Search results

Thanks @Angelwings You're right. It's been super difficult, and I have had days when my disability has been very clearly visible - when I haven't put makeup on, or brushed my hair, or left the house. Or when I've had huge panic attacks at loud noises or sirens. In fact, those days are almost...

Sometimes it's difficult to give yourself advice. I read an article that suggests pretending that whatever problem/anxiety you have, pretend a friend has the same one, and follow whatever advice you would give them. I often find I am my own worst enemy with this type of thing!

I'm glad it's not just me! I didn't know whether I was just being overly sensitive. But the sheer amount of courage (and medication!) it took me to get to that event made me feel like I'd made a huge achievement (two massively crowded tubes, and a huge, busy exhibition centre to navigate...

So yesterday, I went to an event which took a lot of courage - it meant using public transport, going through crowds, and finding my way to somewhere unfamiliar. Not to mention speaking in front of over 100 people. I saw someone at the event who is on a committee with me - but I haven't been...

Hello, I know this might sound like a stupid suggestion (I tried everything in the book when I was struggling). But have you tried writing down what it is that's making you anxious? Getting a notepad, and writing it by hand - write the worst thing that could happen, how likely it is to happen...

Does anyone else find their PTSD makes them more sensitive to criticism? I know it's a really weird link, but I used to be able to take criticism on the chin. Take it, change it (if possible), move on. But since my trauma, even the slightest criticism, or a headshake/disapproving look from...

Hello, I was caught up in the Westminster terror attack in March, and since then I have been suffering with PTSD. I used to work near Westminster, and I would have anxiety attacks almost every day on my way to work. Fast forward to December and my contract at work ended and I started a new...

@Justmehere @Tornadic Thoughts Thank you for sharing your tips, I will certainly be using them - I'm seriously considering printing this thread so I have the advice right in front of me on the plane.

I have Beta Blockers that I take for general anxiety, but I also have sleeping tablets and as it's an overnight flight, I think taking one of those might relax me as well as help me get a few hours' kip? Because I don't want to rely on anxiety drugs because then the anxiety won't lessen (I've...

Hello, So I have to fly on Friday and I am getting more and more panicky. My PTSD is nothing to do with flying (but it is related to terrorism). I've never been scared to fly before (but I haven't flown since the attack). It's bothering me because I saw something weird on the tube the other...

Definitely the trigger from hell! It caused me to have 3 days off work - that, and the fact I saw a lot of police at a different station on my way home. I honestly thought something really bad was going to happen, and it lasted the best part of a week.

You guys are so great. Thank you so much @Freida and @Friday - I felt guilty enough following the attack I saw even though there was literally nothing I could have done. You are totally right - I can't imagine the guilt I would have felt if I didn't say anything and it had been a bomber...

Thank you for all your support folks. The incident has really shaken me and I have been too anxious to go into work yesterday or today. I didn’t realise that this was why - I couldn’t put my finger on why I was so anxious. But it all came out in therapy today, that it is almost certain that...

Thanks. The attack I saw has messed with my head so much that I don't know if I'm seeing someone who's just a bit anxious, or seeing something genuinely suspicious. I feel like this time I was right to be suspicious. I was so convinced his rucksack was going to explode that I went dizzy, and...

I saw something suspicious on the Tube this morning - a guy was acting really strangely and it made me ridiculously anxious and I didn't know what to do. He snapped at me when my foot brushed against his, and was fidgeting really nervously with his rucksack. He then pulled his hood up and...

That's a good way to think of it. I keep thinking about the wasted time and effort I have put in to all these job applications, but then I'm trying to keep thinking that it's all improving my writing, it's (hopefully!) making me more resilient, and I'd probably have just been sat in front of the...

I'm looking at doing another Masters Degree - I can't change my entire career, I have been Literature/Arts focused since I was 16, so going down a science route is out of the question. But a different direction within Literature/Arts is an option. In fact, I went to a postgrad open evening last...

Going back to school is an option, but it will be expensive and time-consuming. I will essentially have to go back 10 years to do A-Levels, University Degree & Masters all over again. It's not something I could realistically do at the moment. I just feel completely lost. I can't keep dealing...

I am feeling so down at the moment. My anxiety/PTSD is affecting me a lot right now. I am on a temporary contract with my job and that is coming to an end, and I have had getting on for 100 rejections in the past 6 months or so, if not more. My industry (publishing) is just so competitive...

Hello, It doesn't sound like PTSD to me either. It sounds like it could be anxiety/depression. A sort of belated reaction to your illness. Any kind of depression/anxiety/mental illness can leave you bedbound/housebound, and it can make even getting up in the morning feel like a mammoth task...

Hi, I had the exact same trouble with a counsellor. He was so focused on talking about my childhood and trying to blame my mother for my anxiety (my mother has been nothing but supportive), that in 12 sessions we never actually dealt with the trauma. I used to leave every session feeling...

Hello! Sending support and positivity your way! There's not much I can offer in terms of advice, only that you seem to be doing the right thing in cutting down on alcohol and cutting out cannabis - well done on that! :hug: It also sounds like you're doing well in walking off some of the angst...

Thanks guys. I'm just praying it gets rained off so I can go round the house and socialise without the fireworks! I'm thinking about maybe going just for drinks and then leaving early. Or staying in the house for most of the evening and watching the fireworks out of the window - I'm sure most...

I have been invited to a bonfire party with some family friends, and I was really looking forward to it. We go every year, and it is always a lovely evening. I was excited about seeing the fireworks. But after seeing my friend post a picture of the fireworks he's bought for the evening - I...

You're definitely right - that was part of the problem with counselling, he just tried to focus on the past and was so desperate to find a cause of my anxiety that I used to walk out of sessions feeling really angry because he tried to blame my incredibly supportive family for my anxiety/OCD...