Dealing with social anxiety.

[Buttonsy]

I have some pretty intense social anxiety, I have fought it for years and am still attempting to learn to be a bit more social but I've lately just been trying to embrace being alone most of the time where I don't have to think about myself in a social context. I also am on the Autism spectrum and struggle with OCD traits and PTSD and attention-related issues (not sure if it's ADHD yet though). Basically, life is super fun.

 

[visibleghost]

the easiest way to deal with social anxiety is to not go outside

that's called a bad coping mechanism

 

[namiieco]

i haven't been diagnosed with social anxiety but i can relate to a lot of peoples feelings here
if anything is out of the ordinary the next day i cant sleep (like events, meeting friends etc.) ive gotten better this year but thats just because i've gotten used to my new school. if i moved to another one id be a nervous wreck all over again. my "shyness" stops me from taking opportunities and thats a problem but i dont want to say that im something i am not
maybe im just extremely shyyy

 

[Romaki]

Yeah. The worst part is that it's the same thing online because of terrible experiences I made here as well.

 

[Alienfish]

that's called a bad coping mechanism

no **** sherlock -_-

Not all people got a good way to deal with it and might not get proper help, so yeah that's maybe why.

 

[boring]

Social Anxiety is just one of my many problems, but it's probably the one that effects me the worst. I don't go to school because of my anxiety, but it only developed because of years of horrible bullying from my peers. Since the age of around 10 I've been bullied intensely and when I turned 12 it really started to get the better of me and the whole year I was 13 I was so bad on my anxiety levels, it hadn't been worse. Now days, I have a couple coping mechanisms but I'm still dealing with the wars from it.
I take Sertraline or whatever it's spelled,,,, but it doesn't benefit me in anyway that I notice. My personal coping mechanism is mostly my fidget cube - it's banned in most schools where I live but I get an exception because my councillor tells them I need it LOL. But also my other coping mechanism is music. Oh my god, music is everything to me,,, If I don't have headphones I literally have anxiety attacks, my attachment to them is so bad. But everytime I listen to music it just makes me feel so much better, music just makes everything in my world feel right, even just for a few minutes - I highly recommend you look around the internet for music and dedicate a bit of time to finding what you really love. I've spent an a hour or so every few months or so looking for new music and when I find songs I love it makes me so proud of my self because I got something I like out of my time,,, if that makes sense?? IDK maybe I'm just really that mental. Some of my favourites are indie as **** and others are popular rap songs etc, it's wild but I like how I've taken the time to discover what works for me.

 

[xSuperMario64x]

Dude omg I've had sever social anxiety my entire life... it's definitely not something I phased into.
As a matter of fact, I only recently started to overcome my shyness, and I'm only scratching the surface on overcoming social anxiety. And yet I'll be 19 in June.

I hate to blame my parents for my social disorder, because I know that Aspergers can have something to do with it too, but they likely played a big role in it. I remember spending my whole life, all alone in my room or my brother's room, playing games and watching TV. In middle school, I spent most of my time playing Animal Crossing, Pokemon, Flipnote Studio, etc. Even now, in college, I spend all my time studying physics/piano, watching old game shows, and playing games. I haven't made a new friend in about 5 years.
My childhood was really messed up. Sure, my parents gave me whatever material things they could, but my crippling social anxiety is ultimately what will determine my future in a community of big competition and people who actually know how to talk to others. Sure I might get my BS in Astrophysics, but will I even be able to get into grad school?

That actually reminds me, today I had a super awkward encounter with a Senior. I had to meet her for a certain reason, and both convos I had with her in about a 5 min period made me cringe. I was really embarrassed because I constantly drew a blank. Even after the convo I couldn't think of what to say. I feel like an idiot cause she probably thought I was just awkward and stupid or something...
Idk but basically if I can avoid talking to anybody, I do. I have to tell myself, people don't matter. Just do what you do, and con't worry about making friends. It's not worth it.



Funny though, how I'm so outgoing online. Wish I had that much confidence irl.

 

[Alexander97]

I have social anxiety too. It's not as bad as it use to be and I'm getting better with practice, but when I took speech class, it felt like the end of the world when I had to speak to the class. Luckily, my teacher was very helpful and made the class very fun to the point were speeches were more tolerable.

 

[ellarella]

i've dealt with pretty severe social anxiety in my life (and even developed substance abuse to cope with it for a few years).

what helped me after hitting rock bottom was rebooting via a stint in a mental hospital, along with finding the right medication and going through gradual exposure to social situations. luckily i live in a country with a very big social safety net and lots of free options for help.

i can also highly recommend group therapy focusing on anxiety! i've been in a few, and they've all been great and full of very understanding people.

 

[Haydenv019]

I have no idea how it feels to have social anxiety, and I feel terribly sorry for your past experiences that led up to this.

I have something similiar, but it doesn’t involve being scared around people, I just hate talking to people.

I obviously stay in the house all day when I get the chance, hiding in my room and hoping no one bothers me.

For the past couple of years I’ve literally had no sense of privacy because my room never got a lock, so I feel strange whenever i’m alone knowing someone will bother you anytime.

I’ve looked it up and I see i’m either an introvert or social introvert, which are basically the same two things except social introverts can talk to people if they wanted to, they just don’t want to....

 

[Darby]

I just had a grown man in my condo not get on an elevator with me, maybe it was because of my dog, I don’t know but Oscar is a little Maltese and was in my arms so certainly wasn’t going to be attacking him. And I was going out to meet my vet at the gate to get some medicine for my cat so he sure as hell didn’t have to worry about me attacking him because it simply didn’t occur to me. Until the a-hole didn’t get on the elevator, then I felt like punching him. Hard. Seven foot tall wimpy man baby. People suck. We’re all better off being alone.

