sleepover anxiety ?
June 24th, 2010
ok so since i was about 8 i’ve been simply terrified to sleepover [I'm 13]
[Read]
I’m an only child who slept with my mom or dad until I was about 7-9
& my mom wouldn’t let me go to sleepovers until I was like 7
so I’m a bit attached to them
the first ones weren’t so bad
I’ve always taken a long while to fall asleep & have always gone to bed later than most kids my age shoud
that means I’d always be the last one awake
everyone including their parents would be asleep by 11-12 pm
yet it’d be 3 or 4am & I am the only one awake just being scared for those hours
the house would be completely motionless & silent except for me
& that feeling of complete loneliness gives me such chills I very much dread
plus I get homesick, and I have trouble finding a situation I’m comfortable with & like sleeping in a bed
when I was like 10 or 11 I went to sleepaway camp 3hrs away from my home for a week (it took maybe 2 days to not be so scared)
-i haven’t been on a sleepover since then-
but my anxiety & stress before going was so great that I developed hyper acidity
I know I shud just go to a sleepover to conquer this
but everything time someone even talks about a sleepover I get very anxious & can feel my heart racing (just thinking about it does that)
so is there anybody who can relate/help cure this?
anybody who has this & understands?
thanks 
also usually I’ll have fun (depends though)
but when it’s time to start getting ready for bed the anxiety really kicks in
i usually do bring like a pic or something but sometimes they just make me sad & homesick
i feel kinda silly being a teenager who can’t sleepover -something most love & i dread
& i’m worried this will carry on when I’m older & i won’t know what to do when it’s time for college
Joan
Categories: Health Issues | Tags: Anxiety, Dad, Mom
Carol
I know what your feeling. Anxiety is difficult to deal with, and most people do not understand how bad it feels. But, what you say is true. Going to the sleep over will be the only way to fix this. Go to the sleep over and have fun. Keep yourself occupied and if you feel yourself starting to get anxious go to the bathroom and take a few minutes to relax, try to picture yourself somewhere that is comfortable for you, maybe at home, maybe at the beach and just run some images through your mind. Remember that your anxiety can not hurt you, and that it is keeping you from having the best parts of life. So go there, and don’t be afraid of it. Say to yourself, if i get anxious it is ok, it will eventually go away and I will have fun tonight and be home tomorrow.
Tim
Some kids just don’t like sleepovers. Our little one was always willing to go, for the first hour, and then we’d get a call to pick her up.
There is no need to push yourself. When you are ready you will go and you won’t feel anxiety. Even if you never go to a sleepover, you will grow up to be a nice, loving person anyway. If you want to get together with some friends, could you give it a go at your house? If not, no sweat. Just enjoy your loving family. Many girls never go to a sleepover. It’s OK. Just be yourself.
Graciela
I have had the same problem, I could never get to sleep. What I do is take a walk around the neighborhood at 7:30pm and then I drink some soy milk. I get in bed at 9:30 and watch TV for 30 minutes to an hour. Dont look at the clock when your trying to get to sleep and don’t think of trying to get to sleep. Hope this helps :]
Derrius
i dont have sleep over anxiety i am 40 and that would be kinda silly, but i do have anxiety and panic attacks. so i understand and feel for you. what you can do is find a couple of friends you can trust or family members and start slow. say go over and stay until you get anxiety and then go home. next time stay a little longer and so on. if you take it slow you will work up to an all nighter. and if its someone you trust it makes it easier to face your fears good luck
Jason
Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc.) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc.
Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level.
But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There’s this strange herb called “St John’s Wort” – it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John’s Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc.
The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced… you have that “learned behavior” in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior – Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction… There are several other techniques to help cope them!
Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to….
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