I want more support than I get here. I want to be able to set up AA style meetings where I can talk with people like myself in person, the boards just don't do it for me.
Even by gender would be good, honestly, probably would be great.
Who else finds the boards lacking and would like to make special friends and get a supportive local group together?
The only way to do it is to know who to talk to, right? So I think we should have forums by State and Area!
Sections by State and Area
-
Guest
I live around Orland Park IL. I'm not sure if there is any members from around my area though.-
Guest
-
Guest
I think, whatever a person can do to enable themselves during this journey to recovery - do it = MAKE IT HAPPEN.
I personally, found the boards/forums here @ StressCenter.com & CHAT to be very helpful during my own recovery. Sure, a lot of aspects of anxiety disorder creates a sense of FEELING ALONE & as such, creates a need to FEEL & TO KNOW - you are not. That is understandable - SUPPORT IS KEY<span class="ev_code_RED">no man is an island alone & we all need a little help sometimes</span>. However, & this makes it tricky: recovery fr anxiety disorder dictates that we face ourselves - those parts of us that created the anxiety disorder & change them = BEING ALONE. Now, in this sense, BEING ALONE does not mean WE ARE ALONE IN THIS WORLD OR OUR LIVES - ABSOLUTELY NOT. Rather, BEING ALONE ='s being alone w/ ourselves - to face ourselves - & I mean deep dwn - all of us, all those places we don't want to go or fear, all those surpressed fears/pains/negative learned behaviors - ONE ON ONE - YOU & YOU. You see, all that which needs to change is w/in you. In addition, the ability to change is also w/ in you.
Anxiety disorder @ its onset, creates treamendous fear: cumulative, restricting, & life inhibiting. In addition, anxiety disorder also creates a DEEP SENSE & FEELING OF "BEING/FEELING SO VERY ALONE" - as a result, instinctively - we obsessively reach out + become clingy + needy + physically dependant(remember, that SAFE PERSON) + emotionally dependant(you: my husband/mom/dad/sister/brother/best friend/neighbor - <span class="ev_code_RED">YOU MAKE ME FEEL BETTER & YOU MAKE THESE BAD FEELINGS GO AWAY - HELP ME - YOU DO IT: YOU FIND THE ANSWER TO MY PROBLEMS/CONDITION</span> ). While these things are natural - instictively reactive behaviors - they are INHIBITING TO RECOVERY FR ANXIETY DISORDER. Its one thing for us to know, we have people we can count on during this very difficult time + people we can learn fr & grow + for support - when it becomes a thing where WE DEPEND ON THESE THINGS & PEOPLE, CONSISTENTLY - AS THOUGH OUR RECOVERY DEPENDS ON IT - that our recovery IS DEPENDANT ON THEM - is when it becomes a paralysis of sorts to our RECOVERY FR ANXIETY DISORDER.
Oh, I have learned a great deal fr these forums, fr chat & fr the many people I have met on here. There is no denying that @ all. However, my greatest progress came - when I wasn't on chat/forums - literally, my greatest successes during my own journey came when I was alone - when I was forced to be alone - w/ myself/by myself/in my own company. Pretty ironic isn't it. I had no excuse + distractions + didn't get side tracked + get so busy I forget OR so busy I didn't do the work required. When anxiety is at its worst, a great many/majority of people search outside themselves for THE ANSWER - it is thru a period of time of being alone - that we find that answer - W/ IN OURSELVES. It is thru becoming dependant on ourselves, that we learn we have the power/ability - that we learn to grow/change/evolve/perseveer/put our foot thru that anticipitory wall. When we are able to become dependant on ourselves - our self esteem goes up - cause as Lucinda says, "we are seeing for our own eyes we are doing it - we didn't need for someone else to tell us".
Again, I am human - I love people, meeting great & positive people, making new friends - & I have been able to do that here, in part, on StressCenter.com. There were countless beautiful & generous people who reached out to me - befriended me & imparted their experiences & knowledge to me - for that I am humbled. I am no different than the next person. But, & this is very important to recovery - MY RECOVERY WAS NOT DEPENDANT ON THEM - & A GREAT DEAL OF THE PROCESS WAS DONE AWAY FR "HERE" - A GREAT DEAL OF THE KNOWLEDGE I OBTAINED WAS AWAY FR HERE - <span class="ev_code_RED">because it was while I was away fr here - that I learned to face myself - to face my fears - to feel those deep seeded pains I was so afraid to - I was able to SHOW MYSELF that I can do it - that I had the ability all along.</span>
So, in closing - sure - reach out to people so you know you are not alone. Seek knowledge out via whatever means & how many places you can:KNOWLEDGE IS THE CRYPTONITE TO ANXEITY DISORDER - just don't become dependant on all things outside of yourself - staying in front of the computer terminal @ home or @ work - is not gonna get you RECOVERED.
