has anyone told their friends they have sp

[msleesa]

I haven't , because any friends I had, I have alienated so long ago, before I realized what was wrong with me. I did try to discuss it with my husband but he thinks it's a bunch of you know. He's not the most social person either, but his life hasn't been on hold like mine is. I have been called syuck up. anti-social. etc etc. If only those people knew the truth , and the horrible stress and sleepless nights i endure when I even think about a social gathering/event I will need to attend.

 

[Heartbeat]

No, I haven't told my oldest friends, although no doubt they've guessed something. I did tell a bf once, he used it against me. So, no, I think the only person I'd ever tell was a psychologist or a group of other people with SP.

 

[dialectic]

after five years of friendship i finally managed to tell my best friend about SA and explain how the disorder affects me. she seemed totally surprised and said : welcome to my world!

she isn't suffering from SA but told me that she has issues with self-esttem and always feels self-conscious around people she doesn't know well.

then i told two more friends who were also utterly surprised. one of them (she is a 3rd year psychology student) even argued that there is no way in the world i have SA (i'm such a great actor),she said i've convinced myself i have it because of my low self-esteem.

i was so scared they would think of me badly but all were understanding and supportive and said there was nothing to be ashamed about. so true..

 

[Waybuloo]

its easier for me to tell my friends i have depression than sa. I told one ages ago about depression, and she was reassuring, even watched a program on TV about it. i would be selective though abotu who i tell my probs to, u kinda get an idea of what kind of people they are and how receptive and understanding they are about htings like this.

 

[renegade]

An update:

Now my whole family knows: my parents, my gradparents, my cousins.......u know

Good thing they haven't done anything 2 embaress me ....yet

I dunno if that is a good or a bad thing, i'll see and let u know

 

[jojosparkles]

lol..well as ya kno i have a big gob so all of my closest friends about 30 of them know..some of my sisters friends know cos of when they come round and i know its hard for her at times so its nice she can have someone to talk to about it. my mams friend also knows so when she is worried she agaian has someone to talk to. all of my family know aswell which makes things alot easier and rather than avoid them when they come round i normally cope cos i kno that they kno im poorly.
the hardest person to tell was my best friend as he..this is in his own words..likes to see me as perfect cos i am to him and im always happy....so this to him his hard to swallow cos it hurts him alot. im trying to learn him about things slowly but generally i just reassure him im alright and if im not he comes and gives me chocolate and cuggles!!
its funny cos every one of them has reacted in different ways. my mam goes on the defensive..but she is comin to therapy with me so she can understand more. my dad gets upset. my nana and auntie are really supportive and so is my friend ben. he is my guardian angel. the rest of my friends are okay and still stay in touch but i dont think that they realise how bad it is! never mind tho! im blessed for the support i have!

 

[Alejandro]

I've never told anyone in my life. I have had sp all my life but only last year I realised that I'm a sociophobe and an introvert! But I have decided to tell a few friends from univeristy, that I have sp because they weren't happy that it took me until graduation day (april). So a days ago I decided to tell them one day.

 

[shipost]

Would tell friends if I had any, but family knows but now I feel I am being watched by them to see if they notice me being nervous so bad idea telling.

 

[nattykins]

I had friends once...then I developed SA...and started to make excuses not to hang out...then after graduation I just lost touch...They never knew about the SA. They thought I was just being a bitch and not wanting to hang out. Now I have two friends that I see once in a while who don't know about it...and a boyfriend who I live with and knows and is the most supportive person I have in my life.

