I AM HAPPY :) Three months of CBT has paid off!

[UnOccupied]

Hey, just wanted to let everyone know of some good news...Today is my OFFICIAL three month anniversary with CBT. Yes, i know it may sound tacky, but i am SO HAPPY for myself! i NEVER stick with things for this long.

It has really changed my life around. Let me try to think of some good things that have been happening to me, due to my practice with CBT.

It is really hard to just flat out explain good things in my life that have been changing, or that have been happening to me, even though there has been so many, but i will give it my best.

Ok, well i am together with a girl for the first time in about 5 years(since i developed SA), i can now go places in public, and i can just be myself, without worrying so much about what other are thinking of me. I can count on myself to be able to have those "small talk" conversations with others that we ALL DREAD so much(i actually had one with an old professor of mine today, IN THE BATHROOM, lol, i was so proud of myself for that one!). Ummm, what else...oh, well i actually have been talking to a girl i have had a crush on for a longggg time, and she talks to me too...ummm, i am doing well in my classes, and i am feeling good enough to study for the required amount of hours i should(this sort of went hand in hand with the anxiety, because it would get so bad that id get depressed, and not be able to study)...

umm, also i can now go out on weekends without having to fear becoming depressed...actually, this past weekend, i was at a crowded club/bar, and i got very anxious, but i managed to defuse the situation, and the anxiety went away, and i ended up having a good night. I no longer dread the weekends, i now look forward to them. This is a BIG ONE for me, being a 21 year old college student. The weekends used to scare me, but now i hate it when they end! Lol, im sorry for boasting, but i just want everyone to see how well CBT works, and how easy it can be, and in how in just three short months, i have gone from being suicidal, wanting to drop out of college, to being someone who could say they love life.


Yes, i said it, i LOVE LIFE. I am not even feeling my best right now, im a little tired, and somewhat anxious about a friend coming home, but i can still say i LOVE MY LIFE RIGHT NOW. It is a great feeling. I can just count on myself to be in social situations and be comfortable with them just about all the time.



I obviously still have parts of my life i want i don't like, and want to change. But i can just feel the power i have inside me now, and i know i am changing every second of every day. I am going to live the life i want, and it is coming soon.

I hope this was good reading for you guys. I am not trying to brag at all, i just want you all to see the progress that YOU can make against your SA. Please let me know if you have any questions for me, i will be glad to answer them

 

[Daz]

Ok, well i am together with a girl for the first time in about 5 years

well i actually have been talking to a girl i have had a crush on for a longggg time, and she talks to me too...ummm


Woahhh, slow down...

Nah that's great, i love hearing success stories, it never worked for me but well done!

 

[TooShyShy]

THATS FANTASTIC!!!! GOOD FOR YOU!!!! I CAN FEEL YOUR JOY

Can you tell us what are some of the things that you had to do? What helped you in the love department and talking to this girl you've liked for a looong time????

 

[Sial Axetder]

What? Cannot understand. Apologies, hard to keep my attention phocased today.

 

[mismeek]

OMG congrats!!!! Whats one thing that you can do now that you couldnt before?

 

[UnOccupied]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Well, the love life thing sort of just happened. Like, i made a whole new group of friends, started talking to new people, and things just started happening. The girl i really like, it just happened by chance how we met up again. And, i smiled at her and said hi...two days later, she texted me...two days after that, we hung out on the weekend, and had a blast!

I think love life, friends, relationships, and that come secondary to coping with your SA. I am serious here, i didn't even try very hard for all these good things to happen to me, it just seems that as i have gotten over my SA(and continue to), my general happy outlook on life just makes things happen for me. I think when we can calm down our anxiety, everything else just falls into place, like a normal person. Without anxiety, you become more open, and more people approach me, and want to be around me, its so great!


One thing i can do now that i coudln't do before...hmm, well i listed a bunch in my orignal post, but here one of my favorites. I no longer put so much pressure on myself to say hi to people on campus. For example, i used to keep my head up, and pretend i was happy, and fear walking by people, ebcause i was scared of having to say to anyone i knew. Now, i don't even think about this stuff anymore, and saying hi to people just comes natural.

