Been invited to a dinner!

Ive been invited to dinner with a bunch of 15 people from my cousins high school days and last time i went to a gethering with them i just found everyone to be so intense! and witty that i struggled and had a panic attack! i had to walk outside for a breather because i clammed up and couldnt speak and they were all wonderring what was wrong with me, its tonight and because its family i dont have a choice, my cousins friends are all loud and intense, large egos! and last time i had a panic attack and i started to sweat and nearly fainted, but this isnt normal for me, i think it was just because everyone was so loud and witty! and i was on the outside so to speak, i just clammed up, I just feel like running at the same time i know its healthy to face my fear.....my cousin and his friends all have inside jokes! and they are all very close, here i am again, im off for a few hours but im feeling very anxious about this dinner night.

i nearly vomited! thats how much it affected me sooo... any advice on how to deal with these situations or coping mechanisms that i could use?

this is the story of my life!

I hate meals in groups because when im anxious the last thing i want to do is eat a meal! All i can say is develop some coping mechanisms, if you have a psycologist ask them for some tips. Distracting your mind from the anxiety will mean you will be fine. These things take alot of time and practice. Good luck

Richey said:

I just feel like running at the same time i know its healthy to face my fear.....

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If you are not ready to handle it then perhaps you should avoid it. From my own experience my fears just get worse if I just jump into it like before. I have faced many fears, and they don't get better just by facing them unprepared. On the contrary, they get worse and I just dread them even more.

I have to face my fears to get better, but I have to do it when the time is right and when I have ways to deal with it.

Richey said:

any advice on how to deal with these situations or coping mechanisms that i could use?

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I wish I could tell you a good way to cope with it. If it was that bad I would take Klonopin or perhaps Xanax, and this would fix the problem for me. But I have a feeling you're not looking for meds.

Same probs when I have dinner, I feel myself starting to worry and I just want to get up and say I need the toilet and hide for a while but so far I ain't done that yet.

Yeah I hate eating when there are lots of people around. Even everyday in school I used to get very anxious in lunch breaks. It's especially annoying when my hands start shaking, I notice it and then start thinking about preventing the shaking which of course makes my hand shake even more... Anyone other having problems with shaky hands?