Stress Center Peer Support

Hello FrancesL - I did not know these type of support groups existed. I'm going to look for one. I live in a relatively small town, so I don't know if an anxiety group exists here. Thank you so much for the inspiration.

Often I feel friendless and alone. I work long hours and go to the gym, and am new to this area and feel like a stranger in a strange land-I don't really fit in here in the South- I'm vegetarian, non-smoker, not overweight, don't go to church, and I'm liberal to boot so I feel left out and weird and different. "You're one of those d* yankees" I heard recently, it hurts. I'm trying to make friends. I love peopple and desperately want to have a personal connection with a social network. Sometimes I buy expensive gifts for acquaintences since I like giving gifts and hope they will like me then feel embarassed. It's hard to be social with this condition but the program is helping. I feel alone often like I'm in a dark room with no one in it. I think many of you guys are in here with me, though. That helps!

Hey Cuttingirl,

Someone else posted this link before and that's where I got it. It lists support groups in different areas.

<A HREF="http://www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/SupportGroups.asp" TARGET=_blank>http://www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/SupportGroups.asp</A>

What part of the south are you in? I'm near Houston, TX...lived here the majority of my life. Did live in NYC for a brief time...so I know what you mean by culture shock. I was 18, moved there for modeling and had a part time job waitressing. (Let's face it..unless you are Tyra or something it really doesn't pay the bills...especially NYC bills. )

People actually thought I was stupid because I have a southern accent! One of the cooks overheard me on the phone with my mom asking if she could send me some money and he replied, "Why don't you sell one of your horses, aren't they worth a lot of money." I was thinking to myself...and you think I'M stupid??
Yeah...not eating meat, liberal...pack it up girlfriend..it's a dog eat dog world down here. My sis actually moved to Chicago for school and came back a lib..so you can imagine how much fun we have on holidays with a family with 6 kids, everyone republican except her!

Sorry that people are making you feel uncomfortable. I've lost so much weight lately everyone keeps making the comment "You are looking really skinny, you have to stop losing weight." I think...how would you feel if I said, "Man, you really are packin on the pounds there...what do you do, eat ice cream every night before you go to bed?? You sure are getting fat!"
Que sera, sera.
Anyway...if you lived close by, I'd hang out with you, liberal vegeterian and all!!! I hope you find a group near by.

I also have very few friends. I am getting better at the whole socializing thing. I had friends back in school (I'm 33 now) and I still email them occasionally. My bfriend has friends and I associate with them although I used to try to distance myself I am getting better. I realized that friendship is not perfect and the definition in my head may not be accurate. All I can do is try to be there for other people. I also tend to get hurt easily so I tend to be standoffish because of that.

But its funny when I realized one day that just because someone isn't my bestest friend in the world doesn't mean that they are not a friend. And there are different types of friends. My bfriend has a lot of friends and they mean the world to him. I think more so than I do at times.