Does this website help or hurt ?

[heydani]

I've been doing some thinking, and questioned if this web site helps me, or makes me more anxious. I was reading other people's posts about how this site is no good and just makes things worse, so i began to question it.

Don't get me wrong, I love coming on here and helping/getting help from others, just curious as to if I am relying on it or not.

[eils20]

I come on here alot, mostly just to read different things and reassure myself that everything will be okay and im not alone.

if i read a post that scares me, i turn my computer off and go else where and tell myself that the other members are just there for reassurance too and need someone to be there to understand their feelings.

i see it like if i were to see someone in my family ill nowadays, i try and think of how they are feeling instead of myself. i cant quite come to cleaning up after them or staying around them for long, but you just gotta make sure nothing bad is going to happen to them..

i come on here and try not to be selfish and worry about myself, cause id rather help someone in need and share some tips as best i can.

so even if the forum is making things worse for you personally, maybe just use it as a way of comforting someone else that needs help badly. cause ive been in that place where ive turned to cutting myself and starving myself to the point of anorexia, and i would dread to think of someone else doing that.

i hope that makes sense! haha

[unaware27]

It helps me because I know I'm not alone.

[Rebecca85]

I consider this website a 'tool', it depends how you use it whether it helps or hurts.

[alisha27]

This website has harmed my way of thinking more then it helps. I only discovered emetophobia nearly 3 years ago and I've been curious and hooked on this forum. I need to cut my loses soon! Before joining this website I was able to talk myself out of feeling ill, these days not so much. The reason why I'm more anxious is because I read bad post and things that didn't have much of an affect on me do now. I wouldn't panic if I had bad gas, a headache, ear ache, strep throat, working out, a sunburn, eating seafood, rice and the list goes on. I read all those things has made someone sick and now if I experience any of those things I remember the post and I can no longer tell myself I'll be okay. I don't know if I make any sense, I just know it doesn't offer any help to me and I need to slowly back away soon. I hope school will help keep me away and keep my mind off of emet.

[spilled_milk]

I honestly think it depends on the person and where they are with their phobia. I started coming here in 2004, and back then it really did help me get a handle on it. I learned and I shared experiences, and I got support. In 2007 I realized that at that time it was hurting me more than it was helping. I was at a point in my recovery where I needed to NOT think about the phobia, and so I took a break for a few years. I'm back now because my phobia became unmanageable again, and I really needed the close support.

So, it can do both. You really just have to look at yourself and your responses, and ask yourself "if I stepped away from here for a week, or a month, or two months, would I feel better?"

[haylz113]

I think it both helps and hinders. It's nice to come here for a bit of reassurance, but sometimes someone mentions something that makes me worse. Like I was never scared of going on planes until I read stories about vomiting on planes when I was on these forums. I had a long haul flight coming up shortly after I read a post about how common it is for people to be sick on planes. I then dreaded the flight even though I had never had a problem with people being sick on flights before. Then I went on the flight and that was the first time someone actually got sick on a flight I was on. Funny how that works. When I wasn't scared of it, it didn't happen. As soon as I got scared of it, it happened lol.

[heydani]

Thanks guys, i mean when I first found this website it helped a lot to know that I wasn't alone. But now, i read things that i've never thought of before, so that makes me worse. i think your advice was good though, i should be here mostly to help other people then, and not rely on it.