Anxiety Support - An Online Community for You

Life is sad with anxiety...

by fearlessJar0903011

December 1st

Overcoming Social Anxiety - A Journey Together!

by reliablebunny23

November 24th

...See more Hey everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I've been working on overcoming my social anxiety, and have made significant progress in reducing it. I wanted to share my experience and some strategies that have helped me in hopes that they might help you too. I know many of you here struggle with social anxiety too, I've seen numerous forum posts and group chats on this topic, and it's heartbreaking to see so many people going through this, especially because I've personally felt the profound impact it can have on one's life. That's why I really wanted to share this post. Feel free to share it with anyone here who might be dealing with social anxiety. My goal is for it to reach as many people as possible and offer support. Important Note This post isn't a substitute for professional help, but I hope it can offer some support and guidance to those who, like me, are navigating this journey without professional assistance. My Experience With Social Anxiety Initially, I used to find it incredibly daunting to even think about leaving my house or being in public spaces. Even just being watched by people used to be so scary for me. I always avoided going to public places. But over time, I learned that avoiding situations that made me anxious only reinforced my fear. So, I decided to face my anxiety head-on, step by step. I began seeing each outing as a chance to work on reducing my social anxiety. Throughout this journey, I have learned numerous strategies that have helped me cope and grow. Additionally, gaining awareness, understanding, and consistently reminding myself about various aspects of social anxiety has facilitated my journey and made it more manageable. Insights And Strategies I'll be sharing these strategies and insights in the comments section, as listing them all here would make this post overly lengthy. Moreover, since I'm still in the process of overcoming and learning, new insights and tips continue to surface. Thus, I'll share them one by one in the comments. Please keep checking periodically as I will be posting them gradually, whether weekly, daily, or as often as possible. Sharing And Supporting Each Other Feel free to share your experience with social anxiety in the comments below and express how it affects you and makes you feel. You can suggest any strategies that have worked for you, whether you developed them yourself or found them elsewhere. Let's support each other by reading each other's experiences and responding with suggestions and encouraging words. Together, we can remind each other that we're not alone in this journey. Daliy Progress Feel free to share your daily progress too in the comments, detailing what steps you took to overcome social anxiety each day. It can serve as motivation for others who may currently feel unable to overcome their social anxiety. Sharing your progress can show them that gradual steps and community support can make a difference in their journey. Your ongoing engagement is greatly appreciated. Personal Diary Additionally, you can keep a personal diary to record & track your progress and feelings throughout this journey of overcoming social anxiety. Tracking your journey can offer valuable insights and serve as a supportive resource along the way. Final Thoughts I believe overcoming social anxiety alone can be difficult, but together, we can make it significantly easier. While it may take time, consistent efforts within our supportive community can facilitate the journey and remind you that you're not alone. With our big and compassionate cups family, we can and will conquer social anxiety together.

Fear of people who Can socialize normally?❔

by takemedicine

November 20th

Social anxiety group chat/support

by gameguy05

November 18th

How to deal with public speaking?

by violetaEffrayante

November 8th

Help for social anxiety

by Imad17

November 5th

Social anxiety

by Imad17

November 4th

...See more Understanding Social Anxiety: My Experience I want to share something very personal with you, as I believe it’s important to understand how social anxiety can impact everyday life. I have always been an introvert, but over time, the feeling of anxiety in social situations became almost unbearable. Imagine this: you walk into a room full of people, and suddenly you feel your heart racing, your palms sweating, and every sound around you becomes overwhelming. I often felt like everyone was watching my every move, every glance. Even though that wasn't true, the feeling was very real and very powerful. Sometimes, I shut myself off, avoiding gatherings and outings because it was easier to be alone than to fight that uncertainty. What I want to say is that many of us go through similar experiences. We often feel isolated and misunderstood, but it’s important to know that it’s okay to feel this way. Every time I tried to open up and talk about my feelings, I felt like a heavy weight was lifting off my shoulders. Together, we can create a space where we feel safe to share our experiences. This is the first step toward overcoming anxiety. Even when it seems like there’s no way out, there’s always hope. This process can be long, but every step, no matter how small, is significant. 🌈 Sometimes, when I feel overwhelmed, I try breathing techniques or simply talk to someone I trust. Together, as a community, we can support each other, share advice and feelings, and move forward together. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible. 🤝💕 It’s important for us to lean on one another, to open up, and to talk. Our journey toward understanding and overcoming social anxiety may be challenging, but it’s worth fighting for. Let’s be there for each other and make this world a little less intimidating together. 🌍💖

