Hello...I'm new here and just looking for some advice regarding my current situation. In brief, I have social phobia and suffer from agoraphobia. It has only ever affected my personal life and I've managed to keep working. However, in February I started a new job at a great organisation that will greatly benefit my career (it is a hospital). I've been off since end of March as my dad was ill and then I started having anxiety attacks again (I hadn't had any for about a year or so). So, I've missed the last three weeks of work. I Was meant to go in today but ended up over sleeping which has left me in more of a panic (I have trouble sleeping at night as well). I basically don't know what to do. I am so scared to go back. It feels silly but I am worried people will say things about me or to me (they have previously said little comments about me being new to the job etc but I've been able to brush it off). As the shifts are 13 hours it means literellay spending more than half the day with my colleagues and I am absolutley petrified of going back in, I don't know how I will cope. Has anyone had to deal with this before? I feel a lot of pressure on me as my partner and I live alone and so have bills to pay etc and at the moment I just feel like I'm being very irresponsible and failing at life.
Hi, sounds your having emotional time. I suggest you seek advice to help you through this, good luck
Hi. Sorry I forgot to add that I am currently doing CBT (although my therapist is now away until the 18th) and will be seeing my GP today who previously prescribed me on propranol 40mg but that doesn't seem to help at all. Also, I get this surreal type feeling like things are not real and dream quite heavily so get confused between dreams and reality...does anyone else have this problem?
That's called depersonalization/derealization and if often appears in people with anxiety/depression. Does CBT work for you otherwise? I think therapy is a good wy to deal with your problems.
Thank you, I will look more into it. I've had CBT previously and it worked great but this time round I feel things are progressing really slowly. I've been in therapy for 6 months so far and feel I'm getting worse but I hope this will change.