It's finally over !!!

[Jungle]

Hello guys,

I am making this post in order to tell you about a major social change that occurred to me, with the hope of you benefiting from my experience.

I'll try making it short for you guys, so that nobody gets bored, if you need further information just let me know.

For those who don't remember me, I've suffered from social anxiety since quite a while.

This included :

• 
  Fear of making eye contact.

• Avoiding public places (especially public transportation).

• Not being able to concentrate when someone was talking to me or looking at me.

• Not being able to speak in public, in addition to stuttering.

• Having funny ideas and getting easily irritated when anybody would look at me.

• Slouching when walking.

I haven't been posting here since nearly 6 months.
During that time, I have made huge progress that I think helped in improving my social behavior and most of all : not pay attention to people who surround me.

What I have done :

• I started practicing indoor sports, since I still was too self-conscious to do anything where people would look at me.

• I finally decided to go to the shrink, that gave me some drug called Deroxat, and told me that it would either make me sleepy all time, or in a constant state of alert, during the first week I had troubles sleeping, in addition to having some weird thing with my teeth, I always wanted to squeeze them against each other.

• I kept busy with my studies and stopped playing video games.

• I started listening to more music.

I started feeling the results about 2 months after starting the treatment, I am still not sure if this is a placebo effect, but still, here are the results.

Results :

• Way less stuttering and self-consciousness.

• Being friendly with people, and not having weird thoughts.

• Not being afraid to speak up in public.

• Feeling reckless, which can be both a good and a bad thing. Talking about the bad side, I could do anything without giving a toss about my surrounding, even the weirdest stuff... like I don't know, coming to university wearing a pajama, you get the picture...

• Making a video talking about myself, while in a public place (as the background sound implies) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x7RmL8ZqGY .

Basically I have noticed big changes in my life... that thing is like NZT!!!

I hope this post has been useful, if I can give more details about this, I would gladly do.

 

[Razzlecherry]

Don't worry it'll come back eventually.

 

[Sacrament]

Very motivational, Razzle.

 

[nodejesque]

That's great news, Jungle. I enjoyed watching your video too, although I have no idea what you said hehe.

I'm happy that you have found something that works for you. Posting a video is very brave. I posted one on here like a year ago, but took it down rather quickly. I don't think I was ready for it.

Participating in a group has helped me too. Not sports, because I have zero athletic ability. But, I do go to two book clubs and volunteer. Its helped me overcome some of my issues, because I was beginning to become far too comfortable just being at home . The more I did it... The more difficult it was for me to get out.


Anyway, great job

I hope it continues to go well for you, and thank you for sharing your progress.

 

[F0AM]

Those are great news!

It's always good to see ppl making improvements. I'm sure it wasn't/ isn't easy at all, keep up the good work! Btw is russian your first language? i like your accent :3

 

[Jungle]

Hello people,

Don't worry it'll come back eventually.

I hope not :sad:

Very motivational, Razzle.

Thanks

That's great news, Jungle. I enjoyed watching your video too, although I have no idea what you said hehe.

I'm happy that you have found something that works for you. Posting a video is very brave. I posted one on here like a year ago, but took it down rather quickly. I don't think I was ready for it.

Participating in a group has helped me too. Not sports, because I have zero athletic ability. But, I do go to two book clubs and volunteer. Its helped me overcome some of my issues, because I was beginning to become far too comfortable just being at home . The more I did it... The more difficult it was for me to get out.


Anyway, great job

I hope it continues to go well for you, and thank you for sharing your progress.

Thanks for the cheer up nodejesque ! (I put english and french subtitles :bigsmile

I when through being only comfortable at home too... even going to the grocery store near my house was a real ordeal. Because it involved being seen by pedestrians, talking to the store manager...etc

I would gladly watch your video if you still have its link

Clubs usually bore me, in addition to avoiding the social aspect of it.

Thanks nodejesque, I hope this helped.

Some people suffering from social phobia managed to reduce their anxiety with caffeine (although it is supposed to have the opposite effect) , it didn't work for me however.

Those are great news!

It's always good to see ppl making improvements. I'm sure it wasn't/ isn't easy at all, keep up the good work! Btw is russian your first language? i like your accent

Hola F0AM, no, russo es no mi primera idioma, es frances y arab , russo es mi quatro idioma. puedo hablar y entiendar espanol un poqo

sorry if I butchered your language.

