Social anxiety

[Beetzart]

Does anyone suffer from this?  I haven't been diagnosed with it but I do exhibit symptoms of it like avoiding people and not making eye contact.  Perhaps that is what has held me back for so long and it may just be chronic shyness caused by depression I don't know.  I went to study for a music degree when I was 18 but had to drop out because I was a nervous wreck and never spoke to anyone.  Also I went of a science residential with the OU last summer but ended up lonely and could only talk if I had been drinking.  Oh well I am used to it now.

[Sweetpea]

I have always suffered with this, I was terribly shy as a child and would hate birthday parties etc because of all the other children.

I am ok with people I know, but try and avoid being in a roup of people I do not know.

You are not alone.

S x

[Zaf]

Me too

[Desperado99]

Yep, personally it seems to be down to a low self-esteem and lack of assertiveness......... I even have trouble using the phone because I think I might be interrupting someone's day 

[CharleysAngel']

I have only just seen this post but I swear I have social anxiety. I can't look people in the eye when I talk to them and I can't look at them while they are talking to me. I get nervous around people I don't know and try to avoid any situation where this might happen. I never know what to say to people, whether I know them or not. I couldn't ever read out in class without getting really nervous and my voice going shaky like I was going to cry. I can't even go into a shop on my own without someone I know because it makes me feel really nervous.

But please remember that I think I have everything wrong with me at some point so it may not be social anxiety.

[whiteadder]

But please remember that I think I have everything wrong with me at some point so it may not be social anxiety.

:) this made me smile icelolloy, I could have written that

Beetzart, I bet lots of people on here could identify with what you've said. For me, eye contact is something I can fake (I think) when I'm ok, but when I'm depressed I can't look at people and I don't want to be looked at. Not great for a teacher.

This is also something that touches me because so many in my family and in my life are aspergers or autistic. For that group, social anxiety can then lead to self-medication, depression etc. Vicious circles all round.

x

[Buttercup]

Yep, I understand not wanting to make eye contact of being looked at. I was ok with the children, at the time I was teaching year 3, so they're still young and relatively innocent, it was work colleagues I found difficult, having to sit in the staff room etc. 

I constantly think people are staring at me negatively and find it very difficult to sit in a busy area or with my back to a group of people, this just makes me uncomfortable.

[Zaf]

I'm the same with eye contact, I was told once that if you stare at someone's forehead it works well to fake it but I find that difficult sometimes too

[CharleysAngel']

I constantly think people are staring at me negatively and find it very difficult to sit in a busy area or with my back to a group of people, this just makes me uncomfortable.

I have exactly this problem, I feel like people are giving me evils or looking at me funny.

[Zaf]

I can relate to that, I tend to think people are liiking at me criticising

[Sweetpea]

I can also relate to this.

S x x x x

[staralfur]

Only just seen this post having a look around, but I can relate to this too.

I'm not so bad in a group as I can hide myself away, but when I am forced into a social situation I am a wreck

[Munchroom]

Me too.... I put it down to low self esteem. I hate using the phone, making arrangements with other people and definetly sitting with my back to people (Although that I have always put down to a humiliating experience at school when I was being bullied when I was sat with my back to the main bully.... Needless to say she made the most of that oppoutunity  ) Eye contact I don't find too difficult but I am always vetting and then over-analysing conversations I have had. I almost feel at times like I'm just in the way of other people and just a bit of a nuisance....

[mamalou]

I have social anxiety. I rarely leave the house. I have had a very severe episode for the past nine months. At some points I haven't left the house at all in a number of weeks.  It can be hugely disabling. When I am a little better, for example if I have to go to the GP, I sit in a corner having panic attacks and avoiding any eye contact with anyone. So so grim.

[Zaf]

I know those feelings well and they're horrible, I hope you get an improvement very soon xxx