Hello, I am new:_)

[Jingy33]

Hi everyone. I am female, 33, married with 3 children, living in the UK. I suffered a trauma last year, well 2 really. I lost my Nan suddenly, we were very close, then 2 months later my brother attacked me and since then I have been left battling post traumatic stress, anxiety/panic and agoraphobia:-( This has been very difficult for me and I am in desperate need of some support.

I look forward to chatting with you all:-)

[NixonRulz]

Welcome aboard. It's a shame to have to welcome people here but I suppose it is nice that we all have a place to go to vent and get some advice or support.

Sorry for what you are going through and the last year in general.

Anxiety comes to people for many reasons. None surprise me anymore.

I hope you find what you are looking for here.

[Jingy33]

Thank you Nixon x

[alankay]

Welcome! Alankay

[dnouk]

Hi Jingy

Sorry to hear about your troubles.

Have only been on here a day or so, but have already found it valuable to meet other people who understand.

Look forward to meeting you across the forum, hope it helps you too

Dean

[rationalfears]

So sorry to hear about everything you've been going through. It sounds very hard. Fortunately, we are here to help!

[Mrs2B]

Warm welcome, Im new too, look forward to chatting :-)

[Jingy33]

Thank you all very much for the kind welcome x

[Lin]

Welcome, hope you enjoy being on the Forum and get some help and support when you need it. Really comforting to know that other people out there are handling the same symptoms as yourself and someone else's ideas can often work for you too if willing to try.
Sorry that you have had such a bad time, for the first time I have had agrophobia and have spent weeks and whole weekends not going out of the house. Going to work at times has been a real struggle because of not wanting to leave the house and my best weekend is when I get in from work on a Friday and leave the house on the Monday morning, having not gone out at all.
Last summer I would not even sit in the garden as it felt like outside - so this summer we have bought a swing seat which I have always wanted since a child - and although it is only on the patio I have managed two hours on it so far - more than last year in the garden for the whole summer.
I have been trying to do better with agrophobia this year and although I am still struggling to socialise with friends, I have joined new groups and have found talking to strangers much easier. So now go to two meditation groups - meditation is great for head space and usually the people there have had problems so understand, and the teachings help you in day to day life too. Also I am now helping to start up an evening peer support group with our local Mental Health Forum so that people who work or go to college have a group once a week where they can drop in and talk to other people struggling with mental illness. There is one in the town on a Friday morning, but no good if you want to work.
I also found going on NHS and Recovery Education Service courses was a good way to break my agrophobia - I would learn something from the course, but also be able to talk to strangers who understood what you were dealing with.
I have done a NHS Mindfulness course which fits in with my Buddhist meditation group and the REC course I have done is a Recovery Tool Kit. Both were good for getting to know a group of people whom you could talk too, and the tool kit is really useful because you make up your own personal tool kit to help you recover and help you through days at work etc and I have found it good trying to find things to put in mine.
Just some ideas to start you getting out of the house, but I know how hard it is, and I really did take little steps at first, and I also lapse badly at times but just accept them and then start again trying to do bits again and building them back up.
Work has often been the only reason I have kept going but the pressure of working is so hard, that you need to have breaks from that too.