wow x just wanted to say I wish I could feel being frightened if being on my own x I am scared of people :-) so the exact opposite I guess x I hope you can all learn to love and actually enjoy your own company x its good to pamper yourself and do things in your own time x nothing to be afraid of x maybe we could swap around for a day and I could learn to not be scared of people :-)
Just stopped in and saw your post and wanted to say Welcome to the program and support group.
You're moving in the right direction by coming here and posting and talking about your feelings..Lots of us post here when the anxiety is high and and when it is low too and it helps, as does working the cbt program here..Start working the program slowly and you will be surprised at how fast you start to see improvements. I have been coming here for a long time now to keep my skills up and to talk to others who have anxiety and panic..Keep reading and posting when you want or need to..It really does help..I promise!
You can definitely learn a lot of skills here that can help a whole lot.
I found the first part of the program really helpful because tracking negative thoughts was very new to me.
Other information I found helpful was about primary and secondary emotions. There is good information online about these. An example - we can feel sad and anxious at the same time. It can be helpful to read about emotions and identify which ones you are feeling. I think a partner being away for work can be really stressful and bring up several emotions. Do not worry about posting whaty ou are feeling in the moment on this site. You'll see from past posts that a lot of us do this / did this as part of our work in the program.
This CBT program can help with all of this! Keep posting.
Omg it's like you guys are living my life my husband has been working offshore for 14 years off and on now more on then off and I'm usually fine I miss him terribly of course but fine and he was even gone the whole summer two years ago but that was all before anxiety. But he started working on land in May when I first started having symptoms because I had a crying episode when he was leaving to go to Alaska and he couldn't leave me I still had anxiety while he was gone during the day because my kids where in school so he started working nights and he hated working on land because he was used to offshore, also he made more money and wanted to give his family more I couldn't stand seeing him so unhappy so last week he started back working offshore and I am trying to hold it together which is hard and I just get these times like now when I wanna bust out crying for nothing that's why I am going through this program and I am waiting for my insurance to go to the doctor and get a therapist I just keep trying to tell myself it will get better and I'm praying it does.
Wow! I feel like your post is my life. Scary, but good. Maybe it helps us both to know we are not alone. When my husband goes to work it's a daily struggle for me. The hours feel like days...I feel out of my mind some days, too...
I can say from firsthand experience that you should try to keep your
husband on his normal schedule, because if he keeps staying home you are
just avoiding the issue, and eventually you might start to feel guilty.
Then that sometimes creates a whole new set of panic.
I have been working with my therapist on this for about a month, because this wasn't a problem until recently. A few things that help me are when he leaves and I start to panic I say to myself "what are you afraid of?" Usually the answer is just panic, and then I say to myself "ok, i might panic, but then what? and keep going from there until you realize you CAN cope with whatever happens. It's uncomfortable, but not unmanageable.
I am glad you found us. This program can help you take control of this. Take your time working through and be sure to do all the homework. If you have any questions just let us know. Also, post often in the support group; you are not alone in this.
Have you had a chance to take a look at the program? Any questions thus far?
Welcome to the support group area. I have been a member here for several years and at different times I have asked for and gotten good help and encouragement so this is, in my view, a very good place for you to also get some help.
My experience with doctors is that all they offer is a referral to a therapist if you want one, and pills. So I was not surprised to hear you are not getting more help than that from yours.
Are there any support groups in your area regarding anxiety or depression or anything like that?
The program here can help.
When you mention going to the dentist I assume that means that you were anxious about going to the dentist. A lot of people who do not understand anxiety think that if you do something you were anxious about doing, then the problem is solved. They do not seem to understand that anxiety, at the root, relates to how you feel and your thought patterns. I am not saying it is a bad thing to go to the dentist but I used to think that if I did thinks that made me feel anxious that in itself would cure me. Other things are needed in order to gain management over anxiety and over panic.
Keep posting here. Others will post replies and it can help a lot.
Hi I am new to the support group. I have been having panic attacks for years, but I have only been given medication despite my plea for more help in other formats. My recent episode started well over a week ago at night. Even though I been through all that has been bothering me and taken positive steps to solve them for example. I went to the dentist for the 1st time in five years last Friday.
I have done lots of positive things this week and normally as long as I get sleep etc I usually bounce back reasonably well.
But so far I am really struggling through the day, the tinest thing can set off an attack. I haven't eaten properly for over a week, which I know isn't helping. The big thing that is worrying me though is my husband going back to work on Monday. This normally isn't a problem, I usually cope well when he's at work during the week. I get to watch programs he doesn't like and I get play on the playstation or read without having to think of anyone else. But at the moment being on my own is freaking me out. I am frightened I will have a panic attack or something, and it takes him 2 hours to travel home.I am being referred to mental health team to discuss CBT etc but I don't know when that will be and well life does have to go on as normal. My husband took this week of work as he wants to make sure I am better before he returns to work.
