Trying not to freak out over paint fumes

[laurenmk]

I had a business meeting at a client's office. Unbeknownst to me they were painting. This is one of my triggers. I started wracking my brain trying to figure out how to get out of there but couldn't come up with anything plausible. We had to shimmy past this painter in the hallway, which of course made me nervous that paint got on me. I held my breath. Then the meeting was in this conference room with no windows or circulation. I was struggling to find the right words, which my anxiety naturally told me was because the fumes were already getting to my head. I kept trying not to breathe too much, which just isn't possible over the course of 40 minutes.

I am in a cab on my way back to my office and not well. I feel light headed and I can't get a deep breath. My chest hurts. I was really having a good week HA-wise. This is awful.

[Nzxt27]

I'm sure painters smell paint a lot. Even if they wear mask at work.

[laurenmk]

I'm feeling better about the inhalation part, but am still struggling to get over the proximity part. This guy that was painting the hallway had this half wall type barrier in front of him that I had to shimmy past. I'm pretty overweight, so I know parts of me hit it and he was actively painting just a foot from me. My mind is telling me I'm 'contaminated'. . .that all the clothes I had on are too (trying to fight the urge to throw them out). I just have this overwhelming feeling of not being clean and being contaminated.