Just wondering, did you always have SA/SP?

[PhantomPod]

Yes, I was always very shy as a child and I remember always being aware of people looking at me and worrying about what they thought of me. I would always blush, my voice would shake, my heart would race, I'd start heating up and getting sweaty, etc. I'd say that it got worse in high school, but yes, I have always been socially anxious.

 

[JamesSmith]

For a long time I thought it was normal to be anxious and afraid around people. I thought that I was just unlucky. I thought that everyone else was smarter than me because they knew how to make friends and weren't shy. It wasn't until around 20 years old that I finally found that I had an anxiety disorder. It took a therapist to explain to me that it's not my fault. She asked me a question that changed my perspective, "Did you want all of this?" Obviously not.