Help Needed!! Please take part in this survey on Social Anxiety and Social Phobias

Hi Guys, I would be really grateful if anybody could complete this survey that was set as a task by my therapist to help me with my own social anxiety issues. The answers will be used as part of my next therapy session only. Thanking you in advance!!

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?
2. How distressing in this situation?
3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?
4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?
5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?
6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?
8. Are you male or female?

Thanks guys! This will really help in my journey to face my own anxieties. I will let you know how I get on.

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?

Being with people who i dont know or arent my close freinds

2. How distressing in this situation?

really debilitating and i feel upset for the rest of the day

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?

Thinking about what they must think of me

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?

Cant string together many words, dont know what to say, blushing, looking scared

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?

trying to relax, pacing my breeving

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?

6 years

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?

being bullied at school

8. Are you male or female?

male

1. What social situations cause you anxiety? Being in large crowds, eating in front of people, paying for my own items, going to the gym... Oh, there's so many I can't list.
2. How distressing in this situation? It's horrible. I feel like a freak show.
3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time? Usually what people are thinking about me/
4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious? My hands shake, my heart races ugh sometimes it's like I forget how to speak.
5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism? I usually just take out my phone & txt someone so I don't need to make eye contact & if I have to talk to people I just try to be mindful & listen
6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety? maybe 4 yrs?
7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety? I'm sure. I don't know what.
8. Are you male or female? feeemaleee

1. being with acquaintances who, i'm sure saw me embarrass myself at one point.
2. very much
3. they think i'm stupid, ugly, awkward, cowardly
4. tense/stiff
5. turns anxiousness to intense excitement and fakes confidence
6. for as long as i can remember. but it was worst during my college years
7. yes
8. female

Thanks to 'WillMclennan' and 'Shakethelight' for taking time to complete my survey. I have my therapy session tomorrow afternoon so will let you know how I get on. I'll share any tips my therapist gives to me. Have a great day guys

Thanks for completing the survey 'Montejocarlo'!! Have a great day

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?
When I am centred out in front of people. When I feel I can't get away.

2. How distressing in this situation?
Very but endurable for a while.

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?
NO, not me/I don't want to be here/got to get away/breathe

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?
The tension is slowly building up and I am forcing myself to keep breathing slowly. My arms usually do something and my body turns it's back on the crowd as I think up some kind of humouress tension breaker. UGH

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?
See above and looking for the exit and taking it ASAP.

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
I stopped suffering from it ages ago and accept it as part of me and have done much work on it (45 years)

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?
Maybe the first time my mind and body reacted in a way I could not control and it scared the hell out of me. 11 years old in front of new classmates at a new school being forced by a sadistic teacher to stand there and tell my life story, totally unprepared and in disbelief that she kept telling me to ..go on. Could you imagine if a boss told you to do that the first day of a new job and wouldn't let you sit down until he was satisfied that he had wiped that smile off your face.

8. Are you male or female?
female

1. I get anxious when socializing in groups.

2. On a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being highly anxious, I would say 8.

3. My mind seems to go blank. I just can't think of anything interesting to say.

4. My heart is racing, my thoughts are disorganized, and I feel nauseous.

5. I use beta blockers.

6. It started when I was about 8.

7. I was bullied throughout school.

8. Male.

1. What social situations cause you anxiety? People in general/crowds
2. How distressing in this situation? Extremely.
3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time? That people are thinking badly of me or want to physically harm me.
4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious? Tense, difficult to breathe, racing thoughts, racing pulse, heart palpitations, clammy skin, can't stand still...
5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism? Music, internal rationalization
6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety? Most of my life.
7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety? Yes. Physical assault 10 years ago/ a sexual assault when I was 5-6.
8. Are you male or female? Female

1. What social situations cause you anxiety? Interacting with people generally, using the phone.
2. How distressing in this situation? Very.
3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time? I think that people are negatively judging me, that they think I'm stupid or ugly and that I have little right to exist.
4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious? Tight muscles in my back, arms and chest, my stomach knots up and I feel sick, I feel dizzy and hot, my pulse increases and I sweat a little in extreme cases.
5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism? Music, digging fingernails into my hand to distract myself, trying to focus on remaining calm.
6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety? All my life.
7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety? No.
8. Are you male or female? Female

Hopeful72 said:

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?

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Any situation where I'm around people I don't know and I'm expected to interact with them.

2. How distressing in this situation?

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It varies depending on the number of people involved, the length of time I know it's going to last, whether I can avoid having to talk to anyone, etc. But it's usually pretty stressful.

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?

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That I don't want to be there, and how much longer I have to be there.

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?

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I usually tense up, although I try to catch myself doing this and force myself to physically relax because not being so physically tense helps lower the level of anxiety.

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?

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I focus on when it will be over. I visualise that point in time like a light at the end of a tunnel.

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?

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Always.

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?

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No.

8. Are you male or female?

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Male.

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?
Meet new people, being in crowds, family that I haven't seen in years.

2. How distressing in this situation?
Very stressful.

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?
Thinking about what others are thinking and how they see me. Sometimes my imagination takes over and it's like I can almost hear their thoughts or voices in my head as they ridicule me.

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?
Mostly my heartbeat will increase and I'd find myself breathing harder. There are times when my hands would shake as well.

