Battle the anxiety

[DragonQueen3]

Hello all,

I was wondering ways that you guys may handle your anxiety when to comes to your bearded dragons?

I left my pregnant mom's for one night at my house, with my roommate checking up on her while I went to court with family. I knew she would be fine but kept getting Anxiety while I was away.

First it was about the heater not being on so I just texted my roommate to turn it on when he read it.

Then, yesterday on my way home I started getting anxiety about if she was ok if possibly one of her digging tunnels collapsed or if she was super cold. At first I was able to just close my eyes and be distracted by music. But the closer we got to the house the more I started feeling hot and nauseous with worry.

I love my babies and want them to be at their healthiest but all that over one night has me feeling "hungover".

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[DragonPete]

Hello all,

I was wondering ways that you guys may handle your anxiety when to comes to your bearded dragons?

I left my pregnant mom's for one night at my house, with my roommate checking up on her while I went to court with family. I knew she would be fine but kept getting Anxiety while I was away.

First it was about the heater not being on so I just texted my roommate to turn it on when he read it.

Then, yesterday on my way home I started getting anxiety about if she was ok if possibly one of her digging tunnels collapsed or if she was super cold. At first I was able to just close my eyes and be distracted by music. But the closer we got to the house the more I started feeling hot and nauseous with worry.

I love my babies and want them to be at their healthiest but all that over one night has me feeling "hungover".

Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.

Thank you!

So sorry you're going thru that.? Wish I had some words of wisdom. I try to keep in mind that I have done everything appropriately and things will be fine. Not much you can do except make sure things are correct for her..
Have you considered a cheap 'nanny cam' sort of set up, so you can check up on her when you feel anxious or concerned? Maybe that would help you relax when you're away from her. They have gotten very inexpensive these days and you would only need something basic. It's a thought.
Best of luck with it.
-Dee

 

[MrSpectrum]

BDs are one of the hardiest lizards (for their size) on the planet--that's one reason they're so popular as pets. Each of the links below (and many, many more) extol how hardy they are.
Reptiles Magazine
Bearded Dragons - Owning
Are Bearded Dragons Good Pets?
Clint's Reptiles scores their Hardiness at 4 out of 5 "A high Score".

They come from some of the harshest habitat on the planet--the Australian Outback. Take some time to learn about the climate in this region, and its harsh extremes--temperature, humidity, rainfall. Alice Springs is a good reference point; it's in the center of the continent, and the center of the bearded dragon's range.

If all that evidence can't/doesn't quell your anxiety, then I'm stumped. :? :? :?

 

[JumpinJellyfish]

+1 to the answers from both DragonPete and MrSpectrum, except I am familiar with illogical anxiety. Not fun. The cameras really do help with that for me. I have a Wyze cam on each end of Norbert's enclosure. They're very inexpensive and you can check the live stream at any time, plus get notifications based on the settings you choose, all subscription free, and if you want "complete motion capture" instead of the free 12-second clips, that's only $1.49/month per camera. Totally worth it! I have them on my yard and on my birds as well.

 

[DragonQueen3]

Thank you all for the tips and information.

I will be looking into getting cameras shortly since my birthday is coming up.

Have a g0od day and thanks again

 

[DragonPete]

+1 to the answers from both DragonPete and MrSpectrum, except I am familiar with illogical anxiety. Not fun. The cameras really do help with that for me. I have a Wyze cam on each end of Norbert's enclosure. They're very inexpensive and you can check the live stream at any time, plus get notifications based on the settings you choose, all subscription free, and if you want "complete motion capture" instead of the free 12-second clips, that's only $1.49/month per camera. Totally worth it! I have them on my yard and on my birds as well.

I too am familiar. I know logical fact doesn't stop the anxiety but sometimes, something concrete, like actually being able to SEE she's ok would be helpful.
That is crazy cheap! I think that would be a good possibility for the OP. I'm gonna check those out myself.
-Dee

 

[MrSpectrum]

illogical anxiety.

Would phobias fall under that heading, or are they different?
I'm finding a few more anxieties as I age that I didn't have when I was younger, but they're not... what's the word... having a moment here... it means "controlling one's life" Dang, I hate when this happens.

 

[DragonQueen3]

Phobias tend to be a little different. And I believe the word you're looking for is debilitating?

For example, anxiety is something that you personally know you probably shouldn't be worried or afraid, but you're brain keeps making up scenarios.

A Phobia, like arachnaphobia, is an extremely irrational fear for no reason (no previous memory or reason to be scared). However, unlike anxiety, phobias tend to be something you cannot talk yourself down from.

I bring up spiders because I am absolutely terrified of them, with no reason really. Never been bit, or anything like that. The only real memory I have is my grandma's ceiling being covered in daddy long legs when I was like 6 (and I mean almost couldn't see the ceiling covered).

In my opinion, the main difference between anxiety and a phobia, is that a person with anxiety can typically be talked to and calmed down by either themselves or someone else. A person with a phobia cannot be reasoned with, despite the fact that they may know what's going on is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[MrSpectrum]

Phobias tend to be a little different. And I believe the word you're looking for is debilitating?

That's not it. It'll likely come to me within a few days/weeks--probably when I'm on the throne or some other inappropriate time when I can't do anything about it. :roll:
Thanks for the explanation; much clearer now.

 

[Aaradimian]

Phobias tend to be a little different. And I believe the word you're looking for is debilitating?

That's not it. It'll likely come to me within a few days/weeks--probably when I'm on the throne or some other inappropriate time when I can't do anything about it. :roll:
Thanks for the explanation; much clearer now.

Overwhelming, overbearing, overburdening, subjugating, dominating?

 

[Aaradimian]

You have my sympathy, if not direct empathy (I know from my own particular brand of hell that the experience is wholly subjective). I do like the idea of a camera so you have direct evidence that whatever it is you're worrying about is probably not happening. I do know enough about GAD from someone close to me that whatever worries (plural) you have about your little friend will only be replaced by others, but at least you can cross off "bad beardie parent" off the list. Wishing you luck!

 

[JumpinJellyfish]

+1 to the answers from both DragonPete and MrSpectrum, except I am familiar with illogical anxiety. Not fun. The cameras really do help with that for me. I have a Wyze cam on each end of Norbert's enclosure. They're very inexpensive and you can check the live stream at any time, plus get notifications based on the settings you choose, all subscription free, and if you want "complete motion capture" instead of the free 12-second clips, that's only $1.49/month per camera. Totally worth it! I have them on my yard and on my birds as well.

I too am familiar. I know logical fact doesn't stop the anxiety but sometimes, something concrete, like actually being able to SEE she's ok would be helpful.
That is crazy cheap! I think that would be a good possibility for the OP. I'm gonna check those out myself.
-Dee

They're awesome, and I love the company (Wyze Labs). They're in their second year, and doing their best to make wifi connected products super accessible to consumers. They're constantly working on new stuff. And yes, being able to check in and see that all is well is a *huge* help! :0)

 

[MariosDad]

...but at least you can cross off "bad beardie parent" off the list. Wishing you luck!

Oh, man. As a sufferer as well, there's no amount of freedom that comes from ticking that box. Not that it stops the anxiousness completely, but running through a list of all the right things that have been set up to assuage these very same feelings, oof. That helps.

That said, nanny cam is coming next Amazon shipment, for sure!