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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by someday on March 10, 2007, at 2:12:05
Been suffering from GAD and SAD.
I went to a coffee shop with friends, and I had to order some coffees and donuts since I was going to buy them. Someone asked me to get regular coffee. I ordered it. The lady asked "One sugar, one cream?" I said "No, black, please" She seems suspicisous. One of my friends said "Regular means 1 sugar + 1 cream". Then, I started to panic. I didn't know what to do. Friends looked at me strangely at my blushed face. I'm so embarrassed and depressed. Depression and embarrassment always come to me when I experience this kind of situation. Before meeting friends, I took 0.5 Clonazepam. It usually works very well - at least it makes me go out of house.
How long do I have to live with this nightmare? Will I ever get normal like when I was young?
I've taken antidepressants and they do more harm than good. There are so many things I want to do when I'm not social phobic. I've had CBT sessions. It was complete waste of money. Now, I'm listening to a CBT tape. The doctor from the tape seems like to know more than the doctor from the failed CBT session. What he says reaches my heart.There is one method called, "Slow talk". It's basically talking a little slower than you usually do. I applied the same concept to my racing thought, and it helps.
I'm just writing this w/o any thought. Just typing as my fingers go. Will I ever get better and study what I want to study, and meet people I'd like to go out with? Can someone please please tell me something?
Posted by Fivefires on March 10, 2007, at 9:32:22
In reply to Need some good advice, posted by someday on March 10, 2007, at 2:12:05
Hey Someday. I too have had troub' w/ Jan, Feb, and now into March. Thought was really goin' off the deep end, again!
I talked to my 'somewhat knowledgeable about DBT therapist' about SAD and also told her more than a couple bad events have occurred in my past during this time of year, these days seeming to follow Christmas and New Years, and believed my body clock was remembering and just doin' what it did the year b4. She agreed.
So, w/ a bit of SAD and body clock influence, I'm right there w/ ya.
Regular? Coffee w/ 1cr and 1sug means regular?
To me, regular means just like it is b4 u alter it! Someone could write a book about proper coffee language today and make a fortune!I complain (not in a mean way) about the coffee language everytime I go to S*ar*ucks. I say, if you want to know what I want and u want me to say it properly and quickly, why don't you print or post a menu?
When I say this, the peeps working there just kind of nod and smile as they begin to rush about trying to put together what I've said 'in the not so proper yuppie S*ar*ucks way'.
I don't care what they think about what I say as long as I get the coffee I want.
It's like checking your McDonalds bag b4 leaving the drive up. U need to check your S*ar*ucks too!
Think I'll call-or-email S*ar*ucks a suggestion re: printing a menu and calling it something like 'S*ar*ucks Language', and suggest maybe it would be a good idea to give their coffee drinks numbers. Instead of spieling off this yuppie coffee talk, you could say, "I'd like a #4 please."
And, think I'll hint at some compensation for my anxiety/trauma suffered due to inability to properly communicate my coffee needs ... maybe in the form of some 'free coupons'! Let's all do it!
(Spkg of coffee, I really like Chr*stopher B*an Jamaica Blue Mountain.)
I'm writing my own 'mantras' afa self-talk goes. These things we say to ourselves must be things we believe and curtailed to our own personalities.
Since I've been grieving over my father 3yrs now, holding on, and in some ways punishing myself, keeping myself from moving on, my mantra is going to be ...
I WON'T FORGET DAD IF ... blah blah blah. The blah blah blah could be 'I go to a restaurant he loved and enjoy myself'.
What think? We make our own individualized 'self-talk'! For peeps that are hard on themselves, this sort of 'backwards self talk' might work well.
We could say, 'My health will deteriorate if I don't eat healthy food'.
If it works the way I'm thinking, the mantra would become a part of our everyday thoughts, maybe even boring us, and, being peeps who tend to think we are bad and must do ourselves harm, we start eating healthy food just to spite ourselves! Am I making any sense here?
What's the tape you're listening to ? if u care 2 share. I'm glad your heart likes it.
I'm not well educated re: SAD and/or our body clocks. Maybe we can prepare? Maybe 'we can make up our own self-talk to fit this 'pulling down time' when it rolls around next year?
Can any1 shed more light?
I too have troub' w/ ADs seeming to trip-off anxiety and presently am better on just an anxiolytic. (I say the word anxiolytic because ' benzodiazepine' has really taken a beating lately!)
Some peeps worked long and hard to develop this med that helps the problem I'm having and has 'come to a peak lately', and I'd dam* glad they did!
This time will pass and better days will come.
whenwillsumdaybe2day?, 5f
Posted by someday on March 10, 2007, at 11:34:44
In reply to Re: Need advice - SAD/GAD ( Body Clock?) Self-Talk ?someday, posted by Fivefires on March 10, 2007, at 9:32:22
Thanks a lot for good words!
I don't drink coffee btw.
I'm listening to this:
http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/audioseries.htmlOne tape / week only, as instructed.
May I ask you what "anxiolytic" and dosage you are taking?
Posted by Phillipa on March 10, 2007, at 11:57:08
In reply to Re: Need advice - SAD/GAD ( Body Clock?) Self-Talk, posted by someday on March 10, 2007, at 11:34:44
Coffee is not good for you if you have anxiety. I know what you mean you get flustered it's as if someone who has asked a simple question has asked you to repeat a four page speech. Xanax is good for panic attacks. I am having anxiety issues too. I hope some others chime in as the SSRI's don't work for me. Love Phillipa
Posted by Honore on March 11, 2007, at 11:51:17
In reply to Need some good advice, posted by someday on March 10, 2007, at 2:12:05
Someday, I know it can be confusing to be put on the spot, but honestly, you didn't do anything weird.
By regular coffee, you probably meant, not decaffeinated. That's one meaning of "regular" in regard to coffee; another, especially in a coffee shop, is with milk and sugar. So what you said was perfectly sensible.
Maybe some anti-anxiety or social anxiety meds would help you regain just that slight bit of confidence that would help you realize that you were fine-- that you were thinking one thing, an entirely rational and understandable thing-- even if they were thinking another.
Happens all the time. Social anxiety can be treated, both with meds and therapy. Have you tried a group, by any chance? That might be a good place to work on some of those issues.
Honore
Posted by Fivefires on March 11, 2007, at 15:01:22
In reply to Re: Need some good advice » someday, posted by Honore on March 11, 2007, at 11:51:17
Or u could just tell them all to go take some Fukatol. :)
5f
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