[Firecrystal]

Hi,

Sorry that I haven't posted for a while.

How do I deal with this horrible feeling every day? I don't know what it's called, but it happens when I go out in public, when I go shopping or on the school run. I get this weird tense feeling that everyone is looking at me in a bad way. I end up stressed and agitated. I had an argument with a stranger in the shop this afternoon over something minor. I know it could've been totally avoided but I was stressed. Just before I went in there, someone nearly run me over on a push bike then she glared at me afterwards.

I know that people do really hate me. They think I'm unfriendly and nasty but I blame my social anxiety on this. I get panic attacks in public and I end up crying. It's a horrible horrible feeling. It's affecting people around me and I'm getting a reputation.

I stopped seeing my therapist because I found him creepy. I have no one to talk to.

xxx

I found CBT to be extremely helpful with my anxiety and social anxiety. Some days I wake up and it is unbearable, I go through my coping strategies and work on the CBT and a lot of the time it works. Some days it is too severe but CBT has definitely helped. You can find resources online to work on it by yourself.

[Blue_Bird]

I agree with Supanova, CBT is very helpful for anxiety. In addition to the actual therapy itself there are a lot of self help workbooks out there that use CBT, my therapist recommended to me for anxiety a workbook entitled "Thoughts and Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life" 4th edition by Matthew Mckay PhD.

[Patient999]

I've done CBT on and off for years to no avail. My anxiety is ruining my life, I can relate. But it seems like everyone is on the same page about it being helpful, in the long run. I'd say keep going, push yourself, or start if you haven't already. I have a son and he is my only reason to wake up every morning, I have to push myself, I have to get better. I hope you can find a way of making everything more bearable?