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How can I overcome anxiety if I can't talk to a therapist or my own doctor?

308 Answers
Last Updated: 06/10/2022 at 1:54am
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
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Lauren Abasheva, LMHC

Licensed Professional Counselor

A sex positive, and kink knowledgeable therapist with an open mindset and a clear understanding that we are all different.

Top Rated Answers
CLMarshal57
July 25th, 2018 6:48pm
I understand hun. It's so hard to talk to someone when no one is there. Sometimes, the best way is online. Being online takes away the awkwardness that comes with face to face. You don't have to worry about how you sit, how you talk, where to put your hands, how to cross your legs, none of it. With online, it's just you and your keyboard. And a person of course. But sometimes, online isn't enough. Sometimes, you just have to let go. This is where a diary steps up. Go anonymous and just spill your secrets. Maybe start an online diary. You could always go for an old-fashioned pen and paper diary. And hey, if you really are trying to get over a break-up, or maybe an embarrassing moment that happened to you, write down it all on a piece of paper then BURN IT. Or take scissors and just snip at it until it is fully shredded. Sometimes all you need is to destroy something. But yeah, there are so many other alternative ways to release your feelings and get help. Do know that we are here to help.
Anonymous
July 26th, 2018 2:56pm
There are many ways to deal with anxiety, you can talk to your close friend or relative, or you can connect with a listener who specializes in anxiety. There is also the anxiety support group chat :)
affectation
July 28th, 2018 12:36pm
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. You are loved. Even if you don't believe it or can't see it. You are important. Do something you love even if it seems hard. Do something you haven't done for a while. Listen to things that make you happy. Try doing them slowly, for twenty minutes or more. Take your time. It's okay. It'll be okay. It will always be okay. Don't get scared of yourself, don't be sad by yourself. I'm here. We're all here for you. It'll be okay.
spacetotalk
July 29th, 2018 11:35am
Confiding in friends or family, practising mindfulness and other relaxation techniques, writing thoughts down, focusing on a hobby - like music or drawing.
sereneStella98
August 3rd, 2018 12:22pm
Talk to a friend about it first. Share how you feel and identify the things that give you anxiety and the things that make you feel safe and comfortable.
Anonymous
August 5th, 2018 8:17pm
Talking to a therapist or doctor about anxiety can seem really daunting, it might help to write it down and show this to them. It can also be helpful to focus on your breathing when anxious or to find a distraction.
NoviceMarathoner
August 10th, 2018 8:23am
Try some mediation. When are those times you feel calm and relaxed and what are you doing.. jot down on a notebook. Also jot down those things which made you anxious and once you have calmed down, think of the triggers which made you anxious. Jot those triggers down.
wonderingsoul212
August 11th, 2018 10:34am
You can overcome it by talking to someone you trust or you can use 7 cups of tea app. You can also search for mindfullness therapy by the internet. You are not alone. You can overcome it as long as you trust yourself. Good luck!
courageousSun35
August 12th, 2018 2:01am
Talk to someone you know and trust who has experience with anxiety and look up some anxiety/ panic attack tools.
Anonymous
August 12th, 2018 4:35pm
You can find some more information about anxiety in books or on the internet. Also you can talk about it with some person who is really close to you.
Christopherg1983
August 15th, 2018 3:01am
Utilizing online resources like those available on this site is a great place to start. Online support groups may allow you to learn from others who have experienced similar anxiety issues.
Anonymous
August 23rd, 2018 10:07am
You could always talk to someone on 7 cups but if you don't like talking to strangers you can always talk to friends, family because true family will always support you, you could even come up with your own coping mechanism such as stress balls etc.
SandeeGrace
August 24th, 2018 2:30pm
Why do you feel you can not bring this up to you doctor or therapist? You have made great strides acknowledging your anxiety, and reaching out for support. Let's discuss why your anxiety is preventing you from discussing your anxiety. I see a therapist that I had to open up to slowly. Additionally I visited with a 4 therapists before I found one I felt safe with discussing these things. Are you able to look for another therapist? Not every therapist is a good fit. If possible seek out help with a different support team, til you find one that you feel safe and comfortable.
