Why the anxiety spike?

Question

I've had a pretty severe anxiety problem. At its worst it prevented me from going out of the house. Lately I've had this huge irrational fear of my cat passing away or having to be put to sleep. I did have to put one of my bunnies to sleep about 3 months ago so I know that is part of the trigger. My kitty is only 5, she will turn 6 in May. I know this fear is irrational. She is healthy and active and has been her whole life (other than an upper reapiratory infection when we first adopted her). She has zero medical issues and is a healthy weight. I don't know. My bunny passing was very traumatic for me. I gave her meds 2x a day for the 6 weeks before we had to put her down.  At first I had this extreme guilt that I could have saved her. She was old, she was almost 9. For a bunny thats the upper end of their life span. Anything over 10 years is practically unheard of. I still have some of the guilt. Now I'm just having this huge irrational fear of her passing soon or passing period. Weather it be in 1 year or 10 years. It was just so traumatic for me. I am a huge animal lover so this type of thing really gets to me. Should I go back to my therapist? Or give it more time?

boystownhotline · Answer

Hello,

It sounds like you are going through a lot right now.  Anxiety over losing a pet is really natural, so it makes sense that you are struggling with these thoughts right now.  These feelings can affect you in many ways including your breathing, your sleep, interaction with others, and mood.  Some people might experience a few anxiety (panic) attacks while others can have more. These feelings can be hard to cope with on your own and talking with someone could help. Sometimes those around you may not even know how anxious you are feeling.

When you start feeling anxious, it is important to remind yourself to relax and consider things that are positive for you in order to get your mind off the negative thoughts of your pet dying.  Deep breathing and stretching can help you ease muscle tension and take care of the physical symptoms of anxiety too.  Try activities that you like in order to get your mind off of the anxiety as well.  Activities like working out, journaling, listening to music, or reading a book are all good options to distract yourself.  Try to relax and take time to do those kinds of activities to see if they help.

Whatever you plan to do, please keep reaching out and take care!

TM, Counselor

Aaron · Answer

It seems like you know that this fear is something that shouldn't be present in your mind, and, as you say, it is an irrational one. Your cat is healthy and will live for many more years. But the passing away of your bunny is the trigger to your anxiety. Moreover, your affinity towards animals is a sign that you have a high level of empathy/sympathy. Although that may not be entirely true, caring for things that are inferior to you illustrate empathetic levels greater than other people. In addition, your continuous care for your bunny and seeing him/her pass away is probably what is causing the guilt. You felt like you did everything you could and did the correct things to maintain his/her life, but, like you said, bunnies only have ~10 years life span. I am curious if this event happened in your childhood? If so, this definitely would have a greater impact than it would if it occurred in (late) adolescence to adulthood. If you keep having these troubled feelings and can't overcome this anxiety, then you should talk to your therapist. Talking always helps.

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Why the anxiety spike?

2 Answers