Hello!

[bighenry]

Hello all!

I came across this site yesterday -- it seems very friendly and informative :)

I've had GAD for about a year and a half. It started when I went on holiday to Korea, flying on my own. I've never liked travelling by myself -- fearful of getting lost -- and this was this the first solo flight. Essentially it triggered the anxiety: horrible (as I'm sure everyone knows.) Thought I was going to pass out / have a stroke / couldn't walk, etc, etc. Arrived in Korea and on the second night, checked myself into hospital -- everything (blood, ECG even a CAT scan) was fine, so they diagnosed me with anxiety.

The doctor suggested it would be fine when I got home, and prescribed me some Xanax for the return trip. Unfortunately, it didn't get better; rather it got progressively worse. Initially I tried beta-blockers (not a lot of help), then supposed CBT from an expensive counsellor in London (again, not a lot of help.) After 6 months of this, and being scared to leave this counsellor, I plucked up enough courage to try a new one which proved to be much more successful. She taught me some actual CBT (turned out the first counsellor was just a bit poor) which helped. Also, usefully, she taught me that it's ok to take drugs, so I'm now on Prozac.

This course of treatment has ended, but she's referred me to another counsellor to get to the root of my 'control' problems. I guess I'm a lot better than when I started, but still nowheres near my old self. I can get very obsessive -- if I have a fear, I'll have to spend hours looking around on the net to satisfy my mind that the fear is unfounded :(

Well given that you've made it this far, thanks for reading my rather lengthy story :D

Good luck to everyone.

Henry

[linjane]

Hi Henry,
Welcome to the site. I am sure it will help you loads.
Take care,
Linda.x

[sal]

Hi Henry

Welcome to the site, you will get lots of support and see you are not alone.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.

[seh1980]

hello Henry,

Welcome aboard!!

Sarah :D

[carlin]

Hi Henry,

Welcome, you will find lots of useful information here and lots of supportive people.

[FAN]

hi welcome to the forum:D

fan x

"dont wait for the light at the end of the tunnel..........stride down there and light the bl**dy thing yourself!

[henri]

hi henry

this is a great site - i'm sure it will help you loads.
i'm glad you persevered with the cbt - i had to try out a couple of people before settling on someone i felt i 'clicked' with and it's not a magic cure but it's definitely helped.
take care,

(little) henri x

[kairen]

hi henry,

this is a great site you cant get better advice anywhere else as we are all going through it good luck x


kairen x

[Karen]

Hi Henry

Welcome to the forum.

You'll 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.

[nomorepanic]

Hi Henry

Welcome aboard and I hope we can be of some help to you on here.

Nicola

[bubbles]

Henry,

Welcome.

You'll get advice & support here from people who understand how you feel. Hope it is helping.


Linda. x

Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.

[delta]

Hi Henry
You are not alone, you have come to the right place for support.
Take care
Donna

[sal]

Hi Henry

How are things going. You have had some great replies and i hope you know how welcome you are.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.

[bighenry]

Thank you to everyone for the really supportive replies! I feel very, very welcome [8D]

Henri: I'm glad I persevered with the CBT too :)

Not sure if it's anyone elses' experience, but the one of the hardest things I found was finding a good counsellor. When I went to the first one, I had no idea where to find a reccomendation, so I ended up looking for the most convincing website, the best ad in the Yellow Pages, etc.

At the time I was really, really low, so when the counselling didn't really work, I didn't want to admit this to myself since 'CBT is the best cure for anxiety'. If this didn't work, what on earth am I going to do? :( I could try a different counsellor, but what if they prove to be worse? What if this is as good as it gets? It thought it must be me -- I guessed I was just a faliure.

What I found -- if anyone else happens to be in the same situation -- is that CBT is very good, but you have to be prepared to try another counsellor if the first one isn't right. Don't give up hope if it doesn't seem to help with the first person you try.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone for the really warm welcome! Well, it's been a somewhat long day, so I'm off to treat myself to a vindaloo ... mmm ...

Take care!

Henry

[clickaway]

Hi Henry,

You did very well going out to Korea on your own and then finding help.

Whilst I love travelling and have been to many places, the thought of going somewhere like that where there may be a language barrier when you are on your own would scare me.

I go to a psychotherapist, and found I had to do this myself with no clues, and like you I just went for the Yellow Pages.

I avoid surfing the net on health issues as I find that can become upsetting and misleading when you suffer from anxiety.