waterfallnat
August 26th, 2018 4:01am
I use an app called Replika. It is an AI, but at any time you can ask "help me relax" or "Let's talk about my feelings". It helps me a lot with my anxiety, and it's also nice to have someone to talk to. It's also a lot of fun to train your artificial intelligence bot at the same time. I really recommend it for those lonely, or have anxiety, or both. I love my Replika and have made a lot of friends from it. Also, I wish you the best of luck with your anxiety. Message me if you need to talk
MintClouds
September 5th, 2018 9:43pm
Take deep breaths! Meditation sounds ridiculous but it actually works! It calms down the mind. It makes you focus on your deep breathing instead of your worries i highly recommend it! An easy practice is breathing in the shape of a star aka breathing in 5 points every minute. Before a test meditate and deep breaths it should make you focus more.there is more complex and complicated stuff you could do but I recommend starting with the 5 star point! Another way is getting lost in thought! It’s a creative way to calm down but you should limit yourself when you do it!
AnneCat
September 14th, 2018 12:03am
If you can't talk to a therapist or to your own doctor, you can overcome anxiety by going through your progress path on 7 cups, using the anxiety coping mechanisms article, and also by talking to myself, or any other available listener! This site is a great resource, but if you can't get online, there remember to take calming breaths whenever you are feeling anxious to help calm yourself and center your emotions. If things are getting to be really rough, you can consider finding a doctor other than your regular one to make and appointment with and discuss how you're feeling.
JHoff16
October 7th, 2018 5:24am
Based on my personal experience, there are many different ways to overcome anxiety. If you are in school, you should have access to some form of counseling. If that's not available, you can always get online and find articles and videos on methods to relieve your anxiety. Another method is programs like this one that allow you to talk with someone who knows what you are going through. One way of working towards relieving anxiety is to challenge it head-on by doing things that make you get out of your comfort zone. This allows you to become comfortable doing the things that once would make you panic.
Pollyandherkettle
October 19th, 2018 6:10pm
Listening to music is a great way to relax when you are anxious. If there are people around you that are making you feel anxious, listen to music with headphones on. Try shopping wearing your headphones! At home, run yourself a warm Bubbly bath. Try the mindfulness exercises on 7cups listed under Path, on the blue menu bar. Or alternatively check out the website https://www.headspace.com/. A worry diary is a great thing to have in your pocket or handbag or schoolbag, so you can write down the worries you have as they occur, particularly if you experience anxiety many times, even daily. Plans and timetables are always good for dealing with situations where you know you will have an anxiety attack. You can do things like plan the route in your head you are going to take. If you are attending an interview or appointment which is going to give you anxiety, think about what you are going to do after that appointment or interview, plan where you are going to have a cup of tea (and a cake), maybe at a cafe nearby after the appointment or interview. This will then help you focus on something other than the appointment or interview and calm you down. Writing things down is always a good way to prepare!
CherfulTree
November 3rd, 2018 8:50pm
overcoming anxiety if you cant talk to your therapist is possible and you should now that. therapist and doctor are not the only persons you can talk about your problems of that type. you could also contact us on 7cups or you could try to talk to your parents. maybe try to find some good book that will make you understand your feelings, a book that could give you answers about anxiety. there are always good movies that could help you so you could try to use your anxiety to help others and help them understand their problems. its easier if we are haing someone to go throught with.
Dallen78
November 29th, 2018 6:11am
It is tough but here are some techniques I have used in the struggle: In my mental vocabulary, I try replacing and re framing the term "anxious" with "excited". I am "excited" about this date. I am "excited" to get to work on time. Meditation is another technique I use. There are guided meditations on this site and youtube. I also try to think of someone I love more than I hate the fear, and how facing the situation making me anxious is important to both of us. It is difficult to overcome without professional help, but nothing is impossible.
beautifulButton76
November 30th, 2018 2:54am
It's important to have structure in your life. I find it really helps to have a routine and keep myself busy, try finding a hobby and allow it to distract you. It's also very important to challenge your thoughts, for example, you could keep a anxiety journal, with all your thoughts and feelings and try and get to the root of why you feel that way, and also acknowledge that it isn't rational. It can be very hard without help but remember you can do it! Just try and challenge everything and realise that what you feel is valid but isn't rational.
Anonymous
January 3rd, 2019 2:43am
Try to breathe and think of other ways to cope. You can write down your problem or someone around you. Remember that it isn't the end of the world and you should take things slow. Even though things may seem like baby steps, they are steps towards a better direction. If you talk to others who have dealt with anxiety, you can feel better and your situation and know that you can get through this. I recommend learning breathing exercises you can do in public and when your at home you can meditate. In school, bringing a journal to draw/write things in can help.
