I think you need to start small and work your way up.
When I was off ill with depression for quite a while, I eventually thought it was time to join the rest of the world again. I got a small cleaning job which entailed going into the city centre, (I had panic attacks as well), and slowly I built up my confidance again. After about a year I was offered an office job, working for my dad who had bought a company. The first few years were incredibly stressful but having made the first step by starting the cleaning job I managed to get through it all.

What I'm trying to say is find something small and easy and go from there. When you've been in a rut for so long it's hard to get out of it. Take baby steps and you'll soon find you can start to take more responsibility and be able to handle whatever life throws at you.
( girlinthehole, Thu 20 Nov 2008, 15:30, Reply)