I checked out what it means and i can't really relate to what it says but people posting their problems here i can relate to A LOT! Like being quiet in big crowds, approaching/talking to women/eye contact, unable to eat infront of people sometimes...like at a mall when there is alot of people around i get nervous and i can be a messy eater (doesn't help having a small mouth either). But i can yell at work infront of a bunch of people when people far away are talking to me, i can talk to people at my work, but sometimes when i go outside i'm nervous because everyone stares at me when they drive by, and i'm never outside unless i'm at the gym, at work, or at my buddys house. I've done a online test and i just BARELY made it on for SA but i don't believe online tests (and i don't wanna get checked out by a doctor), i can't express my feelings without feeling weird and uncomfortable. I went to the mall a few weeks ago with my friend and i felt like a POS seeing everyone walking around...like out of my comfort zone. I'm sure there is more but i can't think of anything more atm.
How do you know if you have SA?
- Thread starter Patrick26
- Start date
Deus_Ex_Lemur
Well-known member
These forums isn't just for SA. Simple Shyness, Agoraphobia, many other sections/ppl come here, not all are SA, tho that's a majority. Read further, it's a lot of things. You clearly came here for a reason; need to see, stay here, you'll connect with ppl and find if you feel like you belong or don't belong. But again, if you relate to ppl, that's reason to stay.
When I'm around friends, family, or coworkers, I have no problems at all. When I'm in groups, I usually don't have problems either. But when I'm meeting a new person, I blush intensely, sweat profusely, shake, feel so nervous and never know what to say. While it's normal to feel uncomfortable meeting a new person, it's not normal to have this level of discomfort. When I was a teenager, I saw two psychiatrists for depression and neither diagnosed me with SAD. But since Effexor, the antidepressant I was prescribed, treats SAD, I became a whole different person. It wasn't until a few years later that I had a psychiatrist tell me I seemed to have struggled with SAD all my life and he recommended I read Painfully Shy. This is a very good book, btw. It might provide more insight into your situation. But the point of my story is that diagnosing is not as important as treating. In psychiatry especially, it is not important that your symptoms have a name. If you are so uncomfortable that you cannot bear it, perhaps even feel like you're dying at times from the level of anxiety, then you might want to seek out treatment. Having a support group like this is a great first step. Reading books for self-help is also good, and doing the suggestions in the books (reading alone won't help). And I really really really do not like to preach, but FAITH can give you great strength. I oscillate between Christianity and Buddhism so I'm definitely not one to be preaching, but the New Testament has given me a lot of strength, as has the story of the Buddha's life. PBS has a great FREE documentary on the Buddha that I have watched over and over. Just the thought that someone can leave their whole life behind for peace and meditation gives me a lot of strength, hope, and inspiration. Best wishes <3