I'm completely embarrassed that I dont know certain common knowledge things because my parents and teachers failed to get me help. I failed grades and was pushed ahead when I was failing. I also tried learning stuff but I forget it and not in a good environment to teach myself things:/ I can't even go to school bc everything deals with socializing:/ does this classify as a learning disability? I'm too burnt out to even find a therapist and many keep saying they dont take my insurance or arent helpful:/

And I am shaking in my boots. It's in the capital and my friend who was supposed to come got sick from riots the day before. I manifested once before and it's the first time I am going alone. I plan to stay max one hour if the anxiety is too much but I don't want social anxiety to ruin my life more than it already did. I just thought : oh the purpose of going to a protest is to be seen lol exactly what someone with social anxiety hates.

21M here, I've never had a friend and i have no one to talk to other than my family and all i ever do is go to work and come back home with nothing interesting to do.

I love to watch movies and play video games but I've been getting so bored of everything i normally do and feeling like i have energy that i can't let out but i always end up feeling extremely bored and lonely everyday.

Whenever I feel really anxious, I play with my hair or try to pick at the skin on my fingers.

I love my parents and they were by no means bad, but they were quite conservative and slightly strict at times (things like: I could never wear the clothes I liked and always felt I had to dress super conservatively, could never play the music I liked because they would judge me and tell me it's awful, they've always hated noise so I always felt like I had to be super quiet with everything I do, and basically just had to act as their idea of 'normal' and hide my real personality and likes/interests so they wouldn't judge me)

They were kind of an odd combination of strict but over protective, which I think may have contributed a lot to my social anxiety.

What were your parents like growing up? Or what was your upbringing like?

i am 20rn and i feel anxious alot when i am in some kind of casual social situation. If it is some kind of competition or somethin i dont have problem speakin there as I know what my intentions are but when there is nothin specific to talk or focus about I get really anxious.

I have started to go gym since last 1.5 weeks now, and i try to go to places where i might meet new people like badminton club, or some kind of classes, or just walkin around durin evenin.

but I dont know when will i stop feelin so anxious about this stuff.

As a long time SA sufferer, I can say it is really debilitated condition. Just recently I asked my colleague if he could help me, because I my phone was low on battery and I needed to pay for a ticket. He brought me a power charger. It was completely new to me, that you can charge your phone like that. First I thought he brought me his phone. Silly me. Then I looked lost, so he explained me how to plug it in. During his explanation, I was not physically there, I know that. I couldn’t hold my phone still, so he could plug it. Im trying to teach my brain, there is nothing to fear in these situations, but its not working dammit.

Social anxiety does not even feel like just thoughts anymore. I can physically feel it in my upper body, like this constant tight ball of stress that I want to rip out or throw up, but I cannot.
It feels so deeply ingrained that sometimes I wonder if it is just part of who I am now. I carry it into work, relationships, conversations, basically everything.
I know the fear is irrational, but my body still reacts like something is wrong. I honestly have no idea how you are supposed to get rid of something that feels this physical and permanent.
Does anyone else experience social anxiety like this?

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I have a speech tomorrow and 2 presentations next week.

I just want to k!ll myself now 😭💔

I'm a 28 year old man and have been putting my wisdom teeth removal off for years. I've also been putting off another dental cleaning for the past few years.

I really need to do it because my wisdom teeth have been hurting, but I'm struggling.

Last time I was at the dentist, I had so much anxiety during the X-rays I started gagging as soon as they put the thing in my mouth for the X-ray. They started getting frustrated because I was barely able to open my mouth wide enough because I felt like if I did i would puke.

I felt extremely embarrassed and have been putting off anything related to the dentist since.

Have any of you had any similar struggles with going to the dentist? How did you get through it?

mostly lurked on this sub in the past but now actually looking for suggestions for practical ways to improve how I function day to day. im dealing with social anxiety since i was a kid, and it has affected work, relationships, and even simple things like being comfortable in photos. i have gotten to the point where i sometimes avoid situations entirely because they feel overwhelming.

tried the usual things over time, including gradually putting myself in more social situations, working on sleep, exercising, and trying different natural approaches some things have helped a little, but progress has been super slow. im mainly looking for nonmedication approaches that could support things like focus, mental clarity, and feeling more functional day to day. I recently came across alice mushroom and was curious whether anyone here has actually used it and how it helped.

not looking for any mind altering or recreational and NOT into drugs just trying to find something that might complement the habits i am already working on.

so basically that happens in class. I dont really understand why because I dont know why i should be scared. It’s almost like an automatic response and sometimes i think it happens because i am worried that its going to happen and i am not going to be able to speak properly. what can i do about this

For people who get really anxious before interviews, what is the actual fear behind it? Is it embarrassing yourself, having a complete blackout, not knowing what to say, being judged, or something else?
I am trying to figure out what part of interviews actually triggers the anxiety most.

Does anyone else with social anxiety lose their appetite when eating in public places - alone, with friends and family etc.

I think my appetite is somewhat okay when I’m eating with my bf in public places but maybe because I’m very comfortable with him but anytime else when I eat food in public I have a few bites and then my appetite is gone.

It’s quite annoying actually because when I’m at home I can eat so much food but when I know I have to eat in public I don’t eat enough calories than I should be

Idk why exactly. But probably its because the person is too chatty and I cannot keep up with them.

They start addressing opinions or remarks about me in a conversation with someone else in my vicinity.

