Social Anxiety: Share your Experience Here!

@Jen7Cups

Like you, Im grateful for 7Cups too! I have made and nurtured some of my favorite friendships with people here. Ive felt heard and found peace here, Ive had the honor of bringing peace to many minds. ♡

Ive coped through Social Anxiety for many years and for anyone going through the battle of it— and it does get easier with time. We can learn about coping techniques that work for us, and the most important thing is— to be patient with, and not judge, ourselves for it. ^—^

An excellent post, Jen! ♡ Thank you for this thread! (ꈍᴗꈍ) ♡

@Jen7Cups

Hi. I'm new to social anxiety. I was badly booked in drink and drugs for a few year. Got myself clean the hard way. During the final few stages.I posted my feelings and thoughts on social media. (Closed group). A few "friends" that wouldn't let me get out the game found this. I poured my heart and soul into the post. My triggers and how I feel about myslef.

Now for three month they hound me. They now know my triggers, so every day they remind me they know and they are there. Walking past my house, talking about me to mutual friends. It's just not stopping after 3 month.

It's reduced me to being house bound and On meds. I have been through so much in my life but I can't seem to shift this. It's non stop. The police can't act as it's not enough. I'm scared of being seen and people judging me. I just don't know when it's going to end. Or if I'll ever be the same again.

Anyone had anything similar?

Social Anxiety is diferent for everyone, though you may share similar symptoms, it has diferent effects on people. I am someone who has had social anxiety for a while. Since I was young, I was a quite and shy kid. Never looked up at the person talking to me and always kept everything to myself. This became a lot worse when I went to highschool. I could not look at a persons face when they are talking to me. My gaze kept going down, never being able to meet their eyes. It was extremeley uncomfertable. I was never able to walk alone in a crowd or in public places without having doubtful thoughts. My body would become cold, and I would become stiff. If attention was diverted to me in a place where I didnt know anyone, I would freeze, stuttor and just go into a shell. My type of social anxiety has me under a rock most of the time. If I feel confident before leaving my home or a safe envoirnment, I would lose it all after stepping outside. I have been working on my confidence and social anxiety for a while now. I am new to this app, yet I want to share my story.

Hii!.....i always have a kinda fear in me whenever I m in public. I don't usually like to talk to people or socialise with them...I really love chatting...but not in real. I take pretty much time to mingle with someone. But in case of my cousin sista, she is so friendly, social and knows how to deceive someone. People may think that I have pride. I do talk a lot with someone once I am so connected with them. But if I see them again on some other day, I truly lose that bond and connection...it just lasts for a day or two. My sister as I have mentioned, is very social and talk a lot with newly met people. But the thing I don't like in her is that she lies almost every time...I think lie is not the perfect word, she usually boast about her. I always stand shocked whenever I hear her boasting and telling pure lies. But I think people like such kind of girls coz everyone would be impressed of her when she ends chatting with them or I think like that. This is why I don't like going out especially for family functions with her and also without her. I fear for the reason of being offended and avoided. I don't want to be left as an unnoticed thing among a crowd. But I still don't make any efforts to speak more to people . I always speak only upto a limit even if it hurts somebody. Thank you for reading this long and pretty useless note....

@Jen7Cups

Hello everyone! I'm here to share my story and experience with social anxiety and anxiety in general. Since I was a kid whenever I would go to a "party" and there were a lot of people and very loud music, Id lock myself in the bathroom and start crying for no reason. I cant stand going at parties with anyone else than my group of friends and boyfriend, cause they're the only people I can be myself around. I felt lonely since almost everyone in my friend group are social butterflies. Im so glad I found this thread I no longer feel weird about it.

I have had a horribly traumatic childhood... and somehow people's pasts always come up in conversations. Fun vacations. Memories. whatever it is.... I just sit there awkwardly and feel so stupid. I can't relate to anyone. I either lie about my past, just say yeah and nod, or say something dumb. I either just avoid any sort of social interaction or go and sit off to the side and don't participate. I have no friends, haven't been in a relationship in 10 years, and have no support, besides my therapist and some online "friends" who I trust half-way. I get anxious at even the thought of interacting with anyone--- even cashiers, delivery people, receptionists on the phone. A wave of nausea and terror prevent me from connecting with people and going out. I even find it hard to be with the family that I like. It's paralyzing and so isolating.

