hi, im new.
- Thread starter cawth
- Start date
Hi and welcome 
I used to have agoraphobia, I still have SA, OCDs and avoidance issues but to a lesser degree than I used to.
I think this site has helped me gain confidence on the internet which made me feel more self assured in real life in some ways. Having others who understand what you're feeling makes you feel less isolated and 'weird'.
Hope the forum can help you
I used to have agoraphobia, I still have SA, OCDs and avoidance issues but to a lesser degree than I used to.
I think this site has helped me gain confidence on the internet which made me feel more self assured in real life in some ways. Having others who understand what you're feeling makes you feel less isolated and 'weird'.
Hope the forum can help you
garnet
Well-known member
Hi Cawth!
Like Crazy fairy I too have SA. I think of it as an interactive encyclopedia - if I ever want to know something about symptoms, or treatments, you can just log in, leave a post and usually one of the nice folk on this website can provide me with the answers or reassurance I need!
It's just nice chatting with people who know what it's like, and aren't judgemental.
I hope you get as much use and encouragement out of it as we all do!
Like Crazy fairy I too have SA. I think of it as an interactive encyclopedia - if I ever want to know something about symptoms, or treatments, you can just log in, leave a post and usually one of the nice folk on this website can provide me with the answers or reassurance I need!
It's just nice chatting with people who know what it's like, and aren't judgemental.
I hope you get as much use and encouragement out of it as we all do!
cawth
Active member
cheers you guys, have you found it quite useful? i find other peoples stories of what they have been through really helpful but i have never found anyboby with the same causes as me so i have started writin my "story" of what kinda caused mine cause its a bit different, so hopefully i will get some replies from it... what do you think? wb xx
garnet
Well-known member
Hey, thats a great idea!
I had forgotten about how useful I found the personal stories section of this website. I could empathise with so many different aspects of each story.
I reckon it would also be therapeutic in a way, just getting it all off your chest, and knowing that you mite be helping someone else in a profound way.
You have inspired me...I shall be setting about writing down my 'story' today...however it could take a while! :lol:
Just in answer to your query about what starts off my SA, well I would say that speaking to groups of people, or having to make phone calls to people I don't know. But it's one of those things where you can have many things that set you off but they are so subtle and so variable that it's hard to think of them all.
Looking forward to hearing about your story.
I had forgotten about how useful I found the personal stories section of this website. I could empathise with so many different aspects of each story.
I reckon it would also be therapeutic in a way, just getting it all off your chest, and knowing that you mite be helping someone else in a profound way.
You have inspired me...I shall be setting about writing down my 'story' today...however it could take a while! :lol:
Just in answer to your query about what starts off my SA, well I would say that speaking to groups of people, or having to make phone calls to people I don't know. But it's one of those things where you can have many things that set you off but they are so subtle and so variable that it's hard to think of them all.
Looking forward to hearing about your story.
cawth
Active member
Well this is what i wrote, but i dont know if they will put it on, so i thought i would put it on here also....
Hi, I know this is long but if you have time then this is my story.
I have always been one of the most confident people I know, and have always been very much full of life humour and confidence in most situations. I am good at art, have lots of close friends and have been interested in drama and acting since I was about 8. It’s my life and comedy acting has always been the only thing I want to end up doing for a career but recently I have had some major life changing problems that have made me doubt everything about my life.
About two years ago, when I was 14 I went to my GP with what felt like cystitis, a common urine infection that makes you constantly feel like you need to go to the toilet. Cystitis should be easy to get rid of and normally goes away after a few days. Instead of giving me cystitis medication, the doctor(as they so often do)thought it a good idea to give me a number of different types of antibiotics. I soon realised that the medication was not making me better, but I was actually getting worse. I ended up having cystitis for months. It was hell. I couldn’t go out or go to school because of the cystitis, it was on my mind every second of the day. I couldn’t sleep and some times it got so bad I would sit on my own on my tiny bathroom floor and try and get even an hour of sleep, what made it worse was that due to the type of problem it was I didn’t want to tell any of my friends as I was young and embarrassed about it and I still don’t talk about it now.
After a while I had to get back out and try to do normal things but even a 3 minute car journey to my local town seemed like the most difficult thing in the world, As time went on it began to question the feelings of needing the toilet and stared to wonder whether the feelings were actually in my head but they felt so real I could never tell. I had to go back to school and even though I would tell myself the thoughts in my head were not real I started going to the toilet between every class and at every opportunity I had just in case I couldn’t get out. It was(and still is)the same in my every day life and I avoided as many social situations as possible as I could for fear of embarrassment.
I was seen by a number of different specialists who I feel let me down completely, had every procedure and test under the sun done. They always just brushed my problems under their carpets and told me there was nothing wrong with me,because they only ever focus on the medical, not the psychological problems.
It was only a few months ago that I started finding out about these types of phobias and social anxiety and found out that I could be seen by a psychologist, that my problems could be helped and that I am not actually alone(though I have never heard from anyone with the same phobia as me).This said, I still feel very much helpless and scared about stupid every day things,wonder “why me” and have very bad days where I confuse myself into thinking the feelings could be real. I still feel like any extra advice or info would help my strange situation a great deal. Thanks Anna(cawth)
Hi, I know this is long but if you have time then this is my story.
I have always been one of the most confident people I know, and have always been very much full of life humour and confidence in most situations. I am good at art, have lots of close friends and have been interested in drama and acting since I was about 8. It’s my life and comedy acting has always been the only thing I want to end up doing for a career but recently I have had some major life changing problems that have made me doubt everything about my life.
