There’s a party coming up. Everyone’s been looking forward to it for weeks. After all, they’re all going to be there, having a good time. But you can’t get excited for the party. While everyone else is expecting to have a great time eating and visiting, you are simply wondering how you might be able to get out of it. It’s not that you don’t like these people, or that you’re stuck up. You would love to be as excited as everyone else. You would love to go to the party and flow effortlessly from one witty conversation to the next. This probably seems pretty unlikely to you, though, and instead of anticipating the social interaction, you are dreading it.

Unfortunately, you suffer from chronic anxiety disorder. The thought of interacting with all of those people leaves you feeling nervous and afraid. Perhaps you just feel a general sense of discomfort when contemplating being around other people. This is very common among those with chronic anxiety disorder. You may even fear that you will suffer a full-blown panic attack. While panic attacks are often the sign of an acute anxiety disorder, they can certainly manifest as symptoms of chronic anxiety disorder as well. For many people, the fear of having a panic attack becomes emotionally entwined with the social situation, and they begin to dread the activity because it may trigger an attack. This is a vicious cycle that keeps thousands of people from enjoying their lives fully.

Chronic anxiety disorder can be compared to having a little monster on your shoulders. This nasty little creature whispers its negative message into your ear and keeps you from doing the things that you want to do. It tells you that you won’t be good enough or funny enough or smart enough. It also fills you with fear that you will experience a panic attack right in the middle of the gathering. In addition to being extremely uncomfortable, you would also be embarrassed and feel trapped. The little monster on your shoulders tells you that it would just be so much easier to stay home. This feeds the monster and makes him even stronger the next time you are presented with an invitation.

Suffering from chronic anxiety disorder affects your quality of life. This can be compounded when you compare your current situation with your past. Looking back, you may see that you used to be a very outgoing, friendly person. You wonder what happened to that younger you and feel as if you have failed. Your friends are probably confused, as well. They remember a time when you were comfortable going out and spending time with them. What they, and you, don’t realize is that this little monster often attacks during your 20s or 30s. While it may appear that you’ve become stuck up or unfriendly, the fact of the matter is that your brain chemistry has been attacked. Once this change has happened, many types of internal and external conflict can trigger an anxiety response.

While there are many suggested ways to combat chronic anxiety disorder, the first step is to recognize that little monster on your shoulders. He may be there as a cause of heredity, trauma, or physiology. Realizing that the monster is telling you lies and feeding on your fear is the best way to get on the path of destroying him for good.