Is it true that social anxiety is for life

[young]

i think it will always be with us on the inside, but i'm able to live a normal life without hoving to worry about it thanks to counseling and meds and forcing myself to step outside my bubble

that may or may not be true. but if one were to believe that it is always there, and that at any moment it can strike. that would cause more issues. maybe even anticipatory anxiety. since you would always think deep down that at any min you could have a setback.

 

[tewstroke]

i hope and pray that it isn't for life but at the same time i think it has become apart of me, i don't know maybe it does stick with you but not as being anxious in social situations but whenever you are in one when you don't feel anxious you remember a time when you were, i don't know all i know is that i want to work on feeling better

 

[Septor]

I don't think it's about getting rid of it or not getting rid of.It's about controlling it in a manner that it does not impact negatively on your life.Although where all here for the same reason there's a lot of different reason why we have what we have,which you have to put into account when you ask that question.

 

[Nytro]

it all depends on how you view SA, your beliefs can really help or hurt you
If you believe that SAD will never go away, then it wont because you
beleive that it wont. It can deffinetly go away if you keep exposing yourself to scary situations in small do-able steps, then in time you wont even flintch
at the situation, if done enough times at a level where you feel in control.

And if this method doesnt work research people who have successfully overcame SAD. Then youll have a solid answer, then learn what they did
and mirror them.

 

[The_9th_passenger]

SA is certainly not one of those things that you will get over in a day, or a week, or a month, or a year, but there is also good grounds for the expectation that one day in the distant future, you will remember all the things that made you anxious, and you will wonder how you had ever been in that frame of mind.

If you begin to welcome challenges, and grow in your willingness to make mistakes and learn from your mistakes. If you accept that people around you have good will and do not want to treat you cruelly. If you take risks and laugh off conflicts as they arise... In time you will not lable your problems "SAD," you will just call it "normal life" with all its attendant risks and rewards.

Have courage.

Excellent post! That's exactly what I think.

My 2 psichologists said that phobias of any kind and also social phobia (which is not really the same than a phobia) can all be overcome. Probably it's true that you'll always have to be careful with it as it can re-appear again just like someone said about addictions.
I really would like to know those 'experts' who say such a devastating thing as 'you'll always have this curse upon you!' :roll: they really deserve to be ripped and get their entrails stuffed with potatoes on a barbecue.

 

[The_9th_passenger]

but, with the correct techniques, anxiety can be eliminated..it just takes that 110% determination that you will succeed conquering it.

im one example.

its been more than a year since I made a point to change, and when i read my previous posts under a different user name, i feel so sorry for that guy.

life would be much better if i did what i do now 3 years ago.. :?

I can't believe it! No one has asked you to explain how didi you get over it!
Ok then I will.
So... what did you do? What is that technique you used?

I must say I feel I'm getting over it although for me there's not a clear frontier between being SP and Not being SP for it's not a black to white change, I mean, it's a progressive change and you keep falling from time to time.
However, what I feel as the worse thing in my case is not anxiety or anything, but low self-steem. And its just about time I find someone who can help me increase it. I mean can someone please explain to me any TECHNIQUE to increase self-steem and/or self confidence? Thanks in advance.

 

[B]

One of the biggest problems is over-analyzing it and thinking about it all the time. I was looking over old notebooks I kept a few years ago and I was ALWAYS writing about SA. It just isn't a big part of my life anymore. It's not like people who don't have SA or never had SA don't feel any kind of anxiety in new situations or around new people. Most of them do. A person with SA isn't necessarily as 'messed up' as he thinks he is. Thinking that you get more freaked out about some things than "normal" people do just adds more stress to it. Keep in mind also that social anxiety is fairly 'new' in that it really wasn't even considered an issue until somewhat recently, so a lot of the literature on it is just plain wrong. It isn't necessarily a permanent thing. Some people will always have it because they'll never figure out a way to get around it, others will get over it fairly quickly.

 

[spicecontroller]

i dont think its something that stays with you for life , i think of it like a cigarette addiction. it might not be that easy but once u quit its up to you.

 

[Shyguest]

Hi,

I think that the answering to alleviating the affects of social anxiety is to really get to the point where you feel at ease with every aspect of yourself. Then, you will be confident enough not to worry about what other people think.

Easier said that done.

 

[PoutinePete]

Is SA forever? Who knows!

But I'm an ex-smoker (21 years with the filthy habit) and I managed to quit quite awhile ago. Will I always be a smoker deep down inside? Hell, yeah! But, I no longer wake up in the morning and crave a cigarette. I think of it less and less, as I learn to cope more and more.
Same goes with SA. It'll probably always be a part of me, but I know I can learn to cope and deal with it (through hard work and determination) so its not quite the "BEAST" it once was.

 

[Reholla]

NOO I dont agree with so many views here!!!

ANY one who thinks they can't overcome anxiety..PLEASE read!

It is extremely possible for people to "overcome" anxiety! They could have had it extremely severe. I have heard cases were a woman could not TALK..she whispered for years and years. She couldnt leave her house. This woman, through overcoming numerous challenges, has a job today, raising a family, and can talk just as normal as if she never had SA.

A mis-conception on anxiety disorders is that you snap your fingers and it's gone. THE REALITY is that: everyone experiences anxiety. And we will always experience anxiety too. Don't confuse this with "yeah I'm always gonna be this way and I just need to accept it."

