Anxiety and being sleeved.

[Justin Curtis 78]

I have been dealing with bouts of anxiety since my surgery. I'm now 6months post op and physically doing great. Down over 140lbs and i feel amazing physically but am an emotional mess. I have developed really bad anxiety. My therapist says its cognitive distortion and its almost next to impossible to control. I do have moments of clarity but they are few and far between. I have also recently started dating and having trouble being intimate with performance anxiety were before surgery i had zero issues.

Has any other people have similar issues? Would love to hear your story!

[Cervidae 2,389]

You sound just like I did at 6 months! I do have an anxiety disorder, and it was almost unbearable for many months. I felt like I shouldn't go outside, or see people, or do anything. I felt paralyzed by worry/fear/self-consciousness. I think a big part of this was the fact that the reality of who I was and who I was becoming was drastically different than the self-image and identity I've had for most of my life. We spent our lives trying to understand and accept ourselves while the rest of the world is often outright cruel, and trying to deal with who we were as morbidly obese people in a society that not only rejects us but often completely hates us and hurts us.

My advice is to focus on facts. Focus on the objective truths about who you are now, and who you may be soon, and who you were before but aren't anymore. Pictures helped me a lot. You can't be expected to create an entire new identity and self-image in six months, so don't beat yourself up for being confused and lost. This too will pass, I promise you. You and I and many other people here are going through a kind of breaking down and rebuilding that very few people can even fathom, let alone deal with. Just remember why you did this in the first place, and keep in mind all of the good things that have happened to you since you started changing. Allow yourself to be excited (or at least cautiously optimistic) about the wonderful things that are headed your way. Focus on your health and self-care. You deserve that!

Please don't hesitate to friend me or message me anytime. My highest recorded weight was 442 but I KNOW I was nearing or maybe at 500 at one point. It's different for those of us who were that big. Fat people are never really accepted by society but at that size, many people think it's okay to treat us like we're subhuman and undeserving of love or even life. It's hard to transition into being an "average" person. I totally get that. I struggle with it every day.

[BiggiSmalls 90]

I had to take anxiety meds yesterday. It was a rough day and I usually would find comfort food and chow down. I wanted chocolate so bad! I took my anxiety med and vented to my very kind husband, and then had a less satisfying sugar free Popsicle. I think awareness helps you make good choices, but sometimes you just have to go through that tunnel of anxiety and get through to the other side of it. I feel your pain. Anxiety disorders STINK!

[triplezero 3]

I don't really have any advice for you but was just wondering what type of therapy you're doing and how you went about finding a therapist. Being obese or formerly obese messes with our emotional wellbeing so much, and I definitely have struggled with anxiety as well. I have never even felt confident enough to start dating, although I have lost the majority of my weight. It would be great if you wanted to talk more about this sometime and maybe help support each other. Message me anytime!

[Justin Curtis 78]

I don't really have any advice for you but was just wondering what type of therapy you're doing and how you went about finding a therapist. Being obese or formerly obese messes with our emotional wellbeing so much, and I definitely have struggled with anxiety as well. I have never even felt confident enough to start dating, although I have lost the majority of my weight. It would be great if you wanted to talk more about this sometime and maybe help support each other. Message me anytime!

I just did a google search for local therapists in my area. None took my insurance so i had to pay out of pocket but they have a sliding scale so its not awful. I go every other week and I can't for sure if its working because its still new but I'm going to give it a shot before i consider taking any medication.

[triplezero 3]

I don't really have any advice for you but was just wondering what type of therapy you're doing and how you went about finding a therapist. Being obese or formerly obese messes with our emotional wellbeing so much, and I definitely have struggled with anxiety as well. I have never even felt confident enough to start dating, although I have lost the majority of my weight. It would be great if you wanted to talk more about this sometime and maybe help support each other. Message me anytime!

I just did a google search for local therapists in my area. None took my insurance so i had to pay out of pocket but they have a sliding scale so its not awful. I go every other week and I can't for sure if its working because its still new but I'm going to give it a shot before i consider taking any medication.

That's smart you're giving it a try. I hope it works well for you!