Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
My fiance has severe anxiety at work. I work for him and have for 4 years now. His anxiety affects his mood, his work, his attitude, the way he talks to me. Its borderline abusive.
I know because of the situation there is a lot of stress at work. But what I don't know is how to deal with it. Everyday gets more difficult. And now his "fits" are becoming contageous and other employees are starting to behave the same way in stressful situations.
His anxiety affects his speech which makes it worse. He gets chest pain at work and it scares me so much. In an effort to help him, I have sent him to the doctor only to find out his insurance won't cover a psychiatrist. I have tried talking to him about it but the only time he will talk about it is after work. After work he is a different person. He is sweet and calm and its so hard for me to go back and forth. I got him a gym membership and make him go as much as possible. I make him take his vitamins and well I really don't know what else I can do.
Most of the situations he gets so "worked up" about are never as bad as he thinks they are. If he could somehow slow down and calm down he would see this and everything would be smoother. LESS STRESS!!
I am not perfect either, I have suffered with OCD and depression most of my life. But his behavior at work and then the niceness at home is throwing me back into severe depression. I have become his enabler in an effort to help him and its healthy for either one of us.
I posted this to hopefully get a perspective from someone who is dealing with this kind of anxiety and would maybe shed some light for me. I have figured out that I cannot tolerate being treated poorly for no reason. I seem to be a target for him to take out his fustration on, over his own anxiety. Thanks for listening......
I know because of the situation there is a lot of stress at work. But what I don't know is how to deal with it. Everyday gets more difficult. And now his "fits" are becoming contageous and other employees are starting to behave the same way in stressful situations.
His anxiety affects his speech which makes it worse. He gets chest pain at work and it scares me so much. In an effort to help him, I have sent him to the doctor only to find out his insurance won't cover a psychiatrist. I have tried talking to him about it but the only time he will talk about it is after work. After work he is a different person. He is sweet and calm and its so hard for me to go back and forth. I got him a gym membership and make him go as much as possible. I make him take his vitamins and well I really don't know what else I can do.
Most of the situations he gets so "worked up" about are never as bad as he thinks they are. If he could somehow slow down and calm down he would see this and everything would be smoother. LESS STRESS!!
I am not perfect either, I have suffered with OCD and depression most of my life. But his behavior at work and then the niceness at home is throwing me back into severe depression. I have become his enabler in an effort to help him and its healthy for either one of us.
I posted this to hopefully get a perspective from someone who is dealing with this kind of anxiety and would maybe shed some light for me. I have figured out that I cannot tolerate being treated poorly for no reason. I seem to be a target for him to take out his fustration on, over his own anxiety. Thanks for listening......
I would suggest your fiance go to a psychiatrist. He may need prescription medicine to calm his nerves.
GOD bless you and your fiance!!!
Is his job too stressful? Does he get stressed as soon as he walks in the door, or is it after a particular daily event happens? Does he have adequate help in his job, or does he take on too much responsibility? Taking the time to narrow down the trigger, or triggers, will help him (and you) better understand what sets him off, and empower you to better cope, and maybe even avoid, the anxious behaviors.
There are a number of natural supplements that he could take, that could even out his mood a little. St. John's Wort has a mood control supplement that works well to help you stay calm. Certain fish oils can also have a calming effect on the nerves. If he takes any other meds, you'll want to do some research or consult a pharmacist to make sure there are no interactions. Most often there are not, since many supplements are natural. Always better to be safe, though. Beyond supplements, a good night's rest and an abundance of water can also be invaluable.
Talk therapy can help as well. I understand you're having some trouble with insurance. There are some organizations that may be able to offer free or very low cost services. There is a Lutheran-run service in my area that works with people whose insurance won't cover their visits. And even if you're not a religious person, sometimes a pastor may be willing to listen. Sometimes talking through it is all that is needed. (Sometimes talking through it unveils deeper issues and may need further discussion.) I would check your local phone book or a web directory for such services to see if they're available in your area.
Does your place of work offer benefits like a crisis or mental health hotline?
Hang in there. It's always frustrating to deal with anxiety and the chaos it can bring. I've lived with it for five years now, and still struggle. If you've exhausted all the low cost and/or natural options, you may have enough evidence for the insurance company that therapy or medication may be needed. Any general practitioner should be able to prescribe fast acting meds (such as ativan) or long-term maintenance medications, such as Zoloft.