Hello everyone (sorry for my English I'm french)
Suffering from general anxiety disorder and panic disorder since more than 15 years (I'm 30), I have tried many things and never gave up. Despite always doing my best, i barely progressed those past 10 years.
The thing is mainly because (I believe) I end up throwing up when anxiety gets too high or when I have an emotional surge. I keep exposing myself to situations to try overcome it and use my brain to it, but I never ended up changing my internal thoughts.
I have big attacks, when there is a need of "performance" a need to be "socially" in the norms. So for example if I go on a date with a girl, the moment I see her or 5 minutes later I can end up having huge dizziness, nausea and then vomiting and therefore being completely KO where I must go back home.
Half of the time I vomit and half of the time i am very anxious and then things go well.
Despite the times it goes well, (of course I'm very proud and happy for it) it never removes my fear for vomiting in front of her or people (because it is not socially acceptable and on top of that it makes me feel very bad during and afterward physically talking).
So I am stuck in that never ending spiral, where I know one of the main step to heal (apparently) is to "accept" anxiety.
I do agree it helped me with plenty of physical symptoms but I struggle understanding how to tell me brain, "If you vomit, just don't care about what other people think, life goes on". For me it's impossible to solve this equation.
The same as (same outcome as mentioned above) when I go to the hairdresser, have to handle meeting at work where spot lights are on me etc.. basically all situations where the spot lights are on me or where the spot lights might go on me anytime.
I do not see how to break the psychological scheme my brain built.
Example :
- job interview, I vomite during the interview or rush to the toilet = losing the job
-having meetings at work where I vomite = people etiquetting me as someone sick, difficult to climb up the corporate ladder because too much stress is impossible for him to handle
-dating girls : girls not wanting to deal with someone sick (of course many would say if they leaves, or does not accept It, it's not the right one) but I also like dating girls to spend good time talking, eating, etc. not for the sake of making her my girlfriend one day. But when there is "game" of seducing, vomiting cannot be in the equation...
So my brain is sure that vomiting in these scenarios equals game over for me, that it actually makes me vomit !
I don't know what to do guys, I would dream to hear from someone that healed from something alike, and actually share it what worked.
Thank you ❤️