Social Anxiety can be harder than most people think - Getting help.
Hey guys :D I was doing some thinking and after seeing just how many people on here have some form of social anxiety it'd be nice to discuss something.
What is the hardest things about seeking out help for your social anxiety?
What I think when I ponder this question is the fact that although there will be so many places you can go to for help, and different things that can be done; there usually always is one big problem - most of it puts you in a social situation to do so. Think about it, if you have problems with being scared of spiders you wouldn't go ask a spider for help, you'd be too scared to try that, so why is it for most help with social anxiety we have to go and talk to people about it? D: It seems to be a big dilemma as you have to go through a lot of hardship and face your social anxiety and take it head on to be able to even try to get help most of the time, this just makes it way too hard to get help most of the time in my opinion, I'd be glad to hear everyone else's opinion on this :D
@Keanan
What do i do if seeking help for my social anxiety gives me anxiety?
@MonBon
Ooooh :o That is a pretty tough situation, however there are a lot of ways to deal with it, it depends on the reason of why is gives you anxiety, if it the method of telling someone somehting? Give me a more specific situation with it and I can try and list some possible ways it can be dealt with ^-^ *huggles* <3
@Keanan
For me, when I ask others for help with anxiety it feels like I'm over-reacting or participating in attention-seeking behavior, which then makes my anxiety worse :(
@MonBon
Ooooh I see I see, in that situation it could be handy to try and talk to someone you feel you can really trust and you know even if you are overeacting would be there for you (maybe someone like a parent or a partner or very close friend), you could also try to talk to other people who may have simmilart anxieties which would prove to you it's valid and you're not alone <3 It can be super duper hard to accept it's okay to go to someone, but the first step is usually always the hardest *huggles* <3
@Keanan
Thank you Keanan <3
@MonBon
No problem <3 glad I could help ^-^ tell me if you have any more questions *huggles* <3
I definitely feel this! I think one of the hardest things for me is all the self-doubt I feel. Even though I know I have all the symptoms of social anxiety, I dont want to tell anyone because what if its not legitimate? What if Im judged for saying I have a mental illness when I really dont? I only have a self-diagnosis right now. I dont want to take up anyones time if I dont even have a real issue. But I know the anxiety I feel is real 😣 Also, its really hard for me to open up and have serious, deep face to face conversations. That always triggers bad anxiety for me.
@GimmeTheMuffins
I'm thee exact same. I'm glad other people feel this way. It makes me feel less alone. For me the issue is gathering the stregth to tell my parent I may need a therapist. I'm at a loss. I'll tell you if I figure it out. We can help each other :)
@placidBalsam4401 Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! I
@GimmeTheMuffins I'm a teen too! Both of my parents are extroverted people, and I don't know how to explain things to them. Telling them about anxiety that they haven't experienced for themselves is like trying to explain a color to a person that has never seen that color. Not to mention every time I try to have a serious conversation with them, that on it's own gives me anxiety and I almost always end up in tears or feel attacked. One thing I've done that helped when my parents didn't understand why I was acting like I was in a particular situation, was when they started yelling at me, I went to my room "}|[=p-i906t345ewredtf, wrote a detailed letter, shoved it in my mom's hands, and left the room. That really helped. I don't really know if that will work for anyone else, but just putting it out there for people looking for ideas.
@placidBalsam4401 Thank you for the tip! I think that might be a great idea! It could help to communicate exactly how I feel without having to face intense in-person interaction. Depending on the situation, I may give it a try!
Best wishes to you! I hope things work out :) stay strong
Hi, there. I'm fairly certain I have social anxiet or just anxiety in general. It's preventinng me from living happily I feel like my every move is judged and that I do everything wrong. If I need to say something it'll take me a good ten minutes to work up the courage to say it. I wanna see a professional, but can't figure out how to explain how I feel to my parents. I really ddon't want them to be too fussy about it, and I really don't think they'll even begin to understand. What should I do?
I know I already made a post, but I wanted to add something. 😊 Another reason why its hard for me to reach out for help is because it makes me extremely uncomfortable to have a serious conversation with all the attention focused strongly on me. It puts me under so much pressure and often will cause me to break down. Even having those conversations with people I know well, like my parents, is really hard. I even tend to get extremely uncomfortable when someone looks me in the eyes and gives me a serious compliment. I just have no idea what to do when all that attention is on me!! It makes me freak out. So yeah, thats another hurdle I will have to face when/if I decide to reach out.
