Aa
anxious about taking a 1 hour class (i am being ridiculous!!)
Hi Everyone,
I am being ridiculous i know that but the crazy side of me is taken over my thoughts, know that I am being absolutely crazy, but I have jewelry making class coming up this sunday and I know that It is only an hour from 1:00-2:00 but I feel like I will never get to leave this class and will never make it home. I have this kind of fear when I go to work but i suspect that most people have this fear because most of don't like work, but all kidding aside, I seriously go in and wonder if I will be able to leave and go home, and in my mind I know every thing has a begining middle and end. But I have this fear about never being able to go back home, I guess that the majority of people have this feeling. Like I also have a horrible fear of dating thinking "oh my god" I can't date if I date then I have to marry who then I have to leave my house have kids and then my parents will die. I seriously go through all of this in my mind. And I know that me asking if anyone has ever felt this is like asking as if the sky is blue of course everyone goes through this, but it might help if someone said they had these same fears of taking classes and dating and basically leaving the house. Thanks for anyone who read this and helps me out.
I am being ridiculous i know that but the crazy side of me is taken over my thoughts, know that I am being absolutely crazy, but I have jewelry making class coming up this sunday and I know that It is only an hour from 1:00-2:00 but I feel like I will never get to leave this class and will never make it home. I have this kind of fear when I go to work but i suspect that most people have this fear because most of don't like work, but all kidding aside, I seriously go in and wonder if I will be able to leave and go home, and in my mind I know every thing has a begining middle and end. But I have this fear about never being able to go back home, I guess that the majority of people have this feeling. Like I also have a horrible fear of dating thinking "oh my god" I can't date if I date then I have to marry who then I have to leave my house have kids and then my parents will die. I seriously go through all of this in my mind. And I know that me asking if anyone has ever felt this is like asking as if the sky is blue of course everyone goes through this, but it might help if someone said they had these same fears of taking classes and dating and basically leaving the house. Thanks for anyone who read this and helps me out.
Oh, and one more thing...MOST people actually don't have this fear...not without having had some experience that would make them feel that way (like getting stuck in an elevator for hours, or in a horrific traffic jam for a day or something).
While this kind of fear is commonplace among anxiety sufferers, for a person without anxiety, they usually don't have those kinds of thought processes. That's because anxiety is not rational...and people without anxiety can easily rationalize their way through a scary thought or experience.
Like, if my car broke down, I would be in instant panic mode...that's how I'm wired...where others would just be annoyed and irritated, but perfectly content to sit in their car until someone came to get them. If I was in that situation, every minute I waited would be hell on Earth.
While this kind of fear is commonplace among anxiety sufferers, for a person without anxiety, they usually don't have those kinds of thought processes. That's because anxiety is not rational...and people without anxiety can easily rationalize their way through a scary thought or experience.
Like, if my car broke down, I would be in instant panic mode...that's how I'm wired...where others would just be annoyed and irritated, but perfectly content to sit in their car until someone came to get them. If I was in that situation, every minute I waited would be hell on Earth.
That's typical anxiety induced thinking. I lived with that same fear ALL of my life, and it persists even as an adult, and Blu is right, it's agoraphobia, which is basically a fear of being "stuck" or trapped somewhere with no escape (the actual definition is fear of open places, but for those of us with anxiety it is defined as a fear of being away from our "safe place").
Have you ever sough treatment for anxiety? If not, you should. These kinds of thoughts are absolutely manageable, you can change the way you think. Right now, even though you KNOW the fear is irrational and you KNOW you're not "stuck" there and will not forever be trapped at your jewely class, the fear doesn't go away.
There are some things you can do right now, to make it so you can go to your class, and make your anxiety about it a little better. When my panic and agoraphobia is high, when I go places, I strategically pick out my seat so it's close to an exit. I make sure my cell phone is fully charged (geez, I remember the days before cell phones, don't know how we did it...my phone alone is a huge comfort measure for me when my anxiety is bad). Also, if you are chatty and strike up a convo with someone nearby, and if you really throw yourself into the class material, you will be distracted enough to get your mind off anxiety, and before you know it, your hour will be up.
I STRONGLY encourage you to really push yourself to go. You will be REALLY tempted to just skip it. When events cause us to be anxious due to agoraphobia, our first reaction is to NOT go through with it, which gives us INSTANT relief.
The bad thing about that is, it sends the brain the wrong message and reinforces the anxiety. If you blow it off, your brain will think there really WAS something to fear. If you push yourself to go, your brain gets the opposite message and understands that there was nothing to fear. Plus, you will have an amazing sense of accomplishment after you've finished the class. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is CRITICAL is overcoming these fears. It takes time and practice, but the more goals you meet, the more confident you will be, and the less anxious you will be. I understand it isn't easy to do, but it's SO important that you try.
Do you have panic attacks? I would guess that you do, as the two things usually go hand in hand. If you do, even if you are feeling panicky, do all you can to try to go through with it and remember that ANYTIME you want to leave, you can. We always think everyone KNOWS we're anxious and panicky...when usually no one has a clue.
You must remind yourself that the fact is you have your own free will and will NEVER be somewhere you don't want to be. Even when life happens, and cars break down, or rides forget to pick us up, there is ALWAYS a way home. I used to remind myself of all of the different ways I could get home should something happen (like to my car).
As a child, those fears were terrifying, because I was dependent on others to get me home...and I was honestly shocked that I still had those fears as an adult, knowing *I* was in control, however I learned that I needed to remind myself that FEAR IS NOT FACT. You won't get lost, you won't EVER get stuck somewhere and never find your way home.
