SouthernBelle
Active member
Anyone out there with SA from Johannesburg?
Id like to hear from you! Im a 29 year old girl with SA! xx
Id like to hear from you! Im a 29 year old girl with SA! xx
South Africa - Johannesburg
- Thread starter SouthernBelle
- Start date
SouthernBelle
Active member
HI Cape Tonian
Hi there, its comforting to know there are fellow south africans out there! send me a personal message to tell me more about how you are getting on , how old you are etc!
Hi there, its comforting to know there are fellow south africans out there! send me a personal message to tell me more about how you are getting on , how old you are etc!
spikiri
New member
hi
i am a student at cape town originaly from gauteng and i have avoidant personality disoder. i always want to please people
Growing up, I denied to myself that I had feelings. I tried to ignore all of them. A person without feelings, can't get hurt, right? Wrong! I was living behind a wall, in my own world. When I look back I realize that all my thoughts and actions were controlled by my malfunctioning personality. Nothing I thought or felt back then about other people is valid or just. I actually thought that most people wanted to 'figure me out', find me innermost secrets, expose them and ridicule me and take pleasure from the process. It causes great pain to shut of your feelings like that, because it's not just the bad feelings (the anxiety) but the good feelings also (the ability to feel and express love/friendship/ect. for someone else). The isolation is bad, but it's not as bad as the anxiety (in the beginning, at least
i am a student at cape town originaly from gauteng and i have avoidant personality disoder. i always want to please people
Growing up, I denied to myself that I had feelings. I tried to ignore all of them. A person without feelings, can't get hurt, right? Wrong! I was living behind a wall, in my own world. When I look back I realize that all my thoughts and actions were controlled by my malfunctioning personality. Nothing I thought or felt back then about other people is valid or just. I actually thought that most people wanted to 'figure me out', find me innermost secrets, expose them and ridicule me and take pleasure from the process. It causes great pain to shut of your feelings like that, because it's not just the bad feelings (the anxiety) but the good feelings also (the ability to feel and express love/friendship/ect. for someone else). The isolation is bad, but it's not as bad as the anxiety (in the beginning, at least
SouthernBelle
Active member
wow thats interesting!! isnt the mind such an amazing, powerful machine over our emotions and feelings! I think Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is worth doing for anyone with SA or avoidant personality disorder. I know therapy is expensive but perhaps you could start off by buying a book on CBT and then saving up for the therapy sessions. As hard as they are to talk through at first, you always leave feeling great and you learn so much about yourself!! I mean i have SA and i got married in front of 80 people!!! Something i would have avoided like the plague pre-therapy. There was a show recently on 702 medical matters about SA. There are therapists in SA who can help.
Good luck everyone, xx
Good luck everyone, xx
Dill
Well-known member
Thats awesome. I've been looking into trying out CBT. But you know how it goes, can't bloody hell get myself to make the call. :roll:
Well, its true what you say the mind is a powerful thing. Lately I've been trying to outtalk that negative voice that seems to constantly fill my head with doom and gloom and replace it with happy thoughts. After reading it in so many books I've decided to actually try it out, and funny enough.....its actually working!! (well only a little)
Well, its true what you say the mind is a powerful thing. Lately I've been trying to outtalk that negative voice that seems to constantly fill my head with doom and gloom and replace it with happy thoughts. After reading it in so many books I've decided to actually try it out, and funny enough.....its actually working!! (well only a little)
SouthernBelle
Active member
It definitely does work! When you feel bad enough, you will get the energy to phone a therapist, trust me, thats what happened to me! IT got so bad i had to get help! And im so glad i did, CBT is amazing!
My hardest challenge is interviews = i keep avoiding them! I do have a job but id like to move and am frozen!~
Take care~
My hardest challenge is interviews = i keep avoiding them! I do have a job but id like to move and am frozen!~
Take care~
dancingpurplecat
Member
I live in Stellenbosch. I think I have SA but I've never been diagnosed. Too scared, you know how it is. I've never seen anyone behaving like I do so I can't believe that there are actually other people with this condition.
To those who sought help, where did you go?
To those who sought help, where did you go?
SouthernBelle
Active member
You need to look on line (try google) for a psychotherapist in your area who specialises in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. This is the single most effective treatment. Also, buy some books on CBT to help you out.
http://www.anxiety.org.za/
Try the above therapists website to enquire and find nearest in your area.
Its difficult going to your first session but you will not regret it.
Always remember: Avoiding situations makes them harder next time so try never to avoid! Good luck, xx
http://www.anxiety.org.za/
Try the above therapists website to enquire and find nearest in your area.
Its difficult going to your first session but you will not regret it.
Always remember: Avoiding situations makes them harder next time so try never to avoid! Good luck, xx
Sig
New member
Hey !
from Windhoek in Namibia. (so also not quite Jozie or even ZA but close enough).
I'm not entirely sure whether I do in fact suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder, since I frequently have no issue with being amongst other people and having a jol and being myself, but I have periodic fears of directly encountering strangers. . . you know .. like meeting new people, and making friends.
Especially the latter because it seems to take me ages for people to get to trust me even though I always have positive intentions when meeting anybody, so I don't know what it is.. perhaps something in my body-language. . . :?
Anyway .. I'm just wondering something about CBT.
I understand that its creating new thoughts in your mind which will consequently create the right emotions about yourself so that your anxiety (emotion) fades away. Isn't it just a way of using affirmations and goal-setting techniques ?
Why then use a therapist ?
Maybe I'm all wrong in my assumptions ...
Its great to see fellow South/Africans here .. at least as faceless identities we don't need to worry what others could think of us (even though they don't ! ever ! they're thinking of themselves.) . the magic of the internet .
lots of love
from Windhoek in Namibia. (so also not quite Jozie or even ZA but close enough).
I'm not entirely sure whether I do in fact suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder, since I frequently have no issue with being amongst other people and having a jol and being myself, but I have periodic fears of directly encountering strangers. . . you know .. like meeting new people, and making friends.
Especially the latter because it seems to take me ages for people to get to trust me even though I always have positive intentions when meeting anybody, so I don't know what it is.. perhaps something in my body-language. . . :?
Anyway .. I'm just wondering something about CBT.
I understand that its creating new thoughts in your mind which will consequently create the right emotions about yourself so that your anxiety (emotion) fades away. Isn't it just a way of using affirmations and goal-setting techniques ?
Why then use a therapist ?
Maybe I'm all wrong in my assumptions ...
Its great to see fellow South/Africans here .. at least as faceless identities we don't need to worry what others could think of us (even though they don't ! ever ! they're thinking of themselves.) . the magic of the internet .
lots of love
BreakingFree
Well-known member
Love to chat
Hi, all Southern Africans
I would love to chat and find out how you all are coping with live in general.
Hoping to hear from you.
All the best for the New Year!
Breakingfree
Hi, all Southern Africans
I would love to chat and find out how you all are coping with live in general.
Hoping to hear from you.
All the best for the New Year!
Breakingfree
Richardtruff
New member
YAY! We are on here too!
BreakingFree
Well-known member
You say we are on here too? Lets chat.
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BreakingFree
Well-known member
Yippy, another contact! Hope we can chat for a while.
Regards
Regards
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