For me, social and generalised anxiety can feel like I'm trapped, an outcast or that I'm damn right crazy at times.

It's so tiring and mentally draining at times when my family judge my behaviours, habits or my quiteness despite the endless times I've told them about my mental illness. They won't ever understand and simply they don't want to. Instead, they would rather gossip about how anti-social I am, how I'm not how they want me to be and how 'I've changed' whenever I managed to pluck up the courage to stand up for myself.

My partner and friends understand and they offer to help me wherever possible which is more than I could ever ask for.

Although even with the support around me, I crumble sometimes into weeks of high anxiety and the need to use my medication. There are some days where I don't talk a lot or use any expression because of how I'm feeling and that's normal. I think what I wish I would have been told with anxiety is that it's okay to feel anxious and tired from it. But my family have always treated me as a child, spoke down to me or made fun of it almost.

To anyone who needs this, you are your own person, you're allowed to feel anxious and that's in no way attention seeking or over-reacting. You're allowed to feel this way and we can all help to push ourselves forward to healthier and happier people, hopefully without the chains of anxiety. And, if you need to, remove those who are negative for your mental health from your life. It may be difficult now but, it'll help you more than ever in the future.

P.S. the road to controlling anxiety is a rocky one, with immense ups and downs. Don't be hard on yourself because you're beaten by anxiety today. You will get there in the end and you will become the best version of yourself, I promise. You're worth more than a million emeralds, keep telling yourself that.

I had social anxiety ever since I could remember. Most people brushed it off saying "she's a bit shy" or "she has a little bit of stage fright".

I had believed this too, but when I was 16 (a year ago), things started getting really bad. It started affecting my grades, my friendships, everything - basically making life in general really hard. I was in a really dark place.

Around that time, I started therapy for the first time. I remember being so anxious during my first therapy session! I soon relaxed enough to open up to her, and I was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder.

When I was diagnosed, I remember feeling a sense of relief (sort of). It was incredibly relieving to know I wasn't the only one who couldn't order their own food, speak to strangers, or answer a question in class. But it also felt empowering - to know that there is a solution, and that I can get better

A year later, I can't say I'm extremely confident, or that I've suddenly become a social butterfly. But now, I believe in myself more, and I know how to deal with that annoying mean voice in my head. I still feel uncomfortable around new people, but now it's much easier to push those thoughts aside and just be in the moment.

For those of you suffering, don't lose hope. It might seem like you're stuck in an ever-tightening spiral, but you can get out of this. I believe in you , and I really, really hope you feel better

Hello. My social anxiety in highschool became such that I could no longer go and had to finish the rest of my schooling in homebound. My social anxiety has continued to worsen, and as such I have not been able to acquire a job or do basic things. It's frustrating as I don't know how I will ever earn money to survive, and currently depend on my father to take care of me. I'm currently 24, but I still feel like a child. I don't know what to do.

It was a few months ago in school. I had to give an impromptu presentation infront of my whole grade. Well, it was me and my friend, and we had the presentation prepared last minute overnight, and we didnt know that we would be presenting the next day...but we did. So we went up on the stage with a little poster and started presenting with our powerpoint. When it was my turn to speak... my mind literally went blank, I couldnt really think of what to talk and tried to form a few sentences, I did, but it sounded wrong and improper and I stuttered alot and couldnt speak properly. Luckily my friend was a great speaker.And that was the first time Ive ever presented to my whole grade or to a huge crowd like that. Afterwards, when our presentation was over I dont know why, my eyes started to get teary, even though I didnt want it to. I tried to restrain the tears but my eyes gave in- so I quicly rushed to the washroom😅 I dont know why I just get teary when Im put into these situations, like I dont want it to- but it just happens and I cant stop it. Everytime, I am put infront of a crowd and told to talk my mind just goes blank and Im unable to talk properly. As well as that, my eyes go watery- sometimes it happens when my teacher asks a simple question. I dont want my eyes to get watery, but my eyes act without my permission. And sometimes I just cry even though I want it to stop. Am I weird? Hahaha...Thank you for reading my long post.