[Celyn]

Is there something in particular about other people that you feel causes you anxiety? A common worry for people who get anxious in social situations is that they worry other people are looking at them or judging them. If this is the case for you, then it's important to remember that most people aren't paying much attention to the other people around them- they may be more likely to be preoccupied with their own thoughts, perhaps thinking of things they have to do or buy that day. And if anyone was judging you, then you wouldn't know about it unless they told you, and they definitely shouldn't treat you any differently.

It is hard dealing with anxiety, especially when it feels like it gets in the way of your life. There's nothing wrong with having someone with you, however, you will have to find ways of going to the shops by yourself, as you may find it hard in the future if you can't get someone to go with you.

Would you feel comfortable to ask the person to wait outside while you go in on your own? With practice, you may realise that the anxiety will lessen when you realise that nothing bad is going to happen and that the person who accompanies you is not too far away. In time, you may realise you don't need the person to accompany you at all.

You've recognisd the physical feelings of anxiety, which is good, so perhaps next time you can remind yourself that these feelings are just anxiety, and that it doesn't mean anything bad will happen. In fact, as Serendipity said above, anxiety and excitement share the same physical feelings- the difference is how we view them. We tend to view anxiety as negative, which can make the feeling seem worse, whereas excitement is seen as positive. It's relatively the same feelings physically, but how we think about it, can change our outlook. If we think of it as excitement, we may have a more positive experience, than if we think of it as anxiety.

Try and stay in the situation for as long as you can. Perhaps do some breathing exercises or ground yourself, look around you and pay attention to the things you can see, hear, smell, touch etc. Remind yourself that you are safe and the person is only outside, so not too far away. If it feels too overwhelming to do all the shopping in one go with the person outside, perhaps split the shopping so that you only have to buy 1-2 items, so you'll only be in the shop for a short amount of time, and then slowly increase that. Also, be sure to reward yourself! It's hard work facing your fears and you deserve to recognise when you've achieved something difficult!