Okay, so I've been battling terrible anxiety problems for about 6 years now. Luckily, through therapy it is getting much better. So, I'm trying to push myself to do more things that I'm uncomfortable with. One of those things is going to be to go to the Queer Student Union meetings at the University in town. I attend the community college, but the two schools work closely together. The school counselor I talked to a while back mentioned I should be able to attend the meetings at the other campus. SO, I've been thinking about going for almost a year now. I've stopped myself every time up until now, because I couldn't push my anxiety down far enough to attend. But, I want to go. I'm never going to have any gay friends, or heck, a girlfriend, if I don't try to meet some people. I just obsess over new situations and anything that could go wrong...from the fact that I've only been on campus once and might get lost to perhaps no one will talk to me or what if someone I don't want to finds out and a thousand other worries running through me head. I build them up so much that I talk myself out of doing things. But anyway, I'm going to discuss this with my therapist this week, but I wanted some opinions from you guys as well. I know some of you out there suffer from anxiety problems, and many of you are at varying stages of being in the closet. I feel you can offer me insight my young, straight therapist may not be able to. So, what do you guys think? I know I should go. I gotta. But, what can I do to ease my anxiety about attending and make myself a little less socially awkward when I meet these people?
Could you go with someone you know? The biggest problem is going on your own I guess and feeling very self-conscious. Having someone with you would make it feel very different?
I have anxiety problems myself, and what I have learnt (with help from a therapist) is that sometimes you just have to go with the anxiety. When you go, you probably will feel pretty anxious. But you can either feel anxious about going, or anxious because you are there and have gone. You're going to gain a lot more from the latter. Tell yourself that you're going to go. YOU CAN DO IT! If you chicken out this week, don't beat yourself up about it. Just relax, take a deep breath, and go the next.
If you manage to overcome your anxiety and make it to your meeting, please let us know how you got on...I'm trying to persuade myself to go to something similar! It's hard work!
