Social anxiety/phobia

[James 302]

I've got one more idea, you from Ireland yeah? You should visit BUCK, sertanly, why not? What could possibly go wrong? There would be only bronies, I think it's best people to train in communication with.

 

I wish I could, but Manchester is a long way from here and I have no way of getting there, I'd very much consider it if I could though. I'd love the chance to meet some bronies in person.

[G1 Derpy FTW 134]

I feel your pain I too have social issues your first post summed up my life in nut shell but I wouldnt recommend locking your self up in your room for over five years and ignoring all social interactions all together...

 

Basicly after eight grade the people I thought were my friends constantly messed with me so I ignored them for the rest of my whole life that was my first mistake.

Then to make things worse a female I guess you could say stalked me during middle school not only that but I had to deal with an abusive step sister and I have an irational fear of females now why are females so abusive... T-T

Then that same chick that stalked me kept messing with my head asking me if I would date her just to leave and ditch me for someone else n the end so that was a useless part of my life.

 

So on top of having horrible social problems I gotta deal with avoiding all females cuz I think they are gonna kill me (they are!!) just because of one school year I've felt empty and lost, I left everything and everyone I have nothing but the sickening memories of my demise its unfortunate that the real me died years ago who would of known a middle school would become your graveyard...

[HungryTroll 137]

 

 

I wish I could, but Manchester is a long way from here and I have no way of getting there, I'd very much consider it if I could though. I'd love the chance to meet some bronies in person.

 

Do not let small thing like that stop you, you are 21. Manchester long way from Ireland? I'm going to GalaCon it's 2500km far from me.

And if main matter is money - that's one more reason to fing a job, do it to go to BUCK, you want it, and if you want something you should try you best for that.

[Guest]

 

 

the real me died years ago

  Your real me cannot die. Thats both physically and psychologically impossible. You may have changed, but you will never die. Believe in yourself

[YALL ARE FUCKING GAY 505]

i illegitimately though that this thread was called social anal probing i was just skimming through the treads and thought i saw that 

 

anyway im not really afraid of social  interaction more like im nervous around women especially if i find them attractive 

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

I think the root cause of my social anxiety is not only bullying in high school, but the type of bullying it was. Yeah, I got outright teased a lot and picked on a lot, but the worse kind was the "bait and switch" type of bullying, where people would pretend to like you or pretend to be nice to you just to manipulate you.

 

That gave me some serious fucking trust issues.

[James 302]

I think the root cause of my social anxiety is not only bullying in high school, but the type of bullying it was. Yeah, I got outright teased a lot and picked on a lot, but the worse kind was the "bait and switch" type of bullying, where people would pretend to like you or pretend to be nice to you just to manipulate you.

 

That gave me some serious fucking trust issues.

 

I've had exactly the same thing, it makes me wonder if anyone I thought were my friends actually were. I doubt everyone's sincerity, it's almost impossible for me to make friends because I don't trust anyone, and that's on top of all the other problems I have.

[Sommar 1,289]

I am not afraid of meeting new people at all. The only problem I have is I can't seem to start a conversation because I'm afraid to. It's strange because I love talking with people, but I'm not the one to start a conversation. If it wasn't for this problem, I would have a lot more friends than I do now. Not that I'm complaining or anything. In fact, I like having a small circle of friends I can hang out with.

[Fluttershutter 2,478]

Yeah social interaction is scary, weird, unpredictable. And I really hate when people are staring at me.

[LittleMac 3,085]

Yeah, I hate socialising IRL. Only because I'm a nervous wreck and I'm always scared about how people see me. I'm always that one guy in the group who stays in the corner and doesn't say anything

[Guest90210 3,568]

I've had social anxiety and a severe body image issue my entire life. It has been my biggest crux, and I've been slowly trying to improve.

 

There was a period when I was 16/17 years old that I literally went outside only 3 or 4 times in an entire year. It got bad - really bad. I couldn't even step outside to get the mail because I was afraid someone would see me, even if they were across the street and looking in another direction. One time at the ice cream store, there were lots of people there, so everyone went inside to get ice cream while I layed down in-between the seats, cowering, hoping no one would see me. I couldn't go anywhere. I couldn't visit anyone's house, and I couldn't talk to anyone other than select people whom I am comfortable with. Essentially, I'm "afraid of people".

