Please help me with my Social Anxiety

[Angelilcoop]

Hi, for as long as I can remember I've suffered from severe Social Anxiety. It didn't have a name 70 yrs ago when I was a kid. I was just considered a 'naughty girl cause I wouldn't go go school. School was like a torture chamber to me from day one. So many people, faces caused me terror. I tried everything to hide the condition that had no name but it's literally blighted my whole life. I've still never publicly admitted I have a M.H. problem that makes me push everyone away + causes me agonising loneliness. I've had too many counsellors to count + even qualified as a counsellor myself (I was good) but my anxiety ruined my chances of working as a professional. Counselling helped in so many ways but nothing can help my social anxiety. I cannot relate in a worthwhile way to other people because of this unrelenting fear. I would give anything to recover from this condition. I don't show how I feel to anyone. I can speak in public to an audience if I have a specific reason but I can't reach out to anyone on a personal level. At this moment I've had enough and feel desperate.

[gajh]

Do you think that connecting with people here might help you with your social anxiety? I know it isn't the same as in person, but you can practice opening up and sharing with people and it is with people who understand. Have you tried anything like this before? I know you have already tried a lot. I really hope this helps you.

[designguy]

Having had social anxiety for years and overcome it I know that SA stems from low-self-worth and an inability to validate and stand up for oneself. You have also learned maladaptive thinking errors for whatever reason about how you think people perceive you and how you perceive others. The reality is that the majority of people aren't paying any attention to you because they are caught up in their own thoughts and life stuff. You may have been bullied as a kid like I was which is common with people who have SA.

My advice is to find a therapist that specializes in treating SA and work with them, they will typically incorporate teaching you new ways of thinking and perceiving of others and yourself, exposure therapy and group therapy. If there isn't a therapist near you, you can check out online resources, you might check out Sebastiaan at Social Anxiety Solutions, his looks like a good program. I did one from the Social Anxiety Institute.org which was good but I would have preferred to do inperson therapy but there wasn't a specialist near me at the time. There is a lot of good info/resources on youtube about SA and how to heal it as well as good info about healing self-worth. You might check out Emma at Therapy in a Nutshell, Julia Kristina, Bernadette Logue, Bernadette Sewell and Paige Pradko they are all very good and helpful.

[Jobee59]

you sound kinda like me I’m 64 United States grew up in an alcoholic family and married twice raised two kids on my own. They’re grown and gone. I live alone now, but I have a problem with keeping friends. I seem to always find something that I can’t deal with with them and end up pretty much being alone and I don’t mind being alone. But you sound like you got a lot going for you if you can speak to a group and all of that sounds like maybe just take baby steps and getting out to a new place maybe set a goal this is just a suggestion I’m not a doctor , take baby steps and get out like a new place every week. Just go someplace new and take your time feel the place out feel the people out and then if you need to go back home or in your area, go back and just keep plucking away at a little at a time trying to find different places in different people . I know it’s hard and I like this app but I don’t like this app. I wish you know you could communicate with people personally because it’s so much easier if you have friends in that or at least a supportive friend I just keep plucking away as you sound to me like getting in front of crowd you’re doing all right

[Beevee]

Hi there

There is only one way to overcome any type of anxiety and that is to face your fears and accept the feelings.

Recovery lies within you and the places or situations you fear the most. Accept the feelings you experience. It is only adrenalin and your natural fight/flight response that has been trained to respond accordingly because of a perceived fear.

I'd go as far as saying that it isn't the social situations you fear, it is how you might feel. Like I say, it is only excessive adrenalin.

To learn more about overcoming any fear based disorder, look up Dr Claire Weekes and practice what she preaches.

It's never too late to recover.

Best wishes ❤️