About two years ago, when I was 14 I went to my GP with what felt like cystitis, a common urine infection that makes you constantly feel like you need to go to the toilet. Cystitis should be easy to get rid of and normally goes away after a few days. Instead of giving me cystitis medication, the doctor(as they so often do)thought it a good idea to give me a number of different types of antibiotics. I soon realised that the medication was not making me better, but I was actually getting worse. I ended up having cystitis for months. It was hell. I couldn’t go out or go to school because of the cystitis, it was on my mind every second of the day. I couldn’t sleep and some times it got so bad I would sit on my own on my tiny bathroom floor and try and get even an hour of sleep, what made it worse was that due to the type of problem it was I didn’t want to tell any of my friends as I was young and embarrassed about it and I still don’t talk about it now.
After a while I had to get back out and try to do normal things but even a 3 minute car journey to my local town seemed like the most difficult thing in the world, As time went on it began to question the feelings of needing the toilet and stared to wonder whether the feelings were actually in my head but they felt so real I could never tell. I had to go back to school and even though I would tell myself the thoughts in my head were not real I started going to the toilet between every class and at every opportunity I had just in case I couldn’t get out. It was(and still is)the same in my every day life and I avoided as many social situations as possible as I could for fear of embarrassment.
I was seen by a number of different specialists who I feel let me down completely, had every procedure and test under the sun done. They always just brushed my problems under their carpets and told me there was nothing wrong with me,because they only ever focus on the medical, not the psychological problems.
It was only a few months ago that I started finding out about these types of phobias and social anxiety and found out that I could be seen by a psychologist, that my problems could be helped and that I am not actually alone(though I have never heard from anyone with the same phobia as me).This said, I still feel very much helpless and scared about stupid every day things,wonder “why me” and have very bad days where I confuse myself into thinking the feelings could be real. I still feel like any extra advice or info would help my strange situation a great deal. Thanks Anna(cawth)
hiddenman
Member
Hello
Hi, welcome aboard - i am new myself.
I have Social Phobia; i suppose i have had it most of my life - it can be crippling at times, but i refuse to give in to it - i always convince myself that there will be other people suffering more than i am.
I hope that the site will be of help to you - i find it comforting to freely open up with people who have similar issues - we are not alone here!
Take care, Gary.
Hi, welcome aboard - i am new myself.
I have Social Phobia; i suppose i have had it most of my life - it can be crippling at times, but i refuse to give in to it - i always convince myself that there will be other people suffering more than i am.
I hope that the site will be of help to you - i find it comforting to freely open up with people who have similar issues - we are not alone here!
Take care, Gary.
cawth
Active member
thanks
its weird chating kinda, openly about it cause its soooo hard normaly because people dont understand what your going through. and too be fair, if i hadnt been the one with these experiences then i probably wouldnt understand either. have you tried any different therapys?
wb x
its weird chating kinda, openly about it cause its soooo hard normaly because people dont understand what your going through. and too be fair, if i hadnt been the one with these experiences then i probably wouldnt understand either. have you tried any different therapys?
wb x
hiddenman
Member
Hello again!
Hello again! Thanks for responding to me. In the last six months or so, i have attended a group therapy session (7 weeks); at the time it was quite tiring mentally and also sharing your problems with complete strangers - initially i was contemplating walking away from it, but i realised i would be no further on - by the end of it, i felt refreshed - maybe to the point that i did not want it to end. I would say that it was positive for me - in fact i would like to join or organise a similar group setting. I also go to Meditation classes; this i find difficult, due to being with people who do not know i have Social Phobia - this is quite challenging. I am looking at other areas that may be of help, but i am not too sure what?
Let me know what you have done or are doing to help yourself.
Take care, Gary.
Hello again! Thanks for responding to me. In the last six months or so, i have attended a group therapy session (7 weeks); at the time it was quite tiring mentally and also sharing your problems with complete strangers - initially i was contemplating walking away from it, but i realised i would be no further on - by the end of it, i felt refreshed - maybe to the point that i did not want it to end. I would say that it was positive for me - in fact i would like to join or organise a similar group setting. I also go to Meditation classes; this i find difficult, due to being with people who do not know i have Social Phobia - this is quite challenging. I am looking at other areas that may be of help, but i am not too sure what?
Let me know what you have done or are doing to help yourself.
Take care, Gary.
cawth
Active member
well i am reciving cognative therapy at the moment every few weeks, and they send me off with a list of stuff to do and try but thats about it. Yeah group activities like that are always hard. Have you found the meditation stuff quite useful? i have been doing a few of those relaxing cd's but i havnt really noticed much of a difference with them. wb xx
hiddenman
Member
Hi!
Hi Cawth, got your message thanks, apologies for the belated response - i have just discovered MSN; some of my young family members find it quite amusing to hear that i am not aware of MSN - old age can be annoying, joking.
You mention you are active with Cognitive therapy; i am also trying that process - it is too early for me to give an opinion on it, give me a few weeks and i will let you know. Does it help you?
Would you recommend Meditation at home, as i get easily distracted when i go to the Meditation group?
take care and hope to hear from you soon, Gary.
Hi Cawth, got your message thanks, apologies for the belated response - i have just discovered MSN; some of my young family members find it quite amusing to hear that i am not aware of MSN - old age can be annoying, joking.
You mention you are active with Cognitive therapy; i am also trying that process - it is too early for me to give an opinion on it, give me a few weeks and i will let you know. Does it help you?
Would you recommend Meditation at home, as i get easily distracted when i go to the Meditation group?
take care and hope to hear from you soon, Gary.