I NEED HELP

[Ellee12]

I need a way to tell my mom I want to get screened for social anxiety. I am really scared to tell her.

[Hidden]

Wouldn't helpmto start off a conversation with your mum if you had some leaflets, the following link will take you to information, I am in uk , if your not in uk, hope there is a similar information link for where you are.

mind.org.uk/information-sup...

I wish you all the best and do hope you can speak out very soon, how about at school perhaps they would help you . Most colleges and schools now have somewhere to turn to talk about mental health in confidence.

🌺

[Kobojunkie]

You are scared or you are worried about what people will think of you? Even if your mum is a scary person, you can still, just let it out when you know she is listening and then ready yourself for the comeback.

[Hidden]

Hi how old are you please? It's hard to give much advice without knowing this. Do you need to tell your mother?

[mysmugcat]

Hi. Take a deep breath and just say it simply. Tell us how it goes. Are you in the UK?

[Hidden]

You should never be scared of telling your patents anything if you feel you can make an excuss to see your doctor and tell them what your feeling and they can talk to your mom

[Wildlife_lover23]

I know exactly how you feel. I was in that same position recently. I left college January 2016 because of extreme social anxiety. When I moved back home, my mom was talking about jobs I could get, and I knew I couldn’t do that, so I just blurted out that I had S.A., but she seemed to forget/never understood how bad it was, and what exactly I’m going through. I never planned on telling my dad, because I knew he wouldn’t be sympathetic or understanding. He doesn’t understand anxiety, and that it’s a real problem. I literally never wanted him to know I had it. I went all last year with my dad thinking I was just lazy and didn’t wanna work, and there were many blow-ups and put-downs because of that. I think it was earlier this year or sometime last year when I was finally able to make my mom somewhat understand how bad this is, and that I can’t just push myself out of this. There was an ugly episode back in February from my dad about jobs, and my mom told him he doesn’t understand what’s going on and that I need help. After some more upsetting words, the next day he agreed to pay for therapy. I started seeing a therapist in March, and have noticed some difference in my anxiety, and have gotten a little better. Unfortunately, my dad still doesn’t understand S.A. and is still expecting me to just get a job.

I think people assume that everyone has parents they can tell things to, and that they’ll be empathetic and supportive, but that’s just not the case with everyone. I don’t know what your mom is like, but I just wanted to let you know that I know what it feels like to be scared to tell your parents something. I envisioned myself calmly sitting my parents down and explaining to them what I was going through, but sadly, it didn’t go that way for me at all. Looking back, I wish it could have been on my terms instead of it happening out of my control and in such an ugly way. I guess I’d tell you that it would be better for you to tell her, and in the way you want to, rather than have it blow up in your face and spiral out of control. With you telling her, you would be controlling the situation instead of having someone hurl accusations at you, or blame you for having a problem you can’t control. Hope it works out for you, and that your mom is understanding!

P.S. I’m reading a book right now (Social Anxiety by Heather Moehn). In the beginning, it was about finding out if you have S.A. or are simply shy. My local library had it, so I checked it out to read. I’ve known I had S.A. for years, so I didn’t get this to find out if I had it. I was looking for treatment and ways to cope with it, but it could be beneficial for you. Maybe your library has books you can check out? I’m sure there are internet sites to help you find out if you have S.A., too. I’ve been on ones with symptoms of S.A., and how to treat it; one mentioned Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is how I realized I’d need a therapist for my anxiety. You could try researching it online if you haven’t already, that way you’d be armed with a bit more knowledge of S.A. when you tell your mom.