This page created 5 April 2008
By Kate Swan From Hobsons Bay's 'Leader' (Tuesday January 22nd, 2008)
An anxiety sufferer talks of his nervousness and fears before he sought
treatment with a psychologist which helped his recovery.
The idea of going to the supermarket or the bank would have once
terrified Williamstown’s Steve Polanski. Being in every day social
situations caused him to experience heart palpitations, sweating,
nervousness and fear. The builder suffered from social phobia from 1993
to 2001, which he said restricted his life “dramatically”.
“All I did was go to work and go home”, he said.
“I barely got through the day. I could only dream of going out to the
beach or shopping or to a party. It was like those places weren’t real”.
Mr. Polanski said he constantly felt he had to escape social situations.
“But once I was home I was fine because I was back in my comfort zone and I was safe,” he said.
The turning point came when Mr. Polanski’s mother, who often ran
errands that he felt unable to do, handed him a brochure on anxiety.
He sought treatment with a psychologist and began attending support
group meetings run by the Anxiety Disorders Association of Victoria.
“I didn’t realise how anxious I was before I got treatment.” Mr.
Polanski said speaking to other anxiety sufferers gave him a sense of
perspective and helped his recovery.
“You hear the same
things that you are feeling from other people and you think ‘wow,
someone else is feeling the same way’,” he said.
He
eventually became a facilitator of group meetings and used his new
confidence to take acting classes, surf and join a vintage car club.
“Those are things I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “I thought, I can do them now.”
As well as presenting a car appreciation show on community television (Cruizin, Tuesdays 8.30pm, Channel 31), Mr. Polanski has appeared in three films with major Australian actors: Shotgun starring Samuel Johnson, which is in production, 1860s with Bill Hunter and the international Charlotte’s Web.
“I really never used to leave the house,” he said. “Now I’m a confident
surfer and have done a few movies. I would describe it as being reborn.”