Did it got stronger when you knew you had SAD?

soap_bubble

soap_bubble

New member
This is my question, Do you feel that your SAD got stronger when you realized that you had a personality disorder that caused those "strange behaviors" you had? Let my try to get it a bit more clear.

I realized I had SAD last Christmas (yeah what Xmas gift I gave my self) after finding this forum and I started reading so many experiences people where sharing that my whole life "I thought I was the only one".
Somehow I think that after reading those experiences I became more aware of my actions and also started to kinda reject even more social situations. Now I'm unemployed and besides the current economic situation I find that I have less willing to go out and for example ask my friends or people I know but I'm not that confidence with to help me find a job and stuff like that, and some other situations where I don't know but I think I in someway putting some extra-conscious-rejecting to this situations now that I know what I have.

Also I have been thinking if it is good to share this with someone, named my parents or some close friends?

:confused:
 
kayelle

kayelle

1
No, I thinking knowing I had something made me better. Then I could see what was actually wrong, what I was doing to myself and what was happening to me, and I could see that there actually was a problem, it wasn't just me being strange and a reject. That gave me the comfort tell people, and then to get help, and it has been getting slowly better since then.
I think it's a good idea to tell a few people that are close to you, it's so much easier when you don't have to keep making up excuses and trying to hide it, and they'll probably give you great support aswell. :)
 
SickJoke

SickJoke

Well-known member
soap_bubble said:
This is my question, Do you feel that your SAD got stronger when you realized that you had a personality disorder that caused those "strange behaviors" you had? Let my try to get it a bit more clear.

Also I have been thinking if it is good to share this with someone, named my parents or some close friends?
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So now that you've diagnosed yourself, you're starting to identify yourself: "I am an SAD sufferer" which can lead to beliefs like "SAD controls my life" which can lead to "I am my SAD."

"SAD" is just a vague umbrella term for feeling anxious in social situations. There is no SAD gene. SAD isn't the cause, it's the symptom of your beliefs, which developed from your own unique experiences.

Stop identifying with SAD. You're basically using it as a crutch, an excuse. Don't say things like "Oh, I did that because I have SAD. SAD is to blame." Take responsibility. Use this forum as a resource so you can learn the tools to change the beliefs that make you feel anxious in social situations.
 
zofia-life-coach

zofia-life-coach

Active member
Your SAD is going to get really strong when you‘ll stop avoiding social situations. Don’t let SAD to take over your life and get out.
 
Psychedelicious

Psychedelicious

1
Are you ready?

I don't think it affected me either way. Knowing I'm screwed up in a lot of different ways doesn't really make it worse or better for me. eh.
 
DontSleepOnMe

DontSleepOnMe

Banned
Ugh nevermind,I been offtopic again.. is this short attention span or me just being plain stupid!
 
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Jamal Johnson

Jamal Johnson

Member
It did get stronger but that was a turning point for me. Since then I have 'fought' it and I have been able to do more things that I wouldn't have done in the past after I found out I had SAD. I wish I could relive my teenage years again because I completely wasted them, I can do way more things socially than I could back then when I had no idea about SAD.

The feelings of anxiety got stronger but it made me alot stronger too.
 
dottie

dottie

Well-known member
no my SAD didn't get stronger. it was an explanation that made everything make sense. it actually helped because then i learned that my issues were "normal" (many people experience it), the causes, and what i needed to do to help myself to be able to function on a basic level. i still have problems but they were never worsened by a diagnosis.

ask your parents to go to counseling with you so you can explain it to them in a safe environment. many people dismiss social anxiety as something trivial. if you have a counsellor there to validate what you're saying that can help a lot.
 
