Question
So I start a new school in a couple of days and I've been more anxious than ever lately. I can't even shower because I keep imagining thousands of spiders crawling out of the shower drain and.... well yeah. I can't stop ruminating on all the things that could go wrong and people keep telling me to stop worrying and to live in the present.... it feels like nobody gets that I can't stop. U was wondering if anybody's got any advice for me? Cuz I don't know how I'm gonna do this if I keep going the way I'm going.
@raspberryOrange3994
Hi there, RO!
Your anxiety certainly is bringing you some scary visions right now -- I'm so sorry to hear about what you are experiencing. Although here on 7 Cups, we are not trained professionals who are able to give advice to members, we are still able to try and brainstorm with them to find positive solutions to their troubles. If the feelings that are coming are unable to be helped, the one thing that we can try doing is to figure out how we can make a move against them.
For example, if spiders are coming out of the shower drain, maybe buying some wet wipes to help cleanse you could work for right now. Being paralyzed with fear is an understandable response to feeling constantly under attack from the world around you. Being scared is not something that says anything about what you are capable of doing.
Take a deep breath, and try to think of how you can go around a situation, so that you don't necessarily have to go "through it" fully at the moment. When you start feeling strong again, you can then think of ways that you can complete a task without it interfering with your safety. But, for now, taking a backroad might help for a little while.
Please let us know how things continue to go while you are heading to your new school! We'll be here for you every step of the way!
