Facial expression

Anonymous

Well-known member
Hey..I just found this website today and it was a very pleasant surprise to me...I have had Social anxiety for about 5 years (I'm 19)...I find that I can't control my facial expression in social situations. I was driving the other day and the mirror was facing me and I looked up and scared myself because of the scared, paranoid, angry look on my face. It was horrible. I know how i must look in stores or in class, so (it sounds weird) I try to make myself look happy and relaxed, and I blink a lot (I don't know why but it helps)...I know this sounds really weird, does anybody else have this happen to them? Do people look at you and avoid you like they do me?
 

Anonymous

Well-known member
Yes, one of the things that started to make me self-conscious was when people, even on occassion complete strangers, would sometimes just come up to me and say "cheer up, it may never happen". So I became aware that me normal, relaxed facial expression must be quite lugubrious. In other words, I started to become self-conscious about it, which is not nice.

I've also had various people say they past me in their cars yesterday and said I look real mean look on my face behind the wheel. I'm actually a very relaxed driver so again, my natural facial expression let's me down. This, of course, added to my self consciousness.

This was all before I even had SA but now that I do have it, I'm acutely aware of my facial expression when around people. I feel I need to make the conscious effort to remove the natural frown, but the nervousness and anxiety induced by SA prevent a natural smile forming, so I must end up looking like a freak.

I prefer winter where I can wrap up in woolly hats, scarves and high-collared jackets to cover up as much as my face as possible.
 

LilMissTragic

Well-known member
I usually keep a slight smile on my face....maybe people are avoiding me because of that...lol, I might look a little demented.
 

SingaporeGuy

Well-known member
yes..facial expression is my problem now..

its my eyes..theres no spark..no light of confidence shining..and i would want that..
 

Hype1010

Member
I like it when it's sunny outside. That gives me an excuse to wear my sun-glasses and not have to worry that I may have a stern look in my eyes, etc... 8)
 

Scottish_Player

Well-known member
I was sitting outside a hospital once to pick someone up in a kind of outside seating area,i wasnt relay comfortable but felt more relaxed than normal then a nurse came upto me and asked me if i was ok?

I coudnt figure out why she came to me,i wasnt the only one there, there where about 7 other people but i guess in must have kinda showed in my face that i wasnt comfortable,it was nice of her to ask but it made me more self concious because i thought i was ok in the situation but obviously i wasnt :roll:
 

Chilling__Echo

Well-known member
as long as i can remember, i too have gotten the "what's wrong?" and "you look so depressed" shit. now when i talk to someone, i'm always afriad i'll come off as mad or irritated to them just from my face. sometimes i slightly raise my eyebrows to look brighter... i'm such a dork! i might just be making it worse :?
 

Anonymous

Well-known member
i think all this is kind of werd since everybody seems to be bored or tired. just go to the subway and u'll find out. some people are not that way even when they are staring at the walls with a freaky sight. but i believe most people in the subway are that way.
 

Horatio

Well-known member
I'm the same, I simply can not smile. I have tried and tried and tried to have a natural smile but all I can manage is a rediculas looking cheesy fake smile. Once I tried smiling to my mother and she yelled at me for pulling faces at her. Not her fault, how was she to know I was trying to smile genuinely. I cant smile even if Im very happy, and sometimes when I think Im smiling, on the outside Im not.

Oh well, yet another thing for the plastic surgeon to fix when Im rich ;)
 

Anonymous

Well-known member
hey is dry mouth a problem of social anxiety because my mouth gets realli dry and i alwyas have to lick my lips..and i look stupid
 

Anonymous

Well-known member
Yeah, I got the driving comment once too. And the 'smile more' or 'what's your problem?' I think I have a permanent smirk or something that makes me look as if I'm jerk. I have found that I can break the spell if I smile real quickly or if I talk first and quickly, but not always. I just look annoyed most of the time. It's not helping.
 
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