Social anxiety

by Imad17

October 27th

...See more Hello everyone! I want to share a few thoughts with you about social anxiety because I know how challenging and debilitating it can be. Perhaps you have already recognized yourself in this or know someone who is facing it, it is important to know that you are not alone. I hope these tips help you or at least make it a little easier. Understanding Social Anxiety: You Are Not Alone Social anxiety can be challenging in so many ways. I know how difficult it can be when you find yourself in a situation where you need to talk to others or even just spend time in society, and you feel pressure, discomfort and worry that you will be misunderstood or judged. I would like to share some thoughts and tips that may help in dealing with this type of anxiety. 1. Admit your feelings: It's normal to feel uncomfortable or scared in social situations, and there's no shame in admitting to yourself that you feel that way. By acknowledging your feelings, you have already taken the first step towards understanding and reducing anxiety. 2. Breathe and be present in the moment: When anxiety becomes overwhelming, it often helps to focus on breathing. Take a few deep breaths and try to focus on what you are doing right now. This technique can help calm physical symptoms and restore a sense of control. 3. Accept that others may not notice your nervousness: Social anxiety often creates the feeling that everyone is watching and judging you. However, the reality is that people are often self-centered. Nobody is perfect and most people will not notice or criticize the little insecurities you may see. 4. Step by step: Exposure to social situations, starting with small steps, can help. You can start with simple, shorter interactions, such as saying hello to an acquaintance, and then work on longer and more complex conversations. 5. Ask for support: Social anxiety can be eased with community support. Sharing your feelings with people who understand what you're going through can help you feel less alone. The community here is here to support, you're not alone! I hope these little guidelines help someone. Remember, working on social anxiety is a process, but every small step forward is important. We're here together, and we're all working to feel a little better every day. If you ever want to talk about it, feel free to contact me, I'm here for you.😊

Anyone suffering from social anxiety?

by rationalLand8591

October 21st

how do you get around the paradox of having to talk to somebody about the fact that you cant talk to anybody?

by apricottree

October 9th

...See more I havent been on this website for years, but i had quite a bad day and want some advice, so excuse me if this isnt quite within the etiquette of posting on here. Ive been dealing for years with what i guess i would call extreme social anxiety. Its caused a lot of bad things for me unfortunately. I try to find generic advice, but i seem to be a bit different from what people generally seem to regard as social anxiety. I dont really feel all that insecure, and Im not worried about making people like me, and I understand social cues--it feels more like a physical response to me, and I go almost mute. Its like i completely shut down when i have to talk and even knowing what i should say the words will not come out, meaning ill say "i dont know" when i do, if me explaining would take more words, for example. If i have to speak with too many people in a row, or do something i was not planning on, i start to cry and it is very hard to get myself to calm down. I am always worrying im not where im supposed to be, or that im breaking some rule i dont know about. I really need to seek out help about this, as helping myself hasnt been working. I dont want to be someone who makes people uncomfortable crying over very small things, especially at work. Problem being, I have tried going to doctors twice now, and both times been told they werent able to help me... I understand that i cant expect them to chase me down and beg me to participate if im not even able to meet them halfway and tell them why i was there. But in the one instance, the woman told me, even after i had tried telling this to her, that there is nothing she can do about not talking and that unless i can outline exactly why i answered what i did on my screening test and what i want her to do about that then theres nothing she can do. The other time, i think i might have just been somewhere with resources not suited to my problems, as i was told only that there was a group coloring and sharing session and i should come back some time during one of those T_T Is there some specific thing i should be saying? The idea of even setting up the appointment terrifies me and I dont know that id even be able to get the words out should i actually get to a professional, but its really terribly wrecking my life at the moment.

