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...

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Pulling it Together

GreenEyes727
GreenEyes727

I am having a panic attack.  I have to help my Aunt with a doctor's appointment.  I told her daughter months ago that I cannot do for my Aunt anymore but there have been a few times that I have been pulled back in.  To make matters worse, I think my Aunt has bed bugs again and now I believe I have them.  It's going to be a never ending story because either one of her relatives or caretakers are probably bringing them in, having gotten them from my Aunt last year.  I don't want to go.  I can't get out of it.  I've already spent about $2,000 when I got bed bugs before from her.  Pretty sure she got them from her sister.  I have to go get a shower.  I am going to tell my Aunt she has to get her granddaughter to help with her next appointment.

arfie
arfie
Breathing with you, GreenEyes. Deep, cleansing breaths.

For what it's worth
Here's a song I like to sing when I have to do stuff like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6IROIMrszU
Community LeaderMid
Mid
Stop. Pause. Breathe. Choice. Repeat until you feel calm.

It's so hard to remember to say NO firmly when it comes to people you care about, but you have to take care of you first!

Best wishes as you make your way through this experience.
GreenEyes727
GreenEyes727
Thanks everyone. I have been dealing with my Aunt for many years but more so since October of 2019. Around February, it really got to me when I had to leave my nice warm home to go out in the ice and snow for her, which included a Walmart run. Then I came very close to having a nervous breakdown. I really didn't want to be on a schedule today. I even thought of skipping grocery shopping. She ended up needing my help with other stuff. She truly drives me nuts. She just called me to thank me. I thought I felt something bite me while I was there but it is not itchy so I don't think so. But when I got home, I stripped and did laundry. Can't wait for my therapist appointment tomorrow.
arfie
arfie
Every vermin infestation I have lived through has left me with the heebeegeebees where I feel the critters wiggling around, whether they are there or not. My 5 year old foster daughter brought head lice home from school at the end of last school year. I've shaved my head twice since then and still feel those buggers crawling across my scalp sometimes.

Caring for incapacitated adults is a long-term challenge for all involved. Steadying support while you find the balance between self-care and caring about the world around you.

Keep venting. . . Your answers are in there.
GreenEyes727
GreenEyes727
Thanks arfie! I called Terminix. They are coming tomorrow. I have a major job of cleaning the living room so they can inspect the couch where I sleep. I have until 3. I was planning on going for bloodwork tomorrow morning but now I can't go. I was lonely earlier. My BFF was with her bf all day. My good guy friend was working and my brother was working. My relatives from Maryland brought lice with them. We all took precautionary measures, just in case. I wasn't happy about spending the money or doing the treatment. That is nice that you foster. That is how I got my niece. I'm sorry that you felt the need to shave your head. Thanks again!
arfie
arfie
I didn't shave my head for the lice, though it is a guaranteed cure for that. I **like** shaving my head. It be a sensory experience you can experience no other way. Been doing it most summers since the mid 90's.
GreenEyes727
GreenEyes727
Oh, okay! Have a nice day!
GreenEyes727
GreenEyes727
It's Thursday now. Now I am really mad at my best friend and on top of that, the Terminix guy is coming hours earlier. Now I'm having a panic attack again. It's Neverending. I had a feeling this would happen.
Bobby5000
Bobby5000
It's always easier when you not the person having the panic attack. From my perspective, in terms of addressing the problem, consider this,

1. Work on the bedbug problem. Note it for people in a nonaccusatory fashion, and ask people to be extra careful. It could have come in various ways.

2. You are a nice person but do need to stake out boundaries. So explain you cannot go. It may not be realistic to say you will never go, but stake out reasonable boundaries. .
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