lurknomore

lurknomore

1
Honestly, I didn't consider the ramifications of the diagnosis at the time- ten years ago. A bigger problem was I was dealing with depression, and I've only really gone back and given thought to SP since being rid of the depression. I was seeing a counselor and she thought that my depression was getting better, but I still wasn't going out and doing things, so she thought I had SP and referred me to a psychiatrist. And all he said was that SP is treated in the same way as depression, keep taking prozac (the med I was on at the time)- which obviously wasn't working for SP, but I didn't care enough at the time. I guess I never really took it too seriously until recently when it's really started to bug me that I don't have friends and have a hard time talking to people. So maybe right now is my actual realization time, and I don't think it's gotten worse- I think my case is actually kind of mild to begin with (but enough to frustrate me) and it's been interesting reading about others' experiences and finding similarities and differences. I guess the thing is I've accepted the fact that I have SP, as in I don't see myself as weird or ridiculous for having it in the first place, but I also see that there are ways to cope and maybe overcome it.
 
Errordotocx

Errordotocx

Well-known member
Yeah, a little over a year ago now I ran into this site. I kept getting comments from people asking me why I am so quiet. I kept getting asked if I was at certain events, which I was, but people didn't remember me being there because I was so quiet. Plus a few other things and I was really at a dead end for what was going on. So I sat down one night and googled "Why am I such a shy and quiet person." Doing this eventually lead me to some other sites with information and this forum. I'm still not sure if I have SAD or just extreme shyness. Because i'm not as bad as some people on here, no where near as bad, thankfully. But I do have some of the anxiety symptoms that i've read about and I can also relate to some people on here. But I think in general i'm just a pretty shy person.
 
R

Rise Against

Well-known member
The first time i realized that i had SAD i denied it. Then i felt sorry for myself and it got worst. After i thought about it for a while i eventually accepted it and realized that it can be fixed. Now im in the process of curing myself.
 
Argamemnon

Argamemnon

Well-known member
My problem is that my psychiatrist is trying to convince me that there is nothing wrong with living in social isolation. He says that people are different and that I have to accept that I'm different. I can't believe that he is saying this. I thought it was "common knowledge" that isolation makes people unhappy and depressed.
 
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R

Rise Against

Well-known member
Argamemnon said:
My problem is that my psychiatrist is trying to convince me that there is nothing wrong with living in social isolation. He says that people are different and that I have to accept that I'm different. I can't believe that he is saying this. I thought it was "common knowledge" that isolation makes one unhappy and depressed.
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I cant believe that he would say that either. I wouldnt listen to him unless you like being alone.
 
dottie

dottie

Well-known member
Argamemnon said:
Oh no, I'm beginning to feel like a total creep. I truly LOVE being alone.
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hell yeah, me too. i hate the complexity of dealing with people face to face in real life. this doesn't mean i want to be alone 24-7 living in total isolation. maybe 23-7.

maybe you took your psychiatrist out of context? maybe he meant that it is ok if you need lots of alone time. he probably didn't mean that you should live in total isolation but you shouldn't feel guilty or defective if you need lots of alone time.
 
Lea

Lea

Banned
It didn´t grow stronger, it´s been always the same. I can´t get screwed up more than I am.
 
Argamemnon

Argamemnon

Well-known member
dottie said:
hell yeah, me too. i hate the complexity of dealing with people face to face in real life. this doesn't mean i want to be alone 24-7 living in total isolation. maybe 23-7.
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23-7? Haha I agree, I don't want to be alone 24-7 either. Don't get me wrong, I do go out etc. and I'm looking for a job and also have other plans. But I would like to have as much alone time as possible. Much more than the average person..... is your boyfriend ok with you wanting so much alone time, if you don't mind me asking. It would be great if both partners felt the same way....

maybe you took your psychiatrist out of context? maybe he meant that it is ok if you need lots of alone time. he probably didn't mean that you should live in total isolation but you shouldn't feel guilty or defective if you need lots of alone time.
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I thought he was serious, he gave the example of monks and that certain people are perfectly happy when they are always alone. He is a very experienced psychiatrist, lol.
 
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