 

It all boils down to the body image issues, and always being afraid people are judging me, thinking I'm hideous or annoying. And that I'm always saying something stupid and that no one wants to be around me... It's as if there's a spotlight on me at all times when I'm in social situations. It's like a delusional failure of the mind, in which the mind has a constant cloud of fear when trying to talk with people, or being out in public in general.

 

There are several kinds of social phobia. For me, it's the smaller, condensed crowds that are the scariest for me. Such as, going to someone's house when there's 7-10 people there. Or any place or situation that may draw attention to me. However, massive crowds aren't that bad for me. For example, when at a baseball game, I'm perfectly fine walking through the crowd in the halls as everyone is walking and staring at random directions. But walking up the stairs to get back to my seat? Gahh, I hate that, that triggers my anxiety heavily, because I feel like everyone's "watching me" walk up the stairs.

 

I still have it, and I still can't really visit other people's places, and can't go to certain places due to the stress and anxiety, and I still can't get a job because of it... But I've been slowly attempting to improve. I can go out a little more than I used to, and I've been able to start regaining control of certain things. I dropped out of school in the 9th grade because of the anxiety, but recently I've been working towards obtaining my GED to make up for it. I used to have severe depression and mood swings, but I've been able to control it to a greater extent. I give lots of credit to the forums and the people on here for helping me with it . I have a long, long way to go, but I'm trying.

 

What I've noticed is that when trying to "force" heavy social interaction to try and get used to it (i.e, going to a friends house or going to a social event), I fail miserably and just end up wanting to go and improve even less. Take small steps, and please, if you have social phobia like me, tell others about your issue. I locked it away for most of my life, and fell far behind because of it. Get therapy if you can. Anything to try and improve. Have faith in yourself even when your mind refuses to believe it.

[Ruddboy Olaf 10,628]

I have a bad case of social anxiety. So,bad I can't make eye contact,or even look up. Ask my family,I'm always looking down at the ground in public. Surprisingly,I can talk to my family easy,but it's just the new people that get me.

 

Not sure,what caused it. Although,I believe it was a combination of getting bullied by my brothers and cousins,and turning into a teenager. When you're a teen,you go through so many changes that it's crazy.

 

 

I'm hoping to grow out of it,but I'm not sure that I ever will.

[Admiral Regulus 2,769]

I used to be very shy, but I've gotten better about it over the years. I'm still kinda awkward, though... and knowing that doesn't help matters.

[pinkbubbles 57]

My social anxiety is really bad.

I've had a lot of panic attacks while I was out with friends and it makes me feel bad that sometimes they think it's their fault.

I usually don't like places with lots of people like clubs.

I have a hard enough time going out with some friends that I just don't bother going out with them.

I've lied to friends before about being busy when they ask to hang out because I don't want to go out. If I give them a reason, then they don't ask why I don't want go out.

I have a few friends that I really like to hang out with, but usually, I end up lying to get out of hanging out with some friends because I know what they like to do to be social, and I'm very much a hermit and an introvert, so it's out of my element.

I just don't like going out and having panic attacks.

[Magic Note 2,748]

Yes, I've had social anxiety issues that have gotten gradually worse as I got older. Is it getting better? Slightly, though I still have bouts of panic attacks.

[Revy 184]

I used to be afraid of it when I used to care alot what people thought of me. As cliche as it may sound everything comes down too self confidence or : ''Learn too love thyself''. If you can truly like yourself, all your faults, flaws, positives, the stuff which makes you unique and are confident in that then meting new people will be a breeze because you know that their opinion cant hurt you

[sparkleshine100 92]

i get anxiety when i want to request something.

 

i also get extremely worried about telling people things. (i still haven't told my parents that im a brony

 

 

[Guest]

My biggest issue is simply waiting for someone else to talk with me first. I have this huge fear about approaching others these days and starting a conversation with them. I guess I fear rejection too much as well. I know this is something that I need to work on about myself.

