Social Anxiety in all forms of communication.
Hello
I'm new to this website/support forums in general. I suffer from a range of anxiety issues but mainly in the form of social. I cannot speak in public, private, on the phone through e-mail or live chats and forums I am only just beginning to scratch the surface of. I find the whole concept incredibly terrifying, I come from a town where admitting any kind of mental health issue is seen as a weakness and is something to be ridiculed and I have been brought up in an environment (outside of my family) where there is so much stigma related around mental health that nobody will talk about it. So to come onto a website full of people I don't know and talk about these Issues I feel extremely exposed and uncomfortable but at this point I feel it necessary to talk to someone somewhere about this.
Does anyone else here get that crippling anxiety in where it takes you say, 8 hours to reply to an e-mail/facebookmessage because you can't bring yourself to press send? If so, have you found anyway of making these kind of interactions easier on yourself?
I completely understand that everyone experiences anxiety and social situations in different ways, but I'm interested in atleast opening up a dialogue about this stuff.
@LEDave - I'm really proud of you for posting here - I know that took a lot of courage and strength to fight off the anxiety and share your story here. It's been a little over a year since you posted this, and I wanted to check in and see how things have been going. Have you learned any tricks to help manage your anxiety and be able to interact a bit more? Hope you're well.
@LEDave I have problems as well, speaking on the phone, replying to an email or message on social media, writing on forums, speaking to new people. Sometimes I leave it, sometimes I write a reply then delete it before clicking send. Even on these forums, I've written something and then deleted it. Even now I feel like doing the same. ....
I've learned over the years that to ease anxiety and reduce the thoughts in your head (I used to get so so many!) you say to yourself "Stop" or "Calm. Deep breathing helps to relax your mind as it causes the "rest and digest" mode of the parasympathetic nervous system to start up.
Try some deep breathing, meditation and also something called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) also known as tapping, where you tap on certain meridian points on your face and upper body. That also helps reduce anxiety. You have to keep practicing these technques daily though, as I've found. Unfortunately we're not 'cured' by doing just one session of EFT, for example. Saying that, I find it hard and don't feel like/avoid doing them due to depression etc. Then I get out of the habit.
Also, just thought, positive affirmations, such as "I am well" "I feel good". Part of EFT is when you tap on the side of your hand, you also say "Even though I feel ...., I completely love and accept myself for who I am" and you're helping to rewire your brain.
I hope some of this helps,
Take care. :)
I understand what you’re saying but I managed to pull myself up the rope a little bit, by that I can be around people but not large crowds they make me feel like I’m being focused on, some days I just do not want to leave home, not even get out of bed I am very anxious about every thing, and I analyze the *** out of everything, my nerves get the best of me. And when I believe something I stay stuck, I.e., I know what she meant even though she didn’t say it she was being sarcastic, or I can’t believe that
guy was just staring that is so rude he must have thought that he knew me later i am still anxious about the same stuff over again. Scared to make friends because subconsciously people may say she’s a little odd. Maybe they don’t say that but my mind thinks they do.