I would suggest studying the home pages and the forum here instead.


Are you aware of our chatroom? We talk about all manner of things in there, so to do with anxiety, so just light-hearted or off-the-wall stuff to lighten the load.

Take Care,
http://pub4.bravenet.com/chat/show.php/342349380

Ray



Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make yourself.--Alice Walker

[nomorepanic]

Henry

You could ask your GP for a referral as they will have a list of preferred counsellors etc.

I did about 9 months of CBT with a psychotherapist (found through the GP) and I got on well with her and found it really helped so I guess you have to like the person as well before you can trust what they are saying.

Enjoy the curry !!

Nicola

[Meg]

Hi Henry,

I found your post interesting as over many months of soul searching I have to acknowldge that the first signs of my anxiety started when I took myself to Taiwan alone.

I've done loads of travelling alone and usualy loved it but something was different about the urban Far East. I was staying in Taipei and found myself walking up the stairs at the Hilton as there was a bank of lifts and I didn't want to use them as if I got stuck noone would know I was there and wouldn't look for me for days- then the taxi driver took me a really really really long way round town and I grew very concerned he wasn't actually taking me where I wanted to go..

It never developed into panic then or for years later but it is my first recollection of all not being well with my world.

**it didn't get better; rather it got progressively worse** This is very common until you learn how to tackle it and that thought control is paramount.

**spend hours looking around on the net to satisfy my mind that the fear is unfounded** Are you like this with everything or just worrying thoughts. You will learn enough about your symptoms that you won't need to resort to the www very often . You can play the internal debate out in your head- and win....

Sounds like you're doing well. Is there something specific that you're struggling with most ?





Meg
www.overcominganxiety.co.uk
You cannot conquer fear until you have learned what it is you're afraid of. The enemy is ignorance. Vivian Vance

[bighenry]

Hi Meg.

I had been to South-east Asia (Thailand, Hong Kong, etc) prior to Korea, but this was the first time travelling on my own. Fortunately I was meeting a friend out there, but less fortunately I couldn’t stay at her house, so I ended up staying a long way away in this very small, very (very) hot hostel in the centre of Seoul. I guess my first ‘full on’ panic attack occurred the second night there – laying in bed, unable to sleep, heart racing, head spinning, feeling completely alone and scared thousands of miles from home in a very alien place. It struck me that no one was there to help, and just like you I realised no one would notice my absence for quite some time.

From the subsequent counselling, it turned out I had other problems (work, personal life, etc) which I guess I hadn’t really noticed, and the trip turned out to be the straw that broke the poor camel’s back.

I don’t really obsess about thoughts other than those related to the health impact of anxiety. It’s pretty damn annoying to be honest – I always used to be able to draw a conclusion and be happy with it. The anxiety seems to have knocked my self confidence, so now when I try and draw a conclusion, it’s really hard to fight off the ‘what ifs’. You’re right, though -- given enough effort I can draw my own conclusions, it’s just the amount of effort required is sometimes huge so it can kinda wear me down.

I guess I am doing ok now :) Well, better than I was before. I do find walking pretty hard – I really don’t like the dizziness and the ‘unreality’. Thinking about it, though, I tend to make it pretty hard on myself. I still go on long walks with people who don’t know I have anxiety, so I have to work hard to ‘stay in control’ (despite my counsellor pointing out that I’m never actually out of control.) I’m thinking maybe a better way to get over this is to try talking some small, daily walks on my own -- sound plausible?

Anyway, many thanks again for all the replies :D

Take care,
Henry

[zena]

Hi Henry,
Firstly welcome to the site. It's great isn't it.
Have seen that you have had loads of responces.
Like you said take small steps every day...
If you have any doubts or blips this is the place to go.

I would love to fly but a bit apprehensive about it!
It's good to find a councellor that you can be totally at ease with, this can sometimes take time but once you have found them it makes all the difference.
Anyhow honey take care and keep up the good work.


with good wishes

Zena

[Meg]

Hi Henry,

Yes , building up self confidence by doing things yourself is very powerful and lasting. I preferred walking with a group who didn't know as I figured if I keeled over they'd pick me up regardless but it did mean that growing confidence in my own abilities to look after myself were slower to achieve.



Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

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...

[nomorepanic]

Henry

When I got a knock back with my driving issues due to a minor car accident, I just went out for short drives on my own each day to re-build my confidence.

So, your walking idea seems plausible to me and a good one to adopt.

Let us know how things go.

Nicola