| Quite honestly, this sounds like a classic case of OCD. I'm not going to be the idiot who tries to diagnose you, but I've dealt with mild anxiety issues, and my sister has OCD. It will help you to understand yourself. Take the time and the money, and go see a psychologist, or at the very least go see a doctor. I didn't need medicine to overcome my anxiety, but my sister did. The behavior you describe of needing to get your things ready for the next day is particularly similar to mild OCD behavior. Something is causing you to obsess, and you respond with a compulsion to fix the obsession (so your worry is relieved). It is not only common to experience these things - about 18% of American adults suffer with some kind of anxiety disorder [0] - it is also very well documented and studied. Other people who have dealt with similar issues will be the first to tell you that there is a bright end of a tunnel. A few things that helped me when I dealt with it: - Exercise, every day. Often, this was really the most effective means of relieving the tension, and it actually helped me avoid the onset in the first place.
- Invest your time into doing something meaningful. When I say meaningful, I mean something that helps another human. This helped me reduce my introspective obsession, and instead focus on other people and how I can help make the world better.
- Go outside. Staying inside will limit the stimulation to your mind, and your mind won't have the imperative of processing new and exciting information; instead, it will take shortcuts (you likely know everything about your own living space) and the energy you have will be easily focused back on the worrying aspects of your life.
- See a doctor. Once again, take everything I have to say with a grain of salt; I am not qualified to give you advice or definitive statements beyond my own experiences. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/anxiety-disorder... |