i have a lot of anxiety issues. about 5 years ago i went to the docs about it, i was diagnosed with social anxiety and told i had season affective disorder (my mum calls it the winter blues, but it's SO much more than that). anyway they chucked a heap of pills at me. i took them for a while but i stopped, i knew i couldnt take them forever so it seemed pointless to rely on them for any period of time. i've always had the seasonal thing and am able to recognise when the days are dark and im struggling that that is the reason, so although i feel bad i get through it. but the anxiety is still so hard to deal with. i panic over whether i can lose this weight, and until i lose it how much i will be held back. im looking for a job and am so afraid of interviews, i worry i will be turned down purely on my weight. has anyone else had this problem? i could really use some support. sorry this got a bit long!

I have undiagnosed anxiety issues. When I start to panic.. or can't shut my thoughts off because there flying at me so fast, I try to stop whatever it is im doing. I take a few very deep breaths...tell myself, this isn't as big as your making it out to be. And try to rationalize w/ myself.

I don't think any job is going to turn you down due to your weight, unless it happens to something like a physical trainer, pe teacher, etc etc. Think of all of us overweight people out there that are currently employed. I know its hard but for me the best way to deal w/ alot of my worries, and anxiety was to face things head on. 9/10 times I walked away feeling like it wasnt as bad as I had anticipated.

I have undiagnosed anxiety as well. Mine is ridiculous. The worst of it happens in the car, of all places. There are very specific driving situations in which I will literally panic and it isn't safe for anyone in or near my car. I've come very close to hyperventilating on the interstate. Usually it happens in town.

I also get very bad anxiety at the Dentist's office. I had asked my dentist once if he could prescribe valium and at the time he told me he could, but only did so in extreme circumstances. Well this last visit, unbeknownst to me, he observed me from the hallway and offered me valium for my next visit! Thank goodness!

Having lost the weight, I can honestly say those are the only situations for which I now get anxiety. I used to have terrible social anxiety and I think it was entirely related to my weight, or at least to my self-confidence. Mine had plummeted very low and I had an extremely negative view of myself. I naturally assumed everyone else saw me that way too. Large groups always did me in, as did meeting new people.

I didn't deal with my anxiety, so I have no advice. But I hope yours diminishes with weight loss as mine did. For my driving anxiety I got a GPS. It has helped. I found myself in downtown Dayton not long ago and had only mild anxiety about it because I had my handy get-out-of-town device. And now I have valium for the dentist! Problems solved!

hi, thanks for replying
i have noticed i do that A LOT, i stress and panic so much about the smallest thing, then when it happens i wonder why i was fussing so much. i have a couple of small training courses in a few weeks and already i am going through them in my mind, worrying about stupid things like what will i wear, what bus do i need to get to be there on time, and i dont know how to stop myself. your method is worth a shot, i will definatley be trying the deep breathing and rationalising with myself. sometimes i think i need a panic fairy that will slap me everytime im getting stressed over nothing.

Dr H.Levinson wrote a book..."phobia Free"
It is availableat the library.
It deals with anxiety, phobias, fear, allergies and more.

You also might find some info about him online.

He has helped just about everyone who has come to visit him.
If you live too far from New York, try reading his books for help.

Best of luck to you.

I don't know if I have anxiety, but sometimes I do find myself with my thoughts flying all over the place, mostly about my past mistakes, the worries I presently have, and what other people think about me. When this happens, I feel panicky, scared, and more often than not guilt-ridden. I'm not taking any meds, but I found that dropping whatever I am doing when this happens to take a deep breath and say a sort-of "stop" word works for me. My stop word is "enough." When I say that, my head starts to clear and I can function again.

thank you for everyones replies.
eliana- driving is a big thing for me too, i just got my provisional licence (i think its called a learners permit in US) my mum took me out driving, a lorry passed me and i literally screamed. needless to say she hasn't taken me since! i hope the anxiety will drop as i lose the weight, i won't feel so selfconcious and feel like evryone is laughing at me.

jolina- i have taken down the name of that book, im very far from new york but hopefully i will find it online.

marianne- thats pretty much how i feel, i find myself worrying about things i did wrong years ago, if i didn't do enough exercise that day, having that extra piece of bread, what does that shop assistant think of me, such silly things. since theres no way im going back to the docs anytime soon, i will try anything to control these anxieties on my own.

You can do it. Hang in there.

Why did you think you couldn't rely on the meds forever? I've been on and off meds for over a decade, and I've come to the conclusion that I'll need them for the rest of my life, and there's nothing wrong with that. Just like I've lost a ton of weight and excercise and eat right, but I still need to take my blood pressure medication and I might need to take it forever - big deal, you know?

Having said that, I think therapy can be very helpful to learn techniques to deal with anxiety (i find it more helpful for anxiety than for depression).

its not that i think people shouldnt rely on meds forever, its simply that i didnt want to, i think people should do whatever works for them and whatever they are comfortable with. at the time i was prescribed them i was only 19 and the thought of being reliant on meds for the rest of my life was very scary. i will go back to the docs again if i have to, but i want to find some other techniques to try first, meds are a last resort for me.

It sounds like you've already gotten some good advice, but I just wanted to chime in. I used to get panic attacks pretty regularly, and someone recommended the following technique. Stop whatever it is that you are doing. Identify five things that you can see, five things that you can hear, and five things that you can physically feel (i.e. your hand resting on your thigh, NOT anxiety in your chest). Then identify four things in each category, then three, then two, then one. If you still aren't calm, repeat the process. It sounds a little silly, but it really helps you to refocus your thoughts on the reality of the present moment rather than on the things that you are worried about. Even if you're not having full-fledged anxiety or panic attacks, this exercise can be helpful in clearing your mind of worrisome thoughts. It doesn't address the root causes of anxiety, but it really can help you to regain control in a given moment or situation.

Also,

I also worried that I would not be able to find a job because of my weight. I graduated from an occupational therapy assistant program last year. Being 54 and overweight, I was so afraid that I wouldn't get a job, that I kept putting off looking for a job for weeks, but when I actually got the courage to look for a job, I got the first job I applied for. Being overweight is prevalent in this country, and most places you apply to will have overweight people working there. You don't have to feel that you're alone in struggling with weight in the job market. Just go in there and fake the confidence even if you don't have it. I have to deal with patients and their families, and I have to project confidence even though I'm usually quaking inside. I should get an Oscar! Also, I used to drive a taxi in Dallas, and when the traffic got to me, I would play CDs with calming nature sounds or slow or classical music, and it helped me calm down.

This technique is very much out of the box so I'm not sure if you'll like it but I really find that it helps me curb some of my anxiety:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ03e9DpqjY

I was diagnosed with a Social Anxiety Disorder in University (and have dealt with depression since I was a child)

I took some meds for a few years and did therapy.

I did go off my meds because I felt like I would be okay and the headaches were getting too much, and I was okay.

I did have a relapse last year and went back on meds for about 6 months. And am doing fairly well now (I can function without the internal dialogue and panic attacks)

I do a lot of self checking and monitoring and the therapy helped a lot.

Best of luck to you

Taking pristique. Have struggled with this for years and never understood until the last year with some therapy what was wrong. Taking things on day at a time. Therapy also helping, as does staying active.

My teen daughter recently diagnosed with anxiety and feeling awful as it was either learned form me, her mom, or genetic. Have her in therapy as well.