how can i get over the phobia of mail, openin mail?
ive had a hard tough life, sadly all throughout my life…im now 31 just turned, i have borderline pd, ptsd traits, low self esteem, bad anxiety, panic, agoraphobia, im presently recieving help from the mental health services , although its not the help i want because theres no psychotherapy due to lack of resources in my area……so they offered an occupational therapist to go out with me, to help me reintegrate back into society, because i been reclusive for very long..
im waiting for reconstructive surgery on my ankle becaus i torn the ligaments a year ago in an inujry where i sprained it….
sadly i feel life stress as prematurly aged my face to, dark lines inder eyes , a fatty face….bald so i have a shaved head etc….im far from perfect…..but im not an ogre either…….but i dont feel my looks are THERE anymore.
ive lived alone in a one bedroom apartment for 5 years now on disabilty, fortunatly i dont live in the roughest area.
just recentley in the last couple of months, ive developed the fear of opening mail…..especially the formal type or business type or official type , ie : a hospital….bill companies….those white looking envelopes….the plain type…
sometimes i fall behind with bills because of low motivation and depression, agoraphobia and just getting out topay them..
but i always fear that those mail, letters are going to blow me away with some terrifying news in clinical black and white lettering…..chilling…clinical, bad news…
ive had hthis fear for months now and as a result have unopened mail, and got in trouble and missed appointments because im too scared to open it……its getting the same with the phone to….scared to answer it.
how do i get over this…fear ?
Posted in psychotherapy business
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June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
my dear Desperado i have the same problem but caused by a fear of knowing how much money i owe out and procrastination. my sister stayed with me the other day and kindly went through 3 boxes of unopened mail. in it was a check for $77. i wonder how many of them i have thrown away. you do not need to add another worry to you already overflowing cup of them. do you have a friend or family member that can help you with opening and organize your paper of at least screen your mail. do not, build on this fear. it's only a baby one now and you are taking charge of your life now so send that fear on the way. the phone; always an aggravation, use your voice mail to screen your calls. than call them back only when you're ready.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
You can try and gradually open the mail. Open lettlers and thank yous that get sent to you and then bills and then all of the other scary things that might be in the mail. if this doesnt work you can try to take care of your bills and appointments online instead of through mail.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Your not the only one out there that goes through this. I have Bipolar and Depression and like you, i also have a fear of opening mail. I dread going to the letter box and sometimes i'll only go to the letter box once a week but sometimes the letter box gets over full and my neighbour ends up getting it for me. I have also missed bills and even appointments because of this. I have a draw full of unopened mail that's been sitting there for over a year. Its a terrible feeling and i hate it. I don't know how to help you as i still haven't helped myself but i thought i would let you know that i too go through it as well.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I was in a bad relationship with the father of my twins and he sent me into debt. I did not open my mail for 9 months. My mail gets sent to a post office box so they gladly held my mail. Then one day I got all the courage I could find and went to collect my mail. I saw white envelopes from different debt collecting companies. With hesitation I slowly went through them, then I rang each company and we worked out a payment plan to suit me and my budget. I am not debt free but I am much better off now.
June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Hi there, I am sorry to hear about these difficulties you have been having. It is very common for something like a small fear to start manifesting itself as a greater and greater fear until it starts to spiral out of control, which seems to be the point in which you are at now. Being reclusive and confined to the house doesn't help either when you are only left to deal with your own thoughts all day. One of the best ways to start to combat this problem, as someone suggested, is to just start small with a little at a time. Sometimes it can be hard to even know where to start. If you are interested in trying to sort this out, I am a professional therapist and do provide professional online counseling for these types of issues. The occupational therapist may be a big help as far as just getting you back on track in society, but would probably work best if done in conjunction with some real therapeutic work. Feel free to check out the link on my profile if you are interested. I definitely wish you the best of luck.
Ryan
June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Get someone else to open the mail!
June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
I have found a terrific site with natural techniques for relieving panic attacks and general anxiety. It may help. This web site is
http://tinyurl.com/cfmg4f
June 1st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
You should probably avoid opening your mailbox today, then.
Sorry.