find the best way to do anything, from the stupidest to the most complex activity. I get distressed when I can’t figure out how to make all the pieces fit together so that everything will be perfect. When I get to bed, no matter how tired I am, I have a hard time falling asleep, my head is like a bass drum.
“I get up and just thinking about getting on the subway already overwhelms me. Ever since I got that dodgy last month when I entered the car and almost got it again last week, I can’t stand the thought of having to get on it. Doing it is a pain and I think I’m going to stop using it and walk to work. That’s it. In fact, I’ve been dodging the subway for several days now. I’m not going to take the bus either, but what if I get stuck there too? These days it’s hot as hell and it’s going to take me almost an hour to walk from my house to the office, so I’ll have to get up earlier, but I prefer it. It bothers me even to go through the subway entrance. It’s just doing it and it makes everything go to my head. Until I have advanced a few meters, I do not relax my stomach, I feel horrible.”
These are just four examples but they all have a common denominator: these four people suffer from anxiety. For different reasons and in different situations, but all of them suffer an activation of their organism that goes beyond what is useful and necessary and that is beginning to cause them more or less serious difficulties in their day-to-day life. There are many more examples, probably you already have some in your head.
Some people have a greater capacity than others to relax and lead their lives without seeing an excessive danger everywhere. If you are one of those people who find it difficult, or who are already starting to get into trouble because they have not yet learned to regulate themselves, it is important that you take action as soon as possible. Go to a psychologist, analyze together the causes of what is happening to you and let that professional teach you strategies so that you can live better with the concerns of your daily life. Psychologists work every day with anxiety and are prepared to help you. Would you like to try?
