This is my first post. I am a high school student and I am anxious to the point where I'm afraid to leave my house and can't get out of bed. I have no happiness anymore. I am able to mask it at school but when I come home I lay in bed and just feel overtaken by my anxiety. I can't turn my brain off and I am worrying 24/7. I have terrible physical symptoms. My stomach feels like it's sinking, like I'm at the crest of a rollercoaster and I'm about to drop. It never stops hurting. I have chest pressure like someone is sitting on my chest and it is difficult to breathe. There is a constant lump in my throat like I'm always about to cry and sometimes I can't eat because of it. Everything and anything makes me anxious and I despise leaving my room. My boyfriend and I haven't gone out in a long time due to my problems and I know he is getting frustrated with me not wanting to leave my house. I need to tell my dad about my boyfriend and I haven't yet, which is making me feel anxious also, but I feel like I can't do it . The only time I don't feel anxious is when I'm sleeping. Please, can someone give me advice? I am really struggling and every aspect of my life is affected by this. Thank you.
We are on the same boat. I'm also in high school and I can't leave my bed. I suggest you let your parents know how you've been feeling and visit a doctor. Maybe look into speaking to a therapist weekly? Anxiety is awful. Its extremely difficult for me to even leave my bed to use the restroom! Taking a shower is exhausting as well, as if it's a chore. I know how you feel. I hope you get better, just know you aren't alone in this. Take care of yourself. x
Thank you for replying, it lifted my spirits tonight. My parents know about my anxiety and I used to go to therapy back in elementary school. I got "better" and stopped going, and for a little while in middle school I felt ok. It started to get bad again around 7th and now I'm halfway through my high school years and struggling. I know I'm not having a good high school experience because of it. I feel like I shouldn't have anxiety but I do. I have great grades and great friends but the only thing I think about is my anxiety. I don't do extracurriculars because all I want to do is come home and sleep, I'm working on changing that next year. My mom doesn't believe in medicating teenagers for anxiety, I talked to my doctor and she seemed to make it out to not be a big deal. I'm so happy someone understands. I hope you feel better also.
My high school experience is awful. I can't hang out with friends or go anywhere. Just stuck in bed. I don't even care about my grades anymore. I just want to feel better. I'm feeling hopeless right now, but I'm glad there's soemekne out there who understands.
My anxiety is somewhat of a blessing (lol no not really) and a curse. Some days I get very anxious and have to do all of my homework immediately, and some days I'm stuck staring at the ceiling for 3 hours. I really hope you end up feeling better. I know it's silly, but when I start to feel hopeless I watch a funny show, It doesn't completely take my mind off things but at least I can laugh a little. Do you have a supportive friend you can talk to? Some of my friends think I just want attention but some of them understand and after talking to them I feel a little bit better. My boyfriend helps a lot even though he doesn't fully get it. Sending good feelings your way!
Hi honey,
I have been there! When I was 12, my anxiety and panic attacks started basically out of nowhere. Seriously the scariest time of my life thus far! I didn’t leave my house for almost 2 months (I was homeschooled thankfully) and my mom took me to the doctor. It helped to have someone check me out and say I was healthy. I also started seeing a therapist and learning CBT techniques to calm myself out of a panic attack. My anxiety led to severe agoraphobia which is basically a fear of everything - wide open spaces and leaving your comfort zone. Don’t let anxiety take over your life! You are too young! See a doctor and ask for a therapy referral. I didn’t go on anti anxiety medication until I was 17. I had a relapse and I refused to keep living like that so my went on some meds which really helped stabilize my mood.
Thank you so much for replying! Thankfully, I've never experienced a panic attack, but other people in my family get them and I'm scared I will too. I've had many anxiety attacks however. Do you have any tips for being able to leave the house? Whenever someone even mentions making plans my heart speeds up and my stomach starts to hurt and all I want to do is crawl into bed and go to sleep. Next time I see my doctor I will be more assertive about my issues, I hope she listens to me. Thank you for your advice! It really helped me.
I always found it comforting when I left to house to have a “safe” person with me. Being alone made me panic more during that time period. I would go somewhere with my mom or sisters etc. that way, if I felt panic coming on, I could talk to them about it and they would calm me down. Sometimes I had to just close my eyes and let the panic wash over me and subside. Typically after 5-10 minutes once I was out, I felt much better. Now, I do have Ativan that I take as needed and it knocks most of the panic out ASAP.
Thank you Sarah! I will definitely be advocating for myself to take medication. Next time my friends want to do something I think I will try and go with them instead of being in my room all the time. Thank you so much for your excellent advice.
Thank you! Yes, I'm lucky to have a couple of supportive friends. I hope we both beat this soon. x