Does anyone else panic from being 'put on the spot' ??

[hangingon]

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) from Wikipedia:
The narcissist is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity. Narcissistic personality disorder is closely linked to self-centeredness.

To the extent that people are pathologically narcissistic, they can be controlling, blaming, self-absorbed, intolerant of others’ views, unaware of others' needs and of the effects of their behavior on others, and insistent that others see them as they wish to be seen.
People who are overly narcissistic commonly feel rejected, humiliated and threatened when criticised. To protect themselves from these dangers, they often react with disdain, rage, and/or defiance to any slight criticism, real or imagined. To avoid such situations, some narcissistic people withdraw socially and may feign modesty or humility. In cases where the narcissistic personality-disordered individual feels a lack of admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation, he/she may also manifest wishes to be feared and to be notorious (narcissistic supply).
Although individuals with NPD are often ambitious and capable, the inability to tolerate setbacks, disagreements or criticism, along with lack of empathy, make it difficult for such individuals to work cooperatively with others or to maintain long-term professional achievements. With narcissistic personality disorder, the individual's self-perceived fantastic grandiosity, often coupled with a hypomanic mood, is typically not commensurate with his or her real accomplishments.

[Anxiety beater]

Hi Mr M - I've had this problem many times and have had some horrific panic attacks in work situations - sometimes just being in a meeting and having to introduce myself! Trouble is, once this starts, you start to anticipate the anxiety and then it's not the situation itself, it's your feelings of panic that you're fearing, so you get into a vicious cycle. One of the most powerful things you can do, although it seems counter-intuitive, is not to fight the feelings of anxiety - try just accepting them, rather than fighting them, and they'll much more quickly subside. Remember that at the end of the day, they're just feelings - they're unpleasant, but not ultimately harmful (they're actually your body's natural defense system, designed to protect you, but you've somehow become programmed so that they arise in situations that don't really warrant that level of anxiety). Remember - we always empower what we resist - try accepting your anxiety as this will help to loosen its power over you. Oh yes - and learning how to breathe properly - check out how to do 'abdominal' breathing, it's a really effective way to relax.

[Cf3001]

Hi there, I just signed up to this forum - what a great way for sufferers to share info!

So I've been suffering from I guess you would call a mild generalised anxiety for years now which is mainly chronic worrying and a bit of social anxiety (that's what my psychologist says). I'm working on techniques to reduce my worry however what I really need help with is the following.....

I have a real fear of being 'put on the spot'. Now to define this I mean situations like Interviews, dealing with authority figures, public speaking etc and especially a fear of confrontation. I have abnormal reactions to these situations especially if I'm not familiar with the people involved. My adrenalin starts pumping, my heart thumps, my face gets flushed, I start breathing heavier and I start gulping which actually makes it physically hard to get any words out. Basically a panic attack! And so obviously I live in fear of being 'put on the spot' everyday.

I work in a restaurant every night so I'm constantly exposed to these situations but I can't seem to get comfortable with them.

Does anyone suffer from this? What sort of treatment is beneficial? This anxiety feels like its ruling my like at the moment. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Hi there,

Looks like it's been a few years since this post. I was following up to see how you're doing with the whole anxiety. I'm actually on the same boat, when being put on the spot. I wanted to see if you wouldn't mind sharing any techniques that have helped you overcome your anxiety.

Thank you

[Prince Romeo]

Hi there, I just signed up to this forum - what a great way for sufferers to share info!

So I've been suffering from I guess you would call a mild generalised anxiety for years now which is mainly chronic worrying and a bit of social anxiety (that's what my psychologist says). I'm working on techniques to reduce my worry however what I really need help with is the following.....

I have a real fear of being 'put on the spot'. Now to define this I mean situations like Interviews, dealing with authority figures, public speaking etc and especially a fear of confrontation. I have abnormal reactions to these situations especially if I'm not familiar with the people involved. My adrenalin starts pumping, my heart thumps, my face gets flushed, I start breathing heavier and I start gulping which actually makes it physically hard to get any words out. Basically a panic attack! And so obviously I live in fear of being 'put on the spot' everyday.

I work in a restaurant every night so I'm constantly exposed to these situations but I can't seem to get comfortable with them.

Does anyone suffer from this? What sort of treatment is beneficial? This anxiety feels like its ruling my like at the moment. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Yeah, I definitely hate being put on the spot. It's an awful feeling. Getting all that attention. It's too much for me to handle. My way of dealing with it wouldn't really be considered as being helpful though. But I either get drunk or just shut down. Sometimes I have to avoid the situation altogether. That is how I deal with it. Again, not helpful. But it does get me through it!

-P.S. Cayman

[Halli]

I know this feeling very well. Also I could tell someone I'm really passionate about something and as soon as they ask me a question on it I go blank. I could give a whole presentation at college (well bumble through it and sweat and shake) I would know it inside out and yet as soon as anyone asked me a question on it I with just go blank and die inside.