Dont ever let anyone tell you thats just your "personality" or thats just how you are, or any other lie.

**It's never too late to be the person youve wanted to be**

People with Anxiety a lot of times will say "I just want to be NORMAL again"

Who wants to just be normal, when youre so much more than that?

Don't you think after accomplishing such thing as over-ruling an anxiety disorder you will be ABOVE normal?

After you do this, you could do ANYTHING...you have to believe you can.

I am constantly struggling with anxiety problems myself. But do know that you can and will be "cured"...youll always be "jumpy" when watching a suspenseful movie, or anxious to see results from an exam, etc. But your life doesn't have to be controlled by anxiety. So don't settle.

 

[easy]

You can totally recover from social anxiety. Many people just don't try to get rid of it, or don't know how to get rid of it.

I suggest you read a lot of books. Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (or something like that) can cure SA. I've read Rational Living and it's a good intro. And personally I think Buddhism and meditation can help with overcoming SA, if you use it right.

The thing is, most people with SA just accept it, or become depressed or something, but you have to make overcoming your problems your number one priority in life, and work on it every day.


(note: I haven't overcome it yet, but in the past week i've made *huge* progress, and I can clearly see it can be overcome. maybe I'll post my thoughts on SA here some time. might be helpful )

 

[renegade]

NOO I dont agree with so many views here!!!

ANY one who thinks they can't overcome anxiety..PLEASE read!

It is extremely possible for people to "overcome" anxiety! They could have had it extremely severe. I have heard cases were a woman could not TALK..she whispered for years and years. She couldnt leave her house. This woman, through overcoming numerous challenges, has a job today, raising a family, and can talk just as normal as if she never had SA.

A mis-conception on anxiety disorders is that you snap your fingers and it's gone. THE REALITY is that: everyone experiences anxiety. And we will always experience anxiety too. Don't confuse this with "yeah I'm always gonna be this way and I just need to accept it."

Dont ever let anyone tell you thats just your "personality" or thats just how you are, or any other lie.

**It's never too late to be the person youve wanted to be**

People with Anxiety a lot of times will say "I just want to be NORMAL again"

Who wants to just be normal, when youre so much more than that?

Don't you think after accomplishing such thing as over-ruling an anxiety disorder you will be ABOVE normal?

After you do this, you could do ANYTHING...you have to believe you can.

I am constantly struggling with anxiety problems myself. But do know that you can and will be "cured"...youll always be "jumpy" when watching a suspenseful movie, or anxious to see results from an exam, etc. But your life doesn't have to be controlled by anxiety. So don't settle.

So....did u overcome it ? Not 2 be cruel, but your words seem 2 be out of a comercial.

Back 2 the topic now, SP will be there in me 4 life, I managed 2 diminish it 2 the point where only a large group can cause me visible symptoms, I managed 2 get a GF 8O , witch i though of as impossible in the past, and a lot of things.

But the point is that being a person with SA doesn't grant u the social abilities 2 be up there , on the top of the world, and in my case, 2 make friends.

Let's hope the scientist will take our disorder more seriouslly and do some research, I know there is a gene responsible 4 this motherfucker, otherwise it wouldn't be ereditary. Till then....hope, hope, hope.

 

[GaryUranga]

you can certainly get better but yea i doubt youll ever be on the same level of someone who doesnt have SA.

sorry to burst your bubble..

i think i am, or even better than someone who doesnt have SA

not being overconfident here, even though i may not be the most confident guy when facing certain challenges, i am sure i am ahead of some people who doesnt have SA..

do i sound overconfident here?

arrggh.. :wink:

thats awesome, hey I think it could really help me if we talked, do you have any IM program? I got a bazillion questions

 

[Lea]

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[alison180]

no way!

SA or any other anxiety is most definitely NOT for life! First, you have to take a look at your enviornment- are you happy in general? A lot of anxiety comes into the picture when you're unhappy/depressed in the first place. Secondly, if that's not the case, or even if it is, seeing a therapist and working with cognitive behavioral therapy should help a lot! Thirdly, if that doesn't help, medication is always a resort as well. Don't believe those doomsday stories. Trust me, you and ANYONE can overcome their anxiety, social or otherwise!

 

[shield]

You have to be a tough motherfucker to get over it. Since that's not most people most people probably will have it for life

 

[Lea]

.....................

 

[Generical]

The way i see it Sa is just a state of mind, well it's the way you've learnt how to behave (can be because of classical conditioning) so when a stimulus happens, which brings fear etc. it stimulates the bodies reaction according to it, like panic, adrenaline and stuff. I don't think anyone necessarily has anything physically different with their brain (unless you suffer from aspergers or something) it's just thoughts can change emotions and emotions can change balance of chemicals in your body.....thats where it all comes from. That's kinda why just a course of drugs isn't going to cure you because it's only stopping the release of the chemicals and not changing the way you're actually thinking. The 'cure' is going to be relearning how to think and behave (what cbt, act, self help is) but the thing is if you've learnt Sa once, you can learn it again, not to mention you'll always know what it's like so it might always be present in the back of your mind. Basically it's a complete arse to get over and a lot harder for some people to get over than others....but the way of thinking remains the same so it's always possible to get over. The only way that Sa could be lifelong is if you never overcome it, just like any other phobia.