 

[nodejesque]

I don't know if its just on my end, but I didn't see any subtitles.

I don't consider myself to have social anxiety. I am very shy, but its different. At least I think so...

I can talk to people, but I just much rather my own company. Talking to someone one on one is far more nerve wracking than to a group.

I am very introverted. Although, I do recognize that I was beginning to become very reclusive.

 

[Megaten]

I don't know if its just on my end, but I didn't see any subtitles.

I don't consider myself to have social anxiety. I am very shy, but its different. At least I think so...

I can talk to people, but I just much rather my own company. Talking to someone one on one is far more nerve wracking than to a group.

I am very introverted. Although, I do recognize that I was beginning to become very reclusive.

Thats something that confuses me too. The interwebs say that there is social anxiety (fear of being judged or criticized by others) and social anxiety disorder (fear of being judged or criticized to the point where it's impaired some area of your life). Not sure how "impaired" your life has to be though.

 

[Louco]

Hola F0AM, no, russo es no mi primera idioma, es frances y arab , russo es mi quatro idioma. puedo hablar y entiendar espanol un poqo

sorry if I butchered your language.

Can you write and understand all three cyrillic, arabic and latin alphabets? It's awesome to know so many languages.

I have a linguist uncle who learned English, Spanish, Italian, French and Latin, besides Portuguese. I don't know how someone can keep all that inside their brain, I consider him a genius.

Sometimes I make him talk to me in French or Italian just to make sure it's really possible. Maybe he is a robot or something.

By the way, good work with your improvements, always remember to celebrate the results of your hard work. Keep it up. :thumbup:

 

[F0AM]

Hola F0AM, no, russo es no mi primera idioma, es frances y arab , russo es mi quatro idioma. puedo hablar y entiendar espanol un poqo

sorry if I butchered your language.

OMG no butchering, you did it very well!

 

[Jungle]

I don't know if its just on my end, but I didn't see any subtitles.

I don't consider myself to have social anxiety. I am very shy, but its different. At least I think so...

I can talk to people, but I just much rather my own company. Talking to someone one on one is far more nerve wracking than to a group.

I am very introverted. Although, I do recognize that I was beginning to become very reclusive.

If you used a mobile device it's on settings.
If you're on your computer, it's should appear automatically in english.

I agree with that, being in a group doesn't necessarily imply talking much, or at least giving your input more than once.
Some people just don't like other people's company, this doesn't mean they are shy or anxious, there are many reasons, sometimes you just want to keep your head clear from any preoccupation that people could "contaminate" you with or superficial talk.

Can you write and understand all three cyrillic, arabic and latin alphabets? It's awesome to know so many languages.

I have a linguist uncle who learned English, Spanish, Italian, French and Latin, besides Portuguese. I don't know how someone can keep all that inside their brain, I consider him a genius.

Sometimes I make him talk to me in French or Italian just to make sure it's really possible. Maybe he is a robot or something.

By the way, good work with your improvements, always remember to celebrate the results of your hard work. Keep it up. :thumbup:

Yep, I speak french at home, Arabic when outside and english on the internet, I am still learning russian.

Wasn't that hard actually, I was thought the latin and arabic alphabet at school. that's only russian that I have learned by myself.

For me, the hardest thing is the chinese/japanese alphabet that contains too many letters.

Cheers to your uncle, having the will and patience to learn a dead language as Latin is admirable. (I think it's only used in religious and historical stuff to translate old documents).

There are language that are more easily learned together, like spanish and portuguese, since they are of the same family.

or I don't know : Dutch and Afrikaans, or Arabic and Maltese.

I made sure not to learn languages from a same family. That's my philosophy. learn one language from each family, to optimize your understanding of the languages that pertain to the same family.

OMG no butchering, you did it very well!

Thanks haha

 

[Louco]

Cheers to your uncle, having the will and patience to learn a dead language as Latin is admirable. (I think it's only used in religious and historical stuff to translate old documents).

Yeah, pretty much. He spent some time in a seminary, but found my aunt before going that path all the way. Catholic priests are actually scholars, they study a lot.

