why aint it getting better

[tricia56]

had to go local jobcentre today to sign on and have been doing it every 2wks for the last 8 wks and im still getting really anxiouse about going and i get scared. feel light headed think im going to passout and today was no exemption as i just wanted to cry because of the way i was feeling and just wanted to get home and ever since i got home i feel drained and dont feel right, and had a bit of cry and have even foned my gp up for him to see me asp as surely i shouldnt be feeling this way as surely cause ive been going every 2wks to the same place its suposed to get easyer each time you do it , but not in my case it doesnt seem to be getting any better. is there any one else out there who has been like me and is it anxiety as i feel so down and worried about it as im now questioning if i have anxiety or its some thing phycicaly wrong or some other mental illness

[ricky88]

hello,

i have had exactly the same experience and problem as you have now, i had to leave work because of my anxiety got so bad so my only option was the job centre but i used to feel light headed and used to get very bad nausea sometimes even vomit, to make it easier for my self, i got a lil technique going that seemed to work for me, i would stand outside the job centre for 10 minutes before i went in, when i went in i had a very cold bottle of water with me and if i started feeling anxious i would take a mouthful of water hold my breath for 5 seconds and then swallow and it seemed to calm me down thinking about my breathing and stuff really helped, but if u still cant go in to the job centre without feeling funny you can do something called Employment and Support Allowance you should check this out as you don't need to go in a job centre for this..

hope any of this helps

Ricky

[tricia56]

hi thank you for the advice but i was on e.s.a but they said i was fit for work as i never passed the medical they give you so ive had no choice now but to sign on even tho my g.p knows im suffering with severe anxiety but the social says its not down to what my g.p says its the medical board from dhss that makes the final desicion so i havent got no other choice but to sign on to get any money which think its wrong

[shorty1969]

Hi tricia ! Ive been on esa for a few months now and been for the medical and told im fit to work , even after letters from the doctor as well . did you apeal against there decision ? i still getting esa , and waiting on my apeal to come through . Cant bare the thought of signing on with the can work wont work crowd ..

[tricia56]

hi i did appeal agaist it and the appeal went in favour of the dhss not me as this was back in april and because my anxiety wasnt as bad as it is now they didnt take into concideration what im like now so i cant go back on the esa and i dont know wat else to do exept sign on

[Nigel]

Hi Tricia,

Imagine you’re back in caveman times and just came face to face with a hungry lion – and survived! Does that make you feel any less scared the next time you encounter one? Probably not.

You see, it’s not just exposure to a situation as much as the thoughts and feelings a person has going into that situation and the response they had to it the last time. What you describe is exactly how anxiety and panic are supposed to work, only they’re not the best responses to this particular situation.

I’m guessing a bit, but do you go to the job centre with your mind filled with dread and fear? Does it feel like something terrible will happen? Can you not wait to escape? If those are the kind of thoughts and emotional responses you’re having, those are the messages your mind is receiving about the job centre – that it’s a terrible scary place with danger lurking round every corner, and that you had a lucky escape when you got away. It may be exposure but it’s the wrong kind because it’s teaching your mind that it got it right when it reacted with fear.

So the secret is to next time go to the job centre feeling calm and relaxed about it – because you know that it is in fact a perfectly safe place to go, and that thousands of other people do it so it must be OK. And try to reassure yourself that if you do feel anxious or panicky, while it may feel unpleasant, it won’t be a disaster, and you will cope. And be prepared with some breathing techniques or anything else you’ve learnt that helps to calm you down. Being prepared is very reassuring.

Hope it goes better for you next time :)
Nigel