Hi all

[WelshOne]

Hello everyone

I have visited this site a year or two ago, but never joined up because after a quick browse of topics, I felt I was "worse" than everyone here. I never left the house, living with my parents and spent most of my time in my bedroom on the internet. I pretty much felt worthless, inferior and a lost cause. I would struggle with panic attacks just at the thought of having to go to the supermarket.

However Ive now come on a long way from where I was. I still have a lot of problems, but the level of anxiety I feel when confronting these problems is now low enough for me to actually have a go at things.

A quick run down would be that I find it extremely difficult to go to crowded/busy areas, such as towns, shops etc, I cant eat in front of people and I cant use the phone. Well, I say "cant" but, with the help of my psychologist I am tackling these fears with small steps. So, Im now feeling a bit more confident eating in front of close family, for example, or even having something like easy to eat, like soup, in a quiet cafe.

Ive also applied for college, which is something I would rather have died than even think about a year ago.

So there you go, thats a bit about why Im here.

It feels really good already, to have somewhere I can be honest about these problems, and not make up excuses or hide.

I hope to get to know you all
Tom

 

[just_shadows]

hey - so nice that you are really fighting your problems... ))))))))))))

(hug)

good luck with college!!! what are you going to study?

 

[WelshOne]

Thank you

Im going to study motor vehicle mechanics. Its more of a personal interest than a career I want to pursue. College was actually my psychologists idea for me, so its more of a rehab step than for the actual qualification.

I had a bit of a tour of the college last week, with my occupational therapist, and its really not anywhere near as scary as I expected. But then, its the smallest college in a small country, so an entirely different situation to the US or something. I have an interview coming up (for the college), which is terrifying, but Im trying not to think about it and just go for it.

 

[Scrabbl]

Welcome to the community!!

It's good to see other people making progress and bieng proactive with therapy.

when I first registered (I think that was 5 years ago under a different username) I looked around and I thought I had the worst SP so I didn't post much. But actually I'm sure there are a lot of lurkers in these forums who feel the same way.

 

[Scrabbl]

And good luck on college. a change of environment could do wonders for making progress with SA.

 

[WelshOne]

Thanks I would have to agree that a change of environment can really help. Sometimes my world can seem so small, so its good to get away from home, where I spend most of my time.

I just got back from a low-key holiday yesterday, and being away was like a fresh start. I still had my anxiety, but I made a big effort and found myself in crowds of people quite often and felt fairly "normal." Im not very talkative when lots of people are within hearing distance, but just being out there and exposed was a positive experience.

 

[madmike]

Hey, yeah well done for taking the decision to go to college. I think it's gonna really help you combat the SA, it's been a blessing for me!

 

[licorice]

Hey WelshOne,its all about "baby steps"and being exposed and realizing its not so bad..I commend you and keep up the good work,youre an inspiration!Just remember everyone is insecure to some degree regardless of how they look,etc...