[Smileonmyface]

so three months ago when i agreed to go to this Bat Mitzvah of a family member 4 plus hours away by car, it seemed like a good idea, especially since i could squeeze in a visit with my parents at the same time and it would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. now it is coming up this month and i so want to get out of it, even going so far to purposely not arrange for the dog to go to a kennel and planning to say i "forgot" and we can't go. or pretending the cat is sick and needs us to stay home. oh the list goes on. i know if i cancel everyone will be pissed and i don't care that much. but at the same time not going feels like i'm just giving into the anxiety of being away from home, the social anxiety, etc. i feel stuck. at this point if i don't call someone for the dog soon we probably really won't be able to go...just wondering if anyone could relate to this...

if you really feel like you can't do it, tell them something's come up or you feel ill. but i think it would be really good for you to go. avoidance isn't the best or most helpful tactic when it comes to anxiety. sometimes we just have to put ourselves out there and go for it.

[Daniel87]

The first thing we all do is to avoid the situations which make us anxious. This is also the first mistake when trying to overcome anxiety and panic.

Don't avoid those situations because your mind will interpret them like some kind of danger and each time you will meet those situations, the fear and the panic will only grow.

The key here is to gradually expose yourself to the situations that you don't like because this way you will train your mind into believing that there is nothing to be afraid of.

So, the best thing you should do is to make that trip and see it like a step towards stopping your anxiety and panic.

Take care!