# Seattle Eastside (Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond) Support Group



## ElArbol (May 12, 2012)

Hey,

I'm looking to start a small anxiety support group in the Seattle Eastside area (Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, etc.) or for anyone who can make it. 

I'm at a point in my life where i need to be able to be comfortable talking in a small group. My anxiety is holding me back. 

If you feel the same, don't hesitate to contact me and we can start to work out the details.

In my experience, the best way to get over anxiety is practice. And that sucks, but it's true.

It is my hope to create a small support group that meets maybe once a week, we can talk about whatever we need practice talking about, in my case I need practice talking about anything intellectual.

Hopefully, once we get to know each other better, we can discuss where we think our anxieties are stemming from, and give advice and feedback.

I refuse to let anxiety lead my life and define me. Any person along the spectrum of anxiety is welcome, from the barely able to say a word without losing your breath, to the decently able to hide it from time to time.

What do you think?


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## fluidglide (Mar 1, 2009)

my name is michael. 27. super anxiety. give me a call and we can try to meet 425-894-5445. how can i contact you?


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## Augustus (Apr 28, 2004)

I would also be interested, if there are a few more people (I also know someone else who might fit in with such a group). send me a private message and I'll give you my email address if you still want to try to set this up.


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## paulgj (Jun 18, 2012)

I'd also be interested. I'll PM you too.


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## ElArbol (May 12, 2012)

oops, I'm new to this forum and wasn't notified that people were responding. sorry. let's get the ball rolling.

First off, my name is Jordan. I recently graduated college and have found that my anxiety is becoming worse now that i am out of the college environment where i was forced to interact with people daily. 

It's easy to get lost in that world of thoughts in your head, then struggle to find a way out into the verbal one. 

As Bill Murray would say, baby steps. Let's start the conversation here, then move it into the real world. Possibly at a coffee shop or even a park.

My anxiety varies from day to day, and all depends on who I am talking to, and what I imagine in my mind is at stake. For example, I find it easy to talk to my best friends, but am completely shaken when it comes to phone interviews or even talking to a girl I could imagine having a future with. For me it's all about controlling my thoughts. Emotion is the product of thought, and in our case with social anxiety, these thoughts have become unconscious triggers/anchors that seem impossible to control.

anyways that became a rolling rant, but whatever. In my opinion, social anxiety can only be conquered socially. I want to create a group where we can all be comfortable, no matter what level of anxiety we are at. So previous posters, and anyone else that might want to join, feel free to share your anxiety level and what you hope to achieve. I don't think i could ever communicate what i just wrote without some severe anxiety at this point, but my goal is to be able to. If you're goal is to just be comfortable sitting next to someone, that's perfectly fine.


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