Has anyone on here got over there social anxiety??

[natalie5555]

Ive had social anxiety since I was about 8 but it gradually has got worse. Im 23 now and some days it will be really bad others not so bad but just wondered if anyone has any tips that help with it? Or is there anyone on here who doesn't have it anymore? I hate it so much :( The thing I hate the most is it gives me palpitations and when I smile sometimes my mouth shakes :( Its really embarrassing sometimes

[AlMc]

Suffered from it for the past 9 years myself. Only recently i have started getting over it as i will soon be back at uni etc etc. Its hard yeah struggled many times myself with palpitations chest pain confusion etc. It does get really embarrassing but there's help there i got referred via my gp and also started doing more such as going to the gym twice a week and going jogging. These things i do regardless of how i feel and it does help. Just got to keep trying it does get easier

[natalie5555]

yeah I've started exercising too and it gives me a natural high most of the time! So i think it will definitely help. Its horrible i don't know what started it in the first place. Glad your getting over it anyway! X

[AlMc]

Well you could start by simply going jogging 2 days a week like say Tuesday and Friday evenings and no matter what you always go and do it. That's 2 days already out the week that you have to do something. You could google for local support groups for social anxiety and then that could be another day. Also try a volunteer job that would also get you out and about and that alone could be a few days a week throw in say going to teh cinema once a week is another day =D Yeah exercise releases endorphin's in your brain that lower stress and improve your mood the same things that make you feel good when you laugh =D

[natalie5555]

Yeah that's what I said I have started exercising for the last month 5/6days a week :) Yeah that makes sense!

[sophiethestar]

Mine started when I was in high school because people would call me ugly so I became scared of meeting new people because I felt ashamed of the way I looked and didn't want to be judged. This started when I was about 12. When I was around 16/17 I became more confident and I didn't feel like I had social anxiety anymore. But when I began university at 18 it came back and I constantly feel like I'm being watched or judged by others. I'm 21 now, still suffering, but sometimes I can cope. I'm a trainee teacher, and surprisingly enough, when I'm with my class I feel least anxious and most comfortable. :) It's usually worse when I have to talk to people my own age because I compare myself to them.

I think anxiety is something where you either have it or you don't. If you have it, you might have it on and off throughout your life. For me the main trigger is new people but I guess everyone is different. I agree with what other said about jogging. That helps me a lot too. It gets me out the house and makes me feel good about myself.

[harasgenster]

Mine started properly when I was 16 but I was never really that comfortable with people and even if not shy I was very emotionally distanced and didn't really bond as a kid and teen.

I'm now 27 and I've gone from not being able to leave my room at university just in case anyone saw me to going out to parties on my own.

I still get shy now and then, but actually when I'm around total strangers I'm fine and I tend to make friends relatively easily now. I just posted a thread here saying I'm suffering a bit of social anxiety again for the first time in a while after a drunken night I don't remember well, but I'm confident I'll feel better tomorrow. I feel better than I did at the weekend already.

It does get better. The thing to do is push yourself into situations you're uncomfortable with. I know that sounds terrifying right now, but you will be so proud of yourself. You might feel anxious after the first few times you do it, but if you do, phone a friend or arrange to see them, and tell them why you're anxious. Don't assume people will think you're weird for being anxious - I did for years. It's only recently I've learned to just admit it to people. Everyone's been really nice and no one - absolutely no one - has thought I was weird. It really puts things into perspective and makes you feel brighter again :)

[Charlotteee89]

I wouldn't say I'm 100% over my social anxiety but I'm a good 85% or so there. :)

I've always lacked in confidence but not until I started High School did it really affect me. I've always been naturally very slim & of course as soon as puberty hit I became very self conscious of my looks. I also had a mole on my face. I basically stopped doing anything, I became house-bound & withdrew myself from the world. As I got older I became more concerned about this & eventually when I was 18 years old I realised I had 'Anxiety' & I then saw a GP & started to finally get help. It took me until last year when I was 23 years old to finally be confident enough to get back in the world, so to speak. I finally could do things on my own & not be so scared of judgement, I also had my mole removed as that was the main thing I just couldn't get over. I got a job, started driving lessons & finally got a social life!

I'm still very insecure about my weight however, but I'm dealing with that more constructively these days.

My SAD has developed into a more Generalized Anxiety Disorder now, but I think I'm through the worse of it. It's kinda ironic though, the obsessive thoughts I have now are the opposite of what I had with my SAD, before it was "OMG no I don't want to have a social life! I'm fine on my own, I don't like being around people!" to now being "OMG I might never have a boyfriend! UGH I want to do so much more with my life! I want a better social life!" :doh: It's crazy! Obsessive thinking is the worst.

It does take a lot of bravery, strength & patience to feel better, you have to be determined & know for a fact YOU will be confident! I honestly thought I'd always be the way I was socially, I was actually fine with that... Now I can't believe how insecure & severely low confident I was, it's like that was a completely different person! But yes, I still do struggle but the little insecurities I have, but they are just that, little.

:D

[livinginacave]

Suffered all my life with it and I am 50, got slightly easier in last 10 years but it still controls most of my life.

[sammykowa]

I found that the best way to get over social anxiety is to face it. That sounds really difficult but its honestly the most effective way. By purposely get a job like working at a front desk, cashier, etc, and going out with friends and meeting new people will destroy it social anxiety and make it a thing of the best. In doing this you must press on. Initially it might seem very difficult. You might get anxious and think what other people are thinking but in reality people have a lot more on their plates then studying an anxious persons reactions. And if that one in a thousand does do that with cruel intentions they are not someone you should waste your time thinking about.
Face this social anxiety with what I said and I guarantee it will subside FAST. When I first got it I couldn't even talk to someone at a store like a cashier and was anxious around even extended family and now its really a things of the past, though if I sink back into a introverted mindset and place I feel anxious again. Also cut out the caffeine completely and most if not all sugar, and any other stimulants like smoking, etc cause those excite the brain negatively for people like us and we dont need that.
Hope this helps :)

[natalie5555]

thankyou, thats brill advice! Tbh Sammy ive kind of done what u have said, like i was the same as u extended family or even my own family i was actually scared of.. Like i couldn't even talk to them at 1 point without getting embarrassed. And in shops aswell.. Now i am fine majority of the time round my own family and round extended family alot of the time. I'm better with communicating with people than i was before. I have other anxiety and mood issues but trying to sort them out atm

[sammykowa]

Thats good to hear. Yah just push yourself to your limits and you will so those boarders extending to the point where those fears become more or less a thing of the past. Its crazy how anxiety can make us feel so many weird things.. we just have to remember that it is most likely just caused by anxiety and nothing else.