How would normal people find or think about this forum

[Honda]

I sometimes would like to know the view point of other people about this forum and how they see things... It might give a new insight or idea of how normal people would think or probably reveal a new thing about them.. I hope you got what im trying to say here.. otherwise let me know so i can re-explain.

 

[Luke1993]

You mean you want non-SA members here to say what they think about this site?

 

[Honda]

I would be curious to know what people without SA would think when they see this site... Because they experience the same things that we do except they dont get anxious or scared like we do.. Maybe they will find that we're too weak or soft, maybe they'd understand.. I dont care but id like to know how such as thing is looked at by society...

 

[panicsurvivor]

Most of my friends think that this site is a good Idea, just like AA for alcaholics.
I do have one friend however, who told me that this site and others like it, is just a bunch of cry babies who need to shut up and get over it. When I told him that I felt like I had made some friends on here, and that I felt like I could help some people on here. He said that was stupid, that I wasn't actually meeting any of you, and that no one on here had any real problems they just like to whine about how messed up their lives were, and that they needed to get jobs and get lives. I was getting pretty pissed off at this point, so I told him that some of the people on here had actually helped me, and that being on here had made me feel less like a freak because people understand on here. He told me that I needed to stop using this site, because I would just get worse talking to a bunch of losers.
I hate to admit it, but I got real mad.
His face doesn't look the same anymore. ::
I have one less real world friend now.

 

[Honda]

Lets see what he would do when the world falls apart around him; rejecting weaknesses doesn't make you stronger but accepting them is the way to go... I feel good cuz im on this site not only that im getting help from people but to the fact i can help and connect to people and their problems... Sometimes i feel like its an interactive diary where i can come back and review thoughts and ideas... I mean if you got nobody to talk to or nobody to understand you at least here there's something..
I dont want people to know im here or know about this site cuz of the reaction your friend had, that guy probably freaked out just like those hypocritical-homophobes that are actually homosexual from the inside and living in denial..
Hope i didnt get harsh saying that about your friend but i just hate and find such reactions immature...

 

[Anomaly]

Lol they'd start trolling.

 

[Honda]

But you know what sometimes they make sense.. I mean why would you stick into revising and reminding yourself of a problem? Instead, dont give it much attention and go live life...

 

[BlackPuma]

I can actually answer that..

My boyfriend was on this site once, when I mentioned I was working on my social phobia. Unfortunately he was very insulting and condescending about the subjects and topics. He one of those ''Suck it up, be a man'' kind of people. :/

I usually contradict him when he says stupid things like that, but I ignored it. I know how severe the problems here are, but trying to explain that to an outsider would be wasted effort. The was just one person of course, but it's sad that some look at us that way. :C

 

[panicsurvivor]

Lets see what he would do when the world falls apart around him; rejecting weaknesses doesn't make you stronger but accepting them is the way to go... I feel good cuz im on this site not only that im getting help from people but to the fact i can help and connect to people and their problems... Sometimes i feel like its an interactive diary where i can come back and review thoughts and ideas... I mean if you got nobody to talk to or nobody to understand you at least here there's something..
I dont want people to know im here or know about this site cuz of the reaction your friend had, that guy probably freaked out just like those hypocritical-homophobes that are actually homosexual from the inside and living in denial..
Hope i didnt get harsh saying that about your friend but i just hate and find such reactions immature...

Like I said, he is no longer my friend. Even if I forgave him, he wouldn't forgive me. I haven't hit anybody that hard for years.....a few times to.
And for anybody reading this, I don't make a habit of hurting people. I think violence is ignorant, but I actually care for a lot of the people on here, and it felt like he was attacking them. I know that doesn't justify it, but there it is.

 

[Honda]

I dunno what to say but i cant find any other place on earth to release whats inside of me except here and finding people that are understanding...

 

[Kat]

A few of my family members know about this website and their not really supportive of the idea behind it. Most people think it's an immaturity problem to feel the way we do or that they have it to but they're just stronger because they can deal with it but I think their getting it confused with general anxiety and don't realize this is an actual disorder like someone with an eating disorder or anger management issues. They think they understand, but they wouldn’t have the judgments they do have if they did. I know it’s hard to completely understand this but it’s frustrating at times when they think you’re not trying to manage this when you are.

 

[petrified eyes]

My therapist and both my parents know about this site, they all like the idea. My therapist is actually very interested in this site, he sees it as a valuable tool to help people with SP or AvPD to open up. Considering everybody on here has similar problems and can relate with each other, there's less of a fear of being judged, embarrassed or criticized.

 

[talisman]

Well I suspect most wouldn't understand what all the fuss is about. No doubt many would see us as weak and crybabies (and to be fair they're probably justified in thinking that even if we can't necessarily help it).

Hopefully most would just move on and not be too judgemental. I could easily find several non-SA conditions that afflict people on SPW which I personally can't understand. I accept they exist and that some people do suffer from them and then just move on to something that I can identify with. I like to think that most people would look at SA in the same way.

I suspect if this forum wasn't registration based, you'd have a lot of people trying to offer advice, as unhelpful as it might be. lol

 

[Honda]

Well, how i see it... I cannot open up anywhere else like on this forum... I don't believe in such disorders or diseases hence justifies the fact they see us as cry babies but sometimes i need to tell whats inside me no matter how absurd it sounds..
People don't listen to us or ridicule us because they think its unacceptable or weak behavior... But because they are stronger and more capable because (and based on my experiences) they were scared like us but managed to face the fears that we currently have a phobia from while we ran away and took cover.. I learned the hard way to face matters after i found out i was actually running away from the solution which was actually facing the problem.. I mean some people face the worse and have problems yet they are strong enough to hide their pain, can manage to control it and let it not interfere with their personal lives..
I believe what is said is valid..

 

[Kat]

I find facing my fears works for lots of phobias but it doesn’t seem to work for social phobia, facing situations alone doesn’t seem to work for me probably because this particular phobia ties in with your self esteem.

 

[Logical Anxiety]

I think normal people would probably say negative comments, like how we're 'weak little crybabies' or something. They think they understand our situation, but they really don't. Have they actually faced our level of anxiety before? SA is as confusing as with someone with an eating disorder, to normal people, aka 'if you don't experience our pain, you won't understand why we feel the way we do.'

 

[upndwn]

When I talk to "mentally healthy" people about my conditions they usually become strangely silent and try to steer the conversation in another direction or find an excuse to leave. A few are condescending and ignorant, but I'm used to those kind of people. I think most of those people would leave this site pretty quick, either from being banned for trolling and threadbashing or because the topics here are to depressive for them.

 

[Lonelykitsune]

To be honest I think they'd just find it very sad, and not in a 'weepy movie' kind of way.

At least people I know would, so I try to keep SA and anything to do with it under-wraps. Sounds bad I know.