Social Anxiety Experiences:

The following is a short example of the experience people have when suffering with Social Anxiety.

To me it is an overwhelming fear of doing things people normally take for granted and the feeling of shame in yourself . For me Social Anxiety is the excessive fear, dread and nervousness I experience in my relationships with other people. Especially people in authority and people I don’t know very well. It effects my self-esteem and my self-confidence. I feel very self conscious and don’t feel at ease in social situations.

It’s feeling different to other people when I’m around them. I am ill at ease around people that I don’t know and find the ordinary social situations that everybody encounters very difficult. These can range from going to the supermarket, job interview or going on a date

I tend to sweat quite a lot in such situations and have a massive fear of blushing and I tend to avoid all situations where this may occur. I have a fear in social situations that I will draw attention to myself, make a fool of myself or that people will laugh at me. People might think that I was very nervous, boring, strange or unusual.

”I don’t go on tea break with the others at work and at lunch will sit on my own reading the paper because I fear I will say or do something stupid ”

It all started in secondary school where I found it hard to make friends. I liked the classroom work but disliked the playground where I felt lonely and neglected. If an event or function has already started I find it very difficult to enter. I might wait and hope for others to come along late so I can go in with them. I always moved from one group to another, constantly feeling like a misfit and that I never fitted in anywhere. My reply to invitations to go out with friends would always be no and I would provide them with an excuse. I thought it was safer to stay at home so people wouldn’t see my awkwardness and shyness but I still longed to fit in with my peers and converse naturally with them.

When talking to people I find myself blushing and always try to hide my face behind my hair