Southend-on-sea today

[gregcool]

Well hear i go..off to the seaside..a test for my anxiety today.As those that know me.you know i suffer agaraphobia etc and thid is a trip out to test it today..iv avoided this kind of trip for years..on the road right now with my friend driviing..Trying not to think of ,open spaces,tunels and most importantly,how far away from home im going to be..stayed at hes house and only had 3 hrs restless sleep due to his snoring and uncomftable sofa bed.so not the best start. So feel very tired..anyway im on the way now..so far all good.just tired

[GirlAfraid23]

I live in Southend :)

[gregcool]

How nice..ill pop in ..ha lol.hope the weather is fine

[almamatters]

Good luck and hope you have a great time! Hope I am brave enough to try something like this soon. :flowers:

[GirlAfraid23]

How nice..ill pop in ..ha lol.hope the weather is fine

It's lovely here today actually!

[gregcool]

Well so far anxiety very low.nearly thete.10 more miles.on the way home i have two tunels to go through..that will need some control..but ill worrie about that latter.Almatters.just be brave.thays all im doinh.iv put this off for years..i just got up and decided im going to challange myself today and go for it.and now im on the jurney.its not as bad as my anxiety mind was making it feel..

[Caramel]

Wow Greg, that's brilliant!! I'm seriously impressed xx I'm very much like you and couldn't even entertain the thought of doing something like that right now - you're an inspiration xxx Have a fantastic time!!!! :)

[Tufty]

Have a great day Greg, you've got good weather for it.

I know how hard these seemingly enjoyable things can feel, try to enjoy it and have an ice cream and paddle in the sea. You've come a long way in your recovery, well done.

Sam

[bluesparkle]

wow ! you are doing really well and sometimes we just feel its the right time to push out boundries.
you will be fine and like you say worry (or not ) about the journey home later.... as you have found out the anticipation is often much worse than doing it.
let us know how you get on and enjoy your day out.
rach
x

[Kim51]

Well done Greg really proud of you, such a milestone to get this far, have a lovely day looking forward to seeing how it all went x

[ElizabethJane]

Well done Greg. I live in Chelmsford so not far away. Have a great day. Don't get sunburnt! EJ

[Annie0904]

I was so pleased to read this Greg. This is the kind of thing that will help you and I hope you have a really good day :D

[Clint70]

Hey Greg nice one, hope you have a great time, I went to Weston Super Mare last week, like you high anxiety about it all, tired on the day.
All worked out well, had one really anxious feeling rotten moment but it didn't spoil the day, but it was bloody freezing on the seafront!!
All the best :-)

[clio51]

Well done Greg for even thinking about doing something like that. Fantastic you've actually done it!!! Massive pat on the back. Hope you enjoyed it and Stuyvesant to anxiety provoking for you.

You will sleep well tonight, but you do now anyway!!

[Spot-the-frog]

Well done Greg, that is brilliant progress, I think you are very brave and wish I could do something like that x Let us all know how it went.

[gregcool]

Thankyou all for your feedback.well its been boiling hot.iv had a great day.there has been several parts where i keep thinking about my x wife and kids,wishing they were hear.felt a bit lonely at times.But made the jurney down hear.and soon will be heading back..got to go through those two tunnels..my bigest phobia,but dont feel anxious about them like i thought i wiould.but om sure asbim coming upto them i will.But i have to go back home through them so i have to do it ..ill let you know how they go

[Annie0904]

I am pleased you have had a good day and it is natural that you would think about your ex wife and kids. The more you get out and about the easier it will get and you will learn to enjoy it more again.

[Andrea2607]

Well done Greg have a lovely day. x

[gregcool]

Thanks Annie .thanks all.well just leaving now..and now i have the two tunnels to face upto...at the moment,anxiety level 0.

[Annie0904]

Greg..you have done really well today so any time you have a little blip remind yourself that you can do this :)

[Edie]

Glad you've mostly managed to have a good day. Hope the journey home goes well for you too!

