Social Anxiety at a High!

[SocialAnxietyBlue]

Good Morning,

If you’ve read my previous posts, you know I suffer from social anxiety and the one thing that drives it, is I think I have 😷 bad breath. I ask family and friends all the time and they say no. Well I’m currently in training and the person in front of me said seemed bothered. And I just heard her say disgusting

That was last week. I don’t know what she was referring to. The anxiety in me, is going crazy and I just want to ask. But it’s embarrassing

Then I caught a comment about getting a whiff (she didn’t specify)and some other people kind of laughed.

It wasn’t said but I think it’s seriously about me.

As a stranger would you tell someone? Or would you just figure it’s not your problem and avoid the embarrassing moment?

I seriously want to die! I go to the doctors and they say nothing is wrong but I know my body and I know my dry mouth....I just want to be normal.

[Hidden]

I would tell a stranger if they asked me. I did tell my adult son as his breath was awful. Turned out he had an abcessed tooth. Now he is fine. If your family and friends say no, I would believe them. You may be worried about a problem that doesnt exist.

[SocialAnxietyBlue in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the reply Hoski. I just get the vibe that certain comments or indications are about my breath. I don’t know how to handle it? I literally want to quit and hide in a hole, under a rock. It’s not just me. It’s not just in my head. I’ve seen people have a disgusted look when I open my mouth.

[Hidden in reply to SocialAnxietyBlue]

Have you seen a dentist to rule out a tooth or gum problem? A dentist would give you an honest answer on your breath.

[Nathan53]

As Hoski says you may be worrying about something that just does not exist. You can rule out bad breath yourself.

Lick the back of your hand and smell it immediately you should have able to detect unpleasant smell by doing this.

Have a dental check you may have a cavity

Use a tongue scraper before brushing your teeth before bed. You can get a scraper from Amazon or a pharmacy. Be gentle with it just stroke it over your tongue rinse and spit.

[SocialAnxietyBlue in reply to Nathan53]

I have done that and don’t smell anything? And I have the best electric toothbrush and tongue scraper. And go to the dentist religiously:

I was told I have perio issue on my last back teeth. But I expressed my concerns and my dentist said she doesn’t smell anything and that just to avoid sugars.

I’ve started drinking so much water

[Hidden in reply to SocialAnxietyBlue]

It sounds to me that you do not have a breath issue then. Your perception has you convinced you do. Im wondering if you just put yourself out there, as uncomfortable as it sounds, it may get easier over time. With our horses, there is a training technique called desensitization. If they are afraid of something, real or imaginary, we repeatedly expose them to it over and over until they quit reacting to it. It sounds cruel but it works very quickly. Once they quit withdrawling from whatever it is, we praise them then quit.

Not to compare people to animals as we are more complex, but if you believe your dentist and your breath isnt bad, maybe try to believe it and put yourself with people so much you eventually quit thinking about it?