Anxiety triggered by gun violence
I'm sure my anxiety isn't rare... I know many people (especially living in America) are worried about their safety and the safety of their loved ones when they're out in public. For me, it really eats away at me sometimes, and I don't really know how to handle it anymore.
I've been plagued by anxious thoughts related to gun violence for most of my life. But, I know it's gotten worse over the years. I was a child when Columbine happened, a high schooler considering what college to apply to when Virginia Tech happened, and an adult for the other myriad shootings that have occurred in nearly every type of public place. I'm sure I was affected by the shootings I saw on the news as a child/teenager (even though I was never directly affected, for which I am of course beyond grateful... I had planned to apply at Tech, but I gave that up after the shooting. That's about as much "real world" effect it's had on me... except for the anxiety).
I feel like it gets worse each year. I think about it more, I worry about it more, and I stop doing more things. Until recently, I stopped going to movie theaters and public events. I don't like crowds and tend to avoid them anyway, but I was pretty adamant about avoiding any unnecessary exposure. I went five and a half years without setting foot in a movie theater. The first time I went in a long time was November 2018. I've been twice since then, and I worry each time. I guess it's at the forefront of my mind now because I have plans to go tonight too. I've been dreading going due to this past week, where we had three major shootings consecutively (and couple that with the nightmares I had + the obsessive thoughts about "what would I do if ... " situations.) It's been a rough few days.
This is pretty much a ramble, so I apologize if it doesn't make sense. I'm just sort of at a loss for the first time in a long time, because no matter what people say in news coverage, I don't think mass shootings are stagnant -- they're getting more frequent. And I have a REALLY hard time getting myself to go anywhere anymore. I'll get distracted thinking about it at work or at home and nearly end up in tears. I really thought I was getting better at managing my anxiety (I feel like for a lot of areas in my life, it has gotten better), but when it comes to stuff like this, I can't seem to get a handle on it anymore.
@moonstorm If going to see a movie was really unsafe, then no one with any sense would go to see movies and the theatres would all go out of business. But no US movie theater has ever gone out of business for this reason, as far as I can tell, so the idea that seeing a movie is unsafe is definitely false.
Having anxiety about a false threat is quite common, though. It's known as an anxiety disorder, and it can almost always be successfully treated. Some people find that medication prescribed by a doctor works well, and others find that seeing a good therapist for a short time cures the problem. (A bad therapist might only teach you ways to remain anxious.)
Managing your anxiety the way you have been doing is not a long term solution, because the anxiety tends to get worse, as you are discovering. A medical professional or a mental health professional would be able to discuss effective long term solutions with you.
If you'd ever like to chat to me about any of this, feel free to click on my profile picture and message me.
Charlie
@RarelyCharlie Thank you for your response. I've actually been in therapy for over a year, and I've been on as-needed anxiety medication for about 12 years. (I was diagnosed previously as a teenager with general anxiety disorder, depression, and OCD). So far with treatment, I've had better luck managing the day to day issues, but have not had any success managing anxiety spikes such as the one I described, which do get worse over time.
I have managed somewhat by just removing myself from situations that make me feel anxious to that degree. Some people would say that's letting fear and anxiety control my life, but my counter-argument is that I'm not giving up anything I really, truly care about, and if it makes me feel better in the end, then that's fine with me. That isn't a solution to everything, but it works for me sometimes. Personally, I disagree that I'm having anxiety about a false threat.
The only thing I can think to do at this point is to potentially request a different therapist to see if anyone else would be able to help with a different technique/method.
@moonstorm
I used to have plenty of panic attacks similar to this, and sometimes I still do. The truth is, yes, there are many threats out there in the world. Just by existing, there will always be a threat. Sadly, that's just how things are. What helped me, (Idk if this is good advice for you specifically), was to be prepared for the worst. Maybe we can't stop these things from happening, but we can know what to do if it happens. Ideally, this is to kinda block out most of those thoughts by saying to yourself that you'll be ready for whatever life throws at you. When it comes to mass shootings, the likelyhood of it actually happening to you is actually pretty slim. Yes, it seems like it occurs all the time in the States, but chances are that a good majority of people won't even experience it in their lifetime. Anyways, hope this helps.
