I know I’ve been posting a lot but the big move I’m making is causing anxiety

[Anxiouslizzy2000]

I’m moving to New York for college on the fall. It’s my dream come true I’ve been waiting for it for the last 6 years however I’m from a small town in Texas and I’m moving to the biggest city ever. My sister lives there and I have a few friends however I’m not afraid of being or going there, I’m afraid of my anxiety disabling me there. I’m gonna be without my parents who have been my biggest support through the roughest points in my anxiety struggle. I’m so so scared I’m gonna start thinking I’m having a heart attack, or a brain aneurysm, or epilepsy or some other serious medical condition and not only will my roommate think I’m crazy but I’ll feel terrified every night and basically have to come home or something. I wish my parents lived at least in the same state but I know I have to learn to rely on myself not them but I’m just really scared.

 

[Cuchculan]

Might not be as bad as you are assuming. Might actually enjoy it. Have a great time. I am sure you can stay in touch with your parents. Even make lots of new friends. This is me looking at the positive side of things. Easy to assume the worst. Most of what you say will probably not happen at all. So try look on the bright side of things. What might happen that is good?

 

[AnxiousBean]

Hi Lizzy,
I am kind of going through the same thing as you. I lived with my parents for the first 23 years of my life. I was very fortunate to stay with them during my college days, but then shortly after I graduated and got married, they moved to another state. My parents were my safety and I love them very much. It was the hardest thing to say goodbye, but I knew they needed to start the retirement phase of their life and I didn't want to make that difficult for them or for me, so I was happy for them. My husband has been a huge support for me and I unfortunately get REALLY anxious when he has to leave for Army things... that's a whole separate issue/post for another day. Point is, after visiting my parents several times, and a few health scares with my dad, I realized I needed to be with them, but like you, I was worried what this would do to my anxiety. Would it be a crutch? Would it be false hope in my anxiety getting better? Or would it make it worse? I made up my mind that it meant more to me to be with my parents than to allow my anxiety to win. I just moved to their state 3 weeks ago. I don't know anyone here except for my parents and my husband. I left all of my friends in the state I moved from... my anxiety stems from the feeling of being in a health crisis and not having someone to help me through it, so you can imagine how anxious I was leaving behind my safety net of familiar doctors, friends and family in my former state. Anyway, I am here now and my husband is gone for Army training for a whole month. My anxiety is still pretty high, despite living 15 min from my parents, but I am taking it one day at a time. I'm telling myself that if something happens, I have my parents here to help me. Honestly if I was having a health crisis in public, I'm pretty sure someone would help me. I've had to rely on myself for more than I thought.. I'm actually surprised at how much I've had to rely on myself. It's kind of liberating to immerse yourself into a scary situation, take it one day/one step at a time, and then look back and see that you really did most of the work to get yourself through it. Sure, I have the safety in knowing my parents are there to help me, but that thought is kind of like a gentle push for me to think more positive... almost like giving me permission to tell myself that everything will be okay. I'm rambling now... I'll stop here, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're stronger than you think. Don't let anxiety win and prevent you from living your dream!