Stress Center Peer Support

i purchased this program july of 2007 i skipped around didnt do it every week and ended up only making it to the 12th session after skipping some of them. i signed up to the internet community sometime in december and ive just kind of hid and read post and tried to get help from different threads without posting. ive tried several self help books, i suffer from severe scary thoughts that i know i would never act upon or things that would never happen but knowing does not help and it gets just about unbearable,i have panic attacks, i have anxiety all the time, i wake up with it and i go to bed with it, and i stay awake in bed with it i suffer from depression and because of this ive never had a lick of self esteem it seems. i muster up just enough strength to go out and work and to fufill my church responsibilties and after that i have to come back to my home to hide and sleep and try to escape. i really want to try this program out to its full potential this time because i just cant live like this anymore. i know this has helped people and i want it to help me. im starting it completely over and im not sure how to do it. i just listened to the first session and i want to do a journal but im not sure what to focus on or how to do it. in my faith we are asked to write in journals but its different from this, and im not sure how to approach writing in a journal for the reasons of "atacking anxiety". also i never really did the peer support on here when i tried this the last time and i didnt know how to go about that, do i start in september 2008 and approach it like im starting over, which i am. or do i just make my post on the main community portion of every session. thank you for your time im really going to try this time, i cant live like im living any more, so if you would please help and point me in the right direction.

I am sure that other people will reply to you, too, but if I were in your position(and knowing what I know now), I would start at the beginning, as if I were just starting the program. I would go to the new user support group, sign in, and take it from there. Also, I am not promoting the coaching program, but I went through it and found it extremely helpful. I am sure, though, that it is possible to go through the program on your own, too. I went to lesson 11 the first time, realized that I needed more individual direction, did the coaching, and now I am going through it again. I am getting even more out of it this time around. I look at the posts every day, and look at the forums that interest me. I think it helps to take advantage of everything you can. I also think that you need to make yourself and this program top priority in your life. You deserve no less.

Congrats...

You are trying again. You need to stop beating yourself up, and start applauding yourself for even thinking of trying.

Every day is a challenge, but the more you fight it, the more good moments you have. The good moments will turn into good minutes, then good minutes will turn into good hours, then good days.

GET USED TO ASKING FOR HELP!!!! This was soooo hard for me. (TRY friends - you would be surprised what other people are going through, they may also want to vent some stress). Don't worry what people will think. Give yourself time to be the one who needs help. Not just once, but as long as it takes.

If you don't have friends, don't isolate yourself. Be as relentless as your anxiety and depression. Search out dr's or psychiatrists or psychologists. Seek out support groups, and make getting there your TOP PRIORITY. Forget about how you want people to see you, and accept the reality of the situation. You won't be the person you want to be till you face this situation head on and fight it.

Good news is it CAN get better. Every day remind yourself of the LONG TERM goal. If you follow the program and ask for help, and go easy on yourself, it will be worth it.

Keep asking for help and it WILL get easier.

Heather

thank you so much, im going to keep hope and im going to overcome this

Hi BH,
Here is what you need to do:
Determine you don't want to live like this anymore and keep that determination alive everyday. Start the program from lesson 1, listen to the CD's, read and re-read your workbook because we all miss something the first time of reading. The workbook teaches you tools to use everyday. Soon you will feel a LOT better, but DO NOT let that be an excuse for stoping your listening and reading because you MUST get the whole thing. I am a Christian also and everytime I read my Bible, a scripture pops out at me and makes sense, the program is the same. We will always have to keep the tools handy we learn in the Bible, and the same applies to the program. We will always have to refresh ourselves in the Bible so also refresh yourself in the program and do not lat ANYTHING distract you from that! Books to read ONLY after you are HALFWAY through the program are by Claire Weekes.
My final word (this applies to me and everyone here, and to anything in life), we only benefit from what we put into the program.

The best to you,
Rod