I had a large non-cancerous tumor removed a few years ago. The tumor and the two surgeries required to remove it left me unable to work for a year and $50,000 in debt. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 19, 2009 - 5 answers

I have a near-pathological fear of talking to strangers on the phone. My expanded job duties will soon include calling clients. How do I get past this fear? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 17, 2009 - 27 answers

Certain songs bring out memories for me and that's normal. But sometimes, I hear a song that I listened to during a particularly bad time in my life and I'm afraid that I will re-live that time, or even more stupidly, that I will re-experience it. How do I stop doing this to myself? There's some great music out there that I'm withholding myself from. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 12, 2009 - 12 answers

This is so shameful. I haven't seen a dentist since 2005. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 6, 2009 - 44 answers

I've been with my current girlfriend for about 6 months. We are sexually active and have intercourse about 5 times per week (sometimes more frequently). However, throughout our relationship, my girlfriend has only touched my penis twice. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 19, 2009 - 24 answers

I'm scared of going to the dentist. How do I find one that will understand and how do I prepare myself for going to my first appointment in years? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 16, 2009 - 22 answers

How do I combat my knee-jerk racist responses? Recently, I moved from an all-white area to a diverse neighborhood. I am having trouble dealing with my reaction to the many young black males who live in the area. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 28, 2009 - 46 answers

Meltdownfilter: after some traumas I finally fell apart and I'm scared about what, and how long it will take to recover. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 21, 2009 - 7 answers

I'm in trouble because I try to ignore trouble. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 22, 2009 - 23 answers

We're trying to get back together, but she has trust issues. How to overcome these? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 16, 2009 - 11 answers

Robbed on the street in daylight - didn't get hurt, didn't lose much, but I'm worried about the anxiety and stress of the aftermath. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 13, 2009 - 19 answers

How can I help my 32-year-old sister conquer her intense fear of interacting with people? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 3, 2009 - 9 answers

How do I, a lesbian woman, get over my fear of women? Ever since I was little I have had trouble making friends with women and it cripples my dating and friendship options. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 2, 2009 - 24 answers

Talk me down: Wisdom teeth removal and utter terror. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 9, 2009 - 81 answers

Recently, during a movie, my boyfriend pointed to an actress and said “Hey, that’s a really nice color. I think it would look really nice on you.” And my reaction involved mentioning hair damage, fading, and a fear I’d never get my natural color back or that dyeing my hair might cause grays (I have none, and all my family members dye their hair and had a bunch of grays at my age). I love my natural hair color and texture, and if I could guarantee that after dyeing my hair, it would be exactly the same as before, I’d do it. So I tend to stick with what I’ve got because I’m afraid of what I’m going to get. I'd like to loosen up a bit.... [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 10, 2009 - 31 answers

I'm generally a pretty nervous person. Lately (over the last two months), it's become worse. I jump whenever someone enters the room. I'm quite stressed about everyday things (a disagreement, a social event, my future), and nearly every day my stomach or chest or shoulders ache from these worries. I recognise that my response to this is overblown and irrational, and that maybe I need to seek medical attention. But that's the problem. Can you help me gather the courage to see a doctor? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 15, 2008 - 15 answers

I'm flying in a few weeks. I'm scared to death, and I want to try some of those anti-anxiety meds that people say you can get from your doctor. But how do I talk to my doctor about it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 11, 2008 - 34 answers

I see the world, and all in it, as something vicious and ready to attack me, and that influences far too much stuff in my life. Help. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 8, 2008 - 30 answers

How can I learn to love my looks? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 1, 2008 - 38 answers

Every member of my family, save one, has died young from a heart attack. Am I doomed? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 2, 2008 - 24 answers

Help me overcome my fear of sex. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 13, 2008 - 18 answers

Is it possible to overcome a fear of intimacy without therapy? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 8, 2008 - 17 answers

I would like to be more, er, assertive in bed, but I'm too shy. How can I get past this? Is there a good self-help book on the subject? Is there anything you've personally tried that worked for you? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 16, 2008 - 19 answers

Anxieties about my own safety and that of my loved ones are making it hard for me to sleep at night. The onset of dusk makes my stomach knot. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 12, 2008 - 29 answers

Basically, I want to talk to someone without feeling judged. Both now and in general. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 23, 2008 - 16 answers

Has my overactive imagination turned into anxiety? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 2, 2008 - 8 answers

I've reached my late 20s without ever facing death. How do I deal with death when I know I will face it sooner or later? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 10, 2007 - 25 answers

I am in my twenties, and I have given up on the idea of ever having sex again because I believe I am secretly too hideous for it. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 8, 2007 - 53 answers

I want to shake my irrational fear of going back to school. It's for my own good! [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 26, 2007 - 5 answers

I need to learn to drive, but the idea scares the crap out of me. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 12, 2007 - 33 answers

I'm extremely intimidated by my girlfriend, and I'm afraid my resulting weird behaviour is gonna ruin our relationship. Have you been through this? How did you deal with it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 19, 2007 - 21 answers

How do I stop worrying in the beginning of a relationship? (example provided) [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Aug 1, 2007 - 14 answers

How do I learn not to be so intimidated by my boss? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 25, 2007 - 22 answers

I'm afraid of the Interstate. What can I do about this fear? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 17, 2007 - 22 answers

Overcoming fear of success. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 5, 2007 - 13 answers

How can I overcome fear of losing someone? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 1, 2007 - 14 answers

My SO (female) started laughing loudly on a recent plane journey. She has flown a lot in the past and had stated that she is increasingly nervous about the experience. What gives? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 3, 2007 - 8 answers

Is it wrong that I use alcohol to get through medical and dental appointments? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 2, 2006 - 34 answers

I was heavily bitten by bedbugs over the summer of 2005, and although they're gone, I've grown very anxious about the thought of ever becoming reinfested. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 25, 2006 - 9 answers

Money is difficult. I'm familiar with Your Money or Your Life, "pay yourself first", Quicken, The Tightwad Gazette, etc. but my money problems seem to be intertwined with a lot of relationship stuff that is hard to unravel. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 8, 2006 - 45 answers

How do you learn not to hold back? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 15, 2006 - 35 answers

My neck cracking habit is killing me. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 20, 2006 - 24 answers

How do I learn how to stop worrying, and being anxious, and get on with life? One of my biggest flaws is worrying about a negative outcome in most aspects of my life. Even though I know that in general my life is ok, and indeed I am lucky in many ways, I worry daily about it all going wrong, and this is having a negative effect on my quality of life. How do I learn to live and enjoy life without unnecessary worry? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 10, 2006 - 32 answers

Help me not be terrified of the dentist. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 16, 2005 - 27 answers

How do you convince yourself to quit something you don't really want to? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jul 8, 2005 - 15 answers

How do you help somoene terrified of committment get through their fears and into the relationship you think you both were meant for?

This might just be a general "what's the best way to approach someone with emotional baggage" question; be sympathetic, caring and understanding or trying to help them get over it? I know what it is that causes this for him/her but I don't know how to best make them understand I'm not trying to "fix" them when I approach it.
posted by anonymous on Dec 11, 2004 - 10 answers