avoidance behaviours

[Gemzy]

hi all i really need some help. my homework from my CBT session today is to make a list of things i avoid due to my emetophobia but trouble is because ive spent so long avoiding them i dont realise im doing it anymore so couldnt actually tell you what i avoid :huh:

would be really helpful if anyone with the same phobia had any ideas of things they avoid to give me some inspiration

Thanks x

[Kells81]

travelling, drinking, fast rides, certain foods-I will probably be able to think of some more in a bit!!!

xxx

[Gemzy]

thanks hun. keep them coming, need to give this my all if i stand any chance of beating it and getting my life back!

[Kells81]

I have a few more!.........ill people, drunk people, close contact with people.

xx

[Gemzy]

have u already been through the ordeal of CBT? your really good at this!

[Kells81]

oh and..................doctors surgeries, hospitals.

[Kells81]

I must admit I haven't done CBT but I have had emetephobia forever so I know all about it!

xx

[Gemzy]

i think its the having it forever bit thats making it harder for me cos to me its just life and doesnt seem abnormal

[Nigel]

Hi Gemzy,

Try to think of the problems the emetophobia causes for you and the things you’d like to do but find yourself unable to. That will give you some clues.

Good luck with the CBT :yesyes:
Nigel

[Kells81]

I still have it but it isnt as bad as it use to be when I was younger. Now I can be around people that have been sick as long as it isn't a stomach bug, so I am fine when I am around people who have been sick becuse of drink etc.
When I was younger people around me use to get stomach bugs alot more (as kids do) so it was more of a problem. Nobody likes being sick so it is one of those phobias that is hard to get rid of completely-we just have to learn to live with it so it doesn't rule our lives! (easier said than done!).
Let me know how the CBT goes though!

[Gemzy]

hmmmmmmmm things i'd like to do?????????? im quite ok in my little bubble cleaning and stuff until someone goes and upsets the balance. what do normal people do in their free time? i work, look after my daughter and fiance and clean

[Kells81]

think about what you dont do compared to other people.
Maybe next time you watch a soap on tv compare what the characters do to what you do.

[Angelai]

I avoid - ill people, drunk people, big groups in general, travelling, cinemas, public toilets, eating out, fun fairs/rides...

I open doors with my elbows/feet/anything but my hands, alienate people by constantly questioning them if they grimace/sigh/rub their tummy, refuse antiobitics etc because of side effects, I don't eat out or at other peoples' house because I MUST be able to check dates and know how food has been stored/prepared...

So, my world has gotten smaller and smaller - I don't go out and socialise with friends and family, and don't get on buses or boats (planes and trains are manageable with diazepam!), I don't drive more than about 10 miles with a passenger (can go further if I'm alone), I have an appalling diet (which doesn't help with keeping infections away, which I won't take pills for) and maybe 20% of the time I just won't leave the house at all.

What IS a 'normal' life?!

Well done with getting so far with the CBT, and good luck xxx

[Angelai]

A simple one - I can't just accept an invitation to an event or even arrange to just go out for a drink or meal or ANYTHING because I never know how I'm going to feel on the day, and even if I felt ok I wouldn't be able to do these things without serious anxiety :wacko:

The question of what do I avoid doesn't seem to have a straightforward answer - there is potential for anxiety everywhere and every day. I miss out on so much.

Right, I'm not feeling sorry for myself! I need to go out today, so head up and get on with it! I'll just double check that I have my motilium, wet wipes and anti-bac gel in my bag...