From 1 to 10

I always thought of anxiety as a lamp–it’s either on or off. I’ve never assigned a number to the level of my anxiety.

But that changed today.

I started seeing a psychologist last week. I’m hoping that the combination of therapy and medication will finally help me to break through the barriers that I’ve placed before me.

Today we talked about lowering my anxiety a few points by setting a base scale. So here is my anxiety from 1 to 10 (highest):

1: At home, doing something creative

2: At home, hanging out with the dogs. They tend to have anxiety sometimes and I will let their anxiety affect me.

3: At home, trying to fall asleep. The nighttime is one of the hardest times for me. If I can’t fall asleep right away, I tend to get anxious.

4: Going to the doctor’s office. Especially waiting for the doctor to see me. I try to bring a puzzle book or knitting to keep me busy.

5: At work, when I’m stressed about a project. This doesn’t happen very often, thank goodness.

6: At work, during meetings. Sometimes I get nervous about speaking up.

7: Driving somewhere in the city. Even when I’m near my house, I still get nervous if I get lost.

8: Eating in a restaurant. I tend to have cycling “What If” thoughts about getting sick from the food and am not able to enjoy myself.

9: Getting ready to go on a trip. Even if I’m excited about going somewhere, I tend to have anticipatory anxiety for days beforehand.

10: On a road trip/traveling somewhere. Being away from my comfort zone is rough for me.

Going to the dentist would probably be an 11.

What would be on your anxiety scale?