If you are dreading your own wedding because anxiety is making you feel sick, you are not alone. This page explains why anxiety flares up before marriage, how long it can last, and practical steps to feel better even when family pressure is high.
It is genuinely hard to carry all of this at once — the fear about marriage, the worry about your health, and the pressure of a family function today. To answer your first question: anxiety can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours, depending on what is triggering it and how you respond to it. It does not last forever, even when it feels like it will. Right now, your body is in a state of alarm, and that is why your stomach is upset and you do not feel like eating. That is normal for anxiety, and it will settle.
Your worry about not being "well enough" is something many people feel, and it does not mean you are not ready. But your family stopping you from seeing a doctor is a real problem. You have the right to your own health care, no matter what anyone says. If you can, speak to a doctor alone — even a general practitioner at a basic health unit can help with anxiety and refer you to a mental-health professional. If that is not possible right now, you can use Zara on this website to talk through your feelings, anonymously and without anyone knowing.
For today, it will likely ease once you are at the function for a little while and your body realises there is no real danger. For the bigger worry about marriage — that anxiety may come and go until you get proper support. That is why it matters to find a way to see a doctor, even if you have to do it quietly. Many people in Pakistan manage this by visiting a doctor in a different area or during a time when no one will ask questions.
You are not alone in this. Take it one hour at a time today, and do what you can to look after your body. Zara is here if you want to talk more.
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