Hi Unico:

You didn't mention what kind of work you are in, and that can affect how I would treat you. But I will be happy to offer some general ideas. First, I would assume that you have a therapist, or are taking some medications for your troubles? If not, please seek help from a professional who can give you custom made advice. You can find a professional in your area at Psychology Today.

Severe anxiety, OCD and even agoraphobia are often linked with fears of not being in control. The intense fear of lack of control is frequently connected with early traumatic experiences or of growing up with a parent who is intensely anxious.

You may want to examine your thoughts; are they logical, or emotional? For instance, what are your "shoulda, coulda, woulda, what if" thoughts. What is the worst that can happen to you if you are afraid of something specific? Being trapped or losing control? These are the most common fears. They are usually not based in logic.

Then you might want to take one of your emotional thoughts and take it as far as you can, for instance, what is the worst that can happen if you __________ (fill in the blank).

Got a scenario? Good. Then think about that worst that can happen and take it as far down as you can. Often the fear is related to homelessness, losing one's mind, being locked up, or losing one's job. But the bottom line is often fear of death. Is that where your thought took you?  If it is, then you are not alone.

Another thing that works well if practiced religiously, is deep breathing and relaxation training. You can find CD's that my colleague and I have created for just this sort of problem at The Stress Masters.

You should not have to work through this alone and should seek help of a therapist who can offer you Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and/or relaxation training. It really does work.

Best of luck,

Dr. Diana Walcutt