View Full Version : My day out..how it went
I just spent ages typing this and lost it so will try again! Today was the big family dinner for my cousins 50th birthday. I felt fine this morning getting ready to go. The journey was 1hour and we drove down the road where I had witnessed a fatal car accident 37 years ago when I was 17. A long time ago but still fresh in my mind. I started to have flashbacks and feel panicky but I changed the scene to black an white (something I read in a Paul Mckenna book and it works). I managed to control my thoughts and started to visualise myself going in the restaurant and smiling at my cousins, Aunts etc. When I got there I sat on the table nearest to the exit with my immediate family members. Everything was going well until I picked up the menu...it was different to the one I saw on the internet yesterday!! My husband realised straight away and said "it will be fine we can sort it". I decided that I would have 2 starters instead of a starter and a main course. They didn't mind when I ordered a starter for my main. I actually enjoyed the meal and chatting with my family. I was fine until it was time to leave and that is when the dizzy, spaced out anxious feeling hit me! I managed to make it to the car and sat with my eyes closed all the way home (My husband was driving not me!!). Now I am home. Pleased and positive that I made it through the meal but feeling totally exhausted and still a bit spaced out and shivery. I will try to focus on the fact that I was fine during the meal :)
I'm glad you managed to have such a lovely meal.
What a lovely supportive husband you have. My dad's like that with me. It makes such a difference to have someone like that on your side.
I hope you can have a good rest and recover now. You did well :)
Well done Annie that is a fantastic achievement you should be proud. And i agree your husband sounds brilliant! :-)
Reward yourself with something nice tonight and have a nice chilled evening
Jenni xx
Thank you Edie and Jenni..Yes my husband is brilliant and supportive and seems to be able to sense now when I am going to panic! I am starting to relax again now. Sitting by the fire, and watching TV :)
Well done Annie :-)
It's not easy doing exposure that is forced upon you but you handled it brilliantly and put all your new skills into practice
I'm sure that if you start doing regular planned gradual exposure exercises from CBT4PANIC you will make rapid progress towards recovery.
you should be very proud of yourself today :)
Thank you Robin...I am feeling quite pleased with myself how I coped with today, especially having to drive down the dreaded road and not panicking about the menu change...thank you for your advise yesterday about that :)
Well done Annie, I'm pleased it went well and you were able to overcome both the obstacles you had anticipated, and the menu one that you hadn't :) I hope your cousin had a lovely birthday too.
Don't worry in the least about feeling anxious when it was time to leave. I nearly always get this, and I think it's just because my brain goes "Wow, I didn't panic through that", so I get a surge of adrenaline to thank me for thinking of panic, lol.
My cousin was really surprised...He thought he was just meeting a couple of his friends there! I think you may be right there...I was so relieved I had got through it all maybe that relief caused the surge of adrenaline. I was anxious all the way home and we were going to call at the supermarket but said I would have to leave it until tomorrow. Now that I am home I am feeling much more relaxed. Supermarket challenge tomorrow!! (the worst fear for that at the moment is someone running over my bad foot with a trolley :D
Edward_1980
13-10-12, 20:32
Well done Annie :)
You did very well today and you should be proud of yourself. You did it!
Edward_1980
13-10-12, 20:51
Not a bother Annie. You did really well today, so give yourself a well deserved pat on the back :)
Well done Annie you did so well! I am finding after I have challenged myself abd I get through it then I feel panicky, but I think it's just a release from the pressure you put yourself under trying to cope with the challenge, it shows you though that you are actually controlling it to a level which is fantastic! Xx
Thanks Laura...I really am pleased that I coped with it and didn't have the fear of feeling sick. I didn't eat a lot, just melon for starters then I had another starter (soup) for main course and even managed cheesecake for dessert (I usually won't eat a dessert). x
Edward_1980
13-10-12, 21:25
You did so well Annie. Seriously, you coped a lot better than I would have done. I am going for a Chinese next week and I know that I won't cope as well as you did. You really achieved something today that you should be really proud of. I just hope that I can be as brave as you were today.
xBettyBoopx
13-10-12, 21:35
Annie
Very well done:yesyes: You must be sooooooooooo pleased with yourself. I am pleased for you.
Congratulations.
Say you will be Edward...If you think you won't cope, you won't...be positive and say that you can cope. On the way there I visualised myself sitting happy in the restaurant talking to my family and enjoying the meal...because I could visualise myself doing that it made it easier. The panicky bit was that the menu had changed but I managed to keep that in control. Look forward to your Chinese meal :)
---------- Post added at 21:38 ---------- Previous post was at 21:37 ----------
Annie
Very well done:yesyes: You must be sooooooooooo pleased with yourself. I am pleased for you.
Congratulations.
Thank you :) x
MRS STRESS ED
13-10-12, 21:41
Im so pleased for you annie glad it went well xxxxxxx Jude :)
AuntieMoosie
13-10-12, 22:22
You did great Annie:yesyes:
It's never easy, but I think you managed really well hun, I'm proud of you:yesyes:
Just let yourself slowly build up your confidence, each time you do it and you manage, you will grow more confident.
Keep going hun, you're doing really well:yesyes:
:bighug1::bighug1::bighug1:
Thanks AuntieMoosie :) xx
paranoidtree
14-10-12, 10:54
Well done Annie, i know how worried you were about this and you breezed it! Especially the menu change, goodness! you should be so happy with yourself, make sure you store this one in your memory banks! :D
Well done Annie, i know how worried you were about this and you breezed it! Especially the menu change, goodness! you should be so happy with yourself, make sure you store this one in your memory banks! :D
Thank you :) x
Thank you Gem...I have made the trip to the supermarket today also..only to buy myself some jeans but I managed it :)
Well done Annie!! I think that is an amazing success!! Bit of panic towards the end..who cares!! YOU MADE IT THROUGH!! Very proud of you!! You are definitely on the road to recovery! No doubt about that!! xx
GOOd ONE ANNIE!!!!!:hugs:
Thank you Lu and Magic...I do feel quite pleased with myself :) xx
Well done Annie, remember to try to focus on the positives from trips out like that rather than the negatives! I know how hard it can be. I suffer with my stomach because of anxiety and whenever we go anywhere i have to know where the toilet is as soon as i get there and sit near where i can get out if i need to. It's a struggle but as many people say, its the thought that is more daunting than the actual action itself because the majority of the time when you go somewhere it does end up being ok and you wonder why you got yourself so worked up in the first place.
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