Social Anxiety?

[Nurse Kipsie]

666_JFoxx_777

~Akiono-Chan~

Personally, one of the biggest things that helped me get my social anxiety under control was working in a small grocery store and just taking it slow with conversation (I had to work my way up to saying 'hi, how are you' to every customer, and then to take it further than that; I always started with the people I had grown comfortable with to push myself a bit further).

LOL! Are you serious? Isn't that like the worst thing for anxiety is working retailer. I don't know about you but I have anxiety myself and thats the last place I would force myself to be a slave constantly being yelled at by bitchy customers or a shitty boss. I think I would prefer to stay close to nature than put myself in that area.

I don't think I could ever work in one of those, either. Grocery stores are one of my worst nightmares. I always try to go when it's not crowded, like super early or on a holiday. Or I simply buy groceries online. I'm so thankful for Amazon.com.

[Aer Fixus]

I have the same problem.
What's worked for me (though it's not completely gone yet) has been working on the things that make me self conscious (which is, for me, what causes that social anxiety: the fear of being judged).
I've gotten healthier through diet and exercise, started buying clothes that I've always loved looking at ("They look good on other people, but not me!" was my mantra for a while)
I also have put myself into situations where I have to talk to strangers, but in a safe way. For example: asking someone if I could borrow something. Seems like something simple but for me was TERRIFYING for the longest time. I'd practice doing little things like that.
Other than that, I also did affirmations (repeatedly telling myself positive statements about myself over and over) and also saw a psychiatrist and got on some meds.

[Stalker Sasquatch]

I don't go out in public when I have a choice.

And you've never seen anyone speed shop through a crowded store faster than I.

When I have to go to college, I don't speak to anyone if I'm not forced to.

I like to stay home where I'm safe from the outside world, and my few friends hang out here with me. I very rarely go to their houses.

And I don't talk to many people on the internet because most of the people I observe are stupid.

Why get over this obstacle when I can easily work around it and be happy?

[Vanilla Melody]

you need to fight it and get used to the outside world, it will be hard but you cant stay in side all day. you need fresh air and need to interact with people.

[Devious Drawing]

Aer Fixus

I have the same problem.
What's worked for me (though it's not completely gone yet) has been working on the things that make me self conscious (which is, for me, what causes that social anxiety: the fear of being judged).
I've gotten healthier through diet and exercise, started buying clothes that I've always loved looking at ("They look good on other people, but not me!" was my mantra for a while)
I also have put myself into situations where I have to talk to strangers, but in a safe way. For example: asking someone if I could borrow something. Seems like something simple but for me was TERRIFYING for the longest time. I'd practice doing little things like that.
Other than that, I also did affirmations (repeatedly telling myself positive statements about myself over and over) and also saw a psychiatrist and got on some meds.

I blame my social anxiety partially on my self esteem issues as well!
I have tried to diet and exercise. but i ALWAYS end up falling away from it after a month. i never progress, loose weight or end up feeling better about myself. It's pathetic that i can't stick to something for long, but i can't :c

[Aer Fixus]

The_Suicide_Room

Aer Fixus

I have the same problem.
What's worked for me (though it's not completely gone yet) has been working on the things that make me self conscious (which is, for me, what causes that social anxiety: the fear of being judged).
I've gotten healthier through diet and exercise, started buying clothes that I've always loved looking at ("They look good on other people, but not me!" was my mantra for a while)
I also have put myself into situations where I have to talk to strangers, but in a safe way. For example: asking someone if I could borrow something. Seems like something simple but for me was TERRIFYING for the longest time. I'd practice doing little things like that.
Other than that, I also did affirmations (repeatedly telling myself positive statements about myself over and over) and also saw a psychiatrist and got on some meds.

I blame my social anxiety partially on my self esteem issues as well!
I have tried to diet and exercise. but i ALWAYS end up falling away from it after a month. i never progress, loose weight or end up feeling better about myself. It's pathetic that i can't stick to something for long, but i can't :c

It's ok! It's taken me a long time and a lot of failed tries to work on my health.
So work on the other, more manageable things first!
A lot of little tweaks in your life can make a huge difference.

[smells blood]

The_Suicide_Room

So I have bad social anxiety, to the point where it is hard for me to make friends or go out in public without freaking out about the people surrounding me. Sometimes it even carries on to the web, for instance trying to talk to people in chatrooms or on zOMG.

I was wondering if any fellow gaians have this issue, and if anyone knows how to help simmer it down?

Same here...so much so that I have zero friends in rl and maybe one on gaia. I take zoloft but it doesn't help. I smoke cannabis and sometimes drink to calm it down.