 

[CassyCrossing<3]

I got diagnosed with depression and anxiety in february, so i know how it feels , I got medication for it and i've been taking it since i went to the doctor in february. I feel like a lot of mine came from getting bullied in school, i felt like nothing i did was right because they would always judge me for everything i did. I worry soo much now, like i hate even going out because i feel like everyone is judging me and looking at me, when i know they're not and its just in my head but it's hard! I worry that i look stupid whenever i do anything and like a faliure. They destroyed my self esteem, so ahh. I still go to school (online school this year) and i'm still going through my anxiety and depression but im getting through it. I try to be optimistic, most people who know me wouldnt guess that i have it though. Sometimes i feel like i'm going insane which is more often then not.. I do have really bad paranoia also which really hits hard with my social anxiety especially in public. I really do not want to go to public school again next year but i'll see. I also have ADD (which is basically like ADHD but without the hyperness) My brother has autism and anxiety also and he's only 5 which makes me really sad! Anxiety is also veryyy genetic in my family. I'm really worried about my grades too, and even in online school i get anxiety about emailing my teacher. I had a really rough childhood too, so with the bullying too, It just got worse.
I have so many more problems and worries but this post would be a novel (; so i'll stop soon, but i now go to a phsyciatrist where i discuss all my problems and its helping me a lot

please stay strong everyone, i don't have a succsses story or anything like that, sometimes it feels like its getting worse, but telling someone really does help.

♥♥
edit: spelling errors

 

[Weiland]

I can really relate to you. My social anxiety has really been meddling with me as of late. I recently just got out of a mental hospital, so I started a new medication that helped slightly with my anxiety. However, I feel as though I will be like this for a very long time, if not forever.
I hope you manage to recover. x

 

[partangel]

Hello! Although my anxiety isnt as critical as yours, its also something ive been struggling for awhile, and if you have the financial possibility, i really recommend you seeking a good therapist! It really can make the difference, and although its a very hard path to walk through and you wont notice changes in yourself in the beginning, it does work out in the end. Theres no reason to feel stuck like that, and you dont deserve so. I hope you find some peace of mind <3

 

[Midoriya]

I used to, but I did martial arts and have this nice puppy right here. His favorite word?

“Bang!”

 

[visibleghost]

no **** sherlock -_-

Not all people got a good way to deal with it and might not get proper help, so yeah that's maybe why.

r?lax. pointing out a bad coping mechanism isnt the same as being all like "you suck die"
just because something feels easier or like the only possibility bc they cant deal w it or get help doesnt mean it's the right way to deal w stuff to get thru things and not get stuck in mental illness hell

I just had a grown man in my condo not get on an elevator with me, maybe it was because of my dog, I don?t know but Oscar is a little Maltese and was in my arms so certainly wasn?t going to be attacking him. And I was going out to meet my vet at the gate to get some medicine for my cat so he sure as hell didn?t have to worry about me attacking him because it simply didn?t occur to me. Until the a-hole didn?t get on the elevator, then I felt like punching him. Hard. Seven foot tall wimpy man baby. People suck. We?re all better off being alone.

lol you seem to be overthinking and overreacting to certain things here

 

[Darby]

That’s kind of what my mom said actually, that a lot of men won’t be alone with a woman so can’t be accused of anything but I’m not exactly a spring chicken and in all of my years of being on this planet, I have never ever had a man not get on an elevator with me, especially when I was younger... And if I didn’t want to get on an elevator with someone, male or female for whatever reason then I would have said oops, forgot something and turned around and walked back long enough for them to go away so I would have the elevator to myself. Oh, well, you’re right though, it certainly wasn’t worth being bothered over at the time but I can only say that now a long time afterwards... I think it’s because I’m a bit of a recluse and I hate being around people especially strangers so if I can make the effort to be nice and not rude, make people feel comfortable and not awkward then another adult should be able to give me the same courtesy.

 

[visibleghost]

That’s kind of what my mom said actually, that a lot of men won’t be alone with a woman so can’t be accused of anything but I’m not exactly a spring chicken and in all of my years of being on this planet, I have never ever had a man not get on an elevator with me, especially when I was younger... And if I didn’t want to get on an elevator with someone, male or female for whatever reason then I would have said oops, forgot something and turned around and walked back long enough for them to go away so I would have the elevator to myself. Oh, well, you’re right though, it certainly wasn’t worth being bothered over at the time but I can only say that now a long time afterwards... I think it’s because I’m a bit of a recluse and I hate being around people especially strangers so if I can make the effort to be nice and not rude, make people feel comfortable and not awkward then another adult should be able to give me the same courtesy.

you cant know if he actually didnt want to be in the elevator bc of you personally tho, he could have had many different reasons. and even if he was like " :/ another person.. .guess i'll take the stairs" it doesnt mean he was doing it bc he's a terrible person. maybe he has social anxiety and prefers to b alone in the elevator or he is afraid of dogs or he was just feeling like taking the stairs. you think he was rude but maybe he has no idea that it's rude to not take the elevator w someone. maybe this doesnt make you feel better but like.. it doesnt have to be malicious.
overrhinking other ppls intentions and reasons for doing things can lead to a lot of negative feelings and stress and it'll b easier in the long run if you work on that for ur own peace of mind and w/e. like im not trying to b a fake therapist or anything im just sharing my opinion.

 

[Katzenjammer]

I was diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety (among other mental issues) when I was young, so mine isn't limited to social situations. My anxiety is all the time or anytime for no known reason.

 

[Dinosaurz]

Woahhh a lot more people have social anxiety then I would think XD