I have a little bit of good news to share, I went to Wal-Mart today and even before I went in I started getting really dizzy and felt like I was going to faint but I forced myself to go in. Once I got in I sat on a bench for about 10 minutes till I got used to the place somewhat and then I walked in all the way to the back of the store and bought myself a game and then walked around some more with my parents but then it hit me bad so I just walked back to the bench by the doors and stayed there. I was still inside so I wasn't totally running from it lol :P

good for you ricky...facing the situations that cause our anxiety takes lots of courage so lots of kudos to you...keep it up!!

Good job bud!!! Its smalls steps along the way that will help you make the bigger steps. So next time, just try to float through the anxiety. Actually picture yourself floating. And then wait for the feeling to be over and continue shopping.

Great job Ricky! I know how hard it can be going into stores and walking around. I sometimes have to sit and calm down for a while until I get used to places too. It helps a lot. You are very strong for facing the fear : )

I was just wondering if you go to school? And if you do, does being in classes make you anxious? I have a lot of trouble with this.

Yes I am in my last year of high school and being in class since grade 7 was very difficult for me. If I am just given work to do I can usually do that to distract me but when I have to listen to the teacher do a lesson it always seems to be a lot harder to stay.

Ohhh. Yeah I graduated highschool last year and I'm taking classes at a community college right now till I get myself functioning better. I started having problems with anxiety when I was in 10th grade and I could barely ever sit in class. I would always feel good in class if everyone was talking and I could talk to my friends. I never liked the extreme quite and then you have to listen to the teacher. That's what I'm having trouble with in my college classes. College is a lot more flexible though trust me. You can just get up and walk out without the teacher saying WHERE ARE YOU GOING YOU NEED A PASS lol. If you ever wanna talk more just pm me : ]

Lol that's sounds pretty cool that you don't have to ask or anything but when I get really bad anxiety I usually just run out not caring I do have a short story to tell though. Last year in my English class I had a really mean teacher that didn't understand my anxiety so he took me out in the hall one time before class and told me I wasn't allowed to leave class anymore so that made my anxiety even worse in that class, so one day it was so bad that I had to leave so I just got up and left but I forgot my bag, so next day I go back to see if I could find it and it was gone so i'm guessing he threw it out or something that's how much of a poop bag he was. Sorry for the language

Oh and I forgot my sisters boyfriend asked me to go with him to get a fish tank so I went just me and him we drove there and I went in and helped him out, I even went in to the back to look at the fish, but pet stores are usually easy for me because you can distract yourself by looking at all the pets

Yeah that sucks when you get teachers like that who don't understand. I had my share of them in highschool, that's why I was so happy to graduate. That's great that you went with your sister's boyfriend to the pet store. The pet store is always interesting, especially pet stores with puppies
This summer I want to work at a pet store to earn some extra money.
Do you have a screenname on aol?

No I don't have aol but I use msn if your talking about an instant messenger.

Ricky, I just want to say grats on making such huge strides!! As Lucinda says, don't be mad at yourself b/c you couldn't walk around the whole time at Wal-Mart--you did WONDERFUL! Just being able to get out and do something is great!! I still have problems going places without my b/f, otherwise I get anxious about it....but I'm working on it. Anyway, not about me--good job Ricky, you're making great strides!!

As for your crappy teacher....you may want to talk to your school counselor about what you're going through, and you may want to bring a dr's note in with you--or your parents, and ask the teacher to talk to your teachers so you don't get guys like your a-hole teacher, and not being understanding. I had to do the same thing at work, talk to HR, and my local manager about what I'm going through and that I'm trying to make it back to work, but I get a lot of morning symptoms...... ANYWAY, GOOD JOB RICKY!!! =D

yeah i was talking about an instant messenger. i have msn too, i'll send you my screenname in a personal message thing on here. if you ever wanna talk just instant message me : )

Why are service activities so neglected? To do something(s) that don't resound with "I, I, I" can be amazingly beneficial not only for one's individual outlook, but also for the community and for the entire planet!

HI ALL
I STARTED THE PROGRAM ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND QUIT. I'M GOING TO START IT AGAIN. I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GO TO WALMART BY MYSELF IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THIS PROGRAM. BUT HAVING 5 KIDS AND MY 10TH GRANDCHILD ON THE WAY, IT'S VERY EASY TO GET SIDE TRACKED AND PUT YOURSELF LAST AGAIN. I WAS DOING SO WELL THEN GOT OVERWHELMED BY ALL THE PROBLEMS. BUT THIS PROGRAM IS THE BEST AND I'M GOING TO GET BACK ON THE BALL SO I CAN FEEL AS STRONG AS I WAS FEELING LAST YEAR. I KNOW I CAN BEAT THESE PANIC ATTACKS AND AGORAPHOBIA. I WANT MY LIFE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!