Getting back to "normal life" after avoiding so mu

froghat

froghat

Well-known member
Right now I'm in CBT therapy and it's really up and down. Somedays I feel like I'm turning the corner and other days I feel like I'm in a bad shape. Pretty soon I should have a job lined up and I'm excited about that, but I'm also really worried about fitting it and feeling comfortable in "normal life" again. I've avoided so much stuff the last few years and I stopped calling my 3 good friends 3 years ago, so I really have no support besides my family. I tried a new job 4 months ago (before therapy and medication) and I had to quit after 3 weeks my anxiety was so bad. I literally came home exhausted and crying. So, hopefully I will get this job soon and get back into "normal life", but it's hard without any friends. Right now I feel so alone and the bad experience at my last job didn't help either. I felt like an outcast. It's been so long since I felt approval from people my age that I don't know how I'm gonna feel in the workplace again.

Has anyone here gone through this? How did you get back into things after avoiding so much stuff? I feel like this will be the biggest step in my SA recovery. If I can hold down a steady job, I think I will make a few connections and boost my confidence alot. It seems like I'm so close, yet so far. Really stressed out.
 
dottie

dottie

Well-known member
i totally understand how you feel. just realize that the hardest part is starting a new job- especially after four months. just grit your teeth and bare it as torturous as it may feel. it will get easier once you get into the swing of things. sometimes i have to motivate myself with stupid quotes like "winners do what losers won't do." do i want to be a winner or do i want to be a loser? i know it is so cheesy but you have to find what motivates you. maybe it's money? maybe you can set a financial goal to save a certain amount of money and then reward yourself with a toy for enduring it all. focus on that goal and don't let anything get in the way. also, keep in mind that the long term benefits of sticking with a job outweigh the short term instant gratification of quitting. that is the most important thing. you have to build credibility in your life with family, friends, people in your future. you have to have a steady job to be taken seriously. if that is important to you, maybe it will help motivate you.

i started a new job last week and it was so hard (mentally/emotionally). i wanted to quit because of the dread. but now i feel like i am slowly getting into the swing of things and it should only get better. it is such a struggle against my nature but i force myself to show up. and showing up is 90% of success.

so, you aren't totally alone, hehe. best of luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top