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fullmoonforlife
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PathStep 1 Compassion hearts7 Forum posts1 Forum upvotes2 Current upvotes2 Age GroupAdult Last activeAugust, 2022 Member sinceAugust 19, 2022
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Could this be social anxiety?
Journals & Diaries / by fullmoonforlife
Last post
 August 19th, 2022
...See more I've been trying to figure this out for a while, and lately the term social anxiety has been something I've thought more & more about. I've got unfortunately quite a bit of experience with anxiety & panic, mostly a result of traumatic events and then down the road, from triggers. However, I also am dealing with something different. Whenever I have to talk a lot - such as explaining something, or just with someone who talks a lot - I find myself very out of breath and very hard to catch my breath after, and it makes me exhausted and feel light-headed. Lately this has been happening more & more but not even with a lot of talking, sometimes just after a converstation with my husband or at a social event where I don't have to talk a lot, just be expected to at any given time. The thing is, I don't "feel" anxious. I've always been very shy & quiet as a kid (hate those labels) and as an adult, I own the fact tht I'm introverted and socially awkward. I am very drained by social interaction, now more than ever. And even passing someone in the hallway that I work with, I don't really know what to do. Say hi, smile, say something more, look away? Usually a half smile and eeking something out is as far as I can get. I hate interaction with cashiers, calling to order food, etc. But I don't have feelings or thoughts that they're judging me - maybe it's subconcious and that's why I struggle with those interactions. But back to the out-of-breath part. Sometimes even before I start talking, just knowing I'm about to respond, I get that feeling. Like I just can't get enough air, I have to breathe really really hard and still may not get enough air. Again it's really hard to come back from. It feels like the breath has literally been sucked out of me. I feel light-headed, then exhausted. Even tense and weak at the same time sometimes. Breathing exercises/techniques help some, grounding helps a lot. I used to think I had maybe an issue with oxygen or something, but a counselor told me that feeling was from anxiety. Does this sound like it could be social anxiety? The label isn't necessarily important, but understanding what causes these things and how to treat is.
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