I nearly had a panic attack at the last parent- teacher evening but I made an excuse and left in time.

Achievement: I have to do everything perfectly or else Im a failure. Acceptability: everyone has to be pleased with me or else Im not good enough. Trust: if I trust, I will be hurt. Control: if I ask for help Im weak or if I feel anxious Im losing control. OCD and core beliefs People with OCD often have core beliefs around perfection, responsibility and punishment that are linked together. Were you happy and fulfilled? She is one brave soul to expose a huge portion of her private life like this. If your OCD includes strong mental images you can take control by pretending you are filming the image - you can reduce the size of the worrying part (dog faeces for instance) or you can zoom in on something harmless at the edge of the picture such as a patch of grass. Its the same with life experiences: if a parent dies or leaves you when you are young you may develop your own core belief that people always abandon me. Not only does everyday life produce anxiety (Will I find a parking space? Go camping in Spain. And as weve already said they often work out their own ideas based on their life experience, so that some core beliefs arise because you need them at the time to get through a difficulty. However, how will loved ones cope with this change when theyve developed the habit of constantly giving in to your demands for reassurance? There is a parallel effect on your mind. This reinforces their belief that they are useless, and the circle is ready for another spin the next time. Relax and feel the difference. They are very similar to safety behaviours (Chapter 18) but they are aimed at helping you get through your goals and you will drop them as soon as you can. Use the following guidelines to help you decide: If you are a smoker, then you will be able to make progress with your Anxiety recovery. It is very successful in helping people with Anxiety and this book is based on its techniques, so you will learn more about it as you work through the book. Disadvantages of staying as I am I am isolated because of the time I sd checking. To be more 'clinical' about Anxiety, it is, in fact, 'all in your mind'. Understanding the detail of your particular Anxiety problem will help you focus on the changes you can make. It can make you feel excessively afraid in situations that are not stressful or threatening to most people. When you have kept a record for a week or so, compare it with the model below.