Anxiety:How do I stop worrying about appointments?

Question

I suffer from depression and anxiety. I am on an anti depressent at its highest dose and also recieving guided self help via my GP which should lead on to CBT. But until then, what keeps me awake at night and makes me want to cry during the day are appointments.

Everything about them stresses me out. Organising them, remembering them, driving to them, paying for them (if applicable!), talking to the receptionist when I get there, waiting, getting bad news, leaving the car park, organising the next one..

And also the overwhelming thought of "There are so many each year! How will I cope?!"

This includes things like:
Dentists
Doctors
Dog groomers
Vets
Car MOT
Car servicing
Hair dressers
Sorting out prescriptions
...anything such as these.

It sometimes results in me not doing things. Eg I haven't had my hair cut for 2 years. I haven't been to the dentist for 3 years. I sometimes run out of prescription because I am too scared to organise a new one. The dog needs grooming again (he needs to be done every 2-3 months), and its worrying the hell out of me.

How do you cope with all these things? What about people who work?

How do you find the time? How do you mentally handle it?

Please someone give me some advice on either how to cope or how to stop worrying :( Its making my life impossible.

Thankyou. Please help

Answer 1

Wow, it sounds like you have a very busy life, and as much as I hate to say it, stress and worry are important to our motivation processes. Our need to act upon an issue that we really don’t want to face is enforced by stress. However, if you are suffering from additional stress related to keeping appointments then you may have more underlying issues that are effecting your perception to keeping responsibilities or appointments. These issues can include social phobias, anxiety related to having responsibilities, or even just compounded stress. I would recommend trying to rearranging your schedule so that the responsibilities are spaced out throughout the month, or having someone assist you. I also think that you should continue to work closely and honestly with your counselor, and emphasize more on these stress-related issues. If you are on the maximum dosage of anti-depressants and they are still not working, then perhaps your issues may be along the lines of social-psychological issues, you may want to bring this up as well just to explore the idea.

Answer 2

I can't tell what your daily routines are like but I'm guessing spending time sitting around worrying??

1. Relaxation.. Close your eyes, focus on breathing, clear your mind.. Even if it's 5-10 mins each day

2. List all needs doing & when.. Schedule them when it's most convenient.. Any clashes, prioritse & reschedule the next

3. Get as much help as possible such as arrange pharmacy for repeat prescription & they do deliveries (I presume u're in the UK)

4. if u're any good with technology, use calendars to manage your schedule. It can set to remind you at set intervals and provides list of what's been scheduled for the near future. Have a physical calander and mark the datesn

5. Have contact details handy. Again, these can be added as notes on calendar entries..

6. Distraction technique.. Listen to music, read a book or play games whilst waiting..

7. Good that you've accepted that you suffer from anxiety and depression but don't let that get too much in the way.. Believe that things can only get better and you'll start to find yourself having more good days than bad ;)

8. Make appointments in advance - more time to get yourself mentally prepared and not too rushed. I find making appointments by phone less stressful, as the other person can't see you. I get a bit paranoid thinking they might be judging me, having access to my history on the system etc..



Good luck!!

Answer 3

It sounds like the anti-depressant you chose isn't helping you with anxiety. I have anxiety/depression and I can relate to how you feel. I take a combination of Venlafaxine/Klinapin (for really stressful events) and it works on the anxiety and obsessively worrying. Not sure if that would help you talk to your doctor. As far as appointments go, I have a calender I keep at work and in my purse with all my appointments written on it. I set my dentist appointment in advance and I go to it a half hour early so I have a chance to calm myself down first. Taking the Klinapin helps for dentist appointments since those are particularly stressful. Prescriptions can be sorted into daily containers for a week or for a month ahead of time and it makes it easier to keep track of when you take them. Most doctors are understanding about anxiety if you talk to them ahead of time, mine used to let me stand outside or in the waiting room area until it was my turn with the doctor and that helped me with my stress level a lot. For the hair dresser go to a quick 10 min haircut place that has a good view outside and bring some water to sip on. They don't require appoiintments and if you go during a workday for a early or late lunch you can get in without much wait. I choose a place to fix my car that is within walking distance of my house or work so I can wait at home/work for it to be done. But honestly I stopped really worrying much about these things once they were all written down and I got on the right medication. Make sure you get out of the house and do some sort of task each day (buy a gallon of milk, take a walk around a park) so it gets less difficult to be in social situations.

Answer 4

Well I have some relating things.. I am scared of going places. It makes me have anxiety and fell bad. I have gotten better with the help of practice, meds, and a counselled. I know it is not even close to easy, but you need to get out way more than appointments. When you have an appointment just tell yourself everything will be fine, its not the end of the world... and thins like that i mean whats the worst that could happed? I know when people were telling me to do this I was saying that its not that easy and thats right it isnt but the sooner you get over it you can have a better and healthier life. You wont be worrying 24/7 about pointless things that should be a normal part of life. Please take my advice it really works trust me!

Answer 5

Grab a pen and a planner. Write everything you want out in as much detail as desired. Writing out things or certain tasks that need to be taken care of helps with my anxiety. You'll feel better once you get these appointments on the schedule and plan on attending them! Get numbers and work out the appointments as you're available. You can always change them if you find that you have something else going on! Best of Luck.

Answer 6

Hi there, I just laugh about my past 3 years of panic now. I was not able to go anywhere without carrying xanax. Fear of having another attack was the most important subject of my days.When i first found joe barry's web site i started to cry because of my happiness.



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