 

[betty]

I have very few friends too, all very busy thankfully. I told my ex since we were moving in togther and he was a social butterfly! One time he sucessfully dragged me to this house of a friend of his and there was a bunch of people there. I was so mad at him not because he brought me there, but because he told all his friends that i had serious social problems and to " get me out of my shell" hinking that would make it more comfortable for me. He brought it up to in casual conversations as well, while i was there.!!! i was pissed

 

[nattykins]

I was so mad at him not because he brought me there, but because he told all his friends that i had serious social problems and to " get me out of my shell" hinking that would make it more comfortable for me. He brought it up to in casual conversations as well, while i was there.!!! i was pissed

That's terrible...I had an ex like that...he couldn't understand why I couldn't be like him and be more social...He used to get mad when I'd go visit him at college and not want to go party...Luckily my bf now understands and felt terrible the one and only time he took me to a friends house at a party...At the time he didn't know of my SA and I would never say otherwise anyways so I went and endured it...I told him afterwards when he was worried about me and he felt so bad...Hopefully you can find a better guy

 

[loneEAGLE]

i havent told any of my (few)friends they would all be totaly supportive butt its really hard to tell anyone ,its hard for people to understand,if they dont deal with it my parents have an idea becouse during a conversation my dad basicly said "your 30 years old why dont at least TRY to F--kin date" and i just said "i have a problem" ..that "TRY" shit always gets me i heard it my whole life like its that easy..like i choose to make my life hell :evil:

 

[corsa]

I don't think i have SP as severe as some of the people using this site, but i have enough to make me worry about it, especially when i am dealing with people i percieve to be 'above' me or have some kind of authority over me.

i told my best friend i went to counselling because i started blushing and feeling anxious around particular people and she just laughed at me. She wasn't being malicious or anything, that's just her nature. i don't think she understood what i was saying because i have never acted weird around her.

My boyfriend didn't take it seriously at first, and said i was just going through a phase and that i would grow out of it when i gain more experience in dealing professionally with people. But he's seen how upset i get when i have a major blushing episode, so now he's quite supportive and accepting in having a tomato-face for a partner. However he doesn't really like the fact that i go see a counsellor. I think that's just a little bit of insecurity on his part, though he needn't worry.

I've also told one of my friends at uni, and she's really supportive. We're both training to be psychs so we kinda 'debrief' each other's problems and she calms me down when i get upset over it, and i calm her down when she gets uptight over something. Also she even thinks she's got a touch of it herself, so we can have a laugh about how antisocial we are. I think its good (for me personally) to try and put a positive spin on it, although i'm by no means downplaying the severity of this infliction. My blushing really makes me feel miserable a times. But for the most part i'll try to get on with my life and be positive and I'll walk into her office every-other day and declare the new blushing 'cure' that i'm gonna try out to beat this thing.

 

[TAMPA-BAY]

have you told your friends that you have SA?

-
No I fear that it would just put me in the glair of the spotlight.

One time my bigest rival my out going extroverted sister cornered me at the dinner table during spring break time and ask me why i dont do anything(she meant why i had no life)
I squeaked out the reason and she was like "are you sure? they have pills for that" and the conversation died. She apearently was familar with SA cause she is a Head nurse.

Another time i told a coworker thru her my space instant mess.
When I told her she was like omg i knew someone who had it. When i ask her who; she said it was some one from her old town she moved from.

The strange thing about my co-worker is that since i told her about my Social Phobia she has never admit to having it her self; even tho she fits the profile perfectly plus she seems to know an awful lot about Social Phobia.

The good thing is that I gave her clues on how to find the site
I didn't want to give her the exact site just in case I'am wrong. I am sure she is one of us.
Maby she is already here?

 

[Emma]

I don't have any friends, no-one wants to hang around me because of my Social phobia

 

[cherish]

For some reason I have no problem telling my friends. It actually helps me to feel like less of a freak when i can tell someone i have this problem because i'm not treating it as some oddity that no one would ever understand. It's hard for people who don't have the same problem to understand it but i think it makes them alot more considerate of where you're coming from if you seem nervous or awkward or whatever else. To come out and just say it puts me at ease not in the situation but more with myself because i can seem to accept it more the more i hear myself describe it to people. It helps me to not identify myself with it when I talk about it like it's some outside force not really having to do with me that much. Haha i don't know how good of a logic that is but it does help.

 

[cherish]

another thing, alot of you guys have really shitty friends if they're constantly looking for a weak point in you. I say screw those people, you don't need them.