Friend with anxiety asking me to go places?
My friend has GAD and is always asking me to go places with her because she 'can't do it alone.' That's fair enough. I hate going places on my own, so I can't imagine how awful it is for her. Expect they're really far away and I'll have to waste quite a lot of my time, just to go to the shops with her. Often she asks me to 'call in sick' to work for this! When I say I can't, she gets really mad and I feel really guilty. I have tried explaining in a reasonable manner and she just goes on about 'it's so hard for me! you don't get it!'
I know I'm her friend, and I have to be supportive, but it's a huge inconvience for me. I hate feeling bad when I say no. Has anyone experienced a similar situation?
Yes I have experienced this but with a family member rather than a friend. There is no denying that it is hard for her to face her fears and go out alone but you cannot always be with her and even if you could be it would not be helpful. In treating anxiety disorders exposure therapies are not actually uncommon, perhaps suggest that you could do it once, then see if she could phone or text you if she was struggling when doing the travelling herself and offer to go to a doctors appointment with her maybe. You are not responsible for the way she feels and you cannot always be there for her, that teaches her that she is helpless. She needs to broaden her support network and you can be a stepping stone not a permanent crutch. I know this seems harsh but I have found it to be very true.
