Wow - I sorta did it

[Wenjoy]

Well - had a hectic week
Moved house on wednesday
Went to a long wedding on saturday in a packed church (sat near the back but couldnt stand to sing hyms as was dizzy and shakey) and then a confirmation on sunday in church for my god daughter (sat all the way through the service as panicky)

Hubby cant understand why I am so confident and run an office but cant cope with churches,theatres,restaurants, queues, supermarkets etc. I told him its coz I dont feel I can control those situataions ie walk out if I want to - sounds daft - but I coped and didnt run out of either church services but felt very anxious!
Wenjoy x

[marie1974]

hiya wen and huge welldone to u :hugs: :yesyes: thats a big step for you and shows your strength and courage. keep fighting hun xx

[mtatum4496]

Congratulations! While it had to have been extremely difficult to attend those two events, the key thing is that you did so. Expanding horizons is so important to recovery.

One thing I might mention about why you can function so well and with confidence in some settings and have trouble with others - along with the element of control that you mentioned, it may also be a matter of sensory overload.

One of the manifestations of my anxiety is that too much and too many varied sources of sound at one time seem to overload my nerves and push me toward a panic attack. I think that is one reason I can go into a restaurant where there are three or four other diners or why I can have three or four people in my home for dinner and do okay, but I can't handle the amalgamation of chatter and little everyday noises that are inherent with larger gatherings.

While we don't think about it much at church, even the most calm and sedate of worship settings offers a world of sounds that float right past people whose nerves are fully healthy and functioning. But for those of us who register every little cough, every whimper of a small child, every shuffling of a foot and every whisper that is going on around us, the combination can be maddening.

Toss in a sermon, hymn singing, responsive readings, vocal prayers, instrumental accompaniment and other elements common to many Christian worship services and you have quite a "soup of sound" going on.

I do have some success with ear plugs. No, they don't block everything out, but they do seem to help muffle some of the "little" noises and thus minimize the amount of information my nerves are attempting to process at any given point.

[milly jones]

this should be in the sucesses threads hunny

really well done for tackling ur fears

a big nmp hug for u

milly xxxx

[Wenjoy]

Thankyou for your replies. I also think with me that since my menopause I HATE stuffy places - I can cope if its out doors or in a cool auditorium but if its hot and stuffy I feel dizzy and hyperventilate.

I have my daughters graduation in a week and a halfs time and I am s******g myself about it - we are allocated seats and I dread being hemmed in on a row with people eityher side and it being hot and far away from the door - I may try myEFT tapping to help but I am so scared. i want to be there for my daughter with my hubby and I feel stupid for being like this - after all - whats 2 hours in a lifetme when its an important event - but the thought of being in a packed hall with 100s of people and feeling panicky with the "gotta get out of here" feeling - I live in terrtor of this! Kalms help a bit but I am soooo scared.
Wenjoy x

[mlondon]

woah well done!