[QUOTE=olivesmarch4th]
Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ve got a good plan… I’m married, we’ll be applying to grad school this Fall. I was supposed to graduate in '05 but I had to take time off school… this is a long time coming for me. I’m excited, and yes, I’m also terrified because life is scary and unpredictable. I am trying to keep in mind that everyone experiences this fear, it’s not necessarily because of anxiety disorders, it’s just a coming of age thing I suppose. But I don’t think I could try to plan things any better than I already have. I’ve got my ducks lined up, but there will always be uncertainty.
This is diverging a bit, but I get tired sometimes, of there always being something to deal with. I can only compare it to running a marathon. There are so many times I’m just dying to stop, and it seems like too much… but I can’t really stop at all, have to keep going if I want to get where I’m going. If you’ll excuse a bit of whinging, it feels really unfair and painful at times. I just want to relax for once…
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I experienced the same anxiety and panic at the end of grad school a few years ago. Up to that point in my life I had always handled stress and anxiety with exercise and work, but these methods simply did not work. Let me echo the advice here that you should visit a doctor and ask about some short-term anti-anxiety and insomnia drugs. I was very anti-medication until I hit a wall that I just could not negotiate and felt paralyzed by worry and fear. Drugs don’t cure the problems, but they can provide space for you to re-group your emotional resources and tackle life again.