All Staff meetings

Jonathan123 · Apr 2, 2026

sweetinnocentjason2 said:
I have been avoiding going to our all staff meetings for years now... We have a staff of about 200+ people...Our exec dept is always asking me so what's it going to take to get you to attend one of these meetings? I don't have an answer for them other then... I have a lot of work to do at my desk... anyone else here avoid this kinda stuff too?

This happens a lot in anxiety. Being with a crowd of people can be difficult for an anxious person. We often feel that everyone is watching us, which is not true, but we believe it to be so. Also there is the fear of looking a fool in front of others.
Now none of this really matters. Everyone reacts in different ways to different circumstances. It often appears that when we look around a crowd that everyone is doing fine, except you. That is another false illusion. How do you know that? It is possible that half of those there are feeling like you but have had the courage to go anyway. You have that courage too, everyone has, It's if we choose to use it that matters This is NOT a weakness as you may think, but the inevitable result of negative thinking. Avoidance is one of the most important things we should not do.
I am not minimising your feelings, God knows, been there.
More than three peole was a crowd t me then, but now I just could not care less. I let things happen as they will, not as I wish them to be, that only leads to disappointment. There is only one real way to overcome this problem and that is to do it even with the anxiety there. Confidence can be gained in this way.

Chrissyjo · Apr 3, 2026

Yes! I had to go to a random staff meeting a couple of years ago. I was running late and it was a smallish room with about 15 people in there sitting around an oval table. It looked pretty cramped. I went to the door to go in and said nope not going in there and left. It wasn’t a formal meeting as such and I barely knew any of the people either as the business that I work for moved to a different office. I’ve never been good around those types of things unless I’m sitting at the back with no one facing me so people can’t see the terror on my face.

Jonathan123 · Apr 4, 2026

It all comes down to what are we afraid of? Being seen to be weak? Afraid of what others may think of us being 'in this state'? That we are weak in this state? That we might suddenly collapse? (We never do). This is a form of agoraphobia, a fear of being outside our 'safe' place.
So what is the difference between being at home with no fear and being out when the fear arises? The way we think.
Fear arises because we may feel we are in danger, which triggers the 'fight, flight' response. That response may take a physical form so that we may feel immobilised, cut off from everyone else. We may freeze, like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
By negative thinking we have laid the foundation for real anxiety with all its implications. This is not easy to overcome because fear can become a habit. Yes it can! As soon as any negative occurrence happens we begin to panic, that is our habit. Try not to fight or struggle with 'IT'. That only makes things worse. Acceptance is still the answer. Deep breaths and utter acceptance. That means not reacting to the symptoms which are, after all, one big illusion although they seem so real.

Chrissyjo said:
Yes! I had to go to a random staff meeting a couple of years ago. I was running late and it was a smallish room with about 15 people in there sitting around an oval table. It looked pretty cramped. I went to the door to go in and said nope not going in there and left. It wasn’t a formal meeting as such and I barely knew any of the people either as the business that I work for moved to a different office. I’ve never been good around those types of things unless I’m sitting at the back with no one facing me so people can’t see the terror on my face.

You made the big mistake of running away. We have to face our fears head on, it's the only way to overcome them. By giving way to the fear means that we will have to come back another day and do it all again. This is by no means easy, but it can be done given the will. Remember the man who ran from the Tiger. He ran and ran until exhausted he turned and faced the Tiger. The Tiger bagan to shrink until it became the size of a mouse and scuttled off into a corner.
Running away solves nothing. Facing and accepting does. I still see posts where someone say they are fighting or struggling with 'IT'. Give up the struggle. Accept it all without reacting to the symptoms.

Jonathan123 · Apr 17, 2026

'Just won an award'. Yes, exactly. It is a boost to your confidence which, if you persist, can begin to mount day by day until it no longer matters how you feel. Now that may seems a strange remark, but seeing anxiety episodes through without withdrawing in fear can work wonders. After all, think about it. The symptoms of fear are so often physical, even to the extent of believing them to be totally real. They become real only because we believe in them more than our doctor.
Erroneous thinking and brainwashing is what drives the terrorist bomber to carry out atrocities. They are so convinced of their right that they see nothing else. We, in anxiety can also become brainwashed by false ideas, (I will never get over this!)
Feelings and emotions are not reality. What happens happens, we have little if any control over the future. Go with the flow. Change what you can for the better, but leave the rest alone. Give up any form of resistance such as fighting or struggling.
Let it all happen with total acceptance.

Vincent · Thursday at 1:44 PM

Do the staff meetings require a lot of participation from you?

All Staff meetings

sweetinnocentjason2

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Jonathan123

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Chrissyjo

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Jonathan123

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sweetinnocentjason2

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Jonathan123

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Vincent

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