On that note, today i was walking home from class, and a cute girl smiled at me, and we made eye contact(another huge step for me!). So, i noticed she was reading a paper, and i assumed she was studying for a test, so i said to her, "Hey, good luck on your test!" And she giggled and seemed very happy.

Please ask more questions, i would be glad to help anyone, or give my input ))))

 

[Danfalc]

That's great!It's reassuring and inspiring to hear of people beating anxiety.Sounds like thing's are falling into place for you.Hope thing's keep working out for you!

 

[pebblesdundee]

you lucky bastard. not sure how long ive been having CBT for now, its at least 6 months, and i feel like im in exactly the same place as i was when i started.. good for you though

 

[EscapeArtist]

That's wonderful You sound so happy, and rightfully so!

What's this Social Anxiety cbt program? Are doing CBT with a therapist? or from a book? Or this program...? It sounds so helpful so, very curious!!

 

[UnOccupied]

you lucky bastard. not sure how long ive been having CBT for now, its at least 6 months, and i feel like im in exactly the same place as i was when i started.. good for you though

Which program are you doing? And, do you practice every single day? That is the key. You need to read the stuff so much that you get bored of it, and think its a waste of time. This way, when you are in public, in stressful anxious situations, the therapy magically pops into your mind when all your mind wants to do it go into anxiety mode...actually, i just spent an hour(when i should have been studying for a test tomorrow) re reading 50 pages of old handouts that are already pretty foundational in my mind. haha

EscapeArtist,
I am doing the program, Overcoming Social Anxiety: Step by Step, by Dr. Thomas Richards. It is a 20 cd collections of CBT, that slowly guides you through steps, techniques, thoughts, etc., to help you cope, and eventually overcome your social anxiety. It really is an easy thing, it just is time consuming, and it can be hard to keep yourself from totally giving up.
I am on disc 13 now(about to start 14 tomrorow), and am loving the healing that had happened inside me. I can't stress enough that i am not where i want to be yet. I just consider myself "happy" for the first time in as long as i can rememebr. I know i will "cure" my anxiety pretty soon, but i am patiently waiting, and sticking with the therapy. Highly recommend this to everyone who actually wants to get better. If you are looking for a quick fix, magic cure, this is not for you. It is a slow moving, step by step thorough program.

 

[missjesss]

wow that is amazing congratulations!! how many hours do you do the course for per week and are you on meds also? DETAILS PLEASE !!!

 

[UnOccupied]

wow that is amazing congratulations!! how many hours do you do the course for per week and are you on meds also? DETAILS PLEASE !!!

Lol, yes maam! Details you shall get I do my therapy for about 20-40 minutes a day. But, some days i will do like 5 minutes just to tell myself i actually did it, and some days i will do over an hour.

And, NO, no meds for me. I tried them a while back and didn't have success. I want to start taking some natural medicines and supplements to help me relax.

You take meds?

BTW, miss jess, how did your date go last week!?

 

[missjesss]

well that is rlly great news for you!! I love hearing about others success stories

can you tell me where I can purchase the programme that you are doing so that I can do it aswel! I have also been going to therapy seeing a phyc ive had 4 sessions so far and she is training me with my thoughts so far its great ;-) but I want to do more for myself I recently got back on my medication as I started to spiral backwards after my breakup with my last bf and some of the things i thought I conquered returned

but now that im learning in regards to my thoughts and thinking processes I know I am on the right track to fixing myself permanently even if i decide to stay on meds i dont need much and they help to keep me from fidgeting in my seat at work

If you want some great natural remedies check out this link: http://us.cpoliquin.com/product_p/holy basil supreme.htm that is one supplement to help with ur moods and cognition, take 6 fish oils daily, magnesium plus 2-3 during the day and also take 3 at night to assist with ur sleep and get urself a multi vitamin also give accupuncture a try its great! thats what I done when I was off my meds im a supplement queen lol

omg lets just say I have seen this guy quite a few times now and its the same feelings i got when I met my bf 2 years ago that I actually loved its great he works in the mines tho 2 weeks on and 1 week off but I think this could be a good thing as it gives me time to work on myself more and heal

I totally know the feeling of s.a stopping us from finding someone and friends! :-(

 

[Honda]

Im glad for you.. IMHO, i realize that the more action you have in your life the less SA controls you... What's you opinion about it?

