anything social is a disaster!

[sa_sweaty]

Hi, I am a newbee here and am surprised that there are so many young people here (I am 36).

I have always been the shy guy, but there was one specific day in my life that turned everything around and lifted my shyness into anxiety. That day was buying groceries in the local supermarket. Once at the counter there was a woman standing behind be staring at me, and I got so nurvous that I started wiping the sweat of my head. I felt so discomfortable that I never returned to that supermarket again. However, when I entered other supermarkets, I was always scared it would happen again. This is about 12 years ago now I believe and has only got worse since. I now sweat very quickly and am even scared to have a social conversation that last for more than 15 seconds to most people.

I am a bachelor electronics engineer, working as a machine operator because I am too anxious to go through any job interview proces. Most strange thing of all maybe is that my gf (for 5 years) doesn't even know this. She's out now searching for a house and I am home alone because I don't want to meet real estate agents, and neither going through all paperwork and arrangements of getting a home loan, visit banks etc etc. I really hate this.....

 

[red_reagel]

Gosh, that sucks. Well if I knew you, I'd probably be happy. There's not a lot of people who have SA like me. Especially the grownups. Before I thought my life was a disaster, but after hearing about you, my life isn't abyssmal bad. Good luck! can you be open to your girlfriend about it?

 

[sa_sweaty]

of course I don't know about your situation and your age (I think you're pretty young actually). But if you think my situation sucks, then I don't think you really understand what it is to truely live with SA. Tell me really, what situations (as meant to be easy for "normal" people) do you try to escape most of the time?? Shyness is not SA, it can make you uncomfortable which you think is "anxious", but for as long as your body doesn't have a panic reaction, it's not SA.

 

[red_reagel]

No, I think I do pretty much have a social phobia. Not too many friends at school, can't look people in the eye without heart bursting, feeling as if heads falling apart when the teacher watches, feel major discomfort when walking around people most of the time.


I can't even relax when I'm sitting next to other kids. I avoid eye contact completely, then I do something stupid. But that's besides the point. I dont know how to help you with your situation, but I hope things get better for you.

 

[sa_sweaty]

No, I think I do pretty much have a social phobia. Not too many friends at school, can't look people in the eye without heart bursting, feeling as if heads falling apart when the teacher watches, feel major discomfort when walking around people most of the time.


I can't even relax when I'm sitting next to other kids. I avoid eye contact completely, then I do something stupid. But that's besides the point. I dont know how to help you with your situation, but I hope things get better for you.

It seems to me you have some issue with your appearence. For that reason, you now feel uncomfortable in some situations (like eye contact). But, you still go to school, still visit the lessons that make your heart falling apart when that teacher watches. If you truely had SA, you wouldn't be in that lesson, or you would have left after 5 minutes entering the class. You are probably in a beginners fase of SA, which means, do something about it before it gets any worse!!!

 

[blackcap]

If you truely had SA, you wouldn't be in that lesson, or you would have left after 5 minutes entering the class. You are probably in a beginners fase of SA, which means, do something about it before it gets any worse!!!

That's not necessarily true. Social Anxiety is just that, anxiety related to social situations. It's a pretty broad term and covers a wide variety of fears and it affects people to different degrees. Yours may be quite severe, but that doesn't mean others don't 'truely have SA'.