[Medlight 17]

Believe it or not I'm a paramedic - which means having to talk to people, comfort people, and making relationships with patients so they can trust me enough to tell me what's going on. So you would think I would be the last people to have social anxiety. But outside of my green uniform, outside of speaking with patients and their families; I am very shy and still get very anxious meeting new people. I worry about what they think of me, whether I can trust them, what to say and do. I hide things a lot.

 

There was a time I was really sociophobic - where I was scared of everyone and would avoid leaving my room whenever I could let alone the house. My childhood wasn't rosy and things reached their worse when I was 19. I had a lot of trust, confidence, self esteem and emotional problems as a result. I had to relearn everything about life. Three things helped me: one was the internet. Thank god for the internet. I could hide behind my screen: people couldn't judge you on what you looked - only by your behavior. A few times I found online communities that I could relax more in. Second was seeing a counsellor about it. It is so difficult at the start telling a stranger everything your worried about - but little by little it helps and if you get a good one they can guide you though it step by step. Thirdly, it's been my childhood dream to become a paramedic - and my job forces me to come in contact with other people.

 

I'm still get anxious when meeting people (even friends), but I'm better then a was. I'm still learning to cope with it in little "baby steps".

[Justin_Case001 4,891]

I have pretty bad social anxiety.  It's gotten worse over time due to extreme isolation.  A hikikomori lifestyle plays havoc with the mind.  My self esteem and confidence have slid downhill over the years.  I'm not that terribly broken, though.  I can actually be fairly outgoing if I just have someone to talk to, and if they start the conversation.  But I just have no one to talk to these days, and really no way of finding anyone.

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

I have anxiety and it's usually for social situations or separation situations like if my parents are on vacation and I'm staying with someone else, but it's gotten better and improved over the years, the only phobias I have are a fear of clowns and dolls, fear of crowds, fear of small spaces, and fear of failing or not succeeding in life.

[Foliha 395]

I've had panic disorder since 1980.  And I have to say, being brought up in a dysfunctional alcoholic family, I don't much like people.  I know that there are likeable people out there - lots of them here - but because of my weird upbringing I have poor facial recognition and social skills.  I don't go out much, don't drive and don't like crowds.  Panic attacks on buses, etc.

 

Do you like animals?  Dogs?  Cats?  A good job for you might be dog-walker.  Very little interaction between you and the owners - after all, they need you because they can't be there.  Maybe it's too soon for you.

 

How are you on the phone?  Can you call for take-away?  Do you have phone conversations of any kind?  The phone is good because you can always hang up.  If you let the people you talk to know that you may have to hang up without notice, and that it's not about them, you may feel less stressed - you can stop the interaction in a heartbeat, no hard feelings.

 

I'd offer to talk to you on the phone, but I'm afraid it would be too expensive for you.  I'm in California.  Any other Bronies in Northern Ireland? 

 

Once you establish some degree of trust on the phone, you might try a meetup.  Someplace close to home so you can bail if you need to.  What cities are you close to?  Belfast?  Dublin?  Bound to be some Bronies there.

 

Are your parents/family sympathetic, or do they give you a bad time about it? 

 

Feel free to PM me if you want to talk.  I'm willing to try to help if I can.

 

Cheers!

[Lexamena 391]

I have developed a social anxiety since getting into adulthood and interacting with professionals in the workplace. I've always had some degree of low self esteem and social anxiety but since I have gotten into the work force, it seems to have magnified since  networking and being a team player plays such a bigger and more important role in my career. Not only is the anxiety there, but also a general lack of interest of getting to know anybody anyway. I just don't want to. I don't care.. So I fake it, hard. And it's tough acting like I actually want to hear about someone's kid or vacation or whatever. But I prefer animals to people, except for my husband and our families of course. 

[Shadowed Watcher 183]

Lifelong sociophobe/severe anxiety/panic attacks reporting in!

 

Fuck you brain, just... fuck you.

[VictiniStar101 214]

I wouldn't say I'm afraid of social interaction.  I am a little shy though and have difficulty with communication skills, I can only engage in small talk, I talk fast and screw up sentences a lot, and I sometimes don't know what to type on the internet.  Part of it may be that I'm not that outgoing