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...
Good morning,
So for the past few months ive experienced my anxiety levels rise when im at a restaurant or when im at a store. At the store is not so bad i can bare with it but its when im at the restaurant eating overhearing so many conversations at once and surrounded by so many people that i just find it so hard to be okay. Why? why cant i just enjoy a day with my girlfriend peacefully with no anxiety taking over me!! I find it hard to even enjoy my food because im constantly just thinking about how the hell am i going to react when it hits, im always just thinking that i need air, i feel like im going to faint, i feel weak, i get nauseous, i get jittery, my eyes start feeling heavy :( its like im there but im not. I get irritated when my girlfriend tries to make conversation with me... i get so sad when my girlfriend has to eat super fast just so we can get out of there because she sees how hard i am fighting it to be okay but it aint easy and all you guys here will ptobably most than likely be able to relate to this. I want to be okay. i want to be able to seat down and enjoy breakfast with my queen without panicking all the time. is there any tips out there that i can try? any advice? i just want to try to fight this again before it becomes to late and as in right now anxiety is winning...
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Does anyone follow her? She's really got some good tips.
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I am very sorry for what you are going through. That is indeed very hard.
First of all, you did not mention that you are going to therapy. If you are, then you got the first step. If not, they will be able to help you most. If you are more comfortable in a store than a restaurant, that means a lot of noise and crowd is affecting you. Have you tried looking for a restaurant or bistro that is a bit out of the normal busy area, such as little cafes where you have to drive or walk a little further than where most people go. Or one thing you can do is go to your favorite place a little bit earlier such as half an hour earlier before people start coming.
Lastly, you might want to try cooking for her once in a while (if you are not doing that). When I came to this country I did not know how to cook. I picked up a cheap recipe book and started trying one or two recipes. There was no Internet yet. I asked the people at the grocery store for help and tips, especially older people, they are very willing to help. Today there are tons of websites and you tube videos.
In the meantime, just try to remember to focus on your girlfriend, and that the true likelihood is that no one there is really paying attention to anything but their own meal and their own company. Some like to people-watch, yes, but try to consider this yourself: Barring anything particularly unusual, do you ever remember much about anyone you encounter in a restaurant?
Most people probably don't.
Hang in there. Try new things, and maybe try planning something special for your girlfriend. Give yourself something to focus on other than the anxiety. I know it's all easier said than done, but I believe in you!
that you can do on your day off. Take a walk in the park
And pack a picnic lunch, go roller skating, etc.
And occasionally go to a restaurant. But at a time they
are least busy?
Thank you for your reply. I am glad that I was able to add a little bit of idea and hopefully some of them if not all, would help you in your situation.
And anxiety is really hard to leave in the closet, especially when we try to make a situation perfect. The more we want to have a perfect time the more it goes the other way. So, just try to relax and pay as little attention as you can to the people around you, most of them really do not pay attention to us, which in most cases is good. If something went awkward and trust her that she would understand.