[xVallx]

I have social anxiety, I can't make phone calls without having a mini panick attack. However, I find that working and school help because you're always around peers so you're forced into social situations. I moved 6 hours away and had no problem making new connections because I just put myself out there. Find people with common interests, talk to someone in line for coffee or whatever.

[A Court of Owls]

This is me exactly, I have literally never been on a single date because of how shy I am around people I don't know and right now, I'm 23. I've never been comfortable with other people and I will only converse with them if they initial the conversation. Otherwise I remain silent and go on my way.

[~Akiono-Chan~]

666_JFoxx_777

~Akiono-Chan~

Personally, one of the biggest things that helped me get my social anxiety under control was working in a small grocery store and just taking it slow with conversation (I had to work my way up to saying 'hi, how are you' to every customer, and then to take it further than that; I always started with the people I had grown comfortable with to push myself a bit further).

LOL! Are you serious? Isn't that like the worst thing for anxiety is working retailer. I don't know about you but I have anxiety myself and thats the last place I would force myself to be a slave constantly being yelled at by bitchy customers or a shitty boss. I think I would prefer to stay close to nature than put myself in that area.

I really didn't deal with all that many bitchy customers (pretty sure I dealt with more working at a bank for a year and a half than I did over six years at the store) and my bosses and coworkers were pretty good there.

Obviously things like the degree and 'type' of anxiety play a role, along with the business (I don't think I could work fast food, clothing, electronics, etc.. or in a large store, but being a cashier in a small store that sells food, or pet supplies, or maybe even home stuff is perfect for me). Personally, where my anxiety most rears its head is in crowds and when attention is focused on me. Working at the store, interaction was, for the most part, impersonal and no deeper than the 'hi, how are you' and maybe a comment about the weather, until I was ready for more. I also worked with a lot of social coworkers, so having them around helped as well - they could chat up the customers while I just did my job of ringing through items or packing.

[Celestial Fireflies]

666_JFoxx_777

~Akiono-Chan~

Personally, one of the biggest things that helped me get my social anxiety under control was working in a small grocery store and just taking it slow with conversation (I had to work my way up to saying 'hi, how are you' to every customer, and then to take it further than that; I always started with the people I had grown comfortable with to push myself a bit further).

LOL! Are you serious? Isn't that like the worst thing for anxiety is working retailer. I don't know about you but I have anxiety myself and thats the last place I would force myself to be a slave constantly being yelled at by bitchy customers or a shitty boss. I think I would prefer to stay close to nature than put myself in that area.

Fellow SA sufferer, and it helped me, too. It was awful when I first started, but I slowly got better at being social with strangers, as well as making friends and carrying on personal conversation. Even the snotty customers helped, because I've gotten used to dealing with them. In fact, I've gotten a lot better at handling confrontation and standing up for myself because of this. I went from having a panic attack just going grocery shopping, to now moving into a career role where I'm telling people what to do, and having conversations with strangers, etc. etc.

I suppose it depends on the workplace. If you work somewhere supportive, it's easier to work on your anxiety. If you're being bullied, however, I can definitely see it doing more harm than good.

[Melisolune]

You probably need the right direction and determination to solve this in a healthy way.
I'm a fellow SA that's going through the same tendencies---I can be a total misanthrope. But we all try our best, don't we?
I have my significant other and friends helping me out through the process while I'm going to work too and building relations there.
It helps a lot to have positive reinforcement to make the anxiety go away~ and I don't take medication.
I feel like I don't need it, but instead, just need more experience dealing with my own thoughts since it's my worst enemy.
Mind over matter seems to be the case with me, and it could be the same with you too.

[Loomerz]

The_Suicide_Room

LOOMERZ

therapy, mild medication and baby steps to introduce you to everything you're scared of.
set yourself little challenges and rate how you feel before and after on a scale of 1 to 10.
sometimes its bad to just jump in completely when you are scared, it can make stuff worse, confidence can be built slowly.

Aha, well i understand therapy and medication is obviously a step to take if you have social anxiety.
But i'm poor and live in the US. So therapy and medicine and seeing a doctor isn't free, and is too expensive. I don't want to have my parents pay so much for a flaw in my social skills.

in that case CBT is helpful and you don't always need a therapist for it.
You can download packs from the internet and work through them gradually, also self help books about social anxiety are good to read when you're feeling panicked (they are dirt cheap on Ebay too!)

[Coffee Before Talkie]

I have a cousin who had social anxiety . I think she's got a bunch of pills for it .
I don't really know, though . She always needs the person she trusts with her wherever
she goes too . I've never actually seen her alone . But she's fine when she's with
her trusty friend .