Old people this is primarily directed at you's guys.

But middle agers feel free.

I used to get anxiety and mild depression for about two months out of the year.

That's going away and I get old
Why ? I.d.k.

But now I find myself worrying about me and other people.

Not politics, not the environment, not the economy.
Are there people that don't worry?

It's affected my sleep and diet .
Is this some kind of man o paws ?

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I used to get anxiety and mild depression for about two months out of the year.

That's going away and I get old

But now I find myself worrying about me and other people.

It's affected my sleep and diet .

Doesn't sound like it's going away... Sounds like your anxiety is just manifesting in a different way than before.

Since it has gotten to the point where it's affecting your sleep and diet, it's time to seek professional help.

Like is too short to suffer through it while stressed out, anxious, and depressed.

I once asked my Mother In Law why she worried so much. She said it kept her mind off her troubles.

No, I take an Alfred E. Neuman position on worry.

I used to worry, having a severe heart attack changed that. Gives "life is too short" true meaning for me.

There's a tongue-in-cheek saying that I like:

"I thought I was getting more tolerant. Turns out I just don't give a shit."

That's pretty much my approach to worrying about things I can't control. Mrs. PHPaul watches the news compulsively and worries about "Those democrats trying to destroy this country."

My response: Can I do anything about it? No? Then fuck it, I've got better things to do with my time than fret.

Not just for alcoholics..."God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

Worry, to the point of affecting sleep and appetite, does not belong in your daily life. Maybe you should talk to a pro.

I eat well, but my sleep habit is trash. So, I'm a half worry wart.

I have modified my thinking on anxiety due to being Christian. It is obviously something that I should not do and the more I know the truth from scripture and understand my position and purpose, the less anxious I should be. Reprogramming the way I think (toward a biblical perspective on everything) has helped tremendously, especially through the difficult times we run across in this life.

I am not getting ulcers or anything.

Two weeks ago I realized that four out of the 7 people I care about most, have concerning health issues .
I had to call my elder sister and I was 2/3's out of sorts

I asked her to confirm that she was happy and healthy .

She said she was.

Yes, I worry. Like you, I have 3-4 family members who members who have poor health situations, I just worry about in general.
I usually wake up in the middle of the night and start worrying because I didn’t have time during the day, maybe? Or found other things to distract me.
It helps to have someone to talk to about these things, as previously mentioned.

Battling cancer (again). My anxiety is through the roof. I have anxiety meds. They help some.

I have a lot of anxiety—usually totally unfounded—about specific tasks and challenges, but also just general unfocused background feelings. It got to the point that I mentioned it to a friend and then a doctor. Both recommended some sort of mood-altering drug to, as the friend described it, “Take the edge off.”

I don’t recall the name of what both recommended, but a little research convinced me I wanted nothing to do with it or anything else. The possible undesirable side effects are scary enough, but to put the cherry on top, it was on a long list of medications that a Tennessee (yes, Tennessee!) legislator was proposing the use of which would prohibit someone from owning (or at least purchasing) guns.

On the other hand, the doctor’s telling me that anxieties become common as we age helped me put things in perspective as just one more thing to become accustomed to and accept. Somewhat ironically, the state of the Nation and related serious issues that I should probably worry about are easier for me to just ignore as things I have no control over, so there’s that.

And no drugs for me.

Worrying is human nature, and people handle it differently.

Personally, my philosophy is that I just don't give a fuck.... Now with that said obviously I care about family, friends, politics, the economy, etc. But, if I can't participate or control the outcome I've learned that "worrying" is useless. And, if I feel strong enough about something I involve myself in order to try to produce the outcome I think is correct.

My wife "worries", and she constantly bounces all this crap off me, and ultimately after listening to it I tell her that she either has NO control of it and just leave it be, or that she does have some potential to effect the outcome so stop bitching about it and get involved.

I had a brother in law that was on the job back then too. He was constantly driving himself into panic attacks over the most trivial shit. I counseled him for the better part of 15yrs until his death. It was truly sad to listen to a person who was brilliant and successful in so many ways mind-fuck himself on a daily basis. He wouldn't speak to a professional, so I tried my best to listen and recommend ways to deal with the specific situations.

Have you seen the meme:
"Almost everything I worry about never happens. Worrying works!"

And another thing to keep in mind is that everyone’s brains are wired differently, and that affects everything from how good we are at playing chess to our susceptibility to unfounded worry. Anyone who doesn’t understand that (because of how his brain is wired) has no business preaching at the rest of us. Considered suggestions and advice is good. “Just nut up and be a man,” is one more bit of nonsense to ignore.

I was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2023, something I never thought would happen to me.

IN the middle of cancer, I developed AFIB which meds would not control. My chemo had to wait until after I had a cryoablation. I started chemo on 01/12/24, my 61st birthday.

I realized there are so many things in my life I have no control over, God is in control.

I stopped worry so much. I still have trouble going back to sleep at times when I get up go to the bathroom. My mind starts thinking about work, plans for the day, etc... Is this worrying, I do not know.

I have been waking up early for decades, 4:00 AM at the latest, no matter what time I fall asleep.

I have my one year post chemo follow-up tomorrow morning.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig2340:
[snip]

This is my typical outlook.

I worry about my wife's future. Late Oct my brother died, early Jan my oldest sister died, and in late Jan my doc told me I'm in the early stages of heart failure.
All this in less then 3 months. So yeah, I worry about my wife's future and all the things that can affect it.
Other then that screw it. I'm just getting ready to start dumping guns, tools and other such items so my wife won't have to deal with them.