[gregcool]

Thanks eddie..and i will Annie.im sitting hear now on my way back telling myself ,i do wish me and my familly were sll hear.but at least i managed this long awaited jurney.and without the support of my wife and kids that made me feel safe in life.and now as im about 6 miles from the first tunnel im saying to myself..BRING IT ON..IM READY TO CRUSH THIS SILLY FEAR..and i feel fine..lets see how i am when im in it.its about 5 min long.and that can feel like forever when you fear something

[Annie0904]

The only way to do it is to feel the fear and do it anyway :) I am not too keen on tunnels either and just sing away to myself when I go through them :D

[gregcool]

Im in tunnel number 1..all is dark at the back and the front.i cant see yhe end of the tunnel .so im in the midfle somewhere.and i feel ok..anxiety about of 10...im a 2.....would always excpected to be 10..

---------- Post added at 20:05 ---------- Previous post was at 20:04 ----------

This is easy.ha

[Annie0904]

Well done Greg :yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:

[gregcool]

Even bigger test for next bloody tunnel..1 lane shut and traffic moving slow..will be in hear longer

[Annie0904]

You got through the first so you can do the next :D

---------- Post added at 20:14 ---------- Previous post was at 20:13 ----------

You CAN do it!!

[gregcool]

Over.ahhh...well iv been dredding this long jurney and tunnels for a long time.but today took the plunge...if i can do anyone can.i faced feer straight on..i can now do it again with ease

[Annie0904]

Greg I am so pleased for you :yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::emot-cheering::emot-cheering::emot-cheering::emot-cheering::emot-cheering::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::bigg rin::emot-woot::emot-woot::emot-woot::emot-woot::emot-woot::emot-highfive::emot-highfive::emot-highfive::emot-highfive::emot-highfive::yesyes::yesyes::yesyes::yesyes::yesyes:

[almamatters]

Well done, so pleased for you Greg :)

[gregcool]

The only regrete i have is,i wish i done this with my family a long time ago.my wife would have been soooo happy and proud

---------- Post added at 20:20 ---------- Previous post was at 20:19 ----------

Thanks guys.its lifted my spirits:hugs:

[Annie0904]

Don't spoil your achievement today with regrets. You can't regret something that wasn't achievable and at that point in your life it wasn't achievable. Just be very proud of yourself today and your NMP friends are proud of you too :)

[gregcool]

Your right Annie..good advice as allways..i love my NMP friends.ii love you all for following my jurney in life..thsnks..:hugs::hugs:

[Annie0904]

Greg you sound so much better today...stay positive and this new chapter in your life is going to get better and happier :)

[gregcool]

I will remember this day and allways remind myself that i can achieve more in life..and hope i have many more days just like this one.:D

[Annie0904]

You will :)

[Tessar]

Keep at it Greg,you have alot more strength than you give yourself credit for.... I like your fighting spirit. And keep looking forwards won't you? There is nothing wrong with having regrets. After what you have been through it isnt surprising really. sometimes people use things like that to spur them on in the future. Perhaps rather than regrets, they are reflections and from those reflections you will see areas where in your future you can do things differently.

[gregcool]

Yes Tessar i will keep looking forward.i do have a lot of fight and spirit.I can feel it within me..i will reflect on my life a lot untill im ready to face life on my own..but ill try not regret

[Tessar]

greg, I remember discussing this with my therapist. She felt that there was nothing wrong with, if you like "debating" things that have happened. But... And it's an important but.... She only felt it ok to do this if I was going to use it in a positive way... And that's what I try to do now. You can't just avoid the past. It doesn't go away and it can't be changed. That's something it took me way too long to learn. What I did learn, eventually, is that you can reflect on the past and understand about it. You might even be able to change how you feel about it or accept aspects of it. I have heard lots of people say things along the lines of not letting the past dictate your future. Is true, but not always easy to achieve. Anyway, like I said you keep at it.:yesyes:

[Kim51]

Well done Greg been following all day you have achieved so much xx