My reason for posting here

[jnnnncnnn1232]

I don't really feel like I have a clinical phobia of the social world, but instead, I feel that the social world does reject me. I feel rejection from everyone, and if I make confrontation, I am rejected more. It's just a huge trap: if I decide to speak my mind, I get shut down. I can't tell people about my problems or the way I feel because they don't want to hear it, and often, they complain that they're hearing it or there is some sort of consequence behind me telling them things. Why do you post on here? Does anyone else have the same reasoning? I look forward to reading replies.

 

[cowboyup]

I feel like others don't want to hear about it as well. But a main reason for me posting my thoughts and feelings, etc. is that I really have nobody to talk to, especially about anxiety/depression. I have a few family members but they really don't want to hear it.

Also, if I am having a difficult day/week, I find I can post here and more often than not, others' advice gets me out of that rut of not thinking outside the box or in a different light.

Anyhow, it helps me.

 

[Unspoken]

I'm just bored and hoping to pick up something interesting once in awhile.

I don't really like mental health forums. I feel like they're a semi-toxic place for large numbers of people with poor social skills and mental health problems to gather and reinforce paranoia and poor communication. I grew up being told that if someone responded to my text message wrong I was overthinking it, but online people can complain and have a hundred people agreeing with them about how mean/selfish the world is and how the only safe place is the forum.

I'm really glad I spent my teenage years when I was at my worst mostly offline except for videogames because of this. I've gotten much better away from these places, and I think the results would have been lesser or taken longer to achieve if I wasn't around people who challenged my ways of thinking and behaving.

 

[Opaline]

I post because I feel safe here and I genuinely appreciate the advice I get. Oftentimes just having someone respond when I'm feeling crappy lifts my mood. Or just having someone to talk to. I also like to help others, so if I can make someone else feel better that's a good thing. At this point it's more about socializing and learning new things rather than trying to improve my SA, because I honestly don't think there's anything more I can learn about that. I'm working on that in real life and only sometimes do I talk about it here.

Another reason I continue to post here is because I've been a member for two years now and I know people around the site. There are people I keep in contact with. And it isn't playing favorites - everyone finds certain people they click with more than others. I am always open to meeting new people as well.

As for what Unspoken said about toxic mental health forums - I'd say maybe find people who are more positive. The group of people I talk to on a regular basis here does not bring me down or make me feel like I'm regressing. Everyone has bad days, of course, but on the whole I've found that most of my friends here are hopeful, helpful, and fun to talk to. I think it's all about who you choose to connect with.

OP, feel free to post here, this is - in my opinion - a pretty decent forum for social phobics. And welcome to the site!

 

[Kiwong]

I often need to vent about something that is such a big part of me that that I can't openly talk about amongst the people I live and work with. I first visited this site at a time of mental crisis, and it helped to be able to vent with people going through the same thing.

 

[jnnnncnnn1232]

I feel like a lot of you come here for the same reason I do.
Unspoken: I agree with what you say about these kinds of websites. However, I don't really have any place to turn right now.

 

[coyote]

putting my thoughts and feelings into words - and then expressing them openly - allows me to get them out from the dark, shadowy recesses of my mind (where they feed on themselves and grow into terrible monsters) and out into the light of day where i can see how silly and ridiculous they really are

sometimes, i'm too scared to express my own thoughts, so it also helps me to read and hear the sentiments expressed by others. the things i think are big hairy deals don't seem so bad when i hear it from someone else.