back to work!!!!

[andy01]

hi all
im still new here and have read lots of peoples challenges and good advice on how to overcome them.
i have been off work for christmas and found alot of the time on my own in the house, i dreaded the shopping aspect and got through by going to smaller shops that were quieter. I am now going back to work tomorrow and i feel panicky but worst of all i have applied for a new job which along with an interview involves 3 wks away for a course. im scared already that i will have panic attacks.
how do you stop building youreself up to future events with fear of them?

sorry to go on

[ceecee]

well done andy
i,m sorry but i don,t really have any advice about the overcoming of panic attacks,but have you ever tried rescue remedy?thats pretty good for taking the edge off the panic,or try some relaxation before you go.positive thinking is also good(i should practice what i preach!!!!lol)but i wish you the best of luck
take care
rach x

[Jellybaby]

Good luck and I hope it goes well for you. After years of anxiety problems I am now looking for a job and have an interview soon.

I get through it by thinking there will be a lot of people in similar situations but the most important thing for me is my breathing - controlling that and finding a way to help me relax.



http://www.mumszone.co.uk

[misterg]

Hi Andy
Youre so right! We all start getting anxious way before the actual event. I'm a recovered panic / anxiety sufferer. Several things u can do to help are:
Put a rubber band on your wrist and whenever you start thinking of future scenarios... snap the rubber band real hard. Its hard to concentrate on Future anxiety while dealing with the present pain
Another thing is to admit you will worry about the upcoming event but not till tomorrow. This eliminates the "Build up" of anxiety each day and by the time comes you wont be at that extreme built up level.
Another thing that always helped was relaxation thru self hypnosis...its easy to learn and do... if not familiar look into it and create a post hypnotic suggestion that will bring you to instsnt calm. I use a KEY word

Lastly ... MY grandad used to say that a coward dies a thousand deaths the brave man but once....Think about that...



Dan

[jo61]

Hi Andy, anticipatory anxiety is the worst ever isn't it? I suffer from it in a big way and often the worry about the future is worse than the event.

Jo x

[fionag1710]

im trying to gear myself up to go back to work after a year out and im terrified of all the what ifs - I know im creating a lot of it in my own head but it doesnt stop the panic! if you find a good way of dealing with it Andy please let me know and good luck with the interview

[doglover]

Hi Andy
I was off work for over 3 weeks at Christams, some leave and some off sick after having a massive bout of anxiety and panic attack. I was really scared to go back and worrying about having a panic attack. I confided in my closest friend at work about my problems which was a big relief for me. He understood ( found out he had had a panic attack once ) and agreed that if i started to feel panicky and had to leave quickly to clam down he would know why i had walked out and cover for me if need be.
I also have my Bach rescue remedy in my pocket at all times.
I was so busy when i went back that i soon felt more confident and it was actually a big relief to not be sitting at home where my mind was constantly whirring with anxious thoughts.
Good luck and im sure once the first day is out the way you will start to feel better.
Donna :yesyes:

[Amilie]

Have you ever tried doing a thought challenging excersise? I swear by this and do one EVERY time I do something I am anxious about.

I ask myself 6 topics (I write all of this down).

1) Overestimating Something bad will Happen - What do you think will happen? Probably that you will have a panic attack whilst in the interview.
2) Overestimating how bad the event will be - If you do panic, what do you envisage happening? It may be that you will faint, or start to shake or have to leave without explanation, make a fool of yourself, go mad (any of this familiar?!!).
3) Overestimating your own coping abilities - This may be that you don't think you'll be able to calm yourself down, or you won't stop panicking until you get home.

Those first three are dealing with your catastrophic fears. What you imagine when you think about the event.
Next you need to counterbalance these with the probable reality and facts of the situation.

4)What is the Actual worst that would happen? - If you did panic, would you go mad? Would you lose control of yourself? Would you faint, throw-up, make a fool of yourself etc? Chances are the answer. in reality, is no.
An example of one of mine is (going to an interview): "I will be very nervous before I go to the interview and while I am waiting to go in, I will do my breathing until I am called in. This is the "moment of commitment" so I will be very nervous at this point and will find it hard to concentrate. I will go into the interview and the person will talk me through the role, company etc and I won't have to say too much to start with. I will keep doing my breathing while this is happening. When I start to answer the questions I may be a bit slow to start but once I get into it and find my voice then I will be fine and would have calmed down. By the time the interview is over I will be calm and very pleased with myself for doing it."
You can see that the reality is that I will be nervous and stressed but is it as bad as the catastrophic fears of going mad, shaking etc?
5) What are the facts? - Use this bit to really get rid of the negative thoughts. eg, everyone gets nervous about interviews, the interviewer will not be surprised if I seem nervous, it will only be for an hour, I am fine talking to people I don't know and this is no different, if I do panic I can calm myself down. Use anything you can think of that applies to this situation.
Finally number 6) Why is this important? - eg, Because I really want this job, to show myself I can do these things, to get used to going to interviews, because I want more money! Anything encouraging that gets you excited rather than fearful.

That's it! That's my trick for doing anything I get nervous about (which is most things!). I know I have rambled but this tecnique has helped me so much to challenge my anticipatory fear. It is hard to do to start with but the more you do it the better and easier it gets.

oh, one more thing! rate your anxiety before and after the event. It will almost always be higher before than after. This is really good for reinforcing that antcipatory fear is never reality.

Good Luck!!