tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147889412798634304.post5088224977240293241..comments2023-11-16T07:45:18.833-07:00Comments on The Reality of Anxiety: The Importance of Not Avoiding Your Fears A.K.A. TriggersAiméehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07915969048532920780noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147889412798634304.post-55937027253729641582008-04-23T16:33:00.000-06:002008-04-23T16:33:00.000-06:00Wow these are some amazing comments that have been...Wow these are some amazing comments that have been left. My heart breaks to read what others are struggling with. <BR/><BR/>Sarahc&hearts- how has your therapy been going? Have you had any successes even if they are just baby steps?<BR/><BR/>Your hostess with neurosis- awesome comment, I agree with you on finding the real fears within the fears. Thats like my fear isn't necessarily eating in front of others, its a fear of being judged. Please comment again soon, I'd love to hear from you again.<BR/><BR/>anonymous- I find myself relating the most with you. It sounds as though we are very similar and I agree that it hurts to know we are struggling with this through the best years of our life. Just remember how much more of a deeper, caring, person you are because of it.<BR/><BR/>eric- love your blog too! Come back soon :)<BR/><BR/>Maggie- I can't help but notice how many times you said "I should" or "what if". Those are classic examples of the Victim and the Critic inside us that promotes this negative self talk that is really feeding our anxiety. You should check out some of my other posts on self talk, or get the book by Edmund J Bourne because he goes into great detail about how to stop those kinds of thoughts which will lower your anxiety levels.Aiméehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07915969048532920780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147889412798634304.post-12827082197741497102008-04-22T22:36:00.000-06:002008-04-22T22:36:00.000-06:00I'm afraid to leave the house at all, beyond maybe...I'm afraid to leave the house at all, beyond maybe going around the corner sometimes to the gas station for drinks.<BR/><BR/>If I drive by myself, I think "I should turn back now. If something happens, it'll take that much longer to get back. So I should turn back now before I get too far. And what if I get a stomach ache or pain and can't get back on my own?"<BR/><BR/>And when I'm riding with another person, it's the same thing, only now I feel trapped because I know they are in control and might not turn around at all or will get mad at me if I ask.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147889412798634304.post-40168072554846926702008-04-06T17:07:00.000-06:002008-04-06T17:07:00.000-06:00I love your blog. Just saying.I love your blog. Just saying.Ehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725864034917042247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147889412798634304.post-42979015235111102742008-04-06T15:41:00.000-06:002008-04-06T15:41:00.000-06:00Ive suffered from social anxiety for almost as lon...Ive suffered from social anxiety for almost as long as I can remember. Sometime after I entered into my teens it evolved from just being a simple shyness around others, and into an intense fear of being physically ill around others. I avoided being in cars with others because I was afraid I might get car sick, I would avoid crowded places without a clear exit, and I would especially avoid going out to eat. After I graduated I spent nearly a year and a half doing nothing(not working, not going to school, nothing), and eventually experienced what I could only describe as a nervous breakdown where I simply lost my appetite and literally couldn't eat for an entire weak. Since then most these anxieties have disappeared completely, or have become very manageable, but what has remained is the intense fear of eating in public. So I would say my trigger is me being in a situation where I am "performing for people", especially (but not exclusively) in the context of eating in public. <BR/>Nevertheless im 23 years old and it gets me extremely depressed sometimes when I think that I might lose the best years of my life to this; I have thrown away so much already because I haven't been able to master my fears.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147889412798634304.post-7044553303128283142008-04-04T08:52:00.000-06:002008-04-04T08:52:00.000-06:00My heart twists on your behalf (and for all of us)...My heart twists on your behalf (and for all of us) who have to give up so much of what life has to offer because of this disorder.<BR/><BR/>This is a very informative post - but I think it is good to distinguish between fears based on what motivates them; why they are there in the first place. For me, some fears, like my phobia of flying, respond well to slow, gradual exposure - the baby steps you talk about. But other fears I have are not 'phobia' style fears, and respond only to therapy. No amount of 'slow exposure' could make me eat out of a can because of my fear of botulism; really a fear of violation. But years of therapy addressing the fear of violation (and a lot of other things) and one day I could open a can, after 13 years.The Blue Morphohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16387317327488568515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9147889412798634304.post-6379426026025388202008-04-04T03:12:00.000-06:002008-04-04T03:12:00.000-06:00Hi..I've spent 10 years avoiding the world. I now...Hi..<BR/><BR/>I've spent 10 years avoiding the world. I now know that is most definitely the wrong thing to have done. Spending periods of my life housebound, got a wee bit better, but now i am back to being almost 100% housebound. <BR/><BR/>For me, my trigger is steping over the front door threshold. <BR/> <BR/>On a positive note though, i have CBT starting text week to undo the 10 years of agoraphobia.<BR/><BR/>Sarah♥Sarah♥https://www.blogger.com/profile/18014898105754256011noreply@blogger.com