How can I reduce the anxiety that's making it hard for me to leave the house?

Hi, 

Thank you for getting in touch! 

The first thing that strikes me when I read your message is how impressed I am by your determination. Challenging yourself and stepping outside your comfort zone can take a lot of energy. The things you describe, such as moving house, taking part in student activities and getting involved in different projects, are all significant changes that can demand a great deal from you. 

It sounds as though the severe food poisoning really took a toll on you and left you feeling more vulnerable. When we are physically run down and exhausted, difficulties that we are already prone to can often become more noticeable or harder to cope with. This is a very normal human response. For some people, as in your case, it may show up as anxiety and worry, while for others it might be irritability or low mood. 

You ask what you can do to feel better and experience less anxiety in these situations. What you did during the spring is actually very similar to what is often recommended when treating anxiety: gradually facing situations that feel difficult but are important to you. By doing this, you have the opportunity to discover that you can cope with them, and over time they often become easier and you become better able to manage the anxiety they bring up. 

So, one piece of advice would be to continue doing what you are already doing. At the same time, I wonder whether it might be helpful to have some professional support along the way. Even though you have managed to keep going and work through a lot of this on your own, support is available, and having someone to guide you through the process can often be helpful. 

There is one other thing I think is important to mention. We often have ideas about how we should be or how we are expected to be. Challenging yourself and making changes can be really positive, but it is also important that these changes come from something you want, rather than from expectations you feel from the people around you. Exposure, which is the term therapists use for deliberately facing situations that feel difficult, should always be based on things that you yourself want to be able to do. From your message, it does sound as though this is the case for you, but it is still worth mentioning. We meet many students who feel there are quite narrow expectations about what student life should look like and how socially active they are supposed to be. 

That said, you describe finding it difficult to even get out of the door, and that is different from simply being introverted. Staying at home should ideally be a choice you make because that is what you prefer, rather than because leaving the house feels too difficult. So I think it is important to continue in the way you have already started: gradually facing situations and activities that feel challenging and trying out new things. 

I would also warmly encourage you to contact the Student Health Service in the city where you live. They can offer advice and support on how to approach this. The support available varies somewhat depending on where you live in Sweden, but you should always be able to get guidance on where to turn for help, so that you don’t have to figure everything out on your own. 

Take care! 

Counsellor