Going out alone vs going out with one friend

[MikeW]

My friends suggested I go out more often. But bars/clubs isn't my thing. Tho there is one place that's very relaxing and not so intense. They also suggested that I go solo. Which terrifies me because idk how to get there and yes I have a gps. I'm afraid of driving and getting lost or in an accident. Also I feel afraid to go alone to a bar.

What to do you guys think should I go by myself? Or should I bring one friend to go with me? If so should it be a boy or girl?

Fear and excitement are two different sides of the very same coin. It took me FOREVER to figure that one out. IDK if this will work for you but think about the times you've been really excited about something... something you wanted to do, perhaps. That energy... that excited feeling... now think about fear and how that feels... very similar but yet opposite. It's weird.

There is a good reason why we are fearful of things. Keeps us safe. But, it can also limit us. So, how to let ourselves "feel the fear but do it anyway"?

What I learned was to allow myself to feel the fear and then to let myself feel how much like excitement it really is. Like [MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION] said re exposure therapy, its a matter of thinking about how to let yourself feel the fear and little by little move through it and beyond it ... rather than letting it limit you completely.

Yes, it is FINE to take a friend with you. I encourage you to do that if it helps. Then, perhaps, ask your friend to leave you alone for... IDK.. five or ten minutes. Let yourself feel what its like to just be by yourself in that environment. Then they come back and check in on you.

The point here is you can be creative with this problem. There is no one-size fits all solution to intense anxiety. It is something that some people (me included to some extent) have to deal with all their life. BUT you can learn little 'tricks' that help. Its just a matter of thinking about it creatively.