how do you combat feelings of fear and anxiety ?

Drugs.
If you're talking about legal conventional methods try getting a job that involves people interaction or even volunteer.
Only thing I can say is that I was the same with anxiety and you just need to throw yourself in the deep end.

>>731732250
Lots of ways, depending on the situation.

Meditation, qi gong, pranayama, lifting weights, processing emotions by talking with a smart friend that you feel safe with, dancing to get in the body and out of your head, seeing a gestalt therapist that's more body oriented, cleaning your home of dust and clutter while playing upbeat music, reading self-help books, cutting out unhealthy influences & people in your life (including 4chan), and continuing to confront your fears head-on. Running away just makes them worse.

There's also psychedelics and pharmaceuticals. But while they may be helpful for a while, they're never a long-term solution, and should only be done with a pre-existing relatively stable psychological substrata.

There's a myriad of factors, but without details, it's hard to say. This is just some general advice.

>>731732250
I did it by deliberately pushing myself to feel fear. Then, while I'm feeling it, I look around and study every reason why my fear was irrational.
May seem strange, but it worked for me. With the exception of that acute fear that comes with imminent and massive physical pain, I've pretty much conquered fear. I still feel it, but I don't let it rule my actions.

Laugh it off. As dumb as it sounds humor helps a lot. Not as much as meds or more heavy type of therapy or some shit but it helps. Humor takes the seriousness of bad shit away because it puts a bit of distance and demystifies the dark part of something, making it less prone to have too big of an impact on one's mind.
It doesn't solve everything but it helps

or kys faget xd

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6LovY_DdEE

Unlike these retarded anons above me, I simply just don't care enough to have anxiety.

literally just dont give a fuck mgc

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>>731734087
this is pretty good strategy.

>>731732250
>how do you combat feelings of fear and anxiety ?

Alcohol. Weed. MY MASSIVE STEELY SCHLONG.

>>731734816
wew epic trull xdxd loooooool

Drugs and alcohol usually followed by some casual raping late at night.

>>731735244
>>731735649
Drugs just accelerate those feelings in different directions. Smoked weed all day every day for a decade. Once I quit and put myself to my goals I found I was a lot less anxious in the day-to-day of things. Smoking again, but only a couple nights a month now. Shit's more rewarding that way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBadu4K-QkI

>>731734734
>Laugh it off
Except most of the time there's actually nothing lo be laughing about.

>>731732250
Sauce?

>>731732250
expose yourself to that which causes fear and anxiety without using safety behaviours.

>>731732250
By doing stuff, so I don't think about it.

5th year psychologist student here. What is it that you fear or have anxiety about? Different anxiety disorders have different methods of psychological treatment but most of it boils down to exposure

>>731736575
>exposure

Yeah, let's just throw the guy who's afraid of spiders into a fucking spider nest every day until he's cured. What's the worst it could happen?

>>731732250
Spinners

>>731736575
I just feel like people won't accept me

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>>731732250
Face ur demons. Make actual changes.

>>731732250
I fap 4-6 times per day.
Yeah, I know I got issues..., but it works for me.

>>731736971
Not really how it goes. A spider phobia is treated with a 3 hour session with a skilled therapist. Have treated spider phobia myself with 3 hour session and a booster session. It's really not that hard. You take small steps and let the patient stay in the situation until the anxiety lowers, which it will, it's just a matter of time. And then you do harder and harder steps. It's not that hard but does require a good therapist to guide you through it

>>731737153
Why would I not accept you?

>>731736215
then you lack a sense of humour

>>731736971
well, what IS the worst thing that could happen? the things crawl all over him, he freaks out for 10 seconds and then adjusts.

>>731736575
I'm afraid and anxious about struggling in life.
I've had (and have) an avoidant personality, and just stayed away from experiences throughout the years in fear of negative feedback. Due to this, I've developed a habit of inaction, and laziness started becoming a thing, and I never built any tolerance for exertion and stress.
Now I find myself in the position of either accepting exertion and stress into my life in order to get something done, or keep wasting away my days in the hope I'll eventually grow the balls to off myself.
I feel that, if I were to somehow accept the struggling, I'll end up living a deeply sad life which I will hate constantly (kinda like now, but a lot more tiring and stressing).
I fear that - despite what I've been told - I will not be able to be any happier by accepting this; I fear it would only make things worse.

>>731737411
>then you lack a sense of humour
>Implying any significant part of fears and anxieties have anything even remotely funny about them

>>731737411
>what IS the worst thing that could happen?
What I'm saying is, exposure is not the answer in case of deep-seated fears.

be present. taking action doesnt allow your mind enough time to build up thoughts and keep you there.

>>731738599
But the thoughts will keep on lingering in the back of your head and making feel uncomfortable (to say the least).
How are you supposed to get those out of your mind?

I was on a Xanax generic last year for 6 months, after that to now, I just smoke weed.
As long as I smoke once a day, I feel pretty happy and fine.
Out now, which sucks, but hey, that's life when you make shit money.

>>731737987
you'll never build a tolerance for stress dude, by avoiding fear or negative feedback you will NEVER grow (I can know because I'm a real perfectionist and I'm always afraid of people seeing my flaws or imperfections)

The only real solution to deal or handle with it is to be confident about who you are, what your capabilities are and why you can deal with the situation

TL;DR; build confidence and don't be scared, it'll all turn out fine!

>>731732250

working out

>>731732250
Exhaustion is the only natural way. The hormones that produce stress are renewed while you sleep and are neutralized by exercise.