I made sure not to learn languages from a same family. That's my philosophy. learn one language from each family, to optimize your understanding of the languages that pertain to the same family.

It's a good idea, you won't have problems mistaking words and grammar from one language to the others. I don't try to speak Spanish, even if I can understand it perfectly, because I know I never actually tried to learn and I will end up actually speaking Portuguese with some Spanish words.

We even have a name for this by the way, it's called to speak "portunhol". However, it's a derogatory term, not an actual dialect.

 

[Bronson99]

That's great news, Jungle. I enjoyed watching your video too, although I have no idea what you said hehe.

I'm happy that you have found something that works for you. Posting a video is very brave. I posted one on here like a year ago, but took it down rather quickly. I don't think I was ready for it.

Participating in a group has helped me too. Not sports, because I have zero athletic ability. But, I do go to two book clubs and volunteer. Its helped me overcome some of my issues, because I was beginning to become far too comfortable just being at home . The more I did it... The more difficult it was for me to get out.


Anyway, great job

I hope it continues to go well for you, and thank you for sharing your progress.

I'm also glad for him, but I'm wondering how much of his progress is due to the medication, vs. the activities he's been participating in?

I mean, the very same things happened to me many years ago when I finally found a good medication for social anxiety.. but the effect of the medication has diminished with time, and I wasn't ever able to get off of it (the withdrawal and re-normalizing process, is extreme, to say the least.)

So I dunno, call me skeptical, for one.

 

[R3K]

that's good that you're making progress. just remember you can't stay on medications forever. eventually you have to find a middle ground between your old social phobic self and this new self you've discovered.

btw which indoor sports are you doing?

 

[Jungle]

Yeah, pretty much. He spent some time in a seminary, but found my aunt before going that path all the way. Catholic priests are actually scholars, they study a lot.



It's a good idea, you won't have problems mistaking words and grammar from one language to the others. I don't try to speak Spanish, even if I can understand it perfectly, because I know I never actually tried to learn and I will end up actually speaking Portuguese with some Spanish words.

We even have a name for this by the way, it's called to speak "portunhol". However, it's a derogatory term, not an actual dialect.

Haha, you don't say... when I have a doubt with a spanish word, I just say it in french and add some "os" or "es" at the end, to make it look spanish.

I'm also glad for him, but I'm wondering how much of his progress is due to the medication, vs. the activities he's been participating in?

I mean, the very same things happened to me many years ago when I finally found a good medication for social anxiety.. but the effect of the medication has diminished with time, and I wasn't ever able to get off of it (the withdrawal and re-normalizing process, is extreme, to say the least.)

So I dunno, call me skeptical, for one.

Oh that's good to hear that you've gone through this as well.

The doc told me to take it for 6 months, then he'll see if I had to carry on with the treatment.

I usually skip my daily dose 2 ou 3 times in a row, without noticing any withdrawal symptom...how strange. compared to Paroxetine, the one I am taking (Deroxat) isn't as strong as my doc told me.

I am wondering the same thing, I don't know if this medication this is a acting as a placebo, but I haven't been acting friendly since quite a long time.

Sports definitely made me gain confidence, but without being necessarily friendly with people.

that's good that you're making progress. just remember you can't stay on medications forever. eventually you have to find a middle ground between your old social phobic self and this new self you've discovered.

btw which indoor sports are you doing?

I don't really intend to take meds forever, when it'll wear off, I'll find something else hopefully.

Practicing my punches and kicks, knees up, and many hips exercices to correct my scoliosis and improve my side kicks.

 

[Jungle]

Yaaay I had the guts to make another, I sure hope this state of mind will last long, I can achieve so many things by being my true self!

 

[R3K]

Practicing my punches and kicks, knees up, and many hips exercices to correct my scoliosis and improve my side kicks.

ah cool, martial arts is good for the mind/body/soul... three way exercise all at once. are you doing any particular style? or just freestyling it?

 

[Jungle]

ah cool, martial arts is good for the mind/body/soul... three way exercise all at once. are you doing any particular style? or just freestyling it?

Sports are a good way to strengthen your self discipline.

Let's call it freestyling, a mix between English boxing and karate kicks.

It's not about self defense (throat, genitals, eyes) or subduing the opponent.

 

[Ads7800]

Good to hear!
Keep on truckin'