LENORE
I personally, found the boards/forums here @ StressCenter.com & CHAT to be very helpful during my own recovery. Sure, a lot of aspects of anxiety disorder creates a sense of FEELING ALONE & as such, creates a need to FEEL & TO KNOW - you are not. That is understandable - SUPPORT IS KEY<span class="ev_code_RED">no man is an island alone & we all need a little help sometimes</span>. However, & this makes it tricky: recovery fr anxiety disorder dictates that we face ourselves - those parts of us that created the anxiety disorder & change them = BEING ALONE. Now, in this sense, BEING ALONE does not mean WE ARE ALONE IN THIS WORLD OR OUR LIVES - ABSOLUTELY NOT. Rather, BEING ALONE ='s being alone w/ ourselves - to face ourselves - & I mean deep dwn - all of us, all those places we don't want to go or fear, all those surpressed fears/pains/negative learned behaviors - ONE ON ONE - YOU & YOU. You see, all that which needs to change is w/in you. In addition, the ability to change is also w/ in you.
Anxiety disorder @ its onset, creates treamendous fear: cumulative, restricting, & life inhibiting. In addition, anxiety disorder also creates a DEEP SENSE & FEELING OF "BEING/FEELING SO VERY ALONE" - as a result, instinctively - we obsessively reach out + become clingy + needy + physically dependant(remember, that SAFE PERSON) + emotionally dependant(you: my husband/mom/dad/sister/brother/best friend/neighbor - <span class="ev_code_RED">YOU MAKE ME FEEL BETTER & YOU MAKE THESE BAD FEELINGS GO AWAY - HELP ME - YOU DO IT: YOU FIND THE ANSWER TO MY PROBLEMS/CONDITION</span> ). While these things are natural - instictively reactive behaviors - they are INHIBITING TO RECOVERY FR ANXIETY DISORDER. Its one thing for us to know, we have people we can count on during this very difficult time + people we can learn fr & grow + for support - when it becomes a thing where WE DEPEND ON THESE THINGS & PEOPLE, CONSISTENTLY - AS THOUGH OUR RECOVERY DEPENDS ON IT - that our recovery IS DEPENDANT ON THEM - is when it becomes a paralysis of sorts to our RECOVERY FR ANXIETY DISORDER.
Oh, I have learned a great deal fr these forums, fr chat & fr the many people I have met on here. There is no denying that @ all. However, my greatest progress came - when I wasn't on chat/forums - literally, my greatest successes during my own journey came when I was alone - when I was forced to be alone - w/ myself/by myself/in my own company. Pretty ironic isn't it. I had no excuse + distractions + didn't get side tracked + get so busy I forget OR so busy I didn't do the work required. When anxiety is at its worst, a great many/majority of people search outside themselves for THE ANSWER - it is thru a period of time of being alone - that we find that answer - W/ IN OURSELVES. It is thru becoming dependant on ourselves, that we learn we have the power/ability - that we learn to grow/change/evolve/perseveer/put our foot thru that anticipitory wall. When we are able to become dependant on ourselves - our self esteem goes up - cause as Lucinda says, "we are seeing for our own eyes we are doing it - we didn't need for someone else to tell us".
Again, I am human - I love people, meeting great & positive people, making new friends - & I have been able to do that here, in part, on StressCenter.com. There were countless beautiful & generous people who reached out to me - befriended me & imparted their experiences & knowledge to me - for that I am humbled. I am no different than the next person. But, & this is very important to recovery - MY RECOVERY WAS NOT DEPENDANT ON THEM - & A GREAT DEAL OF THE PROCESS WAS DONE AWAY FR "HERE" - A GREAT DEAL OF THE KNOWLEDGE I OBTAINED WAS AWAY FR HERE - <span class="ev_code_RED">because it was while I was away fr here - that I learned to face myself - to face my fears - to feel those deep seeded pains I was so afraid to - I was able to SHOW MYSELF that I can do it - that I had the ability all along.</span>
So, in closing - sure - reach out to people so you know you are not alone. Seek knowledge out via whatever means & how many places you can:KNOWLEDGE IS THE CRYPTONITE TO ANXEITY DISORDER - just don't become dependant on all things outside of yourself - staying in front of the computer terminal @ home or @ work - is not gonna get you RECOVERED.
LENORE