Thanks for the info Anne Marie. It is something I have to straighten out. I mean how do you tell someone that you had/ or are having an anxiety attack when the discussion causes you one? Especially with people you don't know. Anyway I will check out the social anxiety sites as well. Thanks again.
Hi, CJ. Though I cannot diagnose, the things you describe sound like social phobia. If you do a search in the Internet you may find some useful sites on that topic.
Thanks Anne Marie for your response. I will check the self talk when I encounter this situation the next time. The problem often occurs when I first meet people. I am soo uncomfortable that I can handle much eye contact. Some interpret this as dishonesty, others feel my discomfort which makes them uncomfortable. I know i'm thinking I WANT OUT OF HERE!. Sometimes it escalates to the point where I have done the disassociation thing or I feel like I'm about to cry. It has hurt my career big time.
I believe it's generally agreed that it takes people up to three months to adjust to a new workplace and job. In that time, different situations can leave us feeling ill at ease or even incompetent, when we may in fact not be.
What sort of conversations do you hold with yourself before the panic attacks come? Are they self-reproaching? Or are you perhaps guessing that the other person thinks you incompetent? If you can zero in on the typs of inner responses you feed yourself in some situations, you may then have something to work on to cut down on the panic attacks.
Are there some situations that occur where you could say, "Let me think about this for a little while and I'll get back to you?"
I have a catch 22 problem. I am soo uncomfortable meeting new people and it takes me quite a long time to settle in a new work place. The thing is that if one little situation should occur then I start worrying about my job and then my anxiety goes through the roof. This only makes the situation worse. So by the time I am comfortable around most people, I have anxiety attacks around others. If a bad or uncomfortable situation comes up I can't talk to the person about it because I have anxiety attacks. This leaves some situations worse. This has happened over and over again. I really don't know what to do? I am taking paxil which helps with anxiety but I still have panic attacks when its necessary for me to explain my behaviour/ stand on things. I find it so frustrating. Yet when I am comfortable with people I can talk about anything.
Eye contact, powerful men, and too friendly people cause the most anxiety. Anyone have a suggestion?
