i want to join

[Zachish]

should you join the military with high anxiety

 

[Ralston18]

What country and branch of the military are you considering?

What is the anxiety about?

Many of life's big decisions are "high anxiety":going away to school, getting married, changing jobs, deciding to have children, moving far away, buying a home.

Learning to deal with risk and the possible consequences is one constant in life.

Always trade-offs involved: what you might gain to what you might lose.

Pretty good odds that your fears/anxiety are normal.

You have to honestly admint to yourself what specific fear or fears you have.

Then find a trusted family member, religious leader, friend, or even a veteran to talk with.

And realize that, no matter what, there are no guarantees. Things may not work out as hoped. Then you adapt, change, and move on.

 

[MU_Engineer]

should you join the military with high anxiety

It depends on a lot of factors. I would strongly suggest you discuss this with your physician as they will be able to help you or refer you to somebody who can help you.

In general though, working is associated with better anxiety control than not working, as being able to successfully confront and manage your anxiety in a situation where you are forced to do so will be MUCH more helpful than any pharmacologic therapy. Medications are helpful to some people, but the backbone of anxiety treatment really is behavioral therapy, be it work, counseling, or group therapy.

One big word of warning- DO NOT go down the route of taking benzodiapine sedative/hypnotic medications such as alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan), clonzaepam (Klonopin), diazepam (Valium), or if you have a really, really old doc, chlordiazepoxide (Libruim). A conscientious and up to date physician or psychiatrist will not prescribe these medications as they rapidly induce tolerance and end up causing more harm than benefit, plus they can be notoriously addictive and can have potentially fatal medication interactions with opioids and alcohol. They are good medications to knock somebody out for an MRI or colonoscopy but not good for routine outpatient use.