Venting Living with Social Anxiety

[serah]

I honestly don't get what's the point of living with social anxiety. What else is there to life than the relationships we make (platonic and romantic). I can't even hold a normal conversation with someone if it isn't one of my friends since childhood, even then I still struggle. It's embarrasingly hard to say simple things like "good morning" or "thank you" to a random stranger. Something that most people can do without thinking much of it, yet for me it is something so fucking hard to do. I feel like a failure of a human being, like a defect who won't be able to live a normal life. Went to an interview not that long ago, I wanted to die after realizing how much I was visibly shaking from the nerves. I feel like a freak, I know everyone in my life looks down on me because of my social anxiety. I wish I could just not care, maybe the anxiety would be less bad. I also wish I was just born normal, I'd still be a fuck up but at least I could do something as simple as havig human interactions with others.

 

[FuneralCry]

This life is very unfair as many people are disadvantaged through no fault of their own. I'm sorry that you have to go through this, it must be unbearable. I wish you the best, I hope you find relief from your suffering.

 

[Al Cappella]

It's hard as hell, I know. I've pretty much given up on being social—which is easier when you're older, and don't give quite as much of a shit in terms of fitting in. Mine's not full-on all the time, but not off nearly enough to make having relationships doable. When I do meet someone, I can't trust my brain anyway, as they're usually wrong for me.

So I concentrate on solitary stuff: turning myself into a long-distance runner, painting (when I did that), writing & getting publishing (you don't ever have to see people to do that), and so on. Is it happy times? No. But it does the best with what I can manage…

 

[bored]

I've had this forever, I feel like a failure in the basics of being human

 

[downndone2]

Yes, awful for the last several years

 

[BrokenHill]

Im severely social anxious, can't even look on eyes or feeling strangers around me without feeling anxious and unsafe, can't express my love for others and can't say good words because I'm just shy, it's hard to live with that, main reason of my wanting ctb.

 

[Why Me?]

My social anxiety is severe, and has crippled my life among other things. I've had panic attacks in front of other people. 2 really embarrassing moments were when I once had to introduce myself, by just saying my name infront of a table of like 12 people during a job orientation, and I had a full panic attack so bad that the supervisor immediately said a prayer for God to remove all nervousness. Another time I had to read my paper on Van Gogh in front of my college class, and I had a full blown panic attack, you should of seen the look on people's faces. I swear I almost went into cardiac arrest. This panic disorder is so overwhelming I can not just talk myself out of it, I can only avoid situations that trigger it, which are mostly the type of situations needed to advance in life.

 

[Achlys]

I gave a brief presentation last semester. Maybe 5 minutes long, at most. By the end of it, I was visibly shaking and my heart was beating so fast I felt faint. I couldn't go several words without stumbling.

I never had issues with social anxiety in the past, but nowadays I can hardly make eye contact anymore, and I keep talking to a minimum. Pointing and shaking my head have become my makeshift sign-language. Unless conversation is strictly necessary, I forgo it.

A part of me hopes the pandemic continues so I have a reason to keep wearing a mask to hide behind.

 

[JamieJambo]

Hey Man, Just to let you know I used to have crippling social anxiety... But I made a determination to overcome it. I used Self hypnosis and a book called Thrive programme. I promise you, it is possible to overcome social anxiety. You just have to do the work. NLP is also good and is a similar model.

I know how horrible SA is, and I promise I completely overcame it... not kinda overcoming it as in managing it, but completely

Look into it

Also ask me questions if you are keen to hear more

 

[Journeytoletgo]

Social anxiety is rough. I'm sorry you struggle with that. I have this or selective mutism. I used alcohol to cope with being anxious which backfired as well as coping with loneliness

 

[SuicidallyCurious]

Yeh it sucks but there are positives

Being this way makes it very unlikely you will fall in with the wrong crew at a young age

I'm very happy in life that due to my anxiety and awkwardness I fell into the social set with more dweeby kids

If I had the opposite personality type I might be incarcerated because that tended to be how things went where I lived

 

[hellispink]

I feel the same way. I have severe social anxiety. I can't even get out of my house anymore because just ordering or asking anything to any individual represents a massive stress for me. Living like this is not for me.

 

[Ligottian]

In addition to the biological/genetic component of social anxiety, the fact that I have very little in common with most people greatly reinforces it.