Newbie, just saying hi

[Lis_P]

Hi there. I posted for the first time in the anxiety forum. Have been beating myself up this past week about an interaction I had with someone, where I felt a panic attack coming on, then pretty much just walked away from the person without saying goodbye - just felt like I had to get out of there, with the panic setting in. Now that I've had the time to stew endlessly over it, I want to apologise to the person, but don't know how I'll explain my behaviour - worried they won't like me anymore, because I must have seemed weird/rude/angry 😞

[Feeling_Lonely]

Hi Lis P and welcome to the forums.

It can be so difficult when our mental illness impacts our behaviour and then makes us feel upset and worried over it. Playing the scene over and over again and wishing we had have done something different. You are not alone in feeling this way.

I know it is going be daunting, but I think the best option is to be honest. You don’t need to go into detail about your anxiety or struggles and what has caused them, but perhaps simply ask to talk to them and explain that you suffer from anxiety and felt uncomfortable in the situation and felt your best action was to get some space. Apologise if you feel you want to, but I don’t think anyone should need to apologise for suffering mental illness. If they are a decent person, I’m sure that they will be understanding and compassionate. If they’re not, then they don’t sound like a very nice person.

If it causes you too much stress and anxiety to do this face to face, perhaps you could write a letter, text or speak on the phone. Just remember if you’re texting/ writing that sometimes things can be misunderstood, so maybe read it over a couple of times and see if it truly expresses what you want it to.

Good luck with it, feel free to put forth some ideas here if you want to 🙂

[blondguy]

Hello Lis P

Thankyou for posting with us! Its great to have you here

Thats a good question Lis P. I used to have chronic anxiety for a long time in my 20's and 30's and understand where you are coming from. I have done the same at a wedding.....as in walked out. I felt so bad

You dont have to go into the details about panic/anxiety disorder at all. You can always say that you felt dizzy and faint and had to leave and see a doctor.

Can I ask if you know the person well? (only if thats okay of course) Great avatar by the way 🙂

My Kind thoughts

Paul

[Lis_P]

Hi & thanks so much for replying. I don't know the person really well but I do see them regularly. I'm seeing a psychologist as well - just 2 appointments so far, but it's helping just to talk to someone. I thought I might just be honest with the person, without going into too much detail, then at least they'd know it wasn't something personal about them. Thanks again 🙂

[Lis_P]

Thanks for your welcome, and for your advice. Have a nice night 🙂

[blondguy]

Hello Lis P

Thanks for posting back. You are spot on saying honesty is the best policy with someone you know even sporadically.

Feeling Lonely wrote a helpful post above

There are hundreds of thousands of Australians that suffer from some form of anxiety/panic disorder.

Letting the person know that you suffer from anxiety attacks is more than fine. Taking the first step to communicate shows character and strength.

I hope you dont beat yourself up too much on this as its a very common disorder Lis P

Thankyou for being a part of the forum family too Lis P and kudos to you for having a talk with us too 🙂

This is your thread and you are more than welcome to post as many times as you wish. You are very proactive with your health by seeing a psychologist. I have learned that the earlier anxiety/panic is treated the better the healing process

My kind thoughts

Paul

[Lis_P]

Hi Paul

Thanks for posting to me again. It's nice to get feedback from people, as just going it alone can mean jumping to all kinds of conclusions - and further anxiety - as I've personally found many times over! I'm feeling a bit better about the situation, but I'll post again if things get the better of me.

Thanks for caring & have a great night 🙂

[geoff]

hi Lis, good replies from Feeling Lonely and Paul, but when situations like this happen we tend to stew over leaving but you have to realise that this does happen in certain circumstances and as soon as you say 'hi' it will all be forgotten.

Don't feel anxious, they may have realised that there was something that made you do this. Geoff.

[Lis_P]

Hi Geoff, & thanks for your advice. It was someone I'm reasonably friendly with who was serving me in a shop. I walked off really quickly without saying thank you or goodbye. I almost went into the shop today to apologise but became too anxious. Lis