hi LadyM

as you know i follow some of your posts cause i feel close to the difficulties you have in some ways.. in school i was highly anxious and it was very hard to be in social groups at times the pressures were carried onto my work cause i felt the eyes of so many on me that i became nervous and wanted to go someplace safe where no one else was.. your descriptions often remind me of those days...

may i recommend some pre-class mediations? there are 100's of forms to choose from, all which teach relaxation and confidence techniques... the deep relaxation taught me to breathe properly in many suffocatingly frightening situations and over time ive learned to pace both my breathing and thoughts into a smoother synchronization... a clam state of mind is very helpful as you might imagine... just a suggestion...

also, here is a link to PC's many screening quizzes, you should find one there for anxiety if you wish to take it.. best to you always...

http://psychcentral.com/quizzes/