Challenges of making friends

by Beechie

October 4th

Social anxiety Disorder---"My everyday Zombie Apocalypse" (essay---rough draft)

by s0cksz

October 2nd

...See more My Everyday Zombie Apocalypse My bravest moment was the first time I chickened out of presenting my project for civics class. Now I know that doesn’t seem like a moment to be proud of, but to me it has meaning. Maybe I should explain and give some context first: I have something called Social Anxiety disorder, which basically means that I have a constant, immense fear of judgment from others. From my freshman year to now I've been in a constant battle with myself, and although I failed to present that day, which, of course, was the main goal, looking back on it I notice how much bravery it took for me to even try. It shows how much I wanted to be able to do the things others thought almost nothing of. I wanted so badly to help my situation mentally that I had the courage to attempt to dive into one of my greatest fears: judgement. I’d say a worthy situation I could put someone in that would equal the emotions I feel when having attention turned to me, such as while presenting to my class or participating in a Socratic Seminar, would probably be of someone that just walked into a room full of bloodthirsty zombies. A bit dramatic given that it's practically a guaranteed death type of situation, but that is how I’ve been treating school for the past 2 years. I’d like to put you in my shoes, Thrilling right? You walk in, you’d probably think about slipping back into where you came, but before you go through with it, every single head turns. Too late, there is no going back. All eyes are on you, yet nothing is happening and for whatever reason that is adding more anxiety to the sea of anxiety you are already drowning in. You can't think, you can't breathe, you can't think because you can't breathe. You can't handle the situation, everything is too much. You want to scream and run out the room, you NEED to get out of that situation. All you can think of is to run. Go, start running before you start having second thoughts. Once you start running though, there's no going back. That's all I was doing for such a long time to the point where that was the only way I knew how to handle those situations. One thing I failed to mention is that I’m currently yet to be formally diagnosed with SAD, which is due to many reasons. In my sophomore year I went to one of my school counselors because my mum had already rejected me, not that we could afford therapy anyways, so I had nowhere to go. It was a terrible experience, I would even say that I left the room in more distress and with less control over my emotions that I walked in with. Regardless, I would still say that this would be another example of my bravest moments. When it comes to overcoming fears, in a lot of instances, the hardest part of it is seeking support or asking for help in order to overcome those fears. Just thinking about going into that room made me want to scream, but I did it anyway because I knew I had to, I needed to, regardless of whether I wanted to or not. The thought of what it *might* allow me to do in the future, before I went in the room of course, outweighed all my fears. I’ve been in bands for almost 5 years now and they’ve always said that “the parts of the song people are going to remember the most are the beginning and the end”, I’ve learnt that that isn’t only true in a musical sense. To this day, all I remember from that experience is how it ended. I was sitting in a chair drowning in silence waiting to be dismissed because, even though I had so much more to talk about, I just wanted to get out of there. All I could think about is how uncomfortable I felt, how vulnerable I felt, how hopeless I felt. It was like I was being opened up and dissected. All I could think about is how much I am sweating, how much I smell because of that sweat, how I want to scream at her, rip my hair out and tell her that she isn’t helping. Tell her how much I need her to say something, anything. But all she’s doing is sitting, staring at me. Judging me. That put me off from seeking out support until my junior year. That's when I realized that it's not an end of the world situation like a zombie apocalypse, it’s just normal life, it's just a little harder for me. It only feels that way because I'm thinking of it in that way, and that there is no other light for me to see it in. I’m the one making it bad, I’m the villain in my own story. I think I’ve known this all along, but part of me didn't want to know it. I've just been turning around and blaming it on other people, because it's easier that way. While I’m still scared, I still run away sometimes, I still avoid situations, I now see it in a different light. Instead of seeing it as a zombie apocalypse, I see it as an opportunity. An opportunity to push myself to prove that I can do it. I have a lot of moments that I could describe as my “bravest”, most of them being nothing like what others would choose to be under that label, but that shouldn't make someone think any less of me. We all have our own zombie apocalypse.

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Ask questions, get support and make friends

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Online Therapy

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Talk to an expert therapist

Therapy is a worthwhile investment in yourself. I know it may be...

@stormwolfwriters

@tns3

@courageousBanana4836

@BrundleFly23

@soothingShoe692

@JBBeenThereDoneThat

@sensitivePerson9474

@Honey7122

@frankTalker6775

@livethroughart228

@funnyEyes9134

@shrimpcocktail81

@selfconfidentLemon2098

@admirableHand7068

@thoughtfulNectarine910

@compassionateWater8000

@willingChestnut7138

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@earthworm29

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