Anxiety Support Group
Anxiety is a physical condition marked by intense and persistent feelings of distress, fear, angst or dread. General anxiety caused by routine day-to-day stresses usually passes quickly and is experienced by almost everyone at one time or another. However, such feelings that linger over time and are very difficult to cope with, and which lack a clear cause, may indicate...
I recently tried again to do some volunteering, but I'm being hesitant about alot of things because of my anxiety, and it's affecting how I get along with people.
The volunteer coordinator commented I could 'loosen up', for example. At least one person is blowing me off and not greeting me.
I feel like if things would straighten out and get better, they would have. I've done this for a little bit already.
I don't want to go through feeling like I'm annoying people everytime I go and I don't want to bog them down if they could have someone more confident and better.
It's still pretty early on and they usually find other volunteers if some drops out.
Should I bow out as gracefully as possible, or suck things up and keep going?
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I haven't written in my diary on my computer since May because I thought that my computer was dying. I got away from writing but my computer is hanging in there. I think that I will start writing in it again. It's so therapeutic.
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Years ago, I won a mirrored armoire from my job. It's in my bedroom but I rarely stand in front of it. Yesterday, I had to have a dexascan done so I had to change into a gown. There was a full length mirror in the changing room. I'm aware that I gained 5 to 7 pounds over the last year from cheating on Keto but I didn't know what it looked like. It was a reality check.
I don't like the bowing out option 'cause it feels too much like letting my anxiety win. When I let my anxiety win, I am never too graceful when it gets to the place where I am bowing out of life, altogether.
I like the sucking it up option even less 'cause? ? ? Let me count the ways. . . Repression leads me even yuckier places than the isolation of bowing out. Coming clean and stating my dissatisfaction out loud at least offers a hope of working things out.
Just voting. . .
Gentle support while you figure what's right for you.
The others there may be just as anxious as you and so are forming "cliques/allies" so they feel safe or comfortable. Being a volunteer can put people out of their comfort zones sometimes.
I don't know what type of volunteer work you are performing but if you have a choice maybe the opportunity you are working on just isn't for you.
Thank you for your volunteer service!
Here's the thing about volunteering: decide if you have a passion for what you are actually doing, or if you are doing it to meet people. It makes a huge difference in how your anxiety affects your ability to be "balanced" in your responses and actions.
One of the best gifts we give ourselves is in helping others in a positive way.
Our family chose a volunteer organization in our town to work together in. When we started, we just did a little. Over the years, we began to do more and more. By the end, we were all board members. I had been told by several former volunteers that they stopped volunteering when it stopped being fun.
That word was what described our work together with everyone. Not everyone got along well, however, we gave them space and they all got to do what gave them their comfort in volunteering.
So, I asked privately what happened to the "fun".
Keep in mind, I was a board member so I knew what and how the decisions were being made, and I also knew the organization was losing members due to the changes.
As a new volunteer, you're seeing people work together, and spending conversation together. What you may not know or realize, is that people all feel the same in a volunteer organization that are "new". They are testing the same waters you are, and the comfort is definitely not there for anyone.
Your work, what ever it is, is just as valuable as anyone else's. It may not seem that way because someone may say or do something that does not fit your perspective.
Instead of taking it personally (I know, it's hard not to), look to other ways to find a common way to work with them.
Working alone is sometimes easier to build comfort in volunteering, too.
Attending meetings with an open mind and listening to the voices to pick out the calm ones, is another way to find people who you can ask questions (keep them professional about the work), and help you find other ways that you might want to get involved.
Our organization went inactive after several board members had health issues which forced their withdrawal from participating in the board activities. Several other board members dropped out because their "friends" were no longer involved.
Any volunteer organization needs a diverse board in order to promote active community volunteers which helps the volunteers build their professional resume for their future.
Best wishes. I agree, thank you for your volunteer service!