Anybody else here with social anxiety?

You know...I made the connection like maybe 2 years ago that I have undiagnosed anxiety. I link it back to a **** ton of childhood drama and harsh criticisms from my parents. I later thought I had developed social anxiety...I hated going anywhere...and being in crowded areas caused me to go into minor panic attacks.

Today, still undiagnosed...I get major panic attacks for no linked reasons, but I have contributed my social anxiety to my self esteem and poor body image. This is one reason why I want to look HOT so I don't feel so insecure around a group of people.

I hope all the best on your journey. Start making your connections to what specifically triggers the panic when it happens and hopefully you will learn from it

bump

You are not alone, tho i can socialise with people on the internet and people who socialise with me, i find it almost impossible to approach people and definately not start a conversation most of the time (occasionaly like a split personality i have no issues) but the majority of the time my mouth clams up and my brain thinks of nothing to say other then negative thoughts.

So i've spent most of my life avoiding close group parties and if i do i'll sit quietly in a corner.

Alot of that could come from physical birth defects that made me a target for bullies most of my 40year life and even taken advantage of by so called best friends so i don't trust anyone. However if i know you well enough i'd get comfortable and open up it jsut takes alot to get there and easy to revert is the slightest thing goes ary.

I've had the same problem for many years, and sometimes still do. What helped me was a bunch of audioprograms about getting of shyness and social anxiety. I kept listening to them, till eventually I got addicted to audiobooks and slowly graduated to NLP, personal development and other types of those books.

Now I'm doing pretty well and I'm working as a business negotiation trainer of all things. I still have moments when I go to the toilet just to have a moment of quiet to myself and on days I have to do group work from 9am to 10pm I feel overwhelmed. But considering how scared I used to be of any social gathering, I know I've made huge improvements.

You may think this is bull****, but hypnosis recordings have also helped me. And hypnosis doesn't work as you might think or see on tv. If a pleasant voice is whispering in your ear every night that you're great and you can do this, eventually you start to believe it!

You can add me if you need some advice or want me to suggest some audiobooks that might helps. You just put your headphones in and listen. And most of the time you feel better about yourself and what you're going through, because you learn to understand it, to accept it, and eventually to conquer it.

Bumping for a loved one that suffers from this took

School was the worst time for me. There aren't many teachers who seemed to understand at all, and I feel that the education system undervalues introverts.

I have improved somewhat as I have gotten older, small things definitely helped my confidence. Getting my licence, getting a job, etc, however I still have panic attacks sometimes and I don't go to many places on my own. I have in the last year managed to go to the corner shop by myself which is a great achievement for me! I also, for whatever reason, seem to do better in crisis situations - when I need to help someone else.

From everything that I have read from other sufferers though, it's always going to be a very individual journey and you're going to have to try and experiment with what works best for you. Breathing exercises sometimes help me to control the panic, however therapy was not my 'thing' - I didn't respond well at all. I also don't find a lot of self help stuff very helpful, but many others have achieved a lot of success!

One suggestion I saw, was to LOOK at yourself in the mirror and talk to yourself every day. Look around until you find a solution that you're comfortable with - maybe even go to see your doctor Good luck!

I generally get anxiety at stores or Airports the dmv etc. One exercise my therapist told me about is sensory. Bringing your thoughts to the present moment by observing with all 5 senses. What do I taste touch hear feel see. Realizing you are in the present forgetting worries about past and future. Eckhart tolle writes a lot about living in the present moment and his work is uplifting

I've had it since a child (I'm in my mid 40's now) and it sucks.

I hate social situations, cancel at the last minute, cancel on the few friends I have. In fact I really don't have any friends. I never had many friends as a child and people generally think I'm ignorant - but I'm not - just crushingly shy! Also lost my wife (and child) because of it.

Counseling was a waste of time and Mirtazapine hasn't helped,so I just muddle on.

Yes I suffer from it. I've been taking medication and it has helped I haven't had a true panic attack for a while but really I still avoid situations out of fear of having a panic attack and messing up my "good" run of time. It's hard people really don't understand it. I also suffer from Ménière's disease and too often I can easily escape situations by blaming the Ménière's for not feeling well etc. it has made it all to easy to avoid going out.

bump for later reading. I have debilitating social anxiety. And I"m looking for any kind of ideas to help me escape this prison.

Unfortunately I can totally relate, I have not left the house in 3 months (no joke).
I can tell you from experience that if you give in to it it will take over your life and become more difficult to overcome.
I'm so sorry you are going through this but I must say I feel a little better knowing that I am not the only one out there.
Best of luck to you, don't give up!