Social Anxiety Disorder

[LazySmoking420]

"Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Anxiety (intense nervousness) and self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged and criticized by others. Many people are uneasy with shyness in others, especially in cultures which value individuality and taking charge."

This disorder has pleged my entire adolescence and early adulthood life, Being the shy guy..has really effected my soical life, obviously. Relationships, are what make life worth living... and it really kills you when you cant shake this anxiety. When I'm with my few good friends(life-long buddies), family. I'm super outgoing and social. But when you put me in an unknown group of people, or around females...I shut off. I want the relationship with the person but it becomes a forced thing...It cant just come "natural" because of my anxiety. "Why is your friend so quite?"... I see men walking around with beautiful girlfriends.. I want that..kind of relationship so badly you can taste it... but to get that you gotta speak up. The anxiety has a hold around my balls and wont let go...It just wont.. People say man, Just get over it and lighten up...as if social anxiety disorder was a light switch that one could turn on and off. If I could I would...it's not that easy.

This of course has lead to some major depression, Which has lead to alcohol to numb the pain.. alcohol-depression go hand in hand... I've been down some dark roads with that evil tonic. I'm just know getting off the souce and trying to face my problems head on.

Sorry for the post, Just had to get some stuff off my chest. Now it's time to face the world...either they accept or reject me, I can only be me...

Good day.

LazySmoking420 Reviewed by LazySmoking420 on 05-22-2007. Social Anxiety Disorder "Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Anxiety (intense nervousness) and self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged and criticized by others. Many people are uneasy with shyness in others, especially in cultures which value individuality and taking charge." This disorder has pleged my entire adolescence and early adulthood life, Being the shy guy..has Rating: 5

[Caduceo]

"Social anxiety disorder, also called social phobia, is an anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Anxiety (intense nervousness) and self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged and criticized by others. Many people are uneasy with shyness in others, especially in cultures which value individuality and taking charge."

This disorder has pleged my entire adolescence and early adulthood life, Being the shy guy..has really effected my soical life, obviously. Relationships, are what make life worth living... and it really kills you when you cant shake this anxiety. When I'm with my few good friends(life-long buddies), family. I'm super outgoing and social. But when you put me in an unknown group of people, or around females...I shut off. I want the relationship with the person but it becomes a forced thing...It cant just come "natural" because of my anxiety. "Why is your friend so quite?"... I see men walking around with beautiful girlfriends.. I want that..kind of relationship so badly you can taste it... but to get that you gotta speak up. The anxiety has a hold around my balls and wont let go...It just wont.. People say man, Just get over it and lighten up...as if social anxiety disorder was a light switch that one could turn on and off. If I could I would...it's not that easy.

This of course has lead to some major depression, Which has lead to alcohol to numb the pain.. alcohol-depression go hand in hand... I've been down some dark roads with that evil tonic. I'm just know getting off the souce and trying to face my problems head on.

Sorry for the post, Just had to get some stuff off my chest. Now it's time to face the world...either they accept or reject me, I can only be me...

Good day.

I am like that if I am not high enough. I am 60% hard of hearing, which makes it hard to hear people coming from behind me or from the side, obviously. Anyways my stepdad would always make a mission of catching me whacking off. when he did he'd throw me in my room and gut every last bit of anything that could be possibly entertaining, and keep me there for about 3 months at a time. I would come out only for hours of manual labor. I had no friends and I still don't have any, but with weed I can get through social situations happily.
:rasta: cannabis is truly transformative and its helping me forget that horrible thing and a whole host of others. I am only 21 still, hopefully lots of life ahead of me

oh, the reason for this post is that I suffer from a similiar malady, just for different reasons.

[mrdevious]

You pretty much described me in a nutshell lazysmoking420, or at least how I was. I know how it is, you feel like if you reveal anything personal about yourself, especially romantic feelings for someone, you're opening up a vulnerable wound and preparing for the person to pour salt in it.

I have (recently) about 80% gotten over my SAD, and I believe you can too. Believe me, mine was just as bad. I lived 4 years in total social reclusion with no friends, and while I could be myself around my old time friends from out of town, I was terrified of meeting new people or having a conversation. I think a large part of it is that is not having that natural social instinct, knowing how to make chit-chat. There's also the fear of saying the wrong thing, I would often say one thing then repeat it in my head a hundred times, thinking of all the different ways I could and should have said it.

The reason I did get over it, the reason you can get over it too, is the following.

1. I forced myself to go with my friends to social events, with strangers, and go through the intense discomfort and resist the urge to run out the door and go somewhere alone. Practice practice practice, it's all about conditioning the mind.

2. Keep your breathing in mind, and keep the breaths slow and deep.

3. Socialize with new people mixed with your familiar group, so all the talking doesn't fall on your shoulders.

4. This is the biggest one, the one that totally changed my social outlook and feelings. I finally decided to socialize after taking some of that special bud. You know, the bud that's just so wonderful you're in a state of ecstasy. The one where you just wanna eat Mango's Doughnuts Mandarines and Apples. Don't make it a habbit, just use this special bud as a tool once or twice. You'll finally get that perspective on socializing where you can relax.

[Polymirize]

Part of the bias in society I suppose. Someday we'll rise up and overthrow those tyrannical extroverts.

[Headin2KONA]

I honestly used to have the same problem..during high school..but I believe it to be nothing more than lack of conditioning of the mind..as MrDevious said...if you take yourself away from the social pressures of life for too long, or never delve too deeply into it in the first place..you'll be untrained and anxiety will spark....you can get over it though, but first you need to build self confidence..once you've established that just put yourself in as many akward situations as you can...what I did was get a job as a waiter at a restaurant..I thought there was no way I could do it but for me it only took 2 tables before I was comfortable...it happened that quickly...

so for the rambling but to recap..
1) get comfortable with yourself (through working out..whatever)
2) put yourself around people and get used to how it is

You wonder why you're comfortable around your family and no one else..it's cause you've been with your family your whole life..it's all conditioning

[M1K3]

Part of the bias in society I suppose. Someday we'll rise up and overthrow those tyrannical extroverts.

And one day the meek shall inherit the earth.

[MegaOctane12]

Some intelligent insights and some very simplistic, logical, advice. Its ironic because the last place anyone would look for such understanding on a topic like this would be a drugs forum, I mean I belong to a social anxiety website and so many people there get it so wrong, and I come here and eveything you need to get over social anxiety and the core mechanics behind it are right up there in the posts above.

Like already mentioned, getting over social anxiety requires repetition of neutral, realistic, rational information which creates new neural pathways in the brain. CBT for those that don't know is just a form of conditioning yourself to think differently and inturn effects behaviour and the way you feel, it dosen't change who you are however, if anything it enables you to be who you are more freely around people without limitation. What it does is lessen irrational thoughts, teaches you to react to what's actually there, and not listen to totally irrational fear.

Also, I've never taken estacy but I sure as hell want to try it

[MegaOctane12]

I've just realised I can't say that on these boards so delete the last part if you need to, my bad

[Trip06]

If anybody dosent get a lot of social contact there going to be off. I was a loner as a kid so I pretty much stuck to myself. Now being older (21) Im still quiet but socialable. Things that sucked when I was young, when people like baby you or are afraid your a nut. It is just a matter of getting over ones self but embarassing when people do that to you.

[The Colonel]

"there will come a time when everybody who is lonely will be free to sing and dance and love"