The Student Room Group

Do I suffer from anxiety?

Don't know the best way of typing how I'm feeling into words but I'll try.

I'm quite worried of seeing certain people due to silly things that have happened with me in the past. Even though I have a great relationship with these people, it's as if I'm afraid of them saying something that could cause a potential chain-reaction of me being spoke about in a way which I wouldn't want which causes other people to form opinions about me I wouldn't like.

I struggle to sleep at times due to paranoia, not to mention my irrational fear of spiders in general and one ever potentially being in the room.

Sometimes I get dreaded flashbacks that I can't scribble out, and all I can do is hope that people have forgot or never found out but that's simply something out of my control so I just hope for the best.

I also have quite a high level of self doubt. This sometimes interferes with my studies and such because embedded in my mind I have a "I'm going to fail this anyway" attitude that I can't make go away.

I literally wear a personality mask on a daily basis. I'm generally known as a decent person who people seem to be happy to be around. People come to me for advice and my parents are proud of me. But people don't know and will never find out my inner issues that I've explained.

Would you say that I suffer from anxiety?
Yes, that's anxiety, and why would your parents think any less of you if you explain it to them? Their only question would be why you didn't tell them earlier.
Reply 2
Sounds like it might be. I wrote a post on my blog about it which talks about all the symptoms etc. I'm not sure but you might find some of it helpful.
In order to know if you suffer from anxiety or not, you have to go to a GP. Answers from people (that are likely to be unqualified) in a online community are not reliable at all.

I strongly suggest to talk about this issue with your GP, you will be able to find a strategy to move on with your life.
I feel exactly the same as yourself. I'm not one of those people that like to draw attention to my own issues and problems when I'm feeling down. I keep everything to myself and let it build up causing myself to have anxiety on a daily basis. I am always there for other people when they have no idea at all about how I feel deep inside also. I'm always here for you if you ever need to talk x


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Reply 5
Anxiety is an emotion that everyone feels from time to time.

It sounds like yours is having a significant impact on your life so you might be suffering from an anxiety condition such as 'Generalized anxiety disorder'. It might help you to get a diagnosis and treatment so consider consulting your GP :smile:
Original post by Giorgio.LC
In order to know if you suffer from anxiety or not, you have to go to a GP. Answers from people (that are likely to be unqualified) in a online community are not reliable at all.

I strongly suggest to talk about this issue with your GP, you will be able to find a strategy to move on with your life.


Talking to people who both understand and suffer from anxiety can be more productive than talking to a 'qualified' doctor who doesn't. Anxiety is a disorder with vast spectrum's and a GP is in no more of a position to tell a person whether they're suffering from anxiety, than the person is themselves.

Filling somebody with false hope that a GP will enable them to find a strategy to 'move on with life' is a blend of being really unfair, naive and ignorant.
Reply 7
I appreciate the responses.

I don't think I could ever bring myself to see a GP or anything, purely on the basis of them potentially making a big deal of it and making it 'public.' By public I mean them going behind my back and making the situation more worse and some assumption of me being that I suffer from some serious 'mental disorder' which is far from the truth - I've seen it happen to someone recently. I don't like attention that revolves around me and people that make a big fuss.

I'll manage in the long run I suppose. Thankfully I'm going back to uni soon so that'll keep me mature and occupied for the time being.

But in general this has been a ridiculously unhappy summer of me being paranoid etc, so I'm just hoping that being away from regular people and having my casual routine in another city back will do me some good!
Original post by Anonymous
I appreciate the responses.

I don't think I could ever bring myself to see a GP or anything, purely on the basis of them potentially making a big deal of it and making it 'public.' By public I mean them going behind my back and making the situation more worse and some assumption of me being that I suffer from some serious 'mental disorder' which is far from the truth - I've seen it happen to someone recently. I don't like attention that revolves around me and people that make a big fuss.

I'll manage in the long run I suppose. Thankfully I'm going back to uni soon so that'll keep me mature and occupied for the time being.

But in general this has been a ridiculously unhappy summer of me being paranoid etc, so I'm just hoping that being away from regular people and having my casual routine in another city back will do me some good!


I'm similar to yourself- I suffer from mild anxiety over things that I probably shouldn't be anxious about, but not to the extent that it's something I'd want to discuss with a GP or anything. I do find that having a sort of routine and studying and being very busy helps, so you're probably right that going back to university will alleviate some of this. I also find myself suffering from anxiety more if I haven't exercised much for a while- I'm sure there's a saying about if you tire the body, you'll tire the mind, or something like that, and I find that to be true! You might already do lots of exercise but just as another suggestion.

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