Social Anxiety

Altaria

Altaria

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    • Age 27
    • Seen Jun 26, 2023
    How socially anxious are you? Do you get nervous when you have to go to a public place?

    I get pretty anxious in social situations, to be honest. I have generalized anxiety so a lot of aspects of my life cause me to get anxious, but social interaction is a big one. Even if I know I don't have to speak to a large crowd or anything, just meeting new people makes me nervous as hell. I always feel like I'm gonna fall below someone's expectations or not understand something they say/ask and make a fool of myself, haha.
    [PokeCommunity.com] Social Anxiety


    What about you guys? Ever get nervous over this kind of thing?
     
    Last year I had bad social anxiety. Im much better now and I dont get as nervous. I still prefer small groups and not speaking in public, but I can do it if i have to.
     
    I don't necessarily like large groups, speaking in front of a lot of people, etc but I'll do it if I have to.

    So no, don't really have social anxiety...at least not too bad.
     
    Extremely. It's gotten better over the years, but I still get nervous when talking to people. I've learned to deal with it for situations where I'm required to interact with people (like at work, etc.), but other than that I tend to be pretty reserved and tend to shy away from social situations more often than not.
     
    Once I get to know people I am very open, but otherwise, unless I am spoken to I don't speak at all, lol.
     
    I am very social and open around people that I know well, but when I'm around people I don't know I don't talk much. I guess it's because when I'm with my friends, we like to tease each other and things like that, but I don't do that around people I don't know well. I'm never quite so sure what to say to them because I'm worried they might find what I say weird, or stupid, or something like that. I always try to talk to people I don't know well, but it can be pretty difficult to start a conversation with them sometimes. I honestly find it easier to speak in front of a large group of people as opposed to just one person that I don't know very well.
     
    eh, i'm anxious about most things, but i wouldn't really say i have social anxiety. i'm closer to just not liking interaction at all.

    i'm not remotely a fan of people, but i know how to use situations to my advantage. i like making other people happy, both for their sake and the carefully accepted attention i get from it. it's odd to me when people don't grow from experiences and don't learn how to interact with others more cohesively? i'm generally very well-versed in social skills, though i have a tendency to affect a very noticeable giggle that people mistake as nervousness when it's simply me being excited about something. when it comes to groups, i'm very comfortable with blending into the crowd or using my natural charm to make people enjoy my presence. if i have to be seen, then i shall take center stage! that being said, it's much easier to connect with a crowd than an individual - individuals do not respond to wide brushstrokes of charm, you need to tailor yourself a lot more. i'm definitely much less proficient when it comes to one-on-one conversations because there are more variables to take into play, individuality to consider.

    it sounds so technical because i am not a people person in the slightest - i'm simply very good at my 'job', acting out what i think is a good conversation for the other person.
     
    I used to be really socially anxious, mostly because of terrible self-esteem and perception, but in the last 12 months I have successfully mitigated a lot of my anxiety. Oddly enough, I was never bad at public speaking, but I got really frightened during individual conversation; now I would probably be ascribed as just 'shy' rather than 'anxious'.
     
    I'm skeptical about people who claim to have social anxiety. I feel like giving it a name has given it more legitimacy than it deserves. Everybody is afraid of social interaction to some extent. I don't like talking to people I don't know for fear of those awkward silences where nobody knows what to say.

    So I get it, I get the anxiety and I get that some people would have it worse than I do but the fact that it's become a legitimised 'disorder' is something I find a little hard to swallow. Mostly because in my experience disorders breed excuses.
     
    Shining Raichu said:
    I'm skeptical about people who claim to have social anxiety. I feel like giving it a name has given it more legitimacy than it deserves. Everybody is afraid of social interaction to some extent. I don't like talking to people I don't know for fear of those awkward silences where nobody knows what to say.

    So I get it, I get the anxiety and I get that some people would have it worse than I do but the fact that it's become a legitimised 'disorder' is something I find a little hard to swallow. Mostly because in my experience disorders breed excuses.
    Click to expand...

    rairai. ♡

    While you make a valid point, I feel like calling it an excuse is pushing it too far. As someone who struggles with anxiety in far more ways than I wish to admit, I could be having a normal conversation with you, and you would swear everything is fine. I would swear everything is fine. Then somewhere amidst that conversation, I get that lump in my throat, and my voice starts to stutter/slur/shake, or it becomes a battle to talk at all. Not even because you're a stranger or that this is a presentation will this only occur, but even in front of my family, whom I have known my entire life, I get abrupt anxiety talking to -- about anything, even a passion, something I genuinely can go on talking about for hours.

    Now, don't get me wrong, it isn't always this way. I have moments where I feel "anxiety free", and it might not be until later that I start to analyze those conversations for whatever reason, and the anxiety is once again there. It's an everyday struggle, even in my regular routine of life, going out there and interacting with the unknown. Every day holds a different situation, a different level of anxiety, and it's not that I'm scared to death by everything that I don't know could happen, I'm not trying to hide away from the world. It's just that any type of anxiety can be a real handicap; and often more than not, out of my control. Of course there are meds, therapy, and whatnot... but, I won't get into that rn.

    That being said, it's a daily fight for me in general. Every little thing matters, I analyze these daily situations to no end, even when I don't want to care at all. But I've learned how to use social anxiety as a friendly weapon in a way, and I'm definitely more open/outgoing than I have been in years. I'm also still learning how to deal with my anxiety everyday, as it is going to be different every time, and I feel as though there are no set answers to coping with the many levels of anxiety.

    However just as a side note, I realized coffee also increases my anxiety by a LOT so if you are genuinely an anxious person and also a coffee drinker, you might wanna cut this down!! I swear
     
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    I get nervous when I try to start a conversation, or if I try to flirt (with an exception when alcohol is involved.)
     
    Not to any huge extent no. I can sometimes still get a little flustered and thanks to my sensitive skin it's easy to see when I'm nervous since I turn red but most of the time people can't tell. Working phone jobs and being forced to communicate has really helped with that, but I'll forever be a little awkward haha.
     
    I have autism, so my social anxiety can be pretty bad. I worry a lot about what to say to others. I also worry that people might push me away or something. I've mostly stopped talking to others on PC because I run out of things to say and end up being completely random. It's really hard for me to socialize a lot, and it tends to be very overwhelming to the point where I'll suffer from social burnouts. I can only socialize when I want to.
     
    Outside of close friends and online presence, I'm actually incredibly shy and incredibly nervous. I have to repeat myself multiple times cuz I can never find an ideal volume for my voice... and that's just ordering from the Whataburger guy! ; ^;

    A pretty well-known YouTube voice actress and I shared similar stories on this subject. I never though someone as popular and open as her would know of the subject to this extent, which shows anyone can be socially awkward. XD;
     
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