Can anyone offer me some advice?

[Juliet]

Hello all,
I have suffered panic attacks and anxiety for yonks,to the point where I left my job and havent worked for 2 years.

For the past 6 months though I have been heaps better and thought I had cracked it,with medication,relaxation and determination.I have been able to do stuff like go on holiday,go to parties,the supermarket(alone).All things that I would have freaked out at a while back.

So,as things seemed to be going so well,and i was fed up and bored at home I started applying for jobs.Now I have an interview next week and I can feel the anxiety creeping back.Has anyone got any tips for me on how I can get through this.I really want to get over this obsticle and do something on my own,as I have found that getting through big tasks helps me in moving on to the next one.

[Meg]

Dear Juliet,

Massive congratulations for doing so well . You're pretty much there.

Welcome to the human race . We all (everyone) gets nervous at the prospect of an interview especially after a couple of years out.

It's just that we are so used to associating nervousness with fear leading to anxiety and onwards to panic that at the first touch of feeling normal nerves we're all uptight and tense....

You get through this by telling yourself - constantly - how great you've been and how normal and appropriate these feelings are. Ensure you take time out to really let go and relax periodically in the days leading up to interview , if nervousness hits you distract yourself with something fun and nice in honour of having got to this point.

We all have a comfort zone - with anxiety and panic we often shrink this - you have now pushed back and expanded yours to the point of boredom. Fabulous !!

All you are doing now is pushing and expanding your new comfort zone out a bit more and it can feel uncomfortable whilst you do it.

Rest assured you will never return to your small world, you know too much !

Take heart ( and a big breath) and Just Go For It .

Well done, Good Luck next week and keep us posted.


Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...