Anxiety

[laureneoss]

I recently got my first bird Boscoe from Cage World here in AZ. Every since I got him and brought him home, I have gotten my first anxiety attack. I have had a few since then as well, pretty much every time I have looked at him or he makes a noise, I start to have anxiety. I know this isn't good, Boscoe doesn't want me to handle him because I know he can tell I'm freaking out on the inside. However, my boyfriend handling him is totally fine. What should I do? I've been wanting a bird for years and when I finally get one I can't even interact without having a panic attack. HELP!

[marie83]

Why is the bird making you anxious? do you feel like you don't know what to do? How to handle him? That your going to get bitten? That somethings wrong when he calls out? Nobody on here can help you without more info. I'm pretty new here and everyones really friendly but to really give any constructive advice we need to know exactly whats making you feel this way.

First things first, don't try to handle your bird whilst your feeling like this, he will be anxious enough about his new environment and new people in his life and will pick up on your anxiety even more and that may make future interactions more difficult. That said if he is your bird then your going to need to learn how to put your anxiety to one side so you can interact with him and I'm sure people on here can help advise you once we know more.

[christie]

I recently got my first bird Boscoe from Cage World here in AZ. Every since I got him and brought him home, I have gotten my first anxiety attack. I have had a few since then as well, pretty much every time I have looked at him or he makes a noise, I start to have anxiety. I know this isn't good, Boscoe doesn't want me to handle him because I know he can tell I'm freaking out on the inside. However, my boyfriend handling him is totally fine. What should I do? I've been wanting a bird for years and when I finally get one I can't even interact without having a panic attack. HELP!

I do agree with marie83, it will be important to know why you are getting the anxiety attacks. Also, I noticed you said this was your first bird. Have you ever stayed in a home where one lived and interacted with them there?

I actually ask for a few reasons. One, as marie83 stated, it could be new bird ownership has you worried, however, I have also met someone who is actually allergic to bird dander. I don't know how common that actually is, I'd never heard of it before personally, but she got herself tested. I don't know this person very well so I couldn't tell you who/how she was tested but maybe ask your doctor? And depending upon how bad the anxiety attacks are I would recommend you discussing them with your doctor anyway. Anxiety can be treated many different ways depending upon the severity & reason. Sometimes just learning breathing exercises or meditation helps. Sometimes it's medication. Sometimes it's therapy. Sometimes it's just figuring out what pushed that "button". The fact that you have your new friend at home as a goal should help you out though!

Good luck, I hope you are able to figure out what the true trigger is for your anxiety. It's not a fun thing to deal with, but once you find the trigger it makes it manageable most of the time (because you can then deal with the real reason you are having the attacks). I used to live with someone who had anxiety attacks and finding the trigger and breathing exercises were the key to his attacks.

[liz]

The bird did not start this. Something in your life was in the shadow and is just now coming out. I think you should investigate your anxiety.

You doctor may prescribe a med to help you get through.

[Michael]

When in doubt, see a vet. In this case I can just picture the cockatiel taking the human to see the doctor complaining that it can't deal with such behavioral problems from its human

[christie]

When in doubt, see a vet. In this case I can just picture the cockatiel taking the human to see the doctor complaining that it can't deal with such behavioral problems from its human

lol!

[lwis]

I had some anxiety when I first got my bird, and I still do to some extent... The commitment made me a bit anxious, I wondered if I would be able to give him what he needed for the rest of his life. Even though he has a large cage and I am letting his wings grow out, I had guilt about keeping a bird all by himself throughout the day without a flock.
For me, I think the anxiety stemmed from a tendency to think too far ahead and worry about the future.
Spending time appreciating my bird in the moment helped a lot. Stopping for a moment to realize how beautiful his feathers are, how soft he is, and how sweet he looks when he is getting scratches helps me generally be more present in the moment.

[liz]

Iwis - your right. Don't make plans for college until you make plans for kindergarden.

[dorp]

I originally came to this forum because of the anxiety attacks I was having from being around my girlfriend's parrots for too long. To me, there's just something really unsettling about being around birds in a home. I can't really explain it outside of just parrot bashing and attributing reasons for why they creep me out. Don't let yourself feel guilty and all introspective over being anxious near the thing.
There's nothing wrong with being nervous around birds in a home so just get rid of it and move on, the bird won't care.

[laducockatiel]

I originally came to this forum because of the anxiety attacks I was having from being around my girlfriend's parrots for too long. To me, there's just something really unsettling about being around birds in a home. I can't really explain it outside of just parrot bashing and attributing reasons for why they creep me out. Don't let yourself feel guilty and all introspective over being anxious near the thing.
There's nothing wrong with being nervous around birds in a home so just get rid of it and move on, the bird won't care.

Laureneoss- don't listen to this guy. Don't give up on your lovely birds just cos u are a bit scared around them. I was too, but when you get used to them, they are awesome. I didn't give up, u shouldn't too. If we all gave up on everything like dorp over here, the world would be a sad place.............