Can you still act normal beside the social anxiety ?
I mean can you talk normal and making a good sentence, find the right words and not sounding so strange with a shaky voice etc. without appearing weird
When im with a authority figure I can sense he thinks Im weird because I get so up tight and can't articulate very wel anymore because of the anxiety...and he probably thinking why im behaving and talking so weird...and I have this with most people to some extent...with socialphobia you think you act weird, but I actually appear being weird so how can I ever change that thought process to a postive one when its actually true I can't pretend thinking Im not when I am..
There are some people with natural charisma who know what to say. Normally I lose track of my thoughts around other individuals so I stay quiet unless we are on a serious topic where I have knowledge, otherwise stick to short, common small talk responses and overly smiling for no reason other than anxiety.
I relate to when you say you feel awkward around authority and that you're acting weird. I have this too. It always feels like authority is extra judgemental and expecting more "perfection" imo, so it makes it extra difficult. I think a lot of people feel this way, perhaps it takes practice and observing how others act in the presence of authority, or perhaps i have no freaking idea.
It depends for me. Around my family and close friends I'm myself but around other people I close up like a clam and have a hard time keeping the conversation going.
Sometimes yes, sometimes not that much. I can never judge what my behaviour looks like from the outside anyway. I used to try really hard to appear normal, but others always intuitively sensed it was just an act I put on, copying what I believed to be their concepts of life. I think I wasn't very good at that, but still, I choose this way since it's safer. People feel that I don't fit in, but see that at least I'm trying and therefore leave me alone.
I do want to lose the act though. Strange or not, this is who I am and life is too short to play charades all along.
No... I just find it so difficult... I speak as little as possible and am visibly anxious, but that doesn't bother me... The fact I'm interacting with anyone bothers me more than enough!
Normally I lose track of my thoughts around other individuals so I stay quiet unless we are on a serious topic where I have knowledge, otherwise stick to short, common small talk responses and overly smiling for no reason other than anxiety.
That is 100% me. It's very awkward, especially around people that don't know me well. :/
Impossible. I can't make eye contact, I stutter at times, I can't stay still. I can make sentences without an issue, but it's impossible to talk without looking eccentric.
Eeeh. Define "normal."
Many people call me "weird" but that's usually meant as a compliment. I act like nothing's bothering me for the most part, if that's what you mean.
I am very shy around people apart from close family and friends, so I tend not to talk a lot, unless it's about a topic I'm really interested in / knowledgeable about. I also hate the idea of small talk, so that doesn't mix well with being shy. To me, when someone tries to make small talk, I just hear in my head "I have nothing to say to you and I'm scared of "awkward" silences". I find small talk more awkward than silence. It doesn't bother me to sit and eat a meal with someone with neither of us speaking at all. I would much prefer that over some stupid conversation about the weather and the price of petrol being 2p cheaper at tesco.
I work as a cashier at a local shop and this only makes my dislike of small talk even greater.
Well this is why I am on here. My gaze (hyper-vigilant) gives away my anxiety…..but I’m working on it....
Right now I tend to lose it and show my anxiety if I have been sat down somewhere, in a café or somewhere like that and then get up to make my way out of the place. When I’m sat down I’m reasonably relaxed, when I get up I’m just a mess.
I'm (slowly) getting better at it, but my voice is still rather shaky and I tend to stumble over my own words and spout out a bunch of random drivel in a conversation just to keep it going (especially when on a date). You can definitely tell I'm nervous.
