I have behaviour that I'm not sure is social anxiety or something else

[GamingOrange]

Hi,

Posting this question as I am struggling to figure out why I seem to act differently in certain situations to others.

I'm a 24 year old male who is quite introverted and I have sought help for social anxiety before. I was told that I have traits of social anxiety but not severe social anxiety.

What seems to be my most damaging trait is I for some reason seem to have a fear of organising get togethers and starting conversations (especially via text). This has meant I tend to stay with one friend group and struggle to make friends or meet up with anyone outside this friend group. I even get embarrassed/anxious about asking to meet up with family members.

Whenever I am bored and my parents say 'why don't you just ask if your friends want to do something' I can't really explain why I can't. It's like I want to and don't want to at the same time.

Sorry for the long post but was wondering if anyone else had experienced something like this and if it is social anxiety or could be something else (e.g. low self esteem)?

Any help would be much appreciated

[designguy]

As someone who has dealt with social anxiety, it sounds to me that what you're describing is definitely social anxiety. It doesn't matter if it's severe or not, if it interferes with the quality of your life on a daily basis it's an issue. I suggest you find a therapist who specializes in treating social anxiety disorder.

[GamingOrange in reply to designguy]

Thanks very much! I'll have a look at what's in my area and hopefully they'll be able to help.