hi

[ivymay]

hi, i'm ivymay,

i suffer from phobias of dogs and thunderstorms,

have several severe anxiety issues and depression.

i also have agoraphobia and social phobia

[jess334]

Hi Ivymay,

I'd like to welcome you to the forums. Hopefully you find it a safe and supportive place.

I also have social anxiety and depression issues, as do many people on here. They seem to go hand in hand a lot of the time.

It must be hard being phobic of storms. They aren't something you can easily avoid.

I'm scared of dogs too, although only because I am terrified my baby son will get mauled. It's hard to explain to lots of people.

Please keep posting & chatting whenever you feel up to it.

Kind thoughts, Jess

[Doolhof]

Hi ivymay,

I too welcome you to the community here. It can be tough when we have phobias and other mental health issues. Are you receiving any help from professionals? Do you find some things work better for you than others?

I used to be terrified in crowds of people. I grew up in a very small town so the most people we ever had in one place was at an Australian Rules country footy match!

Moving to the city was quite a challenge at times.

After a while I became used to crowds of people, I would make sure if I was shopping in the city I had plenty of time so if I needed to sit for a while and chill my mind I was able to do so.

You mentioned thunderstorms, I get a bit freaked out when it is really windy. We have actually moved to the country and this area is very windy! Today it has been horrid so I have kept myself occupied and had the T.V. on to drown out the sound of the wind.

Hope you find ways to cope!

Cheers to you from Dools

[ivymay]

thank you

[ivymay]

thank you, i will be seeing a psychologist early next year