I dont have PTSd but I have Agora Phobia. Its hard I get anxiety attacks when I have to leave the House. Im always ready for the worse. I check behind me and look for like you said an exit if something were to happen. I dont plan trips that are to far. I keep in mind that once say I get to my best friends house which is about an hour away I will be fine. When it was at its worse I would say make small gaols such as a trip maybe to the dollar store or Deli , Going to the psychiatrist and making my appointments on a regular basis was my very 1st goal, Using a hand held game in waiting rooms helped me. Keeping a journal of my successful and not so successful days on here helped a lot. Sometimes our greatest fears come out in our dreams, even if they never happened. My hubby has PTSD and he uses music to go to sleep. Its therapeutic to him, His counselor recommended it. It seems to help him. The funny thing is I like complete quiet when falling asleep.

I dont have PTSd but I have Agora Phobia. Its hard I get anxiety attacks when I have to leave the House. Im always ready for the worse. I check behind me and look for like you said an exit if something were to happen. I dont plan trips that are to far. I keep in mind that once say I get to my best friends house which is about an hour away I will be fine. When it was at its worse I would say make small goals such as a trip maybe to the dollar store or Deli , Going to the psychiatrist and making my appointments on a regular basis was my very 1st goal, Using a hand held game in waiting rooms helped me. Keeping a journal of my successful and not so successful days on here helped a lot. Sometimes our greatest fears come out in our dreams, even if they never happened. My hubby has PTSD and he uses music to go to sleep. Its therapeutic to him, His counselor recommended it. It seems to help him. The funny thing is I like complete quiet when falling asleep.

Hello Kayla. Welcome back. I noticed you in the PTSD forum, also. PTSD is my primary dx, but it is categorized as an anxiety disorder and I often find great benefit in a less specialized approach to my symptoms. Quite often it settles my PTSD symptoms better when I address the current day anxieties which are triggering the blasts from the past.

I'm with your shrink about taking the proverbial bull by the horns. Healing can't happen in wounds which are still covered by the dirty bandages of denial. Ripping off a putrid old bandage is rough, all by its lonesome, especially when the bandage is metaphorical.

Or you can just keep avoiding it. I've seen quite allot of colorful results from that approach. Hand cupped over mouth to emulate mask muffle: "I am fine? How are you?"

Facing your fear head on is probably the best solution. It is a tough situation, but if you can face it instead of running from it you will gain courage. You have nothing to fear, look at it from an uninvolved state of mind, almost as if you were a second you, one that is afraid, the other not afraid. The more you confront your fear, the less hold it has in you. I recommend a good book, “It’s Only Anxiety” by Carl James available on Amazon. Worth your time.

Welcome to the Anxiety board at DS.

You've taken the important first step in writing it out.

Here's the thing about healing the mind-you have to rip the bandage off just like you do healing the body. How you choose to remove the bandage is your choice, and it's well worth writing it out and looking at what works when to help you find calm in the moment.

I have a 'generalized anxiety disorder with social phobia' for my official diagnosis. The process of choosing a treatment plan to help me find calm took the combined efforts of the office visits, the homework assignments, and the daily journal writing.

What happens when you keep writing it out is that it releases from your mind easier, so it's not 'stuck' or other word you might choose instead.

Best wishes as you find your better balance.