>>731738749
>be confident
I have a huge inferiority complex, so I can't even fathom how I could do it.

>>731732250
Exposure therapy, and even then, you have to keep at it or the fear will resettle.

>>731732250
>not the answer in case of deep-seated fears

have you got a minute for our lord and savior "systematic desensitization" sir?

>>731739453
>systematic desensitization

Oh sure, I'd love having to deal with something I detest for the rest of my life just to keep it at bay.

>>731737987
Stop avoiding shit that's hard. simple as that. fuck

>>731732250
I don't.
The simple fact of facing them stresses me to no end, so I just bottle them up.
I'm afraid I'll end up trying to kill someone sooner or later though.

>>731740136
But that's all I've been doing for fucking years!
I've spent my whole life running away from suffering, and the solution is to fucking go along with it?! After I've built a habit that goes in the opposite direction?!?

FUCK YOU, YOU'LL NEVER HAVE ME TAKE PART IN YOUR STUPID GAME!

>>731732250
DRINKING HEAVY LOADS OF ALCOHOL

I just smoke weed and masturbate

>>731740619
Then why the fuck do you make threads about what you should do if you can't handle the answers?

The reason you feel like shit is because your whole existance has just been one big avoidande. Learn new behaviours and you'll get better

>>731741365
I'm not OP, I didn't make the thread.
The reason I "reacted" that way is because I'm extremely frustrated: any change is up to me, but I'm simply too afraid of how hard it's going to be to initiate it and - even more so - maintain it.
I've been like this for a while now, and no amount of frustration is enough to convince me to take action.
It's fucking horrible

>>731741925
Well then what do you have life for? If you're willing to live life miserably then go ahead but dont complain then. Change is up to you and you should go for change. It will get better man but it's up to you. If you can't do it alone get a psychologist to help you

>>731732250
Usually with drugs and alcohol, but know I'm undergoing therapy and taking meds, so I'm not supposed to do either.
I keep doing them though, albeit to a lesser extent, because life is just too fucking sad otherwise.

>>731742248
I'm already seeing a psychologist, but she can't make me want to change, and she can't really do anything about the frustrations brought about by change, so in the end it would all be on my shoulders anyway.

>>731732250
stay inside and hide

>>731739277
I had the same dude still rears it's head every so often, you just fake it until you make it, try creating a personality that's really confident and stuff, that way when you're rejected it's not you that was, it was the fake personality.
Also just start saying yes to everything no matter what for a few months

>>731742852
>fake it until you make it
Having never been confident before, I wouldn't even know how to "fake it".
Also, to be perfectly honest, I don't think I would feel comfortable with lying to myself: what's the point of being something you're not?

>>731739277
(I was poster of the previous reply)

Confidence is kind of a weird thing imo, I was really confident, easy talking to people, picking up girls, etc when I was around 10-15, but at some point I continuously starting to doubt myself (do people really like me, etc. etc.)

the way I'm trying to solve it is to find examples of people I look up to, and try to get my own self 'back', now realizing I am still doubting myself but in a more accepting way

Overall, I'd recommend giving yourself a break and actively stop talking yourself into the ground

>>731742676
what an anoying client you must be

>>731742676
You gotta take a leap of faith

>>731742676
Seriously dude, my advice is:

take the leap of faith, whenever you look back on it later will be like: PFFF was that it?

I have a real bad anxiety problem and it always goes right to my stomache and I have to shit. the only times it goes away is if I'm all alone for a few days and can just relax

>>731734734
when i try this I always finish crying and depressing oven more

i've been having anxiety and panic attacks the last two years. but then i got promoted in my job and my pay is at a level where i feel so great about life. i feel like i can do anything. i just hope the panic attacks don't come back.

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>>731732250
Anxiety disorder since the age of 16 here.
To be honest it was a relief to finally realise it was "only" about fear. For a long time I really thought I'd go insane. In the sense of not being able to differentiate between what you might call reality and imagination. Since I know a bunch of people who have been to therapy or got sectioned ( one very close person with schizophrenia) I knew to better keep it shut and avoid those places. For me it just is not the right way. Eventually I opened up about it, my friends certainly know of my condition. My parents I spared ( they've had enough trouble raising me for sure).
Mild up to severe depression is what the family doctor diagnosed, combined with panic attacks it adds up to a pretty shit experience sometimes.
But hey, could of been way worse.
These are some things which helped and still help me overcome and stay sane:

-taking a nap ( this works really really fuckin well for me. Others might call it meditation. Just lay down or sit upright with closed eyes for 20 minutes or so. Maybe the first few minutes are painful but it goes away.)
- talking to people who are more experienced, maybe gone through the same shit or worse.
- having a hobby ( in my case it is music. )

I hope this helps. I wish all of you suffering from this shit the best of luck.

>>731744025
exact same problem here. when i have a bout of anxiety my shoulder muscles get super tense and i have to go to the bathroom to take a dump at least 5 times that day. on the bright side, i think it keeps me slimmer.

>>731732250
I don't know how to fight them.
Sometimes I can try to ignore them, but then negative thoughts start roaming the back of my head, and I get this feeling it's not the right way of dealing with this shit. Like, I'm afraid all I'm really doing is suppressing them temporarily while allowing them to grow unnoticed in my mind, and I fear this is detrimental to my health and will eventually drive me insane.

>>731732250
I usually wait until I'm in an appropriate place to start screaming at the top of my lungs.

>>731732250
Drink , whore my self around . Always make a fool of my self. Cry . . . . Now that I think about it I'm not fighting it not one bit