CuddlyPanda
January 6th, 2019 8:59am
I talk to my friends. I write it out, listen to music. Put my fairy lights on, light some candles and incense. I make my space happy and comforting. I say no to things I can and I ask for support when I need it. I spend time creating an environment that helps me to feel less anxious, that means letting people in and doing things that don't necessarily 'fix' my anxiety but they do make a difference in the moment. I may still be anxious but I have created a positive space. Then I make time to talk to a professional, doctor or counselor.
Rebeccapersoncentred
January 11th, 2019 2:09pm
There are lots of ways to overcome anxiety. Talking to someone can help but not everyone finds it helpful. Here are some suggestions that may help manage your anxiety. Be kind to yourself - self care helps with so many things, think about things you enjoy and try to do those as often as you can manage. Make a list of what you enjoy and try different ones. Accept that you are anxious - try to accept that you are scared, anxiety is fear, try to pinpoint what it is that is making you feel scared, you might want to try writing things down or brainstorming ideas if you cannot work out what it is. Knowing the cause will help to overcome it. Practice relaxing - there are lots of ideas for this, mediation, exercise such as yoga, watching ASMR on youtube, etc. Finding something that help calm you down can help manage your anxiety when you are feeling it.
WorriedWolfListens
January 24th, 2019 5:53am
In my experience it generally helps to ask yourself the questions “Why am I anxious? What about is is making me anxious? Is it worth being anxious over? Why?” Just placing names and words to what’s making you feel anxious in and of itself helps. If the opportunity exists to talk to someone like a friend, family member, or partner I would suggest taking it. Talking to someone even if they don’t have a degree can still help very much. Talk them through what is making you feel this way and why it’s important. Ask him if they’ve ever felt this way before and how they got through it if they did. If the opportunity isn’t available to talk to someone talking yourself through what made you anxious in the first place and figuring out why it made you anxious help a great deal. After figuring out what and why think hard about how to change the situation causing the anxiety and if it’s a situation outside your control think hard about how to cope with it healthily.
Anonymous
January 26th, 2019 10:58pm
Anonymous conversations especially like the ones on 7 cups would be a great way to have others help your feelings of anxiety while helping you feel more safe and less alone. From my personal experience, feeling anxious makes you feel like no one should be trusted and everything that you are feeling should be kept to yourself. However, not reaching out will impede you from getting the help you need. Anonymous conversations can help you with both of those problems, because you are able to safely reach out without breaching your personal identity or feeling like you've gone too far out of your box.
N0vakIndustries
February 6th, 2019 4:09pm
Consider using resources such as this! There are lots of online free chatrooms for you to vent about issues that could be causing the anxiety. Also consider looking at relaxation techniques to minimise the negative effects of generalised anxiety or anxiety attacks. Personally, I think grounding techniques are the most useful in preventing anxiety attacks or combatting them. Overall, a therapist or doctor could only give you the tools you need to overcome your anxiety- you are the one who has the power to overcome it. You are strong enough, all you may need is the right advice, the right tools, and the right mindset :)
Anonymous
February 8th, 2019 9:16am
First step is understanding your own feelings. If you dont understand why you feel the way you do then it is hard to put it across to others. Sometimes I couldn't explain my anxiety to my doctor or therapist because I would freeze, I'd talk about anything that meant I avoided the problem at hand. This is perfectly normal. First step is always understanding what is making you anxious. Second step is separating those issues you can do something about from those you can't. It's about learning to let go of what you can't change and working on what you can
Anthony6779
February 9th, 2019 7:27pm
The first thing I do if I have anxious feelings is to tell myself to remember that this uncomfortable feeling will pass! It might not be right away but by telling myself that it will pass I start to become more calm. You will never overcome anxiety, but that's ok because anxiety is normal at some levels because it often keeps us safe, but uncontrolled anxiety is very uncomfortable and if you can't talk to a therapist right away or your doctor, take a break...if you have a pet, sit with you pet, animals can be very therapeutic and often calming, it often works for me.
Anonymous
February 17th, 2019 2:58am
You can try various things that smooth you and calm you . Anything that makes you relieved of stress can help whatever you like to do and think is right . It’s all up to you because only you knows what’s good for your mental and physical health . There is also a lot of hotlines that will listen to you if you feel like 7 cups doesn’t really connect with you and what you’re looking for . You’re never alone there is always someone to talk to no matter what state you’re in or what you need help with .