have you ever met someone with anxiety before??

[colleague]

We've probably all met someone with a similar condition - it's like asking if you've met a gay person before. They don't have to LOOK or ACT gay because what does looking or acting gay really look or act like? People with anxiety disorder don't necessarily act or look a certain way either. Most people didn't recognize that I had a disorder... mind you, most people didn't know I am gay either until I came out last year.

 

[HexNoir]

Come on, everyone's got anxiety. It just depends on the situation. Usually, people are more anxious when they find themselves in a situation they don't encounter very often... which is why, once again, I think exposure is the direct counter to the condition altogether. Unfamiliarity can be a bitch, cause believe it or not, the more you open up to others is the more you learn to open up with yourself.

By the way, I know a ton of people with anxiety. And hell, I don't even know that many people to begin with! All I know is I'm uncomfortable with myself being terrified of something that cannot and will not ever do any real harm to me. Therefore, I feel like I"m taking appropriate action to eliminate the higher levels of anxiety. So far, so good.

 

[spw]

I have never met soemone with thse issues either.

I meet people and see people at school and if i ever go out in the streets. They all seem so confident, none of them do little habits that could be and ocd thing, no-one seems anxious, shy, nervous, sweating, shaking etc.

Maybe these people are just better at hiding it than me or maybe we are more alone than we actually think..

 

[Caseums21]

My older brother has anxiety but not as bad as me. He lives a hour and a half away from home and is in college. He started college at 26 years old because of his attacks. Finally he said that he said to get out and start his life. So he found an apartment and moved. I'm so proud of him.

Also one of my best friends has anxiety. He's 23, doesn't have his license, or a job. His mother is so over-protective of him that she wants him to stay on disability. He was born premature and has to use a walker. Our anxiety is so bad that we rarely see each other. It is funny when we do see each other and we both are sitting in the living room, panicking.

There is also a guy I know that has anxiety so bad that he was in my bathroom for about a half a hour, throwing up. He got worried that I would laugh at him but it's not like he wanted to do that. He was surprised how helpful I was. I kept giving him a cold washrag to put on his forehead and I made him go outside to get some fresh air. That made us become closer.

I agree what Vulvectomy said "everyone's go anxiety" but everyone shows it in a different way.

 

[Broken_Memory]

I don't think I have ever met someone at school who has it. I find that I get sort of hopeful whenever I observe someone who seems "quiet" or "shy". I have this like, desire that we'll talk one day and find out that we share something in common; SP. So far that hasn't happened, so quite often I feel like its ever so rare. I know it isn't, but it seems like we're all so far away from each other.
A few years ago (when my anxiety reached its first debilitating times at school) I was in this group support for social phobia where I was with a therapist and 3 other people around my age who had social phobia. This was probably my anxiety talking, but I felt like I was WAY more socially anxious than they were. One of them was in dance and didn't seem anxious at all, and the other 2 just seemed more mature and just quiet but not anxious. I feel stupid looking back because I quit after a few weeks, and now I feel like it might have been nice to stick with the group.

We also have a family friend (who is in her late 50s) who has gone through times in her life where she would have panic attacks. Hers would come and go, and she could go through years at a time where everything was "normal". Its nice on occasion to talk to somebody who I know who has dealt with some similar things. I admire her too, because she's quite talkative and has lots of interesting things to say and even though she is softspoken, she is funny and smart.

 

[Tiesto]

no, i haven't encountered anyone else with social phobia.

 

[Helyna]

Come on, everyone's got anxiety.

I believe that. I think that the more severe someone's anxiety is, the more they will believe that they are alone, but it's never true. Look at this site!

One of my friends has Agoraphobia and panic attacks. I also knew a little girl who had severe social phobia. There are a lot of people who are really shy, but I don't know them enough to say.

 

[Helyna]

And, of course, SA is one of the easiest disorders to overlook because the people are SHY and often won't want to interact with you!

 

[ImSorry]

i had a gf who had it and even was prescribed with the same meds as me
i have friends who i'm sure have it, some worse than me

 

[ImSorry]

double post...

 

[Psychedelicious]

EDITED

 

[soulsearcher]

I am always very open about my anxiety and will bring it up in conversations and bc of that many people have talked to me about their fears and anxieties as well. I hate that I feel the way I do sometimes, I really hate the panic attacks, but I don't think that the way I am is anything to be ashamed of in any way.

 

[Digitaldreams]

I've seen some people with it here and there. In fact,a woman I saw in an elevator just today seemed to have some degree of anxiety,apparently social related. I used to work with someone who I think had a serious case of SA. He wouldn't look people in the eyes,forgot things like having met people,ate alone,etc.. Nobody knew what the deal was with him. Now,in retrospect,I'm guessing it was a form of SA.