You need to ask your doc for a therapy referral, preferrably to a therapist well versed in CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy. That is a different kind of therapy that is very effective for anxiety sufferers. Have you ever tried any medications for your anxiety? Depending on how debilitating your anxiety and agoraphobia is, you may benefit from meds to help control your symptoms while you start working on changing the thinking/worrying. Once you learn how to break that cycle of "what if" thinking...you will be well on your way to managing your anxiety.
Also, know that you're SO not alone and the way you feel is NOT ridiculous at all...you cannot help it, you have anxiety. I could have written every word of your post and TOTALLY get it. I have the EXACT same fears. I know it feels silly as an adult to type the words, but unless people have experienced it, it's hard for others to understand how scary the idea of not making it home and getting stuck somewhere is to us. You're FAR from alone and you're perfectly normal Having these fears doesn't make you ridiculous, crazy, or weird.
Please let us know how it goes on Sunday okay? You can do it! You'll be very proud of yourself, and I bet it ends up being a very neat experience!! Hang in there!!
Have you ever sough treatment for anxiety? If not, you should. These kinds of thoughts are absolutely manageable, you can change the way you think. Right now, even though you KNOW the fear is irrational and you KNOW you're not "stuck" there and will not forever be trapped at your jewely class, the fear doesn't go away.
There are some things you can do right now, to make it so you can go to your class, and make your anxiety about it a little better. When my panic and agoraphobia is high, when I go places, I strategically pick out my seat so it's close to an exit. I make sure my cell phone is fully charged (geez, I remember the days before cell phones, don't know how we did it...my phone alone is a huge comfort measure for me when my anxiety is bad). Also, if you are chatty and strike up a convo with someone nearby, and if you really throw yourself into the class material, you will be distracted enough to get your mind off anxiety, and before you know it, your hour will be up.
I STRONGLY encourage you to really push yourself to go. You will be REALLY tempted to just skip it. When events cause us to be anxious due to agoraphobia, our first reaction is to NOT go through with it, which gives us INSTANT relief.
The bad thing about that is, it sends the brain the wrong message and reinforces the anxiety. If you blow it off, your brain will think there really WAS something to fear. If you push yourself to go, your brain gets the opposite message and understands that there was nothing to fear. Plus, you will have an amazing sense of accomplishment after you've finished the class. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone is CRITICAL is overcoming these fears. It takes time and practice, but the more goals you meet, the more confident you will be, and the less anxious you will be. I understand it isn't easy to do, but it's SO important that you try.
Do you have panic attacks? I would guess that you do, as the two things usually go hand in hand. If you do, even if you are feeling panicky, do all you can to try to go through with it and remember that ANYTIME you want to leave, you can. We always think everyone KNOWS we're anxious and panicky...when usually no one has a clue.
You must remind yourself that the fact is you have your own free will and will NEVER be somewhere you don't want to be. Even when life happens, and cars break down, or rides forget to pick us up, there is ALWAYS a way home. I used to remind myself of all of the different ways I could get home should something happen (like to my car).
As a child, those fears were terrifying, because I was dependent on others to get me home...and I was honestly shocked that I still had those fears as an adult, knowing *I* was in control, however I learned that I needed to remind myself that FEAR IS NOT FACT. You won't get lost, you won't EVER get stuck somewhere and never find your way home.
You need to ask your doc for a therapy referral, preferrably to a therapist well versed in CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy. That is a different kind of therapy that is very effective for anxiety sufferers. Have you ever tried any medications for your anxiety? Depending on how debilitating your anxiety and agoraphobia is, you may benefit from meds to help control your symptoms while you start working on changing the thinking/worrying. Once you learn how to break that cycle of "what if" thinking...you will be well on your way to managing your anxiety.
Also, know that you're SO not alone and the way you feel is NOT ridiculous at all...you cannot help it, you have anxiety. I could have written every word of your post and TOTALLY get it. I have the EXACT same fears. I know it feels silly as an adult to type the words, but unless people have experienced it, it's hard for others to understand how scary the idea of not making it home and getting stuck somewhere is to us. You're FAR from alone and you're perfectly normal Having these fears doesn't make you ridiculous, crazy, or weird.
Please let us know how it goes on Sunday okay? You can do it! You'll be very proud of yourself, and I bet it ends up being a very neat experience!! Hang in there!!
Aaawww! You need some help, hun. You don't see that your fears are irrational and not felt by everyone to the extent that you do. What you are explaining is classic agoraphobia (fear of social events/people/leaving your home). You should seek counseling for this, so that you can learn how to be more comfortable when you are out in the world. A jewelry making class souds like alot of fun to me! :-) Tell you what, when you go, sit so you can see the door, and sit near a window if possible. Before you go, make sure you have enough gas, check the oil in your car, and walk around the car looking at your tires to see that they look normal and not flat or damaged. If you get over-anxious in class, tell the teacher that you must go get something from your car, and step out for a moment to calm down, and to show yourself that you are not locked into the building. When you go on a date, meet your date somewhere public. That way, you have your own car so you can leave anytime. Being in public assures that your date will behave himself. And if it happens to turn out that you don't WANT your date to behave himself, invite him to follow you home. :-) I hope I have been of some help. Blessings - Blu
Hi and welcome. The thoughts your having are only options that exist. By thinking about them more than normal creates a fear factor. Once the fear factor pops into the equation your left with a possible reality.
Theres an old school thought about the power of attraction, in that thoughts can attract an outcome as thoughts set one on its path.
Control your mind like you control your body. Always remember that you are the creator of you world and dont let the creation of someones elses affect yours. You are unique!
Theres an old school thought about the power of attraction, in that thoughts can attract an outcome as thoughts set one on its path.
Control your mind like you control your body. Always remember that you are the creator of you world and dont let the creation of someones elses affect yours. You are unique!
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