Around 2 years ago, the anxiety I've had almost my whole life got out of control and I became an anti-social hermit. I started therapy around 6 months ago, and after a short lapse, decided to give the Combatting Stress and Depression Program program a try.
So far, the results have been quite good. Having just finished Lesson 8, I can honestly say I'm feeling better about my fear of panic attacks, anger, negative thinking and so forth.
One of my biggest problems is socialization. I've lost contact with many good friends due to my anxiety. Due to positive results from this program, I've been forcing myself to contact my friends again, despite the extreme nervousness I felt. I'm happy to say that I can now calmly have a phone conversation without getting nervous. The next step I had planned for myself was to get together with a friend for coffee or something (a very difficult situation for me). Unexpectedly, I got invited to a dinner party with several really good friends from high school that I haven't seen in a while.
Right after I got the invitation, I got nervous and couldn't get the dinner party out of my head. It seemed like a big jump that would skip several steps in my plan. I grew anxious enough to contact my therapist and she suggested that my anxiety came from a strong desire to see my friends, which was at odds with my fear of a social setting.
On the one hand, I know that I'm supposed to sit through the panic in order to get over it, but on the other hand, shouldn't I be taking small, incremental steps before jumping in to a high pressure situation?
I'm stuck on what to do because I don't feel quite ready to go to such a large social gathering (where only a couple of people are aware of my anxiety issues). (FYI: I can't think of an "out" because the dinner party is far away and of my friends will be driving).
Should I go to a dinner party I'm very nervous about?
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Guest
You should definitely go.
Why don't you start by calling up a friend and
going out for coffee before the big party. You
can have the other person drive.
THis will get you to socialize a little more before the big social event.
And don't forget, just be yourself, you don't have be the life of the party, Lucinda had a house party and she gave herself permission to feel these feeling and just float with them.
Try to relax and have a good time! It is so wonderful to connect with people from your past
and remember the fun times!!
Good Luck!
Why don't you start by calling up a friend and
going out for coffee before the big party. You
can have the other person drive.
THis will get you to socialize a little more before the big social event.
And don't forget, just be yourself, you don't have be the life of the party, Lucinda had a house party and she gave herself permission to feel these feeling and just float with them.
Try to relax and have a good time! It is so wonderful to connect with people from your past
and remember the fun times!!
Good Luck!