things that cause anxiety problems sometimes seem like they just cant be done.forget about what people might nthink of you thats one issue gone right there and think about what is really bothering you about this then deal with that issue.one at a time.

when i was at my worst with pa i was nearly agoraphobic. i was so afraid to go out of the house and it is so easy to give in.PPPPLLLEASE...don't give in to this disorder. it will rob you of your life and cripple you to the point of being a freaked out prisoner to your own mind! nothing about this disorder is easy. you will be miserable if you stay home and do nothing, so why not take the chance of being miserable when you go out, or just possibly you may end up having a good time!!. you have to fight for your freedom, and if you don't, and end up becoming agoraphobic, people will know you have pa anyway!! don't worry about what others may or may not think, you never know what they themselves maybe going through. the only way i survived becoming agoraphobic was to go out in spite of the terror, and after forcing myself to do this over and over, i no longer have that problem. i would have missed out on so much living if i had succumed to this awful disorder. go to the boat and give it all you've got!! you CAN DO IT!!! good luck and please, if you ever need to talk i'm here :)

I know part of the anxiety is the "what if" You are right I need to do this. I love Christmas caroling. It's that typical symptom of not being to get off the boat when I want to so it creates anxiety. I need to let them know in the next few days. I mean it really is crazy isn't it. It's all in the mind. I know that and yet it is hard. Twenty years ago I would not understood this at all! I would think why can't they go out of their house. Now it is me!!!

I can understand. I don't tell my coworkers I have panic attacks. I tell them I don't feel well. You can tell them you get sea sick so if you are hyperventilating on the ship they will be fully supportive.

I was thinking I might use sea sickness as an excuse also. People really don't understand anxiety, depression or any kind of mental illness. With my job if they find out then they will use that against me. Haven't you heard "well, she is on antidepressants you know" as if you can't be normal if you are on antidepressants. A friend of mine wanted to pray for someone to come off antidepressants. Doesn't that say to you "You are not normal if you are on antidepressants". I did tell this person though that I didn't think we should pray for that. If the antidepressants were helping him they should be happy for him. He was very suicidal.

I have to let them know soon about the Carol Ship. I never ever thought that I would have this disorder. It is disabling in the fact that the things that I used to enjoy I can no longer enjoy.

Can I make it thru the heart attack/not being able to breathe/ etc feeling?

No idea about the ships. Though if I had to go on a canal boat in the UK then I'd climb the walls and jump in the canal.

As for xmas party -I have bunked off my work's do this year.