The Cloak

So it's time for me to accept that this cloak has a name: Anxiety.
Social Anxiety to be precise. Well that's what we think at the moment.

If things get too loud, or there's too much happening at once - for example: lots of people talking in one room, trying to hear someone speaking with lots of background noise from a crowd or music or tv, or a group of people coming up to me at once - I panic slightly (or sometimes not so slightly).

Currently I am working in a call centre, which was only meant to be a temporary measure but finding a replacement has been proving hard. Regardless, my girlfriend has convinced me that she will help support me if I quit. I hate knowing I will be dependent on someone financially and otherwise for a time, but I think it's a move I should make. I've only put it off this long because I wasn't sure how we would get by.

She has assured me that she will support me in any way I need. I guess I'm very lucky. I'm not used to being the one who needs support often, let alone has it there from a significant other when I do. It helps that my girlfriend is a Peer Support worker, and part of the company she works for focusses on Panic and Anxiety disorders, albeit not her particular field/department.

I won't speak much on them, because I haven't found them useful myself. However I am also lucky to have a very rad GP who worked out a Mental Health Care Plan for me and referred me to a counsellor. This is what I would recommend people do. If your GP isn't the best, or you're too embarrassed to ask the one you usually see, shop around. Book a double appointment and have a chat.

This is probably something I should have done years ago.