Hi. New sufferer on the block!

[Feelinblue]

Hello everyone. This is my first registration on an anxiety forum and I hope to draw upon advice and experience from other people to help me cope better with my anxiety.

I'm not sure how I would define my anxiety but it seems to be strongest in the following situations:
Eating
Dating - particularly when it involves eating
Interviews and tests - these are not too bad and can pretty much cope ok with them as they are quite infrequent.

I'm a thin lad with a big appetite and fast metabolism and love food, when I'm not suffering with anxiety that is. In the past I have worried about losing weight through this suppressed appetite, which keeps it perpetuated.

I think I have a pretty good understanding of my anxiety and have recorded many little victories but it continues to hinder my enjoyment of life and stop me from achieving.

I've had a course of CBT which was really helpful and I've read a little bit of literature, however sometimes talking is the best thing for me.

[nomorepanic]

Hi Feelinblue

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

[Feelinblue]

Thanks very much Nicola.

[BobbyDog]

Hey feelinblue,

You seem to have a very positive attitude towards your anxiety, perhaps we can learn something from you.

:welcome:

[Feelinblue]

Thanks Bobbydog. Hopefully I can help others through my experiences too.

[Shrimp37]

Hello, nice to hear your success with CBT. I am trying it now, what worked best for you do you think? Would you do it again?

[Feelinblue]

Simply writing thought records and working out an alternative thought was helpful. It forces you to think a different way. It's very tricky trying to isolate and identify automatic thoughts but therein lies the key. For me it's about deconstructing that general feeling into it's components and dealing with them. I'm going to contact 'supportive friends' at work and try to get on a computer based CBT course.