 

[Enialis227]

-Deleted by Enialis227-

 

[UnOccupied]

Im glad for you.. IMHO, i realize that the more action you have in your life the less SA controls you... What's you opinion about it?

Well yes and no. I think if you have a lot going on in your life, but you are suffering from severe SA, you will NEVER get any better. I believe we must manage our SA before we can take on all the tasks of a normal persons day effectively. By manage, i don't mean overcome it, i just mean getting your anxiety to a point where you can count on yourself to be able to handle yourself in social situations. It can be done, but the SA just makes everything harder to do, and by doing many activities, all you are doing is reinforcing your fear and anxiety, and making it grow stronger inside of you...make sense?

**** yeah, I'm glad to hear about another one of us who has their conditions under management.

And damn you for not needing meds. . . my agenda to convert everyone on here into brain dead, pill popping zombies has received a crushing blow.

No, seriously, I'm glad for you.

hahaha, i tried meds in the past! Just wasn't right for me. If they work for you, then congrats. But, i also get scared of meds, because i don't trust pharmaceutical companies motives. But, thats not here nor there. ::

well that is rlly great news for you!! I love hearing about others success stories

can you tell me where I can purchase the programme that you are doing so that I can do it aswel! I have also been going to therapy seeing a phyc ive had 4 sessions so far and she is training me with my thoughts so far its great ;-) but I want to do more for myself I recently got back on my medication as I started to spiral backwards after my breakup with my last bf and some of the things i thought I conquered returned

but now that im learning in regards to my thoughts and thinking processes I know I am on the right track to fixing myself permanently even if i decide to stay on meds i dont need much and they help to keep me from fidgeting in my seat at work

If you want some great natural remedies check out this link: Holy Basil Supreme that is one supplement to help with ur moods and cognition, take 6 fish oils daily, magnesium plus 2-3 during the day and also take 3 at night to assist with ur sleep and get urself a multi vitamin also give accupuncture a try its great! thats what I done when I was off my meds im a supplement queen lol

omg lets just say I have seen this guy quite a few times now and its the same feelings i got when I met my bf 2 years ago that I actually loved its great he works in the mines tho 2 weeks on and 1 week off but I think this could be a good thing as it gives me time to work on myself more and heal

I totally know the feeling of s.a stopping us from finding someone and friends! :-(

I have been wanting some supplements lately, but don't really know what to get. I will give a look at that link you gave me. Also, i want to see an herbalist, or a naturopathic doctor. I am just looking for some stress relief and relaxing supplements. Nothing crazy, or mega dosage, just something to aid in my slowing down. Nothing like St. Johns wort or anything that serious, but i am keeping my eyes open for something.

 

[mictsekk]

I started doing the same program. seems good so far. and your story is really inspirational

 

[UnOccupied]

I started doing the same program. seems good so far. and your story is really inspirational

Good! How far are you? If you have any questions, please ask me. Not that i am an expert or anything, but i do know the therapy can be hard to continue with sometimes, i've experienced all that by myself.

 

[Ramokee]

Could someone please send me the audio and handout for dr richards? I dl from the net but quality is poor due to tape audio. Wanted to buy the series but the cost is more than my monthly salary. I live in Malaysia.

 

[Snowdrop]

Does anyone know if it's only available in America? I've had a look on UK sites like Amazon.co.uk and they don't do them...:/ It sounds very promising though as it seems a lot of people have improved with this