"You are not alone." I am alone.

progkiller · Post by **progkiller** » Sat May 15, 2010 6:18 pm

"You are not alone." I have heard this sentence many time in the material I purchased about handling anxiety and depression. They said that there are many people like you who experienced the same thing. However, I don't agree with in. Let me tell you a little bit about my story.

I am now 31 years od. I had social anxiety since I was 17 years old (around 1996). I tolerate this kind of painful shyness for a few years. I try to make myself having social activities with others in order to overcome it. The result was not good. When I was 21 years old (in 2001), I tried to give public presentation about politics on the street. I felt extremely scared. However, I did it around 1-2 times a week and I had overcomed my anxiety.

I thought that I had completely recovered until when I taught in a secondary school when I was 22 years old (2001-2002). I was under very high pressure dealing with naughty students in class. I collapse and I started to feel depersonalized when I give presentation. This is the time when presentation cannot relieve my society. I took medicine for a few years and I purchased a lot of online material about drug free method to deal with anxiety and depression including the Combatting Stress and Depression Program package.

I tried to demedicate myself in 2005. However, I had some improvement but none of the methods really works for me. In 2008, I worked in a shop as a salesman. I need to talk to a lot of people everyday. My anxiety and depression went away in those time. I thought that I have recovered.

However, I wanted to started my business in Sept 2009. That we when I started to build a website. I find that if I do not work in that salesman job. My anxiety and depression feeling comes back. I cannot deal with it anymore.

I really tried to find a lot of method to deal with my social anxiety. However, I really feel that I have to give up. I am considering taking medicine again. Otherwise, I cannot focus on my job. My people said that "you are not alone". However, I really think that I am alone.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 16, 2010 7:12 am

hi prog! i recovered from lifetime of social anx (yes so very painful and job interferrinbg and relationship limiting) by lesson 3 of this program especially=catching how i talked badly to myself and journaling it to something abit better more true repetitiously. i just went by faith on this program working and forced myself to follow it best i could. oh it seemed to take a longggg time prog, but i kept at it, fpore3ver getting back on track as i had focusing problems due to depression etc. eventually all your hard efforts begin to pay off reprograming your mind to think better=thus you WILL better with better thoughts. oh yes, it seemed like it was not working, but those spells i did feel 'normal and better' in the past kept me believing it was wort5h trying real hard doing this program--actually my only hope at that time. meds are not evil, they can help you to begin to be better able to help yourself like with doing this program not so terribly 'crippled'. you are very smart prog-your work and learning/doing are admirable. i wish you same with efforts toward your inner thinking doing this program for instance-give it a full chance and don't rush thru lesson doings/reviewing...think of it like learning a new language prog=how hard it is but doable with practicing. in time a new language IS possible....you WILL feel so much better. the principles in this program i personalized to my own needs like social anxiety and the lesson 3ing and catching those inner thoughts i was pretty unaware of and then right away getting to work turning each single one around to something better and more true... helped me from social anxiety in time=as it was all low self esteem inner thoughts for me on that thing too. good wishes prog....

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun May 16, 2010 5:01 pm

Hi Beth,

Thanks for your encouragement. However, I took this program at the end of 2007. I worked as a salesman in 2008 and I felt that I totally recovered. I decided to start my business last Sept. I started to build my website. All my previous symptoms comes back and I cannot handle it any more. I don't want to be a salesman in a shop for the rest of my life. I want to have my business. However, I am stucked in this kind of situation for nearly a year already. It seems I need to choose either to be a salesman in a shop for the rest of my life or to take the medicine again.

