Has your social anxiety decreased with age?

[MollyBeGood]

I think to a certain extent my SA has decreased with age. Normal things that used to make me nervous, such as speaking to a stranger over the phone, have certainly lessened. I can go about everyday life without much of a worry.
Situations that normally cause me to become anxious generally are things like small-talk.
My fiance was invited to a wedding of a friend that he hadn't seen since leaving school, and my stomach just churned at the thought of having to go into a situation where I did not know anyone, and make small-talk for hours on end.
Fortunately we did not end up going, but it makes me realise how much I
struggle at times.

This is like me so much, the last paragraph particularly...Wooo I am always soooo happy when I get out of stuff like that!!

 

[lonerism]

yes, but collateral emotional damage and complex mental issues from years of suffering from the condition linger, possibly for a long time. I liken it to being exposed to dangerous levels of gamma rays...the body just doesn't seem right after the exposure.

To at least some degree - this is how I feel about my own situation.

I might have had a fighting chance to improve my SA if it were only "psychological" - and not a manifestation of some biological pathology. But, as the underlying biological issues that have driven my SA and other "co-morbid" conditions have worsened - so has my SA.

I can also relate to the people who have said that they don't have as much desire to make friends and to socialize with others has they had in the past. When I was younger, my personality pathology was more "Avoidant" in nature (that is - I had more of a desire to have friends and to be in social situations - but my anxiety made this so uncomfortable that I mostly avoided people). In more recent years, my personality has shifted more toward the "Schizotypal" spectrum (less of a desire to be around others). I'm a mixture of "Schizotypal" and "Avoidant"; how much I am of one or the other is somewhat in flux - it depends on my day-to-day biochemistry.

From my experience, the older a SA sufferer becomes, the more "conspicuous" one might be in certain social/public situations; the more that the world may respond to you in ways that are hurtful. I think this is largely because people of a certain age are expected to "have themselves together" and to know how to handle themselves. Shyness and anxiety are traits that are more associated with children and adolescents; if such people display signs of shyness/anxiety - it is more "understood" and expected. Once you hit a certain age, people interpret these same signs more harshly - or more inaccurately.

 

[LoyalXenite]

I am only 24 but so far mine has gotten worse as I aged, but a lot of that is plausibly due to the shitty few years I've been having, deaths, homelessness, etc. So its hard to say if I am worse simply because things have made it that much harder and so I havent been able to improve properly.

 

[EntenEller]

Considering 5 years ago that I used to have a very difficult time talking to people to doing readings and leading course discussions, I can definitely say that my SA has decreased, but I'm not so sure that it has to do with age.

I was sick for most of high school. The illness fed into depression and anxiety, which, in turn, made the condition worse. It was a pretty crappy cycle.

When I was 19, my symptoms slowly went away and I was able to resume normal eating habits, and I didn't worry about debilitating pains anymore. That confidence alone helped quite a bit.

I think it also just came with practice. Forcing myself to get through the first few weeks was definitely rough on me. I had panic attacks nearly every day, but I pushed through it. Eventually, I became accustomed to the situations and it became easier. Once I've had that success, it has largely been enough to propel me through the first week or so of a rough situation.

 

[Mittzu]

I am only 24 but so far mine has gotten as I aged, but a lot of that is plausibly due to the shitty few years I've been having, deaths, , etc. So its hard to say if I am simply because things have made it that much harder and so I havent been able to improve properly.

Me too, almost the same which is not the same, u have faced deaths and stuff, i can't put myself in same spot as u, i can ensure that's the worst desease on earth( in my mind, maybe...)

but we're gonna get over it!

 

[Dreamer_Owl]

Yes it is getting better slowly. I think now is easier to live because I am much more cynical and less emotional than 10 years ago. Also being an adult is easier than child or teenager - there is lesser risk of being bullied by others just for fun.

 

[Richey]

Anxiety decreases with age because you do indeed build more pain thresholds, but things such as job status, relationship status, housing, regrets actually tend to increase, depending on your personal situation. You tend to feel more numb and more exposed to challenges with age, so in your down time, you do feel more relaxed.

So you feel more relaxed and can cope better, but other stress factors of adult responsibility tend to increase way more than when you were in your twenties.

 

[fate12321]

Well I manage to control my anxiety through, well, exercising. I know it sounds silly, but doing some cardio in the morning actually makes me more calmer and more relax. Since I started working out my anxiety decreased a lot. That's how my anxiety kinda decreased throughout time.

 

[Earthcircle]

I'm not sure if my anxiety has increased or decreased with age, but aging itself is a concern. When I look in the mirror I think "I look this old, and this is the progress I've made?" I'm not referring to my career, but my personal life. I am completely alone, and pushing fifty. I feel kind of hopeless. If I were heterosexual, I think it would be better. Heteros seem to date at every age.

 

[theslowesthand]

My SA has decreased somewhat with age, yet my Avoidance has skyrocketed, go figure :question::question::question: