Has anybody here ever been part of a support group for anxiety related issues?
What did you do in the group? What could one expect from them?
Like did you get to do a bunch of activities or did you just sit around a table and talk about problems and stuff?

We get them in England, but they're counter-productive sometimes. Someone says they have aracnophobia and needs help, but the other members of the group can't relate, becase they have different phobias, anxiety affects people in different ways, & there's often no use in talking to other sufferers in real life.

Well even if people suffer from different forms of anxiety they still have the anxiety in common. Wouldn't it kind of be like an Ofear in real life? Not everybody in here has the same problem but people still get along and offer support to eachother

If there's no use in talking to sufferers in real life then there's even less use talking to them here isn´t there? sconfused

Cpt's point is valid - I've run groups and they can be wonderful for the participants or simply more anxiety provoking and counter-productive. It depends on the group members but more so on the facilitator. So of course all mine were wonderful. sbiggrin

But you're right with the issue that anxiety is anxiety and everyone can share a very similar aspect.

It would depend on what the group focus was - if they stray to everyone's own idiopathic issues then it's likely to become boring and irrelevant.

If you're going to one I can give you some 'people watching' games to play in your head with the group in case it's rubbish to stave the boredom? :laugh:

Quote:Cpt's point is valid - I've run groups and they can be wonderful for the participants or simply more anxiety provoking and counter-productive.

Yeah that makes sense, pretty much what my therapist told me too. People reacted differently to the whole thing, some started feeling worse because they found it a deppressive environment with everybody complaining and stuff while some felt just at home

Quote:It depends on the group members but more so on the facilitator. So of course all mine were wonderful.

Oh yeah of course :laugh: :laugh:

Quote:If you're going to one I can give you some 'people watching' games to play in your head with the group in case it's rubbish to stave the boredom?

I think boredom is the least of my worries if I decide to go :laugh:

So you've run groups then eh? What exactly were the groups all about?
I'm not even sure what they do there, that's why I'm asking really sconfused
Do the members just pretty much go on and on about their problems trying to get help or is it a good place to try and socialise?
The main reason I'm thinking of going is not really for support, I want to practice my bad socialising skills and I just feel like that'd be a good place to do it. I wanna see if maybe I can find a likeminded friend or two, and well just have a place to go to and feel like I'm around people who get me and my problems.

My therapist thinks it's a good idea for me to go but I just don't know :laugh:

Quote:So you've run groups then eh? What exactly were the groups all about?

Leiderhosen and Angola goat phobia (combined)

I also did anxiety, anger management, assertiveness, social skills, drugs and alcohol, enhanced thinking skills, vegetable peeling [advanced], offender rehabilitation, mindfulness, ping pong, symptom management and karaoke.

^ A vegetable peeling support group? Sounds like my kind of support group!

Anyways, Krakow, you ended up going to a support group, right? I think I remember you mentioning that you did? And it went alright, right?

I'm considering going to a support group. I'm just not 100% sold on the idea. Part of me is afraid that I wouldn't 'belong' because I'm not seeking any sort of help with my anxiety, etc. I'm just dealing with it on my own.

Randomly reviving ancient threads like this should be illegal. I hate reading what I wrote years ago.

If it's something you're interested in trying I think you should do it Cowie. I don't think the main reason people join these groups necessarily is to get help. I think a lot of people join them to meet others going through the same thing. So you don't have to worry about not fitting in just because of that. Have you given it some more thought? Think you're going to do it?

And no, I never ended up joining one myself. I talked to my therapists numerous times about joining a few different groups, but in the end I never went through with it. Either the groups never got started, or I was too much of a coward to actually go.

Its very hard to go to because everyone is looking at you Well at least i think they are

(09-30-2012 04:07 AM)Harold-L Wrote:  Randomly reviving ancient threads like this should be illegal. I hate reading what I wrote years ago.

If it's something you're interested in trying I think you should do it Cowie. I don't think the main reason people join these groups necessarily is to get help. I think a lot of people join them to meet others going through the same thing. So you don't have to worry about not fitting in just because of that. Have you given it some more thought? Think you're going to do it?

And no, I never ended up joining one myself. I talked to my therapists numerous times about joining a few different groups, but in the end I never went through with it. Either the groups never got started, or I was too much of a coward to actually go.

I'll revive as many old threads as I want to! And there's nothing you can do about it!

And I don't know if I'd necessarily say that I'm interested in it Krakow. I'm not even sure if I'm comfortable with it, to be honest. I'm just starting to feel the effects of my crummy social life and... I'm trying to figure out how to fix it. This is the only thing I've figured out.

It's not that I'm 100% against the idea either though. Part of me thinks it'd be a good idea for various reasons. The other part of me thinks that it's not even worth considering.

I think I'll start by emailing the guy that runs it. I'll ask him a bunch of odd questions and see where that takes me.

And I was sure that you ended up attending a few meetings. My memory is horrible.

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(10-01-2012 03:08 PM)Snooks Wrote:  Its very hard to go to because everyone is looking at you Well at least i think they are

I think everyone is looking at me and judging me regardless. So, that wouldn't bother me anymore than it usually does.

Unless you mean that they like... sit in a circle or something. Because that would creep me out.