I tried everything I could possibly tried already. However, I am stuck in this unfocused mind and there is nothing I can do now. If there is someone who know any way out of this situation, I am willing to listen to your advice. I am so desperate at this moment.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 17, 2010 4:38 am

I still deal with depression but it takes time for change. Have patience my friend..things don't ever stay the same. Good or bad. I'll pray for you. John

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 17, 2010 8:24 am

hi prog, exercise in short sets helps the mind interrupt that circular neg thinking that gets us soooo stuck. oh no, not immediately...but regularly in time it rests our poor brains from stuck neg thinking,one breaths deeper to belly when exercising and that helps clear one's mind and breathing out all the negatives. please do give it a place in your everydays as able...and yes i know how it is like walking in mud doing all these self helps...but it is worse staying stuck and overwhelmed. again, best wishes

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat May 22, 2010 9:22 am

It sounds to me like you either have a fear of failure or a fear of the unknown/change. You have overcome your fears in the past, I have confidence you can do it again.

Have you been to a psychiatrist AND psychologist? I always need someone outside of my friends and family circle to talk to.

And so what if you have to get back on medicine? I'm on medicine. It's the only thing that helps me, especially when combined with this program. I don't WANT to always take meds but hey, if that's what it takes to feel normal, then I'll do it!

I think it's pretty awesome that you were feeling great after getting off your meds. I've never felt great after getting off them. I always spiraled back into depression. I've finished the program and have had depression again...actually it was pretty severe. I changed my medicine from Zoloft to Effexor and have made the decision to redo the the program program. I still listen to the cd's because they always help retrack my brain into thinking the right way.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 24, 2010 4:35 pm

I don't want to take medicine for the rest of my life. Therefore, I tried to demedicate myself and research on the web about self help methods. I had tried a number of programs and spent a lot of money on them. I start to demedicate in 2005 and it has been 5 years. I only felt "recovered" when I worked as a salesman in a shop.

When I focus on working on something like writing, building a website, my depressed and depersonalized feeling come backs again. I can only deal with the negative thinking when I try to sell. I write down my negative mind and the positive sentence everyday, however, it still doesn't help me remove my negative sub-conscious mind. I took this program since the end of 2007 and it is already 2.5 years. If it can help me, it would have already have the effect.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 24, 2010 4:38 pm

I am a social anxiety disorder patient. If anybody know any way to deal with the negative thinking and depersonalization when I sit down and work silently, please let me know. I am struggling whether to give up what I am fighting for 5 years: "I can recover without medication"

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 24, 2010 4:56 pm

is this just a no-medication thread? if so i am sorry. but as a former socxial anxiety sufferer, i like to share what helped me....doing this program and personalizing some things to what i needed out of it, and the same principles helped reprogram my negative mind homework session by homework session to well in time. it took me over a year repeating homework like ongoing lesson 3 and the rest with lots of reviewing and homework..even some helpful other thgs on self esteerm self work, and assertiveness to augment lessons of this program. and yes, lesson 11 helped me understand the place of medication to be less 'crippled' so as to help my own self. i wish you patience and determination and belief the work of this program for instance (in myu own experience) vcan overcome past negativity to your goals of inner peace and overcoming social anxiety and depression etc. give it time and repetition..and patience with all your own efforts.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 25, 2010 5:25 pm

The problem is I took this program at the end of 2007 and I became a salesman at the beginning of 2008. I become the top sales in the shop and I can communicate with anybody with assertive and any other things that this program taught me. I felt that I was totally recovered.

However, I started to build my business in Sept 2009. Doing a business needs you to work on something other than continuously selling. I felt that I couldn't focus especially when I build my website. The depersonalization feeling and negative thinking comes back.

Therefore, if the program has helped me already and it had helped me in the maximum level. I continuously write negative and positve thinking in chapter 3. However, I still cannot control my negative thinking.

Sorry that I may seem a little bit wrathy, but I really feel annoying when people continuously tell me to be patient and wait for the program to help me.

It has already helped me and I continue to do what it told me but it couldn't help me any more. If I never experience recovery after taking this program, it maybe because the time is not long enough or I am not doing the right way. However, it had helped me and I felt that it no longer help me in the previous 9 months where I experience total recovery before.

If anybody have any advice to me, I am willing to listen. I really don't want to take medicine for the rest of my life.