Poll Do You Experience Separation Anxiety?

[grace5555]

Thanks for mentioning your dog, Bec - It is extremely difficult for me to be separated from my dog. I also get horribly anxious when my godmother or therapist are out of town. Any changes at all and I freak - nice to know I am not the only one although I would not wish this on anyone. =\

 

[batgirl]

I love my dog too Grace. My old cat as well. When I go away I really miss them, and I feel sorry for them because I know they miss me too. I understand the separation anxiety from animal companions, that is so true and I'm glad Bec mentioned it.

 

[sweetface]

If a romantic relationship ends with no warning, thats it. Severe Separation Anxiety.

 

[lnicho7]

I feel that with my Mom and my boyfriend. It only happens when I am very asymptomatic. I am 25 years old and will call my Mom in tears missing her so badly (I live in Chicago and she lives in FL.). Also, I will get anxiety sometimes if I don't think I will see my boyfriend that night. I will be restless and cannot relax. I don't tell him though because I want him to have a life but yes, I get separation anxiety from him and get scared going to sleep at night. I have 3 locks on my door, in a secure building with a door person. Not very rational...

 

[judyandsus]

This may seem strange to others but I do get extremely anxious if away from my dog for more than a few hours. My mental health org. wrote a letter saying I have to have her with me for my own health and well being. It's true to she is all I have.

 

[Mina]

Very rarely if ever do I experience separation anxiety. I've always required a lot of alone time, even before PTSD, and that hasn't changed. I also don't have much of a choice about being away from DH, since he and I work opposite days and schedules. But I get a little bit of separation anxiety during the night. It does bother me when I wake up during the night...which I always do...and he's not in bed with me. He doesn't like to disturb my sleep (ha ha like it isn't enough already) by coming into the bedroom at 4am to go to bed, but if he doesn't, I inevitably awaken anyway and get up and go looking for him to make sure he made it home safely. I cannot for the life of me just go back to sleep until I know. So we've agreed that he needs to get over it and just come to bed, whenever, because it disturbs me more when he doesn't.

 

[Lucycat]

I get anxious if I am away from Rory overnight. Even if I have planned it well, and am away because it is something that I want to see or do, at the last minute I usually do not want to go. I force myself.

If it is Rory that is away then I worry about him a lot.

 

[WesternSky]

I wasn't sure what to put. I really need alone time but if my partner's gone for more than a day - anything overnight, really - I start having issues. It's not so much anxious as I just lose the ability to function normally. I'm actually in the middle of that now. My sleep patterns go out the window, I don't eat regularly, and I lose the will to do anything outside of my work obligations. Every day is just a dreary obstacle to be endured until she comes back.

It gets worse the longer she's gone.

 

[maddog]

I live alone and actually have people near me quite seldom, in the context of any 24-hour period, and so I don't suppose it's possible to claim separation anxiety in any real sense. I have long struggled with the opposite problem and had no attachments (or at least no healthy ones) to anyone for my entire life, until fairly recently I suppose.

Thesedays I am still learning how it feels to feel fondness, let alone attachment, to anyone, and so am still coming to learn what constitues simply missing someone, versus anything more extreme.

I rather cynically told someone I was experiencing separation anxiety from my T who is currently away, and while I know it isn't correct in the clinical sense, I do feel very anxious, isolated and depressed that he is away so long.

I tend to find that my anxiety surrounding the absence of people is more of the safety net concept than in terms of their actual physical presence. I feel most secure when I know that key people are close by, available and accessible if I need them. That way, I am actually less likely to need them than when I know they are not close by, available or accessible, in which case my anxiety does tend to escalate and increase the likelihood that I will feelI need them.

I doubt there's a category of response that is strange and complicated enough to fit me...

Maddog

 

[JustBe]

I would feel lost without Kira by my side.

I too need an extreme amount of "alone time". I feel better when I am not around others. I find the occasional email enough, although I do like to give those I Love Big Hugs!

I think I must be strange.

 

[Britt.f7]

I feel that way if my kids are anywhere other then under my roof. Now, if I am somewhere, but my husband is home with the kids, I am okay with that. However, if they are with anyone else other then my husband, I have to try not to panic.

 

[Hashi]

Like Maddog, I don't really do attachment. When I lived overseas I missed my sister and my friends but it wasn't separation anxiety. I was a bit homesick, but that was because I'd moved to a different country and didn't know anyone.

I never worried about my sister or friends then, and I certainly wouldn't now we're in the same country again. I always assume everyone's fine and it wouldn't occur to me to think anything else. When I'm going somewhere, I'd never think of ringing to say I've arrived - I don't understood the point of that, and if someone asks me to I think it's annoying. I need space.