Anyone who bothers to have a conversation with me rather than simply asking for something from me - will know.
My whole family knows, any acquaintances know. I don't have trouble saying it.
There are other things I don't talk about that are much worse (in my opinion) than having panic/anxiety disorders (depression, BDD...) and agoraphobia.
So, no... I don't hate admitting it.
ever time I try to say I have Social Phobia to somebody they start looking at me like I am retarted and then they stop trying to talk to me. Sometimes they make me feel like it a sin to have SA like I am sombody who should be avioded. I go on hoping the words would come to me the more I try to act normal but the words never shows up in my mind. The more I try to make it look like I don`t have SA the more it shows that I do.
I thank the same thing sometimes No you did not downplay me by telling me that. I alway worry if I should be more worried about what people are thanking of me or what I am thanking about me. of course the answer is what I am thanking about me. You will always be your biggest credit. So no you did not hurt me I agree.First up it's your perception of how things went according to the SA / AvPD.
I would say you not going to walk up to anyone and blurt out I have SA, so you're going to be very selective to who you tell.
And, telling this person would be of signifigance to you.
We are very sensitive so who we speak to and what we say is guarded, so when we finally say something we want them to respond according to our mood or pre-conception.
If we were able to go back in time and find out what they really thought, I'm sure you would feel a little better.
I'm not downplaying your feelings as I know them all to well, but I also know how judgement is influcenced from that learned behavour of defence.
I know my comments may sound abrupt and some including yourself may want to sink the boots into me- but I'm answering your question as honest as possible.
The most frightening thing is to tell people about your anxiety and for them not to believe you.
I don't think it's ever occurred to me to tell anybody.
(Even though it may be the most fundamental thing about myself that's possible to put into words.)
I have not told anybody and have no intention of doing so.
I'd say that my biggest fear is that people will notice that I am afraid of socializing, so I do everything I can to make people think I do have those normal social skills when I want to. So yes, I'd be pretty afraid to admit it to anyone outside my family.
I hate telling people about it because I still sometimes like to think they maybe see me as "normal" or haven't noticed how uncomfortable I am in certain situations (it's silly really). I think it's obvious to others that there's something different about me so I feel like I don't really have to explain. There's only one person who knows the depth of how SA affects me and I feel like that's enough (because he's the only one I really trust). So yeah I do hate letting other people know, it terrifies me actually. Although I hate it, I'm content enough with people assuming I'm just shy even though there's more to it than that.