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For a change, I'm not reporting my newest CBT session as it'll be next Monday afternoon. I just wanted to discuss exposure tasks, from those I was supposed to do as well as additional ones.
First, I'll remind from CBT 14 :
- complain about a service (for ex, if it happens in a café, that is, if I go in the first place)
- try clothes in a store (I might very well do it, since it's the sales)
Emphasis on previous tasks:
- eat with friends (hence invite or accept to visit them)
- Visit & invite my family - there will be at least one occasion for a b-day party
- self-expression (cloths, hair...)
- compliments (giving, answering)
- official phone calls
I didn't get anywhere to complain about any service nor tried clothes in a store - although I looked at a few.
The b-day party I mentioned passed well enough and I managed to veer the gloomy and political discussions away faster than I used to, for which I'm rather pleased as it's a progress in this regard.
The compliments were a bit limited because I didn't go much out nor talked with many people in the past couple weeks (mainly bad weather and difficult emotional health last week).
Official stuff : I made a few calls to fix appointments and asking some questions I had, but the highlight of my exposures has been today, Feb 1st and concerns an official trip to the health department to renew our yearly coverage and fix with them some odd issues that arose for me in the past few months, and for my wife since December (specifics aren't important).
What is to be noted, however, is that I had put off this particular chore for over a month, because I dreaded having to fight for our rights and fix administrative details with them - issues that shouldn't have happened and yet, they did.
The prospect of taking 2 buses or 1 tram (each side) to reach them during rush morning hours, stand in line to be pre-sorted into the second waiting sitting line before I could speak with someone in a cubicle and then get them to understand the nature of these complications were too much during entire January's difficult emotional states that I was going through.
However, as the renewal of our rights had to be done, now that we're approaching their undocumented end, I grabbed my fears, set them as aside as I could and headed there this morning - after a bank errand for my mother.
Upon arrival, I saw that the line was so big that it went out of the door - with about 7 people ahead of me outside, and almost 20 others indoors. In spite of this, I went and stood, waiting fo my turn and holding my thoughts and emotions in check - out of fear of having a panic attack before I'd reach someone.
Once I spoke with the ''pre-reception'', I was told to wait a tad bit for one of the three other workers, and one came to ask me what I needed just 2 minutes later. I explained the situation and she took me straight to a booth to sort it all out on the computer.
She took my papers, sent a note to the corresponding services and I was done in about 20 minutes.
She was very nice and I didn't have to sit and wait for anyone else, nor fix any additional appointments to complete our file as it was, for a change, full.
The renewal request shall be processed and I could finally go out and breathe before I headed to the organic store (which I had to leave fast, because I felt my feet in pain).
This was a major achievement for me - as making all these official administrative procedures had become really difficult in the past couple years (after a few of them that went really badly, and with the fuller onslaught of my mental illnesses.
I'm very relieved and happy to have finally attended to this exposure task, that wasn't requested by my therapist but which had to be done - and experienced high anxiety, but no panic attacks during the entire outing (buses, tram, and office).
The b-day party I mentioned passed well enough and I managed to veer the gloomy and political discussions away faster than I used to, for which I'm rather pleased as it's a progress in this regard.
The compliments were a bit limited because I didn't go much out nor talked with many people in the past couple weeks (mainly bad weather and difficult emotional health last week).
Official stuff : I made a few calls to fix appointments and asking some questions I had, but the highlight of my exposures has been today, Feb 1st and concerns an official trip to the health department to renew our yearly coverage and fix with them some odd issues that arose for me in the past few months, and for my wife since December (specifics aren't important).
What is to be noted, however, is that I had put off this particular chore for over a month, because I dreaded having to fight for our rights and fix administrative details with them - issues that shouldn't have happened and yet, they did.
The prospect of taking 2 buses or 1 tram (each side) to reach them during rush morning hours, stand in line to be pre-sorted into the second waiting sitting line before I could speak with someone in a cubicle and then get them to understand the nature of these complications were too much during entire January's difficult emotional states that I was going through.
However, as the renewal of our rights had to be done, now that we're approaching their undocumented end, I grabbed my fears, set them as aside as I could and headed there this morning - after a bank errand for my mother.
Upon arrival, I saw that the line was so big that it went out of the door - with about 7 people ahead of me outside, and almost 20 others indoors. In spite of this, I went and stood, waiting fo my turn and holding my thoughts and emotions in check - out of fear of having a panic attack before I'd reach someone.
Once I spoke with the ''pre-reception'', I was told to wait a tad bit for one of the three other workers, and one came to ask me what I needed just 2 minutes later. I explained the situation and she took me straight to a booth to sort it all out on the computer.
She took my papers, sent a note to the corresponding services and I was done in about 20 minutes.
She was very nice and I didn't have to sit and wait for anyone else, nor fix any additional appointments to complete our file as it was, for a change, full.
The renewal request shall be processed and I could finally go out and breathe before I headed to the organic store (which I had to leave fast, because I felt my feet in pain).
This was a major achievement for me - as making all these official administrative procedures had become really difficult in the past couple years (after a few of them that went really badly, and with the fuller onslaught of my mental illnesses.
I'm very relieved and happy to have finally attended to this exposure task, that wasn't requested by my therapist but which had to be done - and experienced high anxiety, but no panic attacks during the entire outing (buses, tram, and office).
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