Feel like my life's a mess and been offered a job interview-advice & rant needed!

[katie23]

For the past 3 years I've been badly Agrophobic because my panic attacks have became frequent every time I leave the house I get symptoms or a panic attackI have a regime if I leave the house I have to have someone with me I trust, the car near by or get a taxi there and back and know my escape routes. My life's become stuck in a trap if I don't have to leave the home I won't, I'll just stay in because of my panic attacks and I don't know how to get out of it.

My symptoms are, are that I feel like I can't breathe, I just feel awful and I don't feel like I know who I am or where I am it's almost like the most terrifying nightmare I've ever had.

I applied for a job a few weeks ago on the belief that it would help me get out the house. However, this has now set of super high anxiety. I had a job interview years ago and had a panic attack during it and just ran out because I felt trapped, I'm worried that will happen again and it's a job I'd really love to do. I'm unsure if to take diazepam before hand, my GP gave me a small 2ng to take as and when needed but I've never took them. I do have propanol again I've never took them! :unsure:

I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice or any experiences of job interviews with panic disorder and getting through them??

[DPW16]

Hi Katie!

This is how I look at things, it may not help you, but it helped me when I was dealing with something along your lines.

I envisaged all of my made up safety barriers as walls.

A safety barrier being something you would use to enable you to carry out a task.

You say you can't leave the house without a friend. Your friend is a saftey barrier, so is classed as a wall, in which you have to knock down haha!

Segregate each item you normally do into walls and individually knock each of them down until you feel confident to walk freely down the street with no panic on your mind.

It's a slow process, but by knocking these ''walls'' down in which you have created you will help yourself.

Choose a location in which you can practice with.

Once you re-programme your mind to realise you're safe and that there's nothing to worry about your chains will be released.

At the moment it seems like you need your safety barrier, and that you can't do anything without them. But you're the one who made these walls. They aren't helping you they're hindering you.

I hate job interviews too! you're bound to get anxious / nervous (it's normal). Practise the 7/11 breathing technique before hand and try and be excited about the prospect.

What's the worst that can happen eh!.

[Oosh]

I would try out those meds before the job interview and see if you feel they help.

Take one, do one of your ventures out with a trusted someone. See if there's an improvement. Then try the other one on a different day.

Sounds like zero to an interview might be tricky so if one of these can be of use to you it means you can use them to push forward with your plans. It'll be hard at first until you build confidence up and reduce the fear.

[Itsshupe]

I suffer from agoraphobic as well. Thank god I got a job semi near my safe zone. All I can say with the interview as dumb as it sounds just accept the panic and know it's just a panic. Hardest part about looking for a job. Is the interview and the first week or two. The first day I wanted to quit. But after awhile it's actually nice to go to work and get out of the house. Just take the small steps you need or take one of the meds just to help you get through it. I still carry around Atavan with me just incase.