Social Phobia / Social Anxiety

Just thought I'd start a thread for people with social fears.

I've had them and they can be very crippling and isolating.

This forum is for everybody with such problems and can cover any related topic, but I just thought I'd throw out one link that has been a huge help for me with this:

www.healsocialanxiety.com

Best to all,

Phil M

Thanks Phil - I will definetly check it out!! :)

Hi Phil

Welcome to the site.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your issues.

Nicola

I guess I suffered from this for many years.

When younger, I just couldn't socialise, meet girls etc. I felt somehow 'different', mainly due to having epilepsy from age 11 and self-perception problems. Because of epilepsy, I couldn't drink NOR drive, and this limited any socialising even more.

I let the rot set in, and eventually achieved many 'normal growing up' things much later in adult life. I started to believe in myself and began to realise that there were people out there who valued me, and so I can began to make new friends.

My circle of friends is still small, but my life improved no end.

Try to be positive towards others in a 'safe' situation, such as the workplace. By being helpful and friendly, we will be seen as more positive by others and may be asked along to the pub or whatever.

Don't worry about the baggage you may have - you don't have to admit to new found friends that you may not have had many before.
That would be because of your phobia/anxiety, not because you were in anyway a bad person or unfriendly.

BE POSITIVE! YOU ARE A NICE PERSON! SHOW THAT TO OTHERS!

Ray

Hi there

I've recently had Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for social phobia. It has helped but only to a certain degree.

I don't know if anyone else has found this but i find the winter months the worst? The summer always makes me feel more relaxed and happier.

KW

i have social phobia. i cant talk to someone i dont know without freezing etc. coz of it iv done something which is making me depressed!!! :'(

Scooter Girl AKA Jade

Yeah, I recently went to a psychiatrist thinking I suffered from something like panic disorder, but it turns out I have something more similar to social anxiety, so he prescribed Paxil for me. I can't believe I didn't see it before - the symptoms match me completely. I can't go to parties, sometimes can't even interact with close friends for fear I'll mess up. Can't talk opinions with most people, can't talk to men at all, especially adult men (which made me very uncomfortable with my psychiatrist), get very close to fainting when in the center of attention, even if it's getting called on in class. It's pretty overwhelming, but because I've lived with it for as long as I can remember, I haven't noticed how interfering it's been with my life.

I find the support on here really helpful. :) Though I wish a seperate spot could be made for social anxiety on this forum.

Unhappy Tiger

I have just created a new forum for "Social Anxiety" so please feel free to post in there.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Nicola