Having a lot of anxiety

[cather]

Today my anxiety skyrocketed. I found these nails in my house. I have a little dog who gets into everything and I was afraid that he might get into the nails so then I drove to a dumpster and threw them there. But later, I started to have a lot of anxiety that what if the nails got in the roadway and caused cars to get flat tires and have car wrecks. So then I had to drive back to the dumpster and get the nails. But ever since, my head has been going in circles about what I should have done and if there might still be some nails in the dumpster etc.

I know this all may sound a little crazy and trivial but my anxiety was so bad that I get physically ill sometimes and today, I didn't know what to do. I started to get stomach pains just thinking about the nails and if they may be in the roadway and whether I should go back and just check to see if any were still in the dumpster. This has been going on in my head ever since. I wouldn't know what to do if my car got a flat tire. I wouldn't know where to turn.

This has been going on in my head for many hours. I worry that a nail may puncture somebody's tire and lead to a car accident. I don't know what to do.

 

[Shakey]

It's not trivial. It sounds like you might have OCD (I do too) - it's really important you go to a doctor. OCD is caused synapses misfiring in your brain - it's not your fault! But you may need to get some medication to fix it. The medication will help the brain to regulate its uptake of serotonin (the feel good chemical), which means you will feel more able to cope with working on your anxiety. What I'm saying is, the medication is not going to make it go away, it will just get you to a stage where you feel able, with the help of cognitive therapy, to work on your anxieties.

But please go and see someone - life's too short to feel miserable all the time!