Social anxiety

[Iheartfashionsaginaw]

Hey there! I was wondering if anyone has social anxiety? I think this might be another eds symptom for me. But I was wondering if anyone else experiences the same. I have a hard time being around people. A lot of times I just feel like I want to escape😢 is anyone else out there having social anxiety problems?

[Hidden]

I think it's quite normal that if you are struggling with life that it's harder to socialise. Especially if it takes already a lot of energy a just to be on your feet. I'm much better one to one or in small groups with people I know well.

If I go to parties I tend to arrive quite late (9ish) as 10 o'clock is a decent time to leave no matter what time you have arrived and I only really last an hour or so

Hope you are ok with Christmas so close by. Just take it easy and pace yourself. I find it sometimes helpful to let my host know ahead of time that I might need to lay down halfway the party (gives me time by myself and time to rest)

[Iheartfashionsaginaw in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for your response and it’s so nice to know I’m not alone in this!

[Marshamellow]

I find if I take Lysine every day my anxiety levels are low - if I forget to take it for a couple of days the level of anxiety rises - would recommend giving it a go 🤓

[leakeadea]

I believe they say EDS comes with 'people intolerance', well if it doesn't then I definitely come with people intolerance!😨

I have been registered disabled with EDS type 3 since 2000 and have become more and more of a hermit as my condition progresses. I now live alone and apart from visiting my mother who is also disabled and lives with chronic pain, I no longer socialise. I am very happy in my own company however and I'm also very happy were I live too. I find that I much prefer the company of my garden birds and wildlife to that of humans nowadays!😉

When I used to socialise I can remember having to escape to the toilets multiple times during an evening out. I used to lock myself in a cubicle and just relish being away from all the noise and all the people. I would stay there so long that at first my friends used to come looking for me worried that something had happened to me but eventually they got used to it and understood that I just needed a 'time out'.

Don't stress yourself out about it, or even think of it as having social anxiety. With EDS we are in pain and feel unwell and exhausted pretty much every day of our lives, it's almost like having a very bad cold or the flu practically every day. If your friends had a bad cold or the flu do you think for a moment that they would even consider going out and socialising?

Try explaining how you feel to your friends, your true friends will understand. My friends learnt that I was much happier hanging out with them at home, getting take away and watching dvds in our pyjamas, than hanging out in noisy bars or restaurants etc.

Claire☺

[Ladyuponthelake]

I also get anxious about going out. More so now that I've been in the house with pain etc. I do think it's a bit of a catch 22, the more you stay home the worse the anxiety of going out becomes.

Having said that; I have read that your adrenal gland can produce more cortisol than normal when something such as an emergency - surprise - thoughts of going out even. My thinking is that this can heighten your worry about going out. Which also increases pain levels because muscle spasm around nerves and joints poo and all the other fun things we do.

My siblings and I used to think our Mother over reacted to news, accidents, surprises etc. But I find I do and my daughter does and we 3 have EDS.

I have had a severe reaction when I heard from a long lost sister. Totally collapsed. Pain near adrenal gland (figured that out later) could get up off the floor.

So I do think it is a physical reaction rather than just emotional.

💟