Anonymous asked: I get so nervous and anxious around major things like exams. It's gotten so bad that I vomit, have bowel issues and/or have bad stomach aches. I used to deal with it by self-injury, so now that isn't an option, what should I do? I've tried breathing but it doesn't really work that well.
We call that ‘nervous tummy’ in my office because my boss has that. It’s not the physical manifestation that really needs to be dealt with, but the anxiety, which you obviously understand. If breathing doesn’t work, try other methods. I used to be so unbelievably prepared that it got rid of my anxiety to a degree. Writing down your fears work for some people, or even better, write a ‘what’s the worst that can happen’ scenario. Write down the issue, then your anxiety number (scale of one to ten). Then think/write the whole thing out, even though it makes you nervous. What is literally the worst that can happen? Don’t just shy away from the fluttery stomach, vague, ‘I’m scared’ feeling. What can happen? You can fail. Okay. Then what? You won’t fail the class, right? And be honest with yourself, what are the chances of you failing? Write it down. Now what is your anxiety number? If none of those things work, go to your campus/school health center.
