Extreme Anxiety when having an appointment?

[Nacho]

Hello guys,

I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced this; whenever I have an appointment or I have somewhere to go at an exact time, I get really really anxious, to the point where I gag multiple times throughout 10 minutes before leaving.

I know this is weird, but I think this is caused because, wherever I have to go to an appointment, people don't really know my condition, so I am afraid that if I'm late they will get really mad at me.

Anyone else?

 

[NiceCupOfTea]

I dread most appointments; always have. To the point it affects my sleep the night before.

Don't think it's because of a fear of being late, though. I'm not entirely sure what it is. I've got an appointment with my GI on Thursday, which I'm already dreading, because I can't just say that everything is fine. Well, I could but it'd be a lie. I'll have to talk about symptoms, which I hate talking about. I don't know what my GI will say, which is another source of anxiety. I don't want to be fobbed off, but on the other hand I don't want to overreact and demand tests which all come back negative.

The having trouble falling asleep the night before is another kicker, because then I start to panic about getting up in the morning and being braindead the whole day. Which, of course, doesn't aid in the whole falling asleep thing.

 

[Chisleu]

I am the EXACT same way. Not only that, but I have toddlers that I take everywhere with me because I don't have any relatives where I live that can babysit, and I get super anxious that everyone in the waiting room is scrutinizing my parenting and my kids (I think my oldest son is an aspie too).

Same goes for when I know I have to call someone (doctor or lawyer or something) and that I'm not going to say something the right way or forget to say something that's important.

 

[AsheSkyler]

My anxiety just gets up high and makes me jittery.

As a mom with a toddler, I also hate having to go out in public. My kid is not a bad kid, he is a very good kid. And he is a boy. A normal boy, in all that entails. But with all this fear and hate of ADD/ADHD or anything resembling it that society has I keep waiting for some snot to start being really rude because my kid would rather be playing and laughing rather than sitting in a chair bored out of his head like a little adult.

 

[inabox]

Recently, I have got extreme anxiety at specific appointments, and even at the thought of the people who those appointments are with. It takes the form of pins and needles and partial numbness in my arms and hands and in my legs too if it's bad enough. And then it lasts for the rest of the day, only reducing slightly over the day. At first I didn't know what was going on, but did some research and discovered that it's due to anxiety. So yes, I do get anxious at all appointments, but some appointments take my anxiety to another level.

 

[Jacoby]

Yes, I have a lot of trouble with them. It's hard not to think about anything else when they're coming up and I can work myself up pretty good. I want them to go the way I want obviously, you have to be there on time, and I have a very hard time talking about myself and my problems so it all makes a very anxiety ridden experience.

 

[ASD_Geek]

I also feel the same way. For some reason (probably Anxiety) I get extremely nervous and anxious about any appointment; this includes even appointments that are good. It even extends to appointments that I am not the focus of, say going to one of my children's games or plays.

 

[Major]

It's anxiety for me. I'm never worried about being late because I always make sure I'm early. Everywhere. I think it has more to do with not knowing exactly how things are going to go even if I have done it a bunch of times. Not sure that's the only thing though.

 

[Cosmophylla]

Yes, I'm the same. It affects the days leading up to the appointment, as well. Hangs over me like a cloud. and I'm always worried about being late, and what will they say about me or my kids... I'm also very anxious about making phone calls.

It's all because of the social contact involved. That is where the fear stems from. I know that I will have to talk to others, and talking to others in real time (using voices, not on here or by email) is really hard for me. I
I'm a visual thinker so when I have to talk to others I can't "see" my thoughts properly because I'm so freaked out by the situation, so I don't know what to say, or I forget things. I also can't concentrate on what they are saying, either, so I forget important details.

Knowing that I have to do all of this makes me dread appointments. I feel nauseated right before them, and get other anxiety symptoms like increased heart rate.

 

[Tnorton2015]

I get really bad anxiety whenever I have to go somewhere, almost always end up having an anxiety or panic attack.

 

[Harry1965]

Yep, I totally relate to all of what you guys have written.

As a Project Manager I'm expected to run meetings and talk and generally communicate with people most of working day.

I came down with hives when I first started out it was that stressful.

I forced myself to learn how to talk with people; it's taken 10 years plus and I'm only just starting to lose the apprehension leading up to workshops and rooms filled with people all looking at me waiting for the plan or whatever to be presented.

Thank God for PowerPoint and Apple's equivalent (mental block can't remember the name of their software); this helps take the focus off me and gives me enough time and self-confidence to gather my thoughts and present what I have to.

I'm taking Amy Cuddy's advice to fake it until I become it. Which actually works.

So, I totally relate and still suffer through this.

I wonder sometimes whether I should just get an engineering job and sit on the back room on my own but having done that kind of work before I figure I must have become dissatisfied enough to want to move on and try something else.

Ever forward and never give up are my main driving thoughts; so I'll continue in this and see where I eventually land.

 

[Harry1965]

But I digressed way off the path ... Sorry about that; I can't sleep the night before big appointments and an very nervous if the unknown factor of dealing with random people and their unpredictable natures.

That's ultimately where my fear sits. People. They scare me.

 

[Harry1965]

But I digressed way off the path ... Sorry about that; I can't sleep the night before big appointments and an very nervous if the unknown factor of dealing with random people and their unpredictable natures.

That's ultimately where my fear sits. People. They scare me.

 

[Progster]

Yes, appointment can make me very anxious. I get anxious when I meet a new client, or when I have a medical appointment. The medical appointment is far worse than anything else, because I don't know what questions they are going to ask or what tests they are going to run, and I may have to talk about things of a personal nature. But I think that everyone gets anxious about a visit to the doctor's.

Also, being late makes me anxious. I HATE being late!

 

[Pandorum]

OMG yes.. wow, now I feel like one of "those" people that prefix everything with "OMG YES".... anyway..

Unless it's a place I'm familiar with, I get really anxious about going, I don't know them, they don't know me, am I going to the right place? will I know what to do? what if I freeze up and can't say anything?

But if for example it is a place I'm familiar with, for example my local motorcycle dealership when I need to drop the bike off for a service or something, then I'm basically fine, aside from being anxious about the amount of money I'm about to spend, but I doubt I'm not the only one in that boat.