[pookiebear]

Originally Posted by Graleyne

I think I have some kind of anxiety issue. I've always been a little neurotic, but lately it just seems worse than ever.

I am a control freak. Usually, if something it isn't done exactly the way I want it, I just get huffy and redo it myself. I have been steadily getting worse and worse about it. Here lately I find myself in almost a full blown anxiety attack if things aren't "just so".

For example: My oldest DD vaccuumed the living room for me last night. I looked at it and immediately got this very panicky, uneasy feeling that made me nauseous, my heart was pounding, and my hands were shaking and sweating. Why? Because the lines made by the vacuum cleaner were going the wrong way in front of the fireplace. She had them going this way ( | ) instead of this way ( --- ).

WHO gets that way over vac lines?

I have been noticing that happening a lot lately over a lot of different things.

The dishwasher being loaded incorrectly, the glasses not put in the cabinet correctly, chairs not pushed up to the table and in the right spot, the kids' toys not put away exactly where they are supposed to be, books put back on the shelf out of order, the toilet paper roll put on the thingy backwards - all of that causes me to panic.

It started getting worse pre-DUG so I can't blame it all on him, although it seems to have gotten worse since he came and went. I think the stress kind of accelerated it.

I don't know what to do. Taking deep breaths and other relaxation techniques doesn't work. It has gotten to the point that other people are starting to really notice.

Oh, you think this isn't normal? Well...you have just described me! It's definitely not good for your heart to have all these panic attacks...anxiety...or whatever you want to call it. I used to get the same way, and my heart would feel like it was in my throat when I would have a panic attack over just refolding towels my husband had folded "his way". My doctor put me on an extended release Xanax (Xanax XR). I stayed on it for about a year or so and gradually weined myself off. It did help me. If you doctor recommends Xanax, please request the XR as it is less addictive than the other. It lasts all day. You definitely need to get to a point in your life where you don't sweat the small stuff. Life is just too short. I know all these things are irritating, they irritate me too. It wasn't until after my son had a terrible auto accident that I was able to sort the big stuff from the little stuff. Thank goodness because I would have given myself a stroke had I kept on the way I was going. Good luck in "not sweating the little stuff". I understand totally what you are going through.