10 being : social anxiety totally interferes with my life, allowing me nothing and blocking all of my potential
1 being : it’s not even a problem
I asked my therapist to rate me 8 months ago vs now, he said (and he’s got 30 years of experience with socially anxious people) it was a 9 in January and a 6 right now.
CBT works people. And the workbook (Antony) I’m using is speeding up my progress.
People have social anxiety for all sorts of reason. I have it because i think EVERYONE is being hostile towards me. If you do have it, why do you think you do?
I do because I went from working with people with whom I had a lot in common and who enjoyed me to people who don’t share or understand any of my interests. Best I get is, “You’re so funny and odd!” If I try to talk about anything from my life, eyes glaze over and people stop listening.
It has me convinced that this will always and forever be anyone’s reaction to me. I’m afraid to get to know anyone. It’s gotten to the point where I’m afraid of my grandparents and cousins, even though they love me completely and have never suggested otherwise.
I have little to no social anxiety in public environments. You have to learn to love yourself - the way you think, sound, look, and feel - before feeling perfectly comfortable in social settings.
Private environments like bars are places I stay hella away from, though. It’s all bad auras and tension when I used to go to some.