Still struggling with social anxiety at 41 years of age

[JamesG_UK]

Is this a battle I can't win? I've tried medication, talking therapies, volunteering and other social activities. I guess I can't let go of hope.

[nomorepanic]

Some people will always suffer with this but it doesn't have to be a problem unless you feel it is holding you back?

[JamesG_UK]

But it's held me back all my life and continues to do so :(

[Scissel]

I struggle with SA and have always. I can be (somewhat) engaging around people but its tough for me. I'm sorry you feel this is holding you back. Probably best to accept this and do your best to just be yourself and screw what others think. I smile too much and people notice and find that odd (its ok to be odd) but its a coping mechanism.

Just be yourself and try not to worry too much right now with other people and work on treating yourself as you would like to be treated.

Be well.

Sal

[NoraB]

I've been away from here for quite a while, thought I'd conquered my anxiety (mainly SA with OCD), was getting on with life. Used to use NMP chat a lot...miss those days! Seems pretty quiet on there at the moment.

Over the last few weeks, the anxiety has really kicked in, which in turn is making me feel very down and I'm now struggling to cope. Those closest to me don't understand, which is making me feel totally on my own with this. Plus, I'm now pretty good at masking my issues, and it's therefore very hard for me to explain just how bad things can get. Just wondering if anyone wants to talk/share experiences or just talk about life in general. I guess I'm just feeling very alone with my anxiety issues right now. For background, I'm 35 and currently live in Cheshire, UK.

Hi James,

Forgive me pulling up an old post, but I'm interested to know what you did (as mentioned in the above post from 2019) that improved the social anxiety for you?

[JamesG_UK]

Hi James,

Forgive me pulling up an old post, but I'm interested to know what you did (as mentioned in the above post from 2019) that improved the social anxiety for you?

Hi Nora,

Thanks for your message. I can't believe how much time as passed. So much has changed but so much stays the same. I don't know what convinced me I had 'conquered' my anxiety - I was maybe feeling less anxious for a while and as ridiculous as it sounds, not putting myself in anxiety-inducing situations. I was on medication so I remember feeling more optimistic. My social anxiety is as bad as it's ever been and I've sadly not found a way to bring it down.