How to overcome anxiety and overthinking issues?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am 18 years old and preparing for my medical entrance examination. My problem is overthinking and anxiety. I have many past regrets. In school, I made some bad friends because of them, and I did some wrong things, but after school, I understood and disconnected from them.

Now I have very good friends in my class, but sometimes I regret a lot about my past friends. We live in the same city, and I feel anxious if they see me or if they try to contact me again. This all started in the first lockdown. My parents are strict, so I am not into social life that much. I always stay at home, and my dad cares about me and never leaves me alone and also have less freedom in my home.

Please help me.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I read your query and understand your concern.

These rumination patterns can be very distracting, tiring, and overwhelming. Not knowing what to do about it can agitate the state more.

Understandably, many of us went through unprecedented stress during COVID lockdowns. This has created a fear response all over the world. The mind goes into a fight-or-flight response. The anxiety about what might happen is a way of protecting us from possible hurt and problems. But when it goes out of hand, a survival mechanism can become a nuisance.

What you are going through is backfired mechanism. It has turned into a vicious cycle of anxiety and rumination.

There are therapies like SFBT (solution focussed brief therapy) and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) that you can do with a trained counselor.

Meanwhile, I suggest a few things.

Follow sleep hygiene
Nutrition and exercise.
Be aware of thoughts.
Have gratitude for your old friends. They taught you a lesson and made you who you are now.
Focus on self-compassionate thoughts, including forgiveness for yourself and your old friends. Things you and your friends did in the past are learning lessons.

If this persists, please get in touch with us, and we can further discuss it.