I’ve been working for a few months after finishing my pre-u course while waiting for the commencement of my degree course. I took a month break after resigning from my temporary job, and now visiting my boyfriend in another country. I had anxiety a few days before arriving here because I couldn’t trust myself in handling things well when travelling alone. However, that wasn’t the main issue as I got better the first day I was here (in another country). But, I’ve been having trouble talking to people, even my boyfriend and family. It’s quite stressful for me as I’ve been here for 2 weeks and I’m trying my best to spend quality with people. I do try to put myself out there and socialize more, but my mind goes blank whenever I have to talk to people. What should I do?
I’ve been working for a few months upon completing my pre university course while waiting for the commencement of my degree course. While working, I didn’t have much trouble socializing with anyone as a part of the job is customer service. I took a month break after resigning from the job, and I’m am now visiting my boyfriend in another country. I had abit of anxiety because I was worried that I would get confused at the airport, but after meeting my boyfriend at the airport I felt better.
However, following days after that my anxiety became worse, I couldn’t talk well, felt nauseous, lost appetite, had fast heartbeat and racing thoughts. I recovered from the physical symptoms, but I still find it difficult to actually maintain a conversation with anyone. No matter how anxious I was before, I have never experienced such symptoms.
Please advise on what I can do and what condition I am experiencing.
Hi Unknown,
I’m Antoinette, CEO of Safe Space and I’m sorry to hear that your anxiety is getting worse.
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Hi @Unknown, I’m not a mental health professional, but it sounds like you may be dealing with heightened anxiety, possibly triggered by the changes in your routine and environment.
Consider trying deep breathing and relaxation techniques to calm your nervous system. Stay connected with your boyfriend or friends, sharing your feelings for emotional support. Establish a daily routine and engage in physical exercise for stability. If symptoms persist, seeking professional help is crucial for personalized guidance. These are general suggestions, and seeking professional advice is crucial for a personalized and effective approach. It’s commendable that you’re seeking guidance, and I hope you find the support you need to navigate through this challenging time. Take care. 
Hi @Unknown,
Thanks for coming on and sharing about your struggles with anxiety. I wanna commend you for having the self-awareness on the physical symptoms and reaching out - your feelings while going through those situations are valid. I also hear that you had positive experiences with socialising with others in your previous work but finding it harder to socialise nowadays - to the point of your mind going blank. I wonder if this had happened to you before? And if it did, was it a similar kind of a situation? Do you also happen to notice any thoughts crossing your mind just before you find the anxiety getting too much for you? 
With anxiety, our mind prepares our body to face potential danger - like a signal that something you value is under threat. Let’s take the example of arriving in another country to meet your boyfriend: I wonder if you thought that you can’t trust yourself to handle all the different things to travel and especially doing it alone, that probably caused you to feel anxious and felt the physical symptoms within your body, that most likely fed the anxiety but you meeting your boyfriend helped as you didn’t feel the need to engage in behaviours to reduce the overwhelming anxiety (some people would remove themselves from the situation completely by escaping/running away).
I wonder if there’s more to to your anxiety than just socialising with people, which is causing you to avoid them to reduce the anxiety temporarily. Given your stage of life (with studies and work), it feels like there’s another transition you’re experiencing - I wonder what do you think about it given that there’s gonna be new opportunities but at the same time more responsibilities; I would imagine that as being quite stressful and anxiety provoking too…
I also think you can reach out to your social circle and share about this with a trusted friend for support. In the meantime, to help with the distress perhaps you can try this exercise in a comfortable and safe space as it helps to refocus on the present moment by shifting focus away from anxious feelings, as well as checking if your thoughts are accurate & helpful . If you feel that your anxiety is still overwhelming, you can seek out support in a professional and non-judgmental manner from:
- Family Service Centres
- James Cook University Clinic
- NIE Wellness Centre
- NUS Clinical & Health Psychology Centre
Remember that you deserve and can get the support you need. Hope to hear from you soon. Until then, take care! 
Seems like you’re going through a lot, @Unknown. It’s not easy managing a job transition, traveling alone for the first time and being in a completely new country all in a couple of weeks.
I wonder if you’re facing difficulty with face to face communication only or finding it difficult to text too? It might be easier text because it gives you time to consolidate your thoughts and emotions.
I hope things get better for you, will you be starting your degree overseas too or back in Singapore?