Greetings!!

[mypanichelp]

Hi all,

This is my first email on the forum. Just wanted to introduce myself and why I came here.

I am suffering from Panic Disorder/Anxiety Attacks since 14 months. My attacks come from interacting with people (talking with someone personally, over phone, giving a presentation etc etc). And the whole life everyone interacts with people. So I feel panicked always except when I am sitting alone :)

I tried all sorts of things to help me deal with the attacks (breathing exercises, changing job, praying god :) ). After I got exhausted and tired with trying out things myself, recently I saw a doctor and now I am on Zoloft 50Mg (started with 1/2 tablet, then 1 and later on I will be on 2 tablets per day).

I miss the old myself and feel really sad that I kind of lost 14 months in my life. I am hoping this medicine will help me.

I feel lucky to come across this forum which looks to be quite active.

Regds

[Karen]

Hi Mypanichelp

Welcome to the forum. I have social phobia which causes anxiety and panic from talking and being with people too, although I have had it for over 20 years.

It is good that you are seeking help from your doctor. You will get a lot of help and support here.



Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.

[seh1980]

hello there!

Welcome to the forum!! I'm sure you will receive loads of help and support here.

Sarah :D

[davebrum]

hi there welcome
well what can i say its all been said above lol
this is a fantastic site as yo will find out look forward to seeing more about you
david

[vernon]

hi. sorry to hear you are so down, you have came to the right place cos we all suffer the same anxieties here. How long you been on medication? cos they can take up to six weeks to work and when you first start taking them you can accualy feel worst until they kick in. Hope you find the support you need here which i am sure you will take care Vernon

[jill]

Hello:D

Welcome to the site,
There are lots of nice people here who
will give you help and support.

Jillxx

[pips]

Hi and Welcome to the site.

Have a look around it's filled with lots of useful infomation and friendly supportive people!

Take care,

Love PIP'S XX

[Meg]

Hi

Welcome to the site .

The things you mention that you've done are great to help you through the actual panic attacks . What have you done to address the causes of the social phobia and your attititude towards people so being around people will not be so scary for you ?


Meg

It is impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into it.
- Albert Einstein.

[KW]

Hi there

Welcome to the site. You will find lots of good support and advice here.

I've suffered with social phobia for about 20 years now so i fully understand what you've been going through. Has the medication made a difference? Hope it is working for you.

KW

[mypanichelp]

Thanks guys.

Addressing the questions asked by some of you...

Sorry for the longish reply but it feels good to share this stuff.. :)

I am on the medication from 2 weeks only. And yes there seems to be increase in panic feelings. Also there is problem with digestion and i am feeling bit nausea. Hope it will go away soon.

Regarding social situations, I still avoid them 25% of the times. Rest 75% I walk through it. Before confrontation (say I have called my friends for get-together at our home) there is increased heartbit, sweaty palms, increased pressure, blocked state of mind, red hot ear. After confrontation it eases many times (around 75%) and I go through the incident smoothly. Rest of the times I just keep quiet not being myself or if I am outside, I get away from there and come home.

I think the cause of my social phobia is that the first panic attack I had was a situation when I was in high-pressure, performance intense. weird condition of mind when I was explaining something a collegue who was kind of my competitor.
Then it started percolating into other parts of my life whenever someone asks me something which I have to "explain". Then came fear that when I meet someone, he/she will ask me about thing X which I will have to explain and then I will have a panic attack. So this affected my work and social life.

To avoid panic attacks, I rigorously try to keep myself in control all the time. Telling myself 'No Pressure'. This is quite exhausting to force the control all the time. But it at least helps me get through my day and perform adequately at work.
To ease myself, I also do things like talk to the person over phone before meeting him/her, go outside to get fresh air, keep talking to my wife about something, work on some household thing so I forget about being panicky. But not all the things work all the time. And sometime none of the things work and I just walk through the attack.

Any comments how other people on this group address the panic attacks in social situations?

I have many times considered option of leaving the job and go someplace, be a loner and see if that helps to regain myself. But I always dodge it since it seems like a drastic/foolish thought and bad for my wife.

Thanks

[Meg]

You're doing great . Well done for perservering .

Remember its how you view and think about these situations and their outcomes that cause the panicky feelings not the people involved


Meg

It is impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into it.
- Albert Einstein.

[jo-jo]

Hi there and a big welcome to the forum :D

Looking forward to hearing more about you - I agree that it really helps to share stuff with others who understand what you are going through.

Best wishes, Jo xx

[Karen]

Hi Mypanichelp

It sounds as though you are doing well and making progress with the social phobia.

I have spent the last 20 years avoiding all the situations which cause me to panic and have virtually isolated myself from everyone. It had got to the stage where actually speaking to anyone that I don't know very well was impossible. I am just starting to try to face my fears and have started by talking on the phone, first to one new person, and then trying to build up the number of people I talk to.

I think that is what we all need to do, whatever our fear, to keep trying to push out of the safety zone a little bit at a time. You already sound like you are doing this, so well done.



Karen



It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.