How do you live with social anxiety and does it restrict your behaviour in any way?
I have had it since a teen so id really like it if you guys who have it can share your experiences about social anxiety.
Good vibes everyone!
Ducky
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For me when i was a small kid i was very shy. Grew out of that and became confident and could talk to anyone who was nice.
Then troublesome teenage years came and i lost my confidence to speak to people and was really difficult making eye contact. My anxiety was becoming severe, i skipped school and became a recluse during my breakdown. I never got over some bad experiences with people and into my adult life ive accumulated more bad experiences, at work, at college and now every face to face experience is excruciatingly difficult. Ive no sense of who i am i freeze and i cant talk. My heart pounds. Ive had it with social anxiety it makes everything hard work. I simply cant talk to people face to face.
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I feel your pain. Very similar situation for me.
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Thankyou @TheLogician
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Me too. Teenage years are the worst, and in some ways I don’t think I’ve quite grown out of that mindset. That was kind of a sad realization I came to today, that I’m very naive in my thinking. It sucks, but I guess for me it’s like realizing that I’m a teen in a 35 year old flesh suit.
But sorry, I kind of went off track. Yes, I have really bad social anxiety too. I also have major trust issues as well. And this all happened when I was a teen, and over time it just gradually got worse as well. Part of the problem was I made a deal with some “shady characters” when I was just 16 years old, and unfortunately, for the 16 years following that deal I made, I was literally a bad person and did bad things. So, some of it was brought on by myself too Ducky.
But, I feel like I’ve had social anxiety my whole life. In grade school, I had one friend. In high school and college I had zero friends. So, I’m thinking this was just something I had when I was born. My Mom and Dad never got out much, nor did they really ever socialize a lot either. So my social skills were lacking (not to mention I was born with a stutter). So, I know all too well about social anxiety.
I hate that you have to go through that. That’s tough…
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We all have a past, present and future some of us have to live with traumas/bad experiences. Im more kinder, empathic person now because of it , yes i struggle with mh issues everyday but im still me and im a good person, you seem like a genuinely nice person too!
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I’ve had GAD since I can remember. But when I was a little kid I taught myself ways to handle it and became a bold thrill seeker. I had a death in my family as a teen and suddenly none of my techniques would work anymore. I got scared of my own shadow. I’ve isolated myself for many years. But am getting better now. I don’t have as much anxiety anymore and I’m trying to push myself to improve further.
Wish you well.
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I manage, but socialzing burns me out and I only do it when I feel it is necessary. I turn down a lot of social opportunities that I don’t find interesting as I’m not going to wear myself out on people or events I don’t want to interact with.
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Thanks @Happy thanks @shutterbug
Its good ghat your both trying to work past it and overcome your fears a bit. I dont know how to relax face to face , my heart races, shallow breathing and mind cant think straight. Im stuck as a recluse past few years
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Well, I will say this, everyone seems genuinely nice here. I don’t think anyone has ever gotten into a fight with me on this forum. You seem like a real gem of a person.
And yes, we all have pasts. I wouldn’t say I’m a “nice” person, I think the correct term for my attitude would be more like a “kind” person, but not a nice person.
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Well on this forum in black and white print you seem a nice guy but i wont argue with you 
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I’ve always been outgoing and tough minded I think it was my upbringing being in a gang. I did a lot of bragadocia as an adolescent mimicking older people I idolized on tv. Despite that, I prefer to be alone. I grew up an only child and at night I would think a lot. I got so comfortable being alone and in my own head that I never went out of my way to find friends they always found me. I do get crippling paranoia from time to time out of the blue. I’ll talk to someone and it will trigger a million coincidences in my mind. Psychologically I know what’s going on but I’m trapped when it happens and I simply become an observer to my minds thoughts. Social anxiety and not wanting to be around people have the same results, a person by themselves.
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Yeah true social anxiety makes you want to escape from people, so does paranoia around people and things. Preferring your own company helps feed on social anxiety because your more likely to retreat to your own space at home.
It seems you prefer your own space @2Waynez but you dont obviously have social anxiety and they are separate things
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It has detached me from the rest of the world
Makes me anxious, unable to trust etc
Add in the paranoia and it hits even harder
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Friend i understand
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I’ve had social anxiety for years and years now. I’m able to mostly stay inside my house, thank god.
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It sucks doesnt it
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I still have momentary panic attacks every time I throw my paddle board onto a lake or river. It’s more a case of me flipping the fear the bird and shoving past it, but it hangs around to get in my face the next time I do the same thing. Annoying.
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Worst thing is when you overcome something and it comes back later. I’ve found that slow change happens though.
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People breaking in gave me heart pounding social anxiety. When I started protecting myself from what they do, they started lying about me.