well as a few of you know i have depression and with that and some lifestyle issues i suffered anxiety (still do to a degree).
but for awhile i became somewhat agrophobic. for a year i couldnt leave the house unless i had someone with me. taking my daughter 
to kinder or going to the shop became a major event with me sweating and wanting to go to bed and never get up.
id feel sweaty and breathless, my chest would hurt and the LAST thing id want to do is leave the house! so much so id make excuses not to if i could. id put things off for the next day, next week later in the year, maybe some other time?.....
things that helped me:
The trigger
most of the time anxiety is triggered by something whether it be a big or small event in your life. sometimes working out what the trigger was can help alot in healing.
Work out WHY you are scared
i think this was my biggest issue. i DID have reasons for not leaving the house, i had been assulted several times and the last time it happened i was hospitalised and told ONE more blow to the head in a year and i would be left with permanent brain damage...
so my q to myself was WHY was i being assulted? for a long time i felt like it was just my character and that it was my fault, to a degree it was and i had to admit that. i was putting myself in situations that put me in danger a few of the assults happened at nightclubs the last one i was assulted TWICE in one night by men, the first was because i refused to dance with one lovely chap so he hit me, the next was MORE my fault i was leaving the club and skipping down the street on my merry way and not looking where i was going, i was hit in the side of the head so hard by a guy who was in a fight that my eardrum exploded.
my neighbourhood isnt a great place and one day a friend spoke to me about why ppl kept trying to belt me all the time he said" nat life isnt always girl guide cookies even if you want it to be, i know you want to help ppl but dont let them hurt you! some ppl have had so much happen in their lives that they wont like it that you go through life with a smile and they will want to wipe it off your face because they cant hold one themselves".
this said to me that YES i do try to help ppl but i was obviously leaving myself vunerable to them! now i try to help ppl who want to help themselves, hand up NOT hand out and i keep myself somewhat distant and have restrictions on how much i help someone, this way when they ask too much i can say no without them thinking i cant.
The worst thing that could happen?
try to work out the worst thing that could happen (within logic) if you leave....
if you can work this out then you can prepare yourself for what may happen and perhaps go through some strategies and role playing on how to deal with it.
Be safe!
follow normal safety standards. try to take a mobile ph with you if you are alone and worried. this means if something happened or you felt anxious you are only a ph call away from help or being able to talk to a friend about how you are feeling and maybe calm down and continue.
Baby steps
dont try to do too much to start with. a small positive step is a much better thing than a large perhaps negative one. anxiety is REAL and can be very frightening. taking on too much at once can result in fear of doing it again.
give yourself a pat on the back for doing something today you couldnt do yesterday and be PROUD of yourself!
what helped me conquer:
MY mobile phone!
taking my mobile helped me feel safe. i felt i wasnt alone and could seek help if needed, my biggest anxiety was thinking "waht if i go out and i get anxious and cant get home" this made me not leave at all because i was in fear! so taking the phone and even calling a frien beforehand and asking if they are available to pick you up if nessesary can help.
MY mp3 player!
oooh i LOVE it! i still hate leaving the house without it! listening to music can help take your mind off things and anxieties all i have to do is blast it and walk to the beat and i forget about things for a lil bit most of the time.
its also good because even if you have it switched off and just leave the earphones in if someone talks to you you can pretend not to hear if you dont feel like talking to them or you can pull out one earphone non and say hi and put it back in this makes them think you cant hear them haha.
My friends
with anxieties talking about how you feel to a friend can help. no they might not understand completly but if you express it means something to you and makes you feel scared most friends will understand and want to help.also talking about the issues around anxiety can make them seem smaller or show ways for you to be able to fix them.
Anti anxiety meds
ok ive had these but i have never used them alot. for me just having them makes me feel as though i can calm myself if things get too bad. in saying that i HAVE taken them before for a severe anxiety attack and they helped alot untill i was able to gain control again myself.
councillors
talking about how you are feeling and why can help alot. sometimes we dont feel we can talk to friends about certain things and a councillor is great to fill this gap.
these are just a few things that helped me that i thought id share in case they could help another person.
always always seek help from a doctor to diagnose and help you find strategies to deal with anxiety! they are there to help and can often shed light on whats going on with you and help you take the next step in recovery.
xxxnat
(March 29th) (
i know!
