[Miracle1986]

I never thought I'd see the day, but I have actually been avoiding coming to PC because of the fear and anxiety I have when I'm here.

I think it's because PC is so big. So many places to read and post, so many new members joining every day, sooo many members in general.

I have never done good in large groups of people in real life. They send me into panic mode. I just never thought it would happen in the virtual world.

I don't know what to do. I love PC, I really do and I'm not here I miss all the friends I have made and all the support I have received.
But when I am here I get overwhelmed and panicy.

I feel like such a freak... because I am terrified of the one place that can give me the support I so desperately need.

[Hunny]

Miracles,

You are smart to take care of yourself. I have felt overwhelmed at times too. You are practicing good self-care.

Remember, you are cared for here by many. I have no expectations of what you should and shouldn't do except take care of you. There does seem to be a 'cost' to reaching out to folks here and yet, one does seem to receive ten-fold in return.

I hope you can use this time for your own self exploration and see if there isn't something to learn from it.

Blessings,
Hunny

[Julial]

Being a new member, I am having problems with so many different people and all the different mental conditions that I have been reading about. Some days, I feel almost normal and most other days, I feel totally whacked out. I don't do well in large groups of people either and I feel intimidated by the obvious caring between posters. Envious, maybe. The chat rooms scare me to death. The one time I tried to participate, I accidently hurt someone's feelings and I felt like crap for days because of it. I like reading about others problems and the solutions they try and succeed with. I have found some good links through their posts. I do feel I am in the right place but I have to work on my sensitivity and feelings of inadequacies. Thanks for your words, they made my crappy day a little better. Hope to see more postings from you.

[la doctora]

I know how you feel. I belong to another web group that I rarely ever visit now. I don't know why but I have huge anxiety about visiting the site. I haven't been able to overcome it but am doing great on PC. I don't have any words of wisdom. I just wanted you to know that I have felt that way too. I hope that you can work through your anxieties.

[Perna]

Were I you, I'd work on your setup (profile) section and close down sections you don't normally read/care about so the site doesn't seem so big. I'd figure out a "routine" to follow and then ignore the other stuff :-) It's big but it's also very easy to make personal, which I like.

[Miracle1986]

Originally Posted by Perna

Were I you, I'd work on your setup (profile) section and close down sections you don't normally read/care about so the site doesn't seem so big. I'd figure out a "routine" to follow and then ignore the other stuff :-) It's big but it's also very easy to make personal, which I like.

Thanks for the advice... I hadn't thought about doing that.

Good luck, Miracle.

[Elysium]

I like Perna's suggestion.

You have every right to take care of yourself, and you shouldn't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. At the same time, if your fears are stemming from your anxiety, which may or may not be a rational fear, you want to challenge that a little from time to time in order to not let your anxiety overcome you.

It's your choice sweetie!! You decide which forums you want to visit, which threads you want to read, and what you have the energy to give. There's nothing that says that you have to read and participate in all the forums. Maybe for a while, take a step back...pick a forum you want to hang in and just stay there. Then, as you become more comfortable, you can slowly start to work in others...at your pace.

I've missed seeing you around here, so I hope you still stop by when you're feeling up to it. But Perna has a great point about changing your settings on your profile to help make things not as overwhelming.

Take care..

[Claire89-2]

It sounds like you are experiencing a touch of overload. That experience is often a side effect from something else going on. Try to sort out what is making your anxiety higher at the moment to the extent that it is making you feel especially sensitive to what is outside of you. In the meantime try to slow down just a notch and focus on one contact and only to the extent that it feels comfortable. Maybe today isn't the best day for you to write. It's up to you what and how much you want to participate today.

- Claire

Originally Posted by Miracle1986

I never thought I'd see the day, but I have actually been avoiding coming to PC because of the fear and anxiety I have when I'm here.

I think it's because PC is so big. So many places to read and post, so many new members joining every day, sooo many members in general.

I have never done good in large groups of people in real life. They send me into panic mode. I just never thought it would happen in the virtual world.

I don't know what to do. I love PC, I really do and I'm not here I miss all the friends I have made and all the support I have received.
But when I am here I get overwhelmed and panicy.

I feel like such a freak... because I am terrified of the one place that can give me the support I so desperately need.

Miracle I can relate so well to all you've said. Perna's idea is a very good one to help avoid overload.
I haven't been here for quite a while for those same reasons, though this is the best site I've seen so far. No matter where you go or what you say or do...some people will get hurt, angry, misunderstand, sad...all of the above, because we're all human. It's ok, take your time. I've made plenty of mistakes here, gotten angry or said the wrong thing....Please realise we ALL do this...No one means to hurt anyone but the nature of the internet causes miscommunication.
Keep up with good self care and post when you can. It'll be ok.

[Sabrina]

I don't think the way you feel makes you a freak. This place is huge and can be extremely overwhelming. Don't be too hard on yourself. I think your feelings are perfectly justified. Perna has some good advice. You can thin things down to a more manageable level.
Good luck and hang in there. You are a valued member here.

How are you doing, Miracle1986?

[Hippie]

(((Miracle1986))), I've made posting boo boos and felt anxious and overwhelmed. Lynn P told me how to hide a forum and that helped a lot. So, if you take Perna's advice you may feel safer and more secure.