[Everglow.]

I remember you from when you were here before! It's great to see you back.

My advice here would be, don't look for direct comparisons between 'then' and 'now'. The world has changed a lot since then and so have you, so new anxieties are normal especially with covid being a huge part of that. I can completely understand why getting sick has made your anxiety worse and I'm happy you're getting some help for that. I hope this works for you.

When covid first came about I was having major anxiety to the point of making myself unwell too. The things that worked best for me involved rationalising and taking myself away from the thing that made me anxious. For example, if you're in a situation where you're feeling anxious (e.g. waiting for medical results or something), try to find ways to take your mind away from that. You could go for a walk or put on some loud music, or do something escapist like playing games or reading. If you can't escape from it, then it might be good to talk to somebody. You can either discuss how you feel, or talk about something else entirely if it's helpful, but that way you're not alone, and having another person involved might help you to stay away from harmful behaviours.

I also found that saying things out loud help me to rationalise thoughts which are getting out of control. Reminding yourself that you're okay, and you'll get through this can be reassuring, and it can also ground you as you're focusing on your words rather than your thoughts. I don't know if this might be helpful to you too, but it's really helped me a lot when I've had panic attacks.

If you want a chat message me any time. I hope you're doing okay - and welcome back!