Reclaiming the years anxiety took away!

By Brad Lester

STEVE Polanski was once too afraid to leave his house for fear of being judged by others.
Now he is commanding a television audience of 350,000 across Australia and New Zealand.
From recluse to performer, Steve’s tale reads better than most TV scripts. The Williamstown man once suffered from the debilitating psychological disorder, social anxiety. Today, he is a presenter of the motoring television show, “Cruizin’” on Channel 31 station around the country and Triangle Television in NZ.
He has acted alongside stars Bill Hunter and Ian Rooney, and appeared in the films “Shotgun”, “Fallen” and “Charlotte’s Web”.
But long ago, an invitation to a family barbecue caused his heart to race. His stomach would churn at the thought of attending a hot rod show with friends. Simply walking in the street, he felt extremely self-conscious.
Gripped by anxiety, Steve kept to himself and never believed he would fulfil his career ambitions, let alone achieve the ultimate feat for someone like him: marriage.
Social anxiety robbed seven years of his young life, but now Steve is a new man.
“All those years ago, I never thought I would be where I am today and in five years time, who knows where I will be,” he said.
Sufferers of social anxiety, or social phobia, fear being scrutinised by others. Meeting new people is a daunting experience, dating rarely attempted, public speaking traumatic, and friendships hard to maintain. Even eating or writing surrounded by people can cause overwhelming anxiety.
“I left home only when I had to and avoided social situations family invited me to. I would make excuses like ‘I don’t feel like it’, because I knew that I would react with fear” he said.
Some anxiety sufferers learn anxious behaviour from like-minded parents. Others develop anxiety after a traumatic event. For Steve, his condition stemmed from being a perfectionist.
“I felt that if I couldn’t please anyone, I’d be judged as inadequate,” he said.
Aware his feelings were abnormal, Steve sought the help of psychologists and joined a support group run by the Anxiety Disorders Association of Victoria (ADAVIC).
After 18 months of cognitive behaviour therapy, life began to improve. Steve became a facilitator at a support group, helping sufferers to regain their lives.
“I felt like I had lost seven years, as though I had just got out of solitary confinement,” he said.
ADAVIC runs support groups at Kew, Coburg, Altona and Berwick, and offers information about all anxiety disorders, workshops and lectures, and telephone support. Staff and volunteers answer more than 150 queries a week.
ADAVIC president Nathan Hobbs said the organisation began in Kew in 1994 and now helps people across Victoria.
“We aim to encourage self-management and believe that individuals benefit most when they find what treatment suits them,” he said.
Anxiety will always be a part of Steve’s life, but at least now, his prospects are brighter.
“I feel like I’ve been re-born. I can walk out through the front door, look up to the blue sky and realise how beautiful it is,” he said.
For more information about ADAVIC: phone 9853 8089 or web www.adavic.org.au