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21 years ago 0 1 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Anxiety, Fear, Guilt, Insecurity then Panic

It wasn't until my 40s did I begin to recognize that some of my behavior may be triggered by anxiety. I am a restless person, while I can sit still, if I am concentrating on something, I can't sit still if I am not occupied. For example, if I am waiting for a bus, after 15 minutes, I start feeling anxious and angry, I start pacing. To diffuse this behavior, I have tried chewing gum or making sure I have something to read. But, I've begun to recognize that I have feelings of anxiety and anger in many situations. I've had therapy and learned alot about family dynamics expcially in relation to alcoholic families. But, sometimes when I am in the grip of anxiety, I am capable of foolish behavior. For example, right now, after I have worked hard for 10 years to be debt free, I am getting anxious that I will not be able to save enough money to make sure I can pay for all the expenses I will need for the rest of my life. To handle my growing anxiety, I have begun to investigate purchasing land. I've gone so far as calling realtors and looking at want ads. But, in reality, buying land would probably be a finacial disaster since I really don't have a lot of money. In the past, what I have done when I've been anxious, I've gotten involved in my community, I've taken second jobs, I will do just about anything to occupy my mind so that I don't have to think about those things that make me anxious. I have not led a perfect life. I have made many mistakes, but when I was young I thought life was about experimentation and trying new things to see if I had an interest in them. But, some of the things I experimented with were not healthy. So, I feel guilty. I am divorced and I feel guilty about that. I feel guilty most of the time and often for no known reason. Plus, my social skills are poor. Combine my guilt of not making wonderful decisions and now with a fear of being broke because I don't know how to really manage money, my anxiety is growing. It sits on my chest. It makes my skin tingle. I don't sleep well. Often I try to feel numb as a way to manage my feelings but nothing is working that's why I look for outlandish projects to occupy my mind. What concerns me is that while I have gained many coping skills, when I am in the grip of anxiety, I feel I don