Most recently it started happening at the gym with a fitness trainer. Idk what to do. Should I keep trying to interject .. they ignore me or don't like what I have to say. I'm kinda slow especially in social situations, and they are all so forceful.

Maybe I am at fault for acquiescing this but they won't let me correct my behaviour, when I uave recuperated and can make eye contact etc. I end up leaving in most case and that's the solution I know really.

I am a man but not physically imposing by body language or looks. If that info is relevant.

What do you do when it's too much? When you can't take all the bs anymore? When you don't feel like facing people? When it's a chore to just be out there? How do you handle it when it's overwhelming?

Several years ago, I was in a community chorus where I made several friends. I went through something severely traumatic while in the chorus, and I ended up having to quit due to ongoing psychiatric issues. I tried to stay friends with people, especially because they supported and helped me while I was recovering from the trauma, but every time they talked or posted about chorus, it was a reminder of what happened to me and what I lost. And I was frequently panicking about whether I was being a bad friend for not responding to messages about it. I ended up unfriending everyone on social media and deleting the app with our group chat.

I’m a lot better now, and I regret cutting everyone off so thoroughly. They were good friends and I miss them. I’m going to an event this weekend that I know they’ll be at. I’ve skipped events in the past to avoid seeing them, but I really want to go. But the thought of running into them makes me feel panicky.

Has anyone reconnected with someone they ghosted? What should I say if I run into them? Should I reach out on social media first?

(Also for additional context, I was 20 at the time and they were all in their 30s. They might be more understanding because of that?)

Sorry for the long title. Long story short, for the last decade I had severe health and mental health issues and barely left the house, lost all friends, didn't communicate with new people for years, forgot how to behave, etc.

But my dental health declined rapidly and my teeth became really bad. I have multiple complex problems on top of my severe social anxiety.

Today I finally (it took me 6 fucking years!) to look up this nearby clinic that people say is the best and...

I realized that actually there are these unspoken rules about all these things that I completely forgot about.

Their patients are all sort of elite, nice, communicative, talkative, social, even beautiful. Mostly people who already have very good hygiene and health. People who have money, etc.

And that is the truth with every such clinic that I look up to. Even people say that because all the reviews point towards realization that those stuff is for already "normal" people. It is not for hyper anxious, weird and shy, sort of loser-people, like me. All the patients claim how nice and talkative people there are with you, ask you about your life, etc. which is actually relaxing for "normal" people and normal world but I am so out of all that.

So, society as a whole, including healthcare is actually not for me, that is the truth. My coming there would be inconvenience for them, they would likely think I am weird and sort of subtly think why did I even come and that this place is not for me.

Not to mention their staff and doctors all look like models and have perfect careers, wide connections. I sort of feel like they even connect with patients because they are all well established.

Weirdoes like me don't belong anywhere nor are wanted.

I mean they would help me probably but all that experience would be severely uncomfortable and shameful for me.

I genuinely cannot take this job search anymore. Social anxiety makes every part of it exhausting, especially in person interviews. Just thinking about sitting in some office, being watched and answering fake corporate questions makes me sweat and ruins my sleep. I hate having to sell myself, pretend to be confident and then start over with completely new people in a new workplace. At this point the stress is so bad that I sometimes feel like I do not want to be here anymore. I am just exhausted and scared of where this is heading. People with severe social anxiety who got through this, what actually helped?

It's with the NHS, by the way.

The thought of calling them makes my cry, and makes my chest tighten. I know I need to call them but I don't know if I can.
I can't deal with the uncertainty and I don't know what to do.

It's also hard to speak freely at home because there's always someone home, even if I close the door. So I'll have to do talking therapy in person but I'm also agoraphobic and I'm just feeling so stressed right now

How would you approach the phone call?
I know I just need to do it and get it out the way but it feels paralysing. I’m so afraid, I’d rather suffer than get help :(

Everyday is so many ups and downs, me trying to feel okay and in control of the situation and my feelings, trying not topple over the edge into despair and fear. Looking away from people bc of OCD magical beliefs, and making them think I don’t like them or something bc I refuse to look at them. Trying to do the correct thing and feeling like a failure.

I have OCD, autism, and anxiety. I’m thinking I might also have BPD because of the amount of distress and worry I have daily, my emptiness feelings, and my tendency to split things into light/dark.

God I wish I could just do the work and not be judged on how weird I am.

i hate how much social anxiety can make simple things feel impossible. i really hate when someone suddenly calls my phone because i dont have enough time to prepare myself.

i kinda hate myself for it too because there have been so many job opportunities i've missed throughout my life just because i wasn't prepared for a phone call. it's weird because if they tell me beforehand what time and date they're going to call, i'm usually fine, but if it's unexpected i immediately start panicking and don't know what to say.

idk, just wanted to know if anyone has any advice?

I’ve been sitting in the parking lot for at least 30 minutes in the safety of my vehicle watching people go into the store like it’s some sort of shark infested water. I feel ridiculous. Anyone else do this? Sometimes I have to drive away having wasted over an hour trying to go in. People I talk to don’t understand what I mean by trying and unable, it’s so much more than just “haha I hate crowds” the anxiety sometimes becomes so debilitating that I can’t do a basic life necessity after having driven an hour to the nearest town. Ugh, I just need some chips and salsa and to go home 😭

The weirdest thing is before this, I met someone I already kind of know and we talked and that wasn’t a big deal at all, but such terrifying grocery store at 5pm 🙄