Spending Time Alone....with your anxiety
- Ronique Bean
- Nov 10, 2017
- 2 min read
About two or three years ago, I started to feel...not right. My mood was down and I felt the need to be distracted all of the time. At work, I needed time to be alone before I could begin to interact with people. If I didn't get that time, I would become overwhelmed, become short of breath and short tempered. My leg started to shake. It was a coping mechanism I suppose but I feel more comfortable when I bounce my legs, as if the pent up energy needs to be spent in some way.
I had no idea at all what this feeling was. I thought I was just overworked (which I was) and overemotional (probably true as well). When I talked to my doctor about it, she suggested I speak with a therapist or counselor. I did not. I felt I could help myself and learn how to focus on getting better on my own.
It took about two years to realize that wasn't working.
So, I changed doctors and talked more openly about what I was feeling and when. I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and began taking medication. Also, therapy.
The therapy is what has been most helpful. Talking with a professional counselor or therapist helps in the best ways. As someone with anxiety, validation from someone outside of your immediate circle of family and friends is the ultimate in calming exercises. At least, for me it is.
After talking with my therapist, explaining my past experiences and what I have been experiencing recently, she gave me validation in those feelings. It makes sense for me to react the way that I do at times or to feel the way that I do because of those experiences. What I need to master is how to manage those reactions and emotions so that I can feel secure.
I would not have been able to figure that out on my own.
If you need to talk to someone about how you're feeling or what you are going through (even if it is just one bad day), try these resources:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1‑800‑273‑TALK (8255)
SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline – 1‑877‑SAMHSA7 (1‑877‑726‑4727)
I can now identify how I am feeling and then tell people when I need time to gather myself. I can talk to my loved ones and not feel that somehow I am disappointing them.
I still have work to do. I am still trying to find my specific brand of normal, but I feel empowered now to be alone in a room with my anxiety.
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