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?
Keeping to myself as much as possible or faking confidence.

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
I believe for at least 10 years but looking back at certain events in my past I would say that the seeds of SA were planted as far back as grade school.

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?
Hard for me to answer. It snuck up on me like a ninja.

8. Are you male or female?
Male

1. What social situations cause you anxiety? I get mild anxiety from being in groups or crowds, and major anxiety from being around close friends. The closer the person is, the more scared I am.

2. How distressing in this situation? Depends. I can try and deal with it in groups, but when I have to face someone close to me, I don't know what to do.

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time? I try to relax somehow.

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious? Racing heart, sometimes shaking, fear, need to escape, sometimes nausea.

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism? I just deal with it the best I can-

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety? Since I was a kid.

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety? No idea.

8. Are you male or female? Physically a female. Mentally neither.

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?
Mainly ones with co-workers, any kind of confrontation with someone I fear or respect.

2. How distressing in this situation?
Extremely, tends to cause at least a cold sweat, rapid heartbeat, intense fear, clenched muscles, at worst fight or flight...

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?
I want to run or knock down the source and then run... I'm all animal, except 99% of the time, my impulse control is in tact. What I can't do is slow down my physical reactions enough... So my brain can't come up with the proper verbal defense...

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?
See above.^

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?
Breathing, pacing myself...Telling myself I don't have to answer quickly, reminding myself that everyone gets self-conscious at times.

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
Since about age 9, I had thought it kicked in while I was in my twenties, but then I remembered what grade school, & junior high were like.

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?
Severe physical, & emotional abuse.

8. Are you male or female?
Female

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?

Meeting new people. Public speaking. Crowded places e.g. bars, clubs.
2. How distressing in this situation?

Severely

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?

Everybody's looking at me. They think i'm weird/fat/ugly.

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?

I feel sick and shaky.

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?

Alcohol and trying not to attract any attention.

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?

Since i was a child.

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?

Probably but i'm not sure of the exact cause.

8. Are you male or female?

Female.

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?

One on one conversations.

2. How distressing in this situation?

Depends on the day. I try to keep myself in check. Fairly stressful.

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?

I think mainly about how the other person sees me, and if I'm sounding like a moron.

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?

I tense up and can get very fidgety.

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?

I try to pretend to be someone else, who is full of confidence.

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?

Since about my teens.

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?

I had always been a bit shy, but it wasn't until I got hospitaized for my neurological disorder that it really turned awful and affected my life.

8. Are you male or female?

Female.

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?

When people come over unexpectedly. Going anywhere by myself. Sit-down events (because there is no way to hide in a corner, or get lost in the crowd)

2. How distressing in this situation?

I often become so panicked that I flee without thinking. I'll just bolt and go as far away as possible. If I'm trapped in the situation, I have to hold back tears, and I shut down completely.

3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?

Sheer panic. I can't think logically. It feels like I'm drowning.

4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?

Sweating, nausea, tears, shaking

5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?

I try to turn off my brain and become numb. I pretend it's happening to another person, and that I'm not even there.

6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?

I've always been really shy, but when I was about 14 it got very bad.

7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?

When I was 17 all my friends moved away and my parents got divorced. I transferred to a new school and from that time on, I've had no friends and can't cope with meeting new people.

8. Are you male or female?

Female.

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?
People around people, esecially girls I fancy.


2. How distressing in this situation?
I can be very distressing, depending on the situation.


3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?
Hard to tell. Usually thinking about why I'm lonely and if I'll ever be able to fit in.


4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?
If it's just people, like going to the store. I get kinda tense, uncomfortable/uneasy.

If It's a hot girl, that is very differnet.
My heart beats fast, I feel hot, I sweat, I feel weak and find it hard to breath sometimes. I get a tight pain in my my heart, and a pain shooting down my arm, right arm, usually. I feel extremely uneasy, uncomrtable and I just want to get a far away from there as possible.


5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?
Depends on what it is. I would put on an act. Probably act like a robot, emotionless, responding with the flat tone/same tone, or whatever it called.

I maybe on my cell phone, to avoid talking to anyone and to seem preoccupied.


6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
Just the regular anxiety, all my life. The anxiety I get from attractive girls, It started in juniour high, and get worse overtime.


7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?
You mean that first started it? I don't know.


8. Are you male or female?
Male

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening all,

Many thanks for taking time to complete my questionnaire. I have my therapy session today so will let you know how it goes.

Here's to remaining hopeful!!

Hopeful72 said:

Hi Guys, I would be really grateful if anybody could complete this survey that was set as a task by my therapist to help me with my own social anxiety issues. The answers will be used as part of my next therapy session only. Thanking you in advance!!

1. What social situations cause you anxiety?
2. How distressing in this situation?
3. When you're in this situation, what are you thinking at the time?
4. How is your body reacting when you are anxious?
5. If you have no choice but to face the social situation, what are your coping mechanism?
6. How long have you suffered with social anxiety?
7. Was there an event that triggered your social anxiety?
8. Are you male or female?

Thanks guys! This will really help in my journey to face my own anxieties. I will let you know how I get on.

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1. Discussion groups, presentations
2. I get really nervous
3. I can't sustain a conversation or speach in this physical state
4. Heart acceleration, shaking
5. looking down
6. since childhood 20 yrs
7. having to speak second language in school
8. male