noob alert

[ripewithdecay]

hey, im new to this forum. thought i would join up because there seems to be some decent people on here and it's relaxing to read other's thoughts and experiences with SA.

little bit about myself... i suffer from SP/SA as you might've guessed. i just read up on it a month ago, been doing some self-help therapy since. it's gotten a little better dealing with it, in fact posting on a forum is a new thing for me, it's probably a good thing... a step forward.

im 22 and have suffered since the age of 9 or 10 from what i remember. i'm a musician and love music to death, i play drums and guitar and am very passionate about making a career out of it. once i discovered i had SA i realized i'll probably never get anywhere with my dreams until im cured. so i've declared war on this curse, and also because i'd like to get involved with helping others. im very defiant with my anxiety and often throw humor or sarcasm it's way.

anyways... im just here to hang out and talk and get to know some people and trade advice and/or helpful stuff. awesome, cant believe i wrote all that.

 

[recluse]

Hi and welcome. I also (try :roll: ) to play guitar.

 

[stardog]

Hey ripe. Have you ever been in a band? I play guitar and piano, always been passionate about playing/listening to music but I've always been too self-conscious and I never had much confidence to play with/to anyone else, altho now it feels like something is 'missing', cause music seems to be the only thing I'm really good at. It's very frustrating

 

[ripewithdecay]

yeah i was in a garage band for a few years in high school, with some closer friends of mine. we would jam every weekend and get drunk and have a good time. i think the only reason i got into it was because they all sucked lol, and they had a hard time to keep up with me (even tho the anxiety at times hampered my playing by alot)
i cant handle strangers watching me play though, i will drop my sticks or miss a cymbal because i cant stop the tensing of muscles or shaking and sweating, and just forget all my parts sometimes. after a while i just stopped and havent played with ppl for over a year or so.
one annoying thing is my dad. he claims i am a fantastic drummer and is always trying to get me to go to the bars where they jam live music. there is no frigging way i could do it, i would literally flee the bar if someone told me to go up and play. i can hardly stand to sit there as it is.

 

[ripewithdecay]

dont give up though. if you love music, keep going. if you get the chance to play with someone who you feel comfortable around - do